Ross Hutchinson
For all its ups and downs, one of the best things about Krakoa was the idea that no mutant was off limits. Characters that had been dead for decades were now back and able to be elevated, like Sync and Destiny, and old favorites were given new roles and importance. Some characters were shepherded by various writers, while others were given more singular attention throughout the era. For Si Spurrier there was Nightcrawler and Legion; Gerry Duggan had Emma Frost and Kate/Kitty Pryde.
And of course, the one you’re here to see, the sometimes-Princess of Avalon, Daughter of Bright Lies, first Psylocke and newly minted Protector of Otherworld: Elizabeth “Betsy” Braddock, as brought to us by Tini Howard.
Excalibur Vol 4.1. Tini Howard, Marcus To, Erick Arciniega and Cory Petit.
I want to start off with the psionic butterfly in the room: it cannot be overstated how, for over half of her publication history, Betsy Braddock benefited from the aesthetics of a culture she does not belong to. It was a problematic storyline that took far too long to undo. There is so much to be said about Kwannon’s creation, the treatment of her character after her death, and the importance of her resurrection and status as the current Psylocke.
I’m not the person to speak on those things. My place in those discussions should first be to listen and amplify the right voices. So to that, I absolutely recommend giving @CarolineCosplay a follow on Twitter/X if you haven’t, or listen to her episode of the Cerebro podcast!
While it will always be an integral part of her history and character, I want to instead focus on what I think is so relatable about Betsy–what I think Krakoa emphasized the most–and that is: wow, this girl has some major imposter syndrome!
After the emotional rollercoaster of having her soul ripped out of Kwannon’s body, rebuilding herself using the psychic energy of Sapphire Styx’s victims, off-panel therapy sessions with Jean, unleashing Archangel in an attempt to save the world, failing and being brainwashed into being a love cop for Nate Grey’s weird utopia (phew, that’s a lot!) Betsy Braddock arrives on Krakoa. And she, understandably… doesn’t know where she fits into this new narrative.
Excalibur Vol 4.1. Tini Howard, Marcus To, Erick Arciniega and Cory Petit
By the end of the first issue of Excalibur, the first in the trilogy of books that follow Betsy’s character through Krakoa, the question is answered: duh, she’s going to be Captain Britain! Of course, that’s what she’s always wanted! It’s quite literally the reason she was born.
As a fan, there’s a delight in finally seeing your favorite character achieve their destiny. There’s also an anxiety in seeing what comes next.
Excalibur did something I thought was very smart by bringing Brian and Jamie Braddock back into Betsy’s life in a way they haven’t been since Rick Remender’s Uncanny X-Force. Betsy’s younger (as she’ll always remind you) twin brother Brian was the first Captain Britain. A human genius, well liked by the masses as a proper hero–a paragon of virtue with a loving wife and child.
Also a man who has struggled with his anger, his own addiction and with being a good husband.
Uncanny X-Force Vol 1.6. Rick Remender, Esad Ribi?, John Lucas, Matt Wilson and Cory Petit.
Betsy doesn’t see her little brother for his faults. When she looks at Brian, she does not see how they are the same, she sees everything that she isn’t. Consequently, she often looks to him for validation. The first two arcs of Excalibur, up until the massive crossover event X of Swords, emphasize this too. Betsy is made Captain Britain by her brother at a moment of crisis, she didn’t earn it, no matter how much she wishes she did. She can’t admit that she wants to be Captain, that would be wrong–it’d be unfair. Morgan, Saturnyne and other antagonists speak her own concerns aloud: Captain Britain is a good, virtuous hero…
Betsy Braddock is many things, but is she good?
Is she more like Brian, or is she more like Jamie? How can she know, when she didn’t even make a choice?
Excalibur Vol 4.6. Tini Howard, Marcus To, Erick Arciniega and Cory Petit
Fans know what kind of hero Betsy is, we’ve seen it for years. She’s the kind that will raise a sword to the man she loves if it means protecting a child. She’s pragmatic, sure, and loves to get into a fight, but she’s undeniably someone with a loving heart. If only she could see it the way Brian does, the way her team does, or the way Rachel does!
Rachel. Now, I could write a few thousand words on the romance between Betsy and Rachel Summers. I won’t (yet) but I need to mention how important the relationship between them is. There is a moment in the final issue of Excalibur where Rachel, Amazing Baby in tow, tells Betsy that she’s wanted. She tries to remind Betsy that she has people in her life that need her. Unfortunately by the end of the issue the two are separated, with Betsy trapped in Otherworld while Rachel is left behind on Braddock Isle, with some things clearly left unsaid.
It is not simply a twist of fate that breaks them apart, it is Betsy’s own actions. She pushes Rachel, Brian and others away from her. To prevent them from being trapped with her? Or is it because she thinks she has to face this war on her own, to prove herself as Captain Britain?
Excalibur Vol 4.26. Tini Howard, Marcus To, Erick Arciniega and Ariana Maher.
Excalibur through Knights of X and Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain all try to answer the question of not only, “Is Betsy good enough to do the job she was born to do?” but also, “Does Betsy think she’s good enough?” The answer varies. Sometimes there’s a burst of confidence–a witty remark against an opponent who literally cannot lose, or a badass one liner facing off against King Arthur in her underwear–but just as often there are moments of doubt.
These doubts manifest not only in how she acts, but in what she’s noticeably missing. For much of Excalibur, Betsy’s iconic butterfly motif is nowhere to be seen. It’s a part of her, but for some reason… she can’t reach it. The butterfly can be a symbol of so many things, like transformation and rebirth. It is also the symbol of the Greek goddess Psyche, the goddess of the soul. We know that Betsy’s butterfly and her sword represent who she is, she tells Rachel as much in Mike Carey’s Butterfly Blade. So the fact that it’s missing, that it’s something she cannot reach no matter how she tries, is a reflection of the pain and guilt she feels.
Left: Excalibur Vol 4.13. Tini Howard, R.B. Silva, Nolan Woodard and Ariana Maher.
Right: Excalibur Vol 4.19. Tini Howard, Marcus To, Erick Arciniega and Cory Petit.
Things have changed for her on Krakoa, and there’s a sort of internal reckoning that comes with that. Change, even positive change, can be painful after all. That is the kind of internal journey of ups and downs that I find frustratingly relatable. I probably have imposter syndrome every other day. I have times where I feel on top of the world–like I’m the best damn producer you’ve ever seen!–and times where I feel like an absolute fraud. Moments where I feel that I’m not good enough at my job, or that I’m not good at all.
Luckily for me, I don’t have an omega level reality warping brother who can create a pocket reality where my imposter syndrome destroys England.
Excalibur Vol 4.10. Tini Howard, Marcus To, Erick Arciniega and Cory Petit
Betsy has always struggled with her identity, and wanting people to see her the way she sees herself… or more accurately the way she wishes she saw herself. From Uncanny X-Men #213 where one page has her wondering if she’ll ever be able to show her new friends “the tiger within” to seeing her idealized self as a cold suit of armor, to the three decades(!!!) of being trapped in another woman’s body, questioning the person she’s becoming as she sinks further and further into pragmatism and violence. It’s part of who the character is and it always will be.
I would read issues of Tini Howard’s series of books and feel like reaching into the pages and smacking our dear psychic supermodel superspy upside the head! How can she be blind to her own success after all this time!? Why doesn’t she understand that she’s a gorgeous, powerful, fairy princess!?
Then I would put my ereader down and get ready for work in front of the mirror. I would scrutinize every flaw–every hair out of place, whether my stomach is flat enough, is my complexion even enough? My friends probably think I’m hideous and weird, I messed up in that meeting two weeks ago, I didn’t do enough to make that one project more successful…
Oh, yeah… I kinda get it now.
The story doesn’t end when you finally get the thing you thought you wanted. For characters like Betsy, the goalposts constantly shift: “If only I had the perfect body, if only I had the perfect job, if only I had someone who loved me for me. If only we had a perfect life of adventure together–”
Where does it stop?
Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain Vol 1.1. Tini Howard, Marcus To, Vasco Georgiev and Ariana Maher.
I guess that’s what it’s like living in a comic universe that never ends! It’s also what it’s like living in the real world sometimes, don’t you think?
When I think about Betsy’s Krakoan journey, I always start a bit earlier than Excalibur. Earlier than X-Men Disassembled and the Age of X-Man. I think back to the image from Hunt for Wolverine: Dead Ends, of Betsy sitting in front of the fire in her baggy sweater and yoga pants, looking so terribly lost. And then I think of her in Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain #5, smiling bright as she flies off into the next adventure, her brother looking on with pride. Everything that happened in between, the ups and the downs, well that’s where all the fun mess happens. That’s just life.
Left: Hunt for Wolverine: Dead Ends Vol 1.1. Charles Soule, Ramón Rosanas, Guru-eFX and Joe Sabino.
Right: Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain Vol 1.5. Tini Howard, Marcus To, Vasco Georgiev and Ariana Maher.
Whether it’s Mojo, the Hand, a Fury, Morgan or her own inner demons, Betsy Braddock will always get back up. She’ll falter and she’ll backslide, but one way or another she’ll plant that Starlight Sword in the ground and push herself back up and find her way back to herself. She will, as she tells Kwannon in Excalibur #19, “forever try” to understand who she is and what’s important. That’s the kind of character I love, and it’s one I often need. I’m glad we still have this one, almost fifty years on from her debut, because I think she’s pretty great.
Betsy’s next adventure starts soon in X-Force #1 by Geoffrey Thorne and Marcus To. I can’t wait to see where she goes next, with the woman she loves at her side, and I hope to see you all there!
Until then, like Betsy’s co-creator Chris Claremont always said: Never The End.
