Psylocke is damaged!

Do you have a first aid kit handy?

Anyway, I have been thinking for a while about how this "Asian Psylocke" makes no sense. Or, Psylocke as many of us know her today, & have accepted her.
Growing up, all I knew was this version of course. I thought she was so awesome & kickass & had no idea that this body was not her "original". Either way, I bought it all & loved it. All that trashy 90s hype.. Yeh I bought all that haha. I even bought her resurrection & was glad to have her back, etc. But, you'll see in my list how i feel about that now ~
Looking back it was all cheesecake. But let me list some random reasons I'm irritated about Psylocke as she is since, well, the body swap (so 1991). (incoming geeky rant)
A quick recap to anyone that also, like me, only knew/knows the "Asian version" of Psylocke.
She was originally a Marvel U.K. character, debuting in Captain Britain #8 in 1976. She didn't show up in America until 1986 (The year I was born, by the way haha) in New Mutants Annual #2. Much took place from 1976-86 that no one today really knows about (including the writers of today's comics). Without knowing it, it takes away all her dimensions. It takes away her origins & beginnings. The fact that she was a charter pilot & loved to fly. She was a member of S.T.R.I.K.E. After her eyes were gouged out, she relied purely on her telepathy to see (through the eyes of others).
A more detailed description of her early history is on Comicvine (or at least as detailed as I can find for the internet, without buying a decades-worth of Captain Britain issues).
Here is a link:
http://www.comicvine.com/psylocke/29-3176/
The marvel.com bio is shorter, but interestingly (& gladly) has a lot more details about her years in her original body:
http://marvel.com/universe/Psylocke

Anyway, on with my list! It helps if you know, well everything, about Psylocke coming into this. But if not, read the comicvine & the first few paragraphs of the marvel & you should be ok :)


~My list of random FAILS regarding the whole body swap that will never be undone for reasons relating to money~
(aka "Good going Marvel, you killed my favorite character! Except Storm haha")

1) Do you think Marvel, after the boom of popularity in the 90s, would let any writer "put her back" in her actual body? Or retcon it? Psylocke is their property & no way will any writer stop that haha. They must think their Elektra clone sells more as she is now (thanks to terrible writing since 1991) than "just another telepath". (which is a good point I'll get to later)
2) I used to rationalize the body swap with the idea that "well before they went through the Siege Perilous, she would comment often in her thoughts about how she wished she could defend herself & those she loves in situations where her powers won't work, or if they fail her" (as they did with Sabretooth right after she'd abused Cerebro). Her thoughts were always very different from, say, "I want to be a fighter!" or "I want to punch & kick things all the time!". This led me to think that is why she was made into "a warrior". (the ninja). But that thought is so incorrect! As I'll state later, this managed to make her "too ninja to use her powers". Also, the Siege Perilous had nothing to do with "granting this wish". It was Spiral's crazy magic. & While I'm on the Siege Perilous topic, all the other characters involved with it (Rogue, Havok, etc.) recovered or "returned to normal". Not so for Betsy... Ninja's sell, remember?
3) The whole "action junkie" shenanigans is just too much. Yes, she loved fast cars & fast planes (& flying fast when she has telekinesis later on), but any rationalizing for her staying the way she is makes no sense when it all boils down to "She is just cooler as a sexy psychic ninja, guys!!". Yes, perhaps she could have grown to enjoy hand-to-hand combat. But you'd think the team would step in & say something when it's all she's doing & could be dealing more hurt to the enemy by utilizing her mutant talents. (Not to mention keep her from getting beat up every other fight)
4) She was in the Asian body when comics seemed to grow to their peak of popularity in the 90s. Therefore, it may be because this is how iconically she is remembered, that no one wants to think of how ludicrous & lame-ass the body switch is.
5) Her telepathy was weakened while Kwannon (in Betsy's original body, while Betsy was & is in Kwannon's) was still living, as they split this ability in half between them. During this time, she really seemed to just live in hand-to-hand combat. When Kwannon finally died, & Betsy's powers & personality were restored, her way of combat never changed. She was literally written to be "too ninja to use her powers". So many seemed to write that the knife was all she had, with a bit of mind communication. Claremont would write her often using them in new ways, but she was still stuck in melee. Perhaps this is due to reason 4, but I can just hear Marvel editors saying to writers that wanted to try something different, that this is just how she's supposed to be.
6) I realize the team was mostly very caucasian. (Storm, Bishop, Forge, & Jubilee were the main exceptions) If they wanted to make a more ethnically diverse cast of characters, could they not have brought in someone else? Or created a new character? This is not a complaint about Psylocke being ruined because she "is not white anymore". NOT in the least. I am NOT a racist. My point here is that, the lengths they've gone to turn one of their already established characters into a woman of another race (physically) is mind-boggling. & the lengths they've gone to keep her in this form. They essentially killed the character I (after looking back at older issues) love, to create something I encourage (diversity & more racial representation on the team). However, I think it is quite racist in the way it was done. Not only is she still British white Betsy inside this body, but she has no character anymore, even sometimes was written as some type of "dragon lady" archetype! Everything's been fogotten. My point is that rather than create a new & interesting character, with exciting possiblities, of any race that is not caucasian, who actually has a personality!, & allowing Betsy to proceed as herself without the killing of character traits & personality.. Rather than doing that, this is what they did. That is all on that.
7) People know her as the "sexy psychic ninja". That's not a character. & this is how she was written, cheesecake & buttshott poses & all, in the 90s (& now too, since the Sisterhood arc in Uncanny at least). This defining of her character as merely "the sexy psychic ninja" is an insult to not only her character, but her fans. & most importantly, to fans of *characterization* in general.
8) Why did Jamie, her brother, bring her back to life in Kwannon's body (aka "the Asian body")? Why would he not restore her in her original, the form he knew & loved & grew up with? It could be argued that perhaps he felt she preferred this body. Or that no reason is needed as he is crazy in the first place. Any reason given to it is wrong, however, since Chris Claremont had wanted to bring her back in her original body, but Marvel said "no". Wow! This right here should say something haha
9) To go further on point 8, why would they not feature any thoughts of Betsy's about this shift in bodies? Not only right after the body swap back in the 90s, but after being resurrected as well. Directly post-body swap, you'd think there would be a lot of internal stuff going on, in thought panels at least, about what it is like being in a different body. How looking in the mirror every time feels like looking at a stranger. How people don't recognize you anymore. How you can't be all "Oh my gosh Brenda hey!" in the store when running into your old friend Brenda because.. she won't recognize you & no way is she going to believe you swapped bodies with a ninja & became Lady Mandarin only to... let's not finish that very long sentence, shall we? Even further, someone could have dug into what it is like to be in the body of a woman who is a different *race* than yourself. What cultural "expectations" others have, if any. What stereotypes are now piled on her in this new form. How, underneath it all, SIMILAR we all are. & also how different. Think of the cool, engaging, *thoughtful* plots that could have revolved around this! But no.. it was better to have her walking around with her butt hanging out, kicking people because "she is a cool sexy psychic ninja, guys!".
10) Going back to point 8, you'd think after waking up & dying due to hand-to-hand combat, she might start thinking "Hmm, I've had some bad luck in the past, focusing all of my fighting techniques & strategies on melee combat! Perhaps I should use my mutant gifts, which are far more powerful than a punch or kick, rather than diving back into ninja-tize bitches!". Well.. this was never explored. Obviously her written as the sexy psychic ninja for so long has pervaded everything about her. It was Claremont who wrote her return, & my quess is that he is not allowed to change her from being this ninja fighter. Marvel: "What good is another energy user after all?" Or another "weak female mentalist"? (I do hate that role idea also, but do you see what I mean?) It comes back to the idea that no characters learn much anymore. They are kind of stuck in their roles for the past decade or so, depending, just repeating what they always do. None of them question it, even if (especially in Psylocke's case) they definitely should (& it would be awesome to see them do so!). In the same vein, it's interesting to note that with all her ninja training, Master assassin lessons, etc etc, she gets her ass handed to her in 2 out of 3 fights (& has almost died on numerous occasions). I'm not saying heroes should always win. But if she had used her raw mental power (whether TK or TP) in most of these fights, she most likely would not get scratched. Her original desire to "be able to protect myself & those I love when it calls for it" has been twisted into this strange, "sexy psychic ninja", constant hand-to-hand warrior, thing. & it's a huge bummer!
11) As an added note to #10, Storm has very heavy hand-to-hand training. But you don't see her running around with a gusty knife sticking out of her fist calling it the "focused totality of my wind-controlling powers", do you? (another interesting note is that Storm wins most of her fist fights!) Wolverine has a healing factor. Colossus has metal skin. There is no doubt that they belong in melee. This is the most minor of my points, as I realize all characters are different & should be, but Betsy has just been through the worst wringer in the worst ways for the worst amount of time. If a character truly enjoys limiting themselves, it would have to have a very good reason. Especially if its killed them in the past! But obviously & unfortunately, it is Marvel's say that keeps her this way. $$$
12) The Captain Britain connection. Notice that in the House of M, Betsy had body-swapped as well. Without ever joining the Xmen. How? Perhaps it doesn't need explaining but the whole thing is so ludicrous. (Her twin brother is Captain Britain.)

I pretend none of the body swap & later ever happened. & that costume.. She's still wearing it! It makes no sense for her character! Suddenly, just because she is in an Asian body, she wears a thong 24/7? Hmm what is that suggesting, if anything besides the ideas of horny straight male writers & artists? It is not fair at all.

It's a shame because I loved how she was written in her ressurection. The thought panels in all the issues (Uncanny 455-459) & her interactions with the team. That was Betsy right there, & Claremont writes her spot-on (minus the mandatory "in combat, she prefers to jump into melee without reacting to the notion that it's almost killed her many times" Marvel mantra.) The powerset set her apart, & if this is how intelligently she was utilized as a character, the body swap wouldn't matter to me in the least. Unfortunately it was a $$$ decision & her characterization is weak when Claremont (& Carey at time) isn't writing her.

Those who say they are fans of Psylocke, & think of "sexy psychic ninja" when they say this, do not know the character. At all. They know a product packaged as a character quite well, however.
The bottom line is that she was put in an Asian body to sell comics, & she remains in an Asian body to sell comics.
~


(I got quite long & ranty. There are a few other points I was thinking of, but this kinda covers it, for me)

If you like this, see what got me going :
http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2009/11/23/psylocke-this-is-not-the-ninja-youre-looking-for/comment-page-4/#comment-782265
(read the comments. The review itself is awesome but the comments overall are better)
~

Chimaerawave made an awesome post on the comicvine forums about this:
http://www.comicvine.com/psylocke/29-3176/british-or-asian-psylocke-which-do-you-prefer/92-396060/?page=2
~


Post-rant, this was a hilarious read:
http://www.uncannyxmen.net/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=5551&PN=1