Betsy Braddock was born in Great Britain. She is the third child of Sir James Braddock, a former knight of the Otherworldly Captain Britain Corps and his earth wife Elisabeth. Next to her twin brother Brian, there is also Jamie who is a few years older than them. Unknown to her, Brian was one day chosen as this earth’s champion by Merlin and his daughter Roma from Otherworld. Brian then became Captain Britain, and only shortly afterwards Betsy alerted him that their brother Jamie was in trouble. Immediatly the Brian followed his sister to the airport, since the fastest way to get to him was by plane and Betsy was a charterpilot. [Captain Britain (1st series) #8] Fortunately Jamie was not badly hurt, but it turned out that a villain had caused the crash and now he hypnotized Betsy into attacking her brother. Yet Captain Britain was able to uncover the villain’s identity and Betsy was restored to normal. [Captain Britain (1st series) #9-10] Not much later Brian filled Betsy in on his secret identity as Captain Britain. [Captain Britain (1st series) #21] Both Betsy and Jamie got drawn into Brian’s battles, where they mostly were used as hostages against him.
In time she decided to start a modeling career [first seen in Super Spider-Man and Captain Britain #243], and soon the siblings lost track of each other. (The fact that Brian was stranded in the medieval era and later had to journey through some alternate dimension certainly didn’t help to maintain contact).
Apparently a few months / years passed during which Betsy dyed her hair purple and became a really famous fashion model, while secretly she worked for the psi division of S.T.R.I.K.E., S.H.I.E.L.D.‘s british counterpart, since she had discovered her mutant talents of low-level telepathy and precognition. [information from Daredevils #3]
One of her assignments was to infiltrate and investigate the Hellfire Club, and since her father was a well known member of the Club’s London branch, Betsy had no difficulties to get invited to the parties of Sebastian Shaw and his followers. Without knowing it, Betsy was in way over her head, which is why Tessa, planted in the Club as Professor Xavier’s spy, endangered her cover to make Betsy leave the Club. [X-Treme X-Men #3]
Betsy returned to Great Britain and continued to serve the psi-division. Later S.T.R.I.K.E. was being infiltrated by agents of the Vixen, and as the psi-division posed a threat to her plans, she hired the Slaymaster to kill them one by one. This time Betsy knew better than to act alone and contacted her recently returned brother Brian for help. By the time he arrived only Betsy, her lover Tom, and a blind woman named Alison were still alive of the psi division. With the help of telekinetic Tom, Captain Britain could defeat the villain, afterwards Betsy and her friends moved into Braddock Manor. [Daredevils #3-4]
Later Great Britain was hit by a reality warp caused by James Jaspers. In this altered reality, super-beings were incarcerated in concentration camps, forcing Brian and his friends to go undercover. Betsy used her precognition ability to tell the others when it would be safe to leave the hide-out to search for food or medicine, but not before long they were discovered. Tom sacrificed himself, attacking the soldiers telekinetically to buy the others enough time to get away, but through their mindlink Betsy felt the psychic backlash when he died; she was easily captured and put into a concentration camp then. [Mighty World of Marvel #8-9]
Shortly after everything returned to normal an alternate Brian, called Kaptain Briton, fled to earth. When the Technet arrived to arrest him for some crimes, he hurried to Braddock Manor and engaged Brian in a fight. He won and switch clothes with Brian, handing over the “criminal“ to the Technet, who left with him. Betsy’s telepathy had been blocked by one of the Technet before so she was unable to notice the exchange. Later that night, the imposter tried to rape Betsy, during their fight her telepathy returned and Betsy learned the truth. Her attacker was from an alternate universe, where Kaptain Briton belonged to a Nazi regime. Disgusted by his deeds she fried Briton’s mind, killing him. [Captain Britain (2nd series) #5-7]
A few days later an old friend from her S.T.R.I.K.E. days returned and told her about a new organisation called R.C.X. They wanted to deal with the Warpies problem; these mutated children were born all over Britain as an after effect of the reality warp. As she allowed that the Warpies moved into the manor as well, Betsy had an arguement with her brother, after which he left in anger. [Captain Britain (2nd series) #8-9] While Brian was busy with a series of adventures around the world, Betsy was talked into taking over the mantle of Captain Britain II, using the modified uniform of Kaptain Briton, whom she had killed in self-defense. She was trained by Linda McQuillan, another alternate Captain UK but after some time she worked alone. One day she was lead into a trap by Vixen and Slaymaster and almost beaten to death. Slaymaster also stabbed her eyes, blinding her forever. Brian received a mental distress call from his sister and rushed to the battleside as fast as possible; as he became aware of what had been done to Betsy he crushed Slaymaster’s head beneath a huge rock. [Captain Britain (2nd series) #13]
After recovering from her other wounds Betsy went skiing to Switzerland. She was not actually blind, since she could use her telepathy to see the world through the eyes of the other people near her. [Captain Britain (2nd series) #14] From there she was captured by Mojo and Spiral, who held her captive for about a year, during which they gave her bionic eyes to replace her own damaged ones, named her “Psylocke“ and made her the star of a TV show called Wildways, which actually was an otherdimensional realm. Kids were encouraged to call and join the Wildways and ultimately the New Mutants got involved too. After Warlock and Cypher were able to release Betsy from Mojo’s hold, all of them returned to Westchester. Betsy decided to stay at Xavier’s school, to learn to master her powers, since she has been a victim to long; strangely the Bionic Eyes remained with Betsy, giving her visual sight again. [New Mutants Annual #2] Little did she know that they had implanted cameras that allowed Mojo to record everything she sees and broadcast it as TV shows in his Mojoverse. When the X-Men shows became a success he tried to make them loyal to him by reducing them to childhood and raising them anew, yet they were safed by the New Mutants. During the fight Betsy learned of the purpose of the bionic eyes, but she decided to keep it secret. [Uncanny X-Men Annual #10] Through her telepathy Psylocke discovered that Doug Ramsey of the New Mutants was in love with her; even though she had similar feelings she did not explore their relationship further, since he was under age.
During the Mutant Massacre Betsy held her own against Sabretooth, impressing the X-Men so much that they offered her to officially join the team. [Uncanny X-Men #213] Soon Betsy’s telepathy was needed to save a teammate; after an injury Shadowcat was stuck in phased state and slowly dissolving. Betsy kept her mind together till Mr. Fantastic found a cure for Kitty. [Fantastic Four vs X-Men #1-4]
Later when the X-Men faced their heart’s desires in the Citadel of Light and Shadow, Betsy lost the last of her inner doubts regarding her status as an X-Man, since it showed her that she wished nothing more than to protect those she cares for as a warrior. [Uncanny X-Men Annual #11] Psylocke was among the X-Men when they sacrificed themselves against the Adversary in Dallas. They all died but were resurrected by Roma. [Uncanny X-Men #227]
After the X-Men had taken over the Reavers headquarters, Psylocke fashioned an armoured bodysuit for herself to be able to perform better in physical battles. [Uncanny X-Men #232]
Isolated in the australian outback Betsy formed a close relationship to Colossus, she even posed naked for him doing sketches. [Uncanny X-Men #240]
Even though the team survived Inferno unscathed, shortly afterwards they lost many members. When the remaining four were on a mission in the Savage Land, Betsy experienced a precognitive flash of the Reavers defeating the X-Men in Australia, most were killed, she herself turned into a Reaver too. Upon their return Psylocke decided it was best to disband the team and walk through the Siege Perilious; Havok, the only one who opposed her, was convinced telepatically to come along. [Uncanny X-Men #250-251]
Betsy emerged from the Siege Perilous at the shore of an island in the south china sea and was used by the Hand and Lord Nyoirin, an Asian crimelord, to reassemble the mind of his assassin, Kwannon, who had been injured in a fall. However, Matsu`o Tsurayaba, Kwannon`s lover, cut a deal with the time-dancer Spiral and Betsy`s mind entered Kwannon`s body. Her mind was slightly merged with Kwannon`s and, with the help of Spiral`s Body Shoppe, their bodies were made genetically identical. Psylocke was given Kwannon`s Asian body and martial arts training, and shortly worked for the Mandarin under the name Lady Mandarin until she used her psychic knife on Wolverine, the feedback from which broke her free from the brainwashing.
Betsy’s dream finally became reality for now she was a true warrior, yet she blamed herself for the unknown fates of her teammates, whom she had sent through the Siege Perilious. [Uncanny X-Men #255-258, X-Men (2nd series) #32] In reality, there was only a part - albeit the majority - of Betsy in Kwannon`s body, believing herself to be Psylocke.
After a few adventures in China and Japan, Psylocke headed with Logan and Jubilee too Genosha, when the news reported the capture of the New Mutants. Wolverine and Betsy posed as Magistrates, but their cover was blown by former teammate Havok, who had been transported to Genosha by the Siege Perilious. [Uncanny X-Men #271] After Cameron Hodge, the mastermind behind the Genoshan government was defeated, the X-Men reunited and returned to New York.
Slowly Betsy started to flirt with Cyclops, influencing his mind on a very low level [X-Men (2nd series) #8, 12, Uncanny X-Men #294, X-Men (2nd series) #17].
When Jean found out, she engaged Betsy in a battle but the confrontation was cut short by the arrival of Kwannon (in Betsy’s original body), now calling herself Revanche. [X-Men (2nd series) #20]
Since neither Logan’s enhanced senses nor Xavier’s telepathy could tell which one was the real Betsy, the X-Men travelled to Japan, but from Nyorin and the Hand they only got half-truths [X-Men (2nd series) #22].
Only when Revanche was infected with the Legacy virus, that brought her powers to the peek, she was able to see clear through the lies and knew that Psylocke, even though in the asian body was Betsy Braddock. Upon dying, Revanche returned the rest of Betsy`s mind and power to Psylocke and took the missing parts of Kwannon into herself. [X-Men (2nd series) #32]
Later Jean helped Betsy to refine her telepathic abilities she regained from Kwannon; during the training session Betsy confessed that even though her flirtation with Scott was influenced by parts of Kwannon’s mind, she too found him attractive [X-Men (2nd series) #39], but now she found a new love in her teammate Archangel. Warren and she got close when they realised that they had a lot in common : their rich upbringing (including inherited Hellfire Club memberships) and having their minds, lifes and bodies being messed by villains. [X-Men (2nd series) #29,32, Uncanny X-Men #319]
Later, as Sabretooth began his escape from his holding cell in the Xavier Mansion, Psylocke attempted to stop him but was critically wounded. To save her life, her lover Angel, along with Wolverine, Gomurr the Ancient, and Doctor Strange, journeyed into the dimension of the Crimson Dawn to retrieve some of the magical liquid to save Betsy`s life.
As a result of her exposure to the Crimson Dawn, Psylocke survived her motal injury and suddenly had a red tattoo over her left eye. [Uncanny X-Men #328-330]
Warren and Betsy took a leave of absense to have some time to heal, but the magical elixir changed Betsy more than at first visible. To alert the team of the unexpected regression of Archangel’s wings (from metal to feathers) she appeared in the mansion via her new ability to melt in and out of the shadows. Also personality-wise she grew colder and more distant. [Uncanny X-Men #338] Not before long Psylocke was sought after by Kuragari, Proctor of the Crimson Dawn, who sought to make Psylocke his bride. With the aid of Angel and Gomurr, Kuragari was defeated and Gomurr was named as the new Proctor of the Crimson Dawn, though to free Psylocke of it’s evil influences, Warren needed to give away an unknown amount of his own lifeforce. [Crimson Dawn #1-4] Though helping out from time to time the couple did not go on active X-Men duty again.
When the X-Men received an urgent summons to travel to Africa, Storm asked Psylocke to shadow-teleport them there. Under the guise of Ananasi, a trickster god, the X-Men really fought the Shadow King. On the astral plane he tricked Psylocke into initiating a telepathic shockwave that disabled telepaths all over the world, leaving the Shadow King in command of the astral plane. Although her astral form was destroyed, Betsy emerged in a new "shadow form" that was a by-product of her exposure to the Crimson Dawn. Invisible to the Shadow King, Betsy was able to free the X-Men he had captured and then taunted the Shadow King until he over-extended himself by trying to corrupt every mind on the planet. Betsy was then able to telepathically contain the Shadow King`s core, but at a great cost - to ensure that the Shadow King would never be able to escape, Psylocke was forced to permanently focus her telepathic powers on keeping the Shadow King imprisoned, never to use her telepathy anymore. [X-Men (2nd series) #77-78]
When Jean learned of this condition during the Twelve crisis, she opted to help Betsy dealing with it; [X-Men (2nd series) #96] this yet undocumented experiment [set in the six month gap] has misfired resulting in a power-switch between the two women. Jean aquired all of Betsy’s telepathic potential adding to her own, even the shadowy astral image, while Psylocke now possessed Jean’s telekinetic power.
Psylocke rejoined active duty, but Warren had to deal with his family fortune and was still only a back-up member. Almost immediatly after his joining the team, there was some romantic tension between Thunderbird neal Shaara and Betsy. Their attraction developed to such degree that they did not even care to hide their flirtation in front of Warren ...
... till finally he called it quits, explaining the break-up with having reached a dead-end in their relationship.
Although she not yet mastered fine-motor control of her new power, Betsy, who always loved the adventure, decided to accept Storm’s invitation and now is part of the group that searches for Destiny’s Diaries. [X-Men (2nd series) #103, 109]
After a short vacation the X-Treme team started their search in Valencia, where one of Destiny’s houses is located. However they were followed by a new villain named Vargas, who was eager to kill one of the team. He quickly defeated both Rogue and Beast, and Betsy took up the challenge.
Although she had the moves of a trained ninja and her telekinetic katana, Vargas killed Psylocke with unsettling ease. [X-Treme X-Men #2-3]
Her deceased body has been taken to the family estate in England, but Betsy’s spirit welcomed Bishop in one of Gateway‘s aborigine dreamtime sequences to help him figure out some hints of the future. Right as she prepared to depart to the afterlife, a glowing portal appeared behind her and Betsy’s spirit was sucked in by a skulled figure. [X-Treme X-Men #4]
