Betsy Braddock, a character with nearly 50 years of convoluted history within Marvel Comics, is receiving a new codename in the upcoming series Maximum X-Men. Best known for her time as Psylocke, Betsy's identity has been intertwined with another character, Kwannon, involving body swaps and shifting aliases. To simplify this complex legacy, Marvel is introducing the codename Butterfly.
The decision stems from the upcoming Maximum X-Men series, which emerged from the events of Avengers: Armageddon. This new team, led by Storm and featuring Wolverine, Colossus, Bishop, Iceman, Firestar, Justice, and Betsy Braddock, initially listed Betsy as Psylocke. This caused confusion given that Kwannon has more recently used the Psylocke name, a consequence of their decades-long history of occupying each other's bodies. The narrative has since seen Betsy, a British woman, occupy Kwannon's Asian body for an extended period, a situation that was eventually rectified, with Kwannon adopting the Psylocke mantle. Betsy had most recently operated as Captain Britain.
Marvel executive editor Tom Brevoort confirmed on Substack that the new codename, Butterfly, is inspired by the purplish energy that manifests around Betsy's face when she uses her powers. While another character, Layla Miller, has previously used the Butterfly codename, she is not a prominent figure and has not used it recently.
What is <em>Maximum X-Men</em> about?
Maximum X-Men is positioned as Earth's final line of defense following the events of Avengers: Armageddon. The series will explore the strained relationship between humanity and mutants, a recurring theme in X-Men narratives. The team's initial threat will emerge from the Negative Zone, with hints of a danger even greater than Annihilus.
Christopher Yost is writing the series, with art by Tony S. Daniel, both seasoned X-Men creators. Yost described the new series as a blend of "underdog heroes saving the world from the biggest Avengers-level threats imaginable, it’s mind-breaking action and drama and everything people expect from X-Men, all with a classic Claremont vibe."
The first issue of Maximum X-Men is slated for release on December 2.