As part of the new X-Men “From the Ashes” relaunch in the wake of the end of the Krakoan Age for the X-Men, a number of X-Men characters have been receiving their own solo series, including ongoing series like Phoenix and Storm, as well as miniseries like Dazzler and Mystique. Well, one of the most controversial members of the X-Men, Psylocke, will soon be added to that list, as Marvel is teasing a new Psylocke series this Fall, with details to be announced at Comic-Con International at San Diego later this week.

Psylocke is currently one of the main members of Cyclops’ team of X-Men, based in Alaska, consisting of some of the most powerful members of the X-Men serving as a strikeforce to help protect the rest of the world’s mutants by serving as a deterrent to any anti-mutant actions.

Marvel has only revealed a teaser for the series, noting that Psylocke was “made for violence,” and this references the fact that, like a number of the members of the X-Men, she was essentially “built” into being an assassin. In her case, she served a Japanese crimelord. However, she then suffered a major brain injury, and then subsequently lost control of her own body.

Later returning in the body of another woman, Psylocke (then known as Kwannon, or “Revanche”) became an associate of the X-Men, but also contracted the deadly anti-mutant Legacy Virus. She then died, but was eventually resurrected (comics, everyone!). Eventually, she returned to her original body, and has served the X-Men faithfully as Psylocke for years now.

Why is Psylocke such a controversial member of the X-Men?

As noted, Kwannon lost her body to another woman. The issue is that the woman she lost her body to was Betsy Braddock, the longtime X-Men member known as Psylocke. Betsy was a White woman, and due to some shenanigans, was given Kwannon’s body (at first it seemed as though Betsy just had her own body altered, later we learned she was in Kwannon’s body). The idea of a White woman now fighting in an Asian woman’s body was always a bit disturbing, made even more so when it turned out that Kwannon was alive, and was now in Betsy’s original body.

Eventually, though, Kwannon got her own body back, and Betsy was back in HER own body. Betsy insisted that Kwannon take the name “Psylocke,” and, for most casual fans of the X-Men, Kwannon has essentially taken over the role that Betsy once inhabited with the X-Men as Psylocke. Betsy eventually became the new Captain Britain, and she and Kwannon worked through their issues together. While Betsy had her own series a few times over the years, this will be the first time that Kwannon will have her own solo comic book.

The details will be revealed at the “From the Ashes” panel this week.

Source: Marvel