The X-Men’s Worst Costume Wasn’t Supposed To Happen

The X-Men‘s worst costume – the ninja outfit worn by Psylocke – was originally only meant to be temporary. There’s something strangely iconic about the classic Psylocke look. Even now, years after her appearance has changed radically in the comics, the image most people have in their minds of Betsy Braddock is as a sexy, scantily-clad ninja whose superhero costume can best be described as a bathing suit. In part, this is because the most well-known Psylocke design is traditionally associated with superstar X-Men artist Jim Lee, the man responsible for the unforgettable designs that even made their way into X-Men: The Animated Series.

And yet, as unforgettable as this outfit may be, it’s frankly not very good. The design is almost identical to Elektra, just colored differently. It hardly affords much protection for a battle, and it is so formfitting it would inhibit Psylocke’s movement. This was proven when Olivia Munn was cast as Psylocke for X-Men: Apocalypse and insisted on wearing a fairly comic-book-accurate costume. A boob window had to be added to stop her overheating, and the high kicks meant she kept popping the crotch.

Surprisingly, though, this best-known Psylocke costume was originally intended to only be a temporary thing. Writer Chris Claremont was writing a tie-in for the Acts of Vengeance event, which involved superheroes going up against villains they’re not normally associated with; and so the X-Men fell foul of the Iron Man villain called the Mandarin. Claremont intended the Acts of Vengeance story, which spanned three issues, to shine a light on the ferocious nature of Betsy Braddock’s character; consequently, he had her transformed into the Mandarin’s agent, who called herself “Lady Mandarin.” As Claremont explained in an interview with Women Write About Comics, the Mandarin’s approach meant a British Lady Mandarin just wouldn’t work; so he added another wrinkle courtesy of the X-Men bad guy Mojo, who possessed the power to change a person’s appearance and had Betsy redesigned for the three-part story.

And then at the end, when she finally breaks free, in the original concept in my head, the breaking free would be literal,” Claremont revealed. “The whole illusion or false face of ‘Asian Betsy’ would shatter, peel off, and she would be back the way she was. The idea was intended to parallel an earlier arc featuring Mojo.

But the best-laid plans do not always work out. Claremont really liked Jim Lee’s design, and so he changed the end of his Acts of Vengeance story to keep Betsy in her Asian body, complete with the ultra-sexy ninja swimsuit. “I mean, Jim, Jim will be around for three years, and then we’ll get a new artist and we’ll fix it,” Claremont decided. The one thing he didn’t predict with his own relationship with Marvel souring, so he left well before Lee did. And the Psylocke costume lasted for decades, still seen as her definitive look by most fans.

Things have changed now. The body-swap became one of the most confusing, contradictory stories in X-Men lore, subjected to numerous retcons. Finally, Marvel decided to do what Claremont would have done years ago; they gave Betsy her British body back. Betsy Braddock is now Captain Britain, while the Asian body is possessed by the actual ninja Kwannon. It remains to be seen whether this development will last for Psylocke.

Source: Women Write About Comics

About The Author

Thomas Bacon
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Tom Bacon is one of Screen Rant’s staff writers, as well as a Peer Mentor for new writers and a member of the Care Team, offering support and a listening ear to members of the Comics group. A lifelong fan of major franchises including Star Wars, Doctor Who, and Marvel, Tom is delighted his childhood is back – and this time it’s cool. You can find him on Twitter @TomABacon.

A graduate of Edge Hill University, Tom remains strongly connected with his alma mater as a volunteer chaplain. He’s heavily involved with his local church, and anyone who checks him out on Twitter will swiftly learn he’s into British politics too.

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