The led them down the path to villainy.
The latest edition of AIPT's X-Men Monday features a conversation with the author of Marvel's new Psylocke series, Alyssa Wong, ahead of the debut issue. The book has the opportunity to establish itself as the definitive Psylocke story, and a large part of that will involve the character reckoning with her complicated past.
As Wong noted, the new Psylocke ongoing is "all about identity," a topic that is even more complicated for the assassin Psylocke than it is for most people.
"Psylocke" Writer Says It's Not "Controversial" That "Every X-Man Needs Therapy"
Psylocke #1 – Written By Alyssa Wong; Art By Vincenzo Carratù; Available November 13
Psylocke's backstory ranks among the bringing the character into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While an MCU adaptation of Psylocke's story would certainly require streamlining, fans hoping to witness an on-screen version of the character should look to her future, rather than her past. That is, they should be enthusiastic about Alyssa Wong's new Psylocke series – which, in its own way, will mine the character's past to inform the present.
"The Q to Her Agent Bond": Psylocke Writer Promises New Tech & New Sidekick For the X-Men's Resident Assassin
According to author Alyssa Wong, her new "Psylocke" solo series will introduce the "Q" to Psylocke's "Bond," giving the her new tech for her new era.
As Wong told AIPT, Psylocke's trauma isn't unique among the X-Men, and in truth, more of Marvel's mutant heroes would be served by confronting the darkness of their past. As she amusingly noted:
This book is all about identity and I think you can’t push forward into the future without exploring the past, healthily. I think every X-Man needs therapy. [Laughs] I don’t think it’s a controversial opinion.
Here, all joking aside, the author makes a strong point about the role of trauma and emotional damage in the X-Men franchise; these themes have always been present, but have certainly accrued more over the decades. Psylocke is a particularly potent character to explore this through in more detail, but in some form, it applies to every classic X-character.
The Importance Of Psylocke Confronting Her Past To Shaping Her Present Identity
Psylocke #2 – Written By Alyssa Wong; Art By Vincenzo Carratù; Available December 18
While the lore behind Psylocke might be intimidating to some uninitiated readers, for writer Alyssa Wong, it is a rich bed of soil in which to plant the seeds of the character's greatest era. In other words, something is holding Psylocke back from reaching her full potential – and Wong's creative goal is to identify and eliminate this inhibition. This emphasizes the fact that the new Psylocke ongoing series will be a deep psychological exploration of the character, and an intense emotional journey that will take her and readers alike to unexpected places.
Elsewhere in her X-Men Monday interview, Wong "apologized" to fans for the series, stating:
I am both sorry and excited for what I’m about to put everybody through with Psylocke.
The author noted that her "roots are in character-centric horror short fiction," and while it's currently unknown how deeply down the horror-genre rabbit hole the Psylocke series will go, this information offers readers some insight into how Alyssa Wong will approach the emotional and psychological dimensions of her story. In any case, readers should brace themselves, and moreover, should expect Psylocke to rank among the breakout Marvel books of the next year.
Psylocke Fans Should Be Prepared For An Emotional Reckoning In New Solo Series
Author Alyssa Wong: "I Love It When The Dam Breaks"
The way Alyssa Wong described it, Psylocke's confrontation with the darkness, despair, and uncertainty of her past is essential to the character's future, in the same way that any individual needs to reckon with their trauma in order to heal. As Wong explained, suppressing one's past leads these feelings to burst forward in a torrent that threatens to drown the person. She stated:
You know, you can never really bury your past or deny it no matter how hard you try. I feel like the more you try to suppress it, the bigger it looms in your mind and the worse it’s going to be when that dam breaks. And I love it when a dam breaks.
On a narrative level, that "dam breaking" is certain to lead to an emotionally tense moment in Psylocke – one that fans of the character hope she can overcome.
Overall, these comments by Alyssa Wong set a thrilling foundation for the series, which is set to feature copious amounts of bloodshed and brutality to balance out the pathos of the character's healing journey through thev Marvel Universe. Given the chance, Wong's Psylocke series has the chance to blossom into a dynamic portrait of a superhero overcoming their trauma to embrace their destiny – a formula that could, in fact, set a precedent for the next generation of great X-Men stories.
Source: AIPT's X-Men Monday
Pyslocke #1 will be available November 13, 2024 from Marvel Comics.
The X-Men franchise, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, centers on mutants with extraordinary abilities. Led by the powerful telepath Professor Charles Xavier, they battle discrimination and villainous mutants threatening humanity. The series explores themes of diversity and acceptance through a blend of action, drama, and complex characters, spanning comics, animated series, and blockbuster films.
