Mojo is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics , usually those featuring the X-Men family of characters. Created by writer Ann Nocenti and artist Arthur Adams , Mojo first appeared in Longshot #3 (Nov. 1985), as the titular hero's archenemy , and subsequently a villain to the X-Men and their various sub-groups as well.
170-637: Elizabeth " Betsy " Braddock is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics , commonly in association with Captain Britain and the X-Men . Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Herb Trimpe in 1976, she first appeared in the Marvel UK series Captain Britain . Betsy Braddock was a supporting character in the adventures of her twin brother, Brian Braddock , as
340-475: A splash page . Elizabeth "Betsy" Braddock was born in England and was raised in the small town of Maldon, Essex . Betsy was Sir James Braddock's second child, born minutes before her twin brother Brian . The twins and their elder brother Jamie , who was nearly a decade older, had a very privileged life. By the time she entered college, Betsy had become a charter pilot. After she and Jamie were taken hostage by
510-595: A successful franchise which pioneered the Kyodai Hero subgenre where the superheroes would be as big as giant monsters ( kaiju ) that they fought. The kaiju monster Godzilla , originally a villain, began being portrayed as a radioactive superhero in the Godzilla films , starting with Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964). By the 1970s, Godzilla came to be viewed as a superhero, with
680-531: A "psychic knife". Lady Mandarin's first mission pitted her against Wolverine . Betsy's psychic knife attack revealed Wolverine's memories of who she used to be and allowed her to break free from the Hand's conditioning. Betsy rejected her role as Lady Mandarin and escaped with Wolverine and Jubilee , eventually going with them to the island nation of Genosha , where the New Mutants had been kidnapped along with
850-705: A book entitled Business Zero to Superhero . In 2014, he received a cease and desist from DC and Marvel who claimed that his use of the term superhero would cause confusion and dilute their brands. He was offered a few thousand dollars in settlement to change the name of his book, but he did not concede. A few days prior to the scheduled hearing at the Intellectual Property Office in London, the companies backed down. A similar scenario occurred when comic book creator Ray Felix attempted to register his comic book series A World Without Superheroes with
1020-655: A certain Earth, Betsy had a mental breakdown due to her counterpart of this world's psyche being at war with Betsy's own psyche to control her body. This reality's Ogun approached Betsy and offered to train her so she could avenge the death of his apprentice, who was killed by Slaymaster. Betsy eventually tracked him to Earth-616 and killed him. Betsy returned to the Crystal Palace, became involved with teammate Sabretooth , and promised to honor her mission as an Exile. Somehow, Betsy became trapped between parallel worlds and
1190-693: A decorated officer in the United States Air Force who would become a costumed superheroine herself years later. In 1975 Shotaro Ishinomori 's Himitsu Sentai Gorenger debuted on what is now TV Asahi, it brought the concepts of multi-colored teams and supporting vehicles that debuted in Gatchaman into live-action, and began the Super Sentai franchise (later adapted into the American Power Rangers series in
1360-583: A falling-out, and he blamed her for unleashing the darkness within him. The X-Men responded with force, but were quickly overpowered and subdued. Betsy broke Nate Grey's control over Storm and soon joined forces with Jean Grey and other psychics to defeat X-Man once and for all, but the X-Men were all seemingly killed. Gone from the Prime Marvel Universe, the X-Men were taken to a plane of existence created by X-Man with false memories, where everyone
1530-488: A greater plan. Her first mission with the Exiles brought Betsy face to face with Earth-1720's Slaymaster , brutally reminding her of her reality's Slaymaster blinding her. After escaping, Slaymaster-1720 began murdering Betsy Braddock in each reality he visited. Meanwhile, determined to confront her fear, Betsy began rigorous training to prepare herself for their next encounter. She returned to Earth-616 to let Brian know she
1700-537: A larger one. Another important event was the debut of Mazinger Z by Go Nagai, creating the Super Robot genre. Go Nagai also wrote the manga Cutey Honey in 1973; although the Magical Girl genre already existed, Nagai's manga introduced Transformation sequences that would become a staple of Magical Girl media. The 1970s would see more anti-heroes introduced into Superhero fiction such examples included
1870-449: A letter column of the pulp magazine Thrilling Wonder Stories , the word superhero was used to define the title character of the comic strip Zarnak , by Max Plaisted. In the 1930s, the trends converged in some of the earliest superpowered costumed heroes, such as Japan's Ōgon Bat (1931) and Prince of Gamma (early 1930s), who first appeared in kamishibai (a kind of hybrid media combining pictures with live storytelling), Mandrake
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#17327939133042040-913: A member of Cyclops' Extinction Team, Betsy dealt with the fallout from Archangel's machinations in Tabula Rasa and sided with the X-Men against the Avengers once the Phoenix Force returned to Earth to reclaim a host. However, Daredevil made Betsy question her motives, and she joined the Avengers, the X-Men and Nova in the final battle against Cyclops. After the events of Avengers vs. X-Men , Betsy and Fantomex spent weeks in Paris , engaging in drinking, sex and thieving. While Betsy and Fantomex grew apart, she and Cluster – Fantomex' female self – grew closer and more devoted to each other, resulting in
2210-499: A mission to take down Spiral. With the help of Storm and Puck , Betsy faced her longtime rival and Bishop , who had returned to the present day. After taking a trip through Bishop's mind, Betsy managed to tame the Demon Bear in his psyche, making an unusual ally of it. She also rescued Fantomex from Weapon XIII at Cluster's request, but left them once more. Bishop's alliance with Betsy's group put them at war with Cassandra Nova –
2380-523: A multimedia franchise that used footage from Super Sentai . Internationally, the Japanese comic book character , Sailor Moon , is recognized as one of the most important and popular female superheroes ever created. The first use of the word "super hero" dates back to 1917. At the time, the word was merely used to describe a "public figure of great accomplishments." However, in 1967, Ben Cooper, Inc., an American Halloween costume manufacturer, became
2550-484: A new X-Men Security team, asking her to be his spy and spy-hunter. Soon after, Captain Britain learned of Betsy's activities with X-Force through their bond and decided to retrieve her to Otherworld, where Jamie Braddock was revealed to be alive, and punish Fantomex for his crimes. Betsy took up the Lady Briton mantle to rescue Fantomex and was ultimately forced to kill Jamie to prevent his future self from destroying
2720-596: A new intelligence agency called R.C.X. asked them to billet Warpies, children transformed by Jasper's warp, at the Manor, which led to an argument between Betsy and Brian. When Brian went overseas, Matthew (now codenamed Gabriel) convinced Betsy to become the new Captain Britain, wearing Kaptain Briton's modified costume. Working with Captain UK, the duo became public sensations. After several months, crime boss Vixen lured Betsy into
2890-606: A previously untapped power in Betsy's mind, who became a full-fledged Omega-class telepath after these events. Betsy stabbed Archangel with the Life Seed, killing Warren and creating a new being in his likeness in the process. After the Schism between the X-Men , while Betsy decided to stay on Utopia under Cyclops' leadership, she secretly remained part of X-Force to help whenever Wolverine requested. Cyclops also placed her in charge of
3060-423: A profound effect on Japanese television . 1958 saw the debut of superhero Moonlight Mask on Japanese television. It was the first of numerous televised superhero dramas that would make up the tokusatsu superhero genre. Created by Kōhan Kawauchi , he followed up its success with the tokusatsu superhero shows Seven Color Mask (1959) and Messenger of Allah (1960), both starring a young Sonny Chiba . It
3230-505: A promiscuous manner. Through the overdeveloped bodies of the heroes or the seductive mannerisms of the villains, women in comic books are used as subordinates to their male counterparts, regardless of their strength or power. Wonder Woman has been subject to a long history of suppression as a result of her strength and power, including American culture's undoing of the Lynda Carter television series. In 2017's Wonder Woman , she had
3400-577: A publishing agreement with DC Comics that allowed them to introduce a line of comics that included characters of many ethnic minorities. Milestone's initial run lasted four years, during which it introduced Static , a character adapted into the WB Network animated series Static Shock . In addition to the creation of new minority heroes, publishers have filled the identities and roles of once-Caucasian heroes with new characters from minority backgrounds. The African-American John Stewart appeared in
3570-497: A romantic relationship. Feeling jealous about the new couple, Fantomex set Betsy up to be blamed for a crime. Once Cluster sided with him over Betsy, Betsy decided to leave them both for good. Upon returning to New York, Betsy took a teaching position at the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning . Due to Betsy's constant assaulting of the students and aggressiveness, Wolverine was forced to fire her, and instead assigned her
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#17327939133043740-705: A secondary character of the Green Hornet media franchise series since its inception in the 1930s. ). Kitty Pryde , a member of the X-Men, was an openly Jewish superhero in mainstream American comic books as early as 1978. Comic-book companies were in the early stages of cultural expansion and many of these characters played to specific stereotypes ; Cage and many of his contemporaries often employed lingo similar to that of blaxploitation films, Native Americans were often associated with shamanism and wild animals , and Asian Americans were often portrayed as kung fu martial artists . Subsequent minority heroes, such as
3910-498: A showdown with Slaymaster. During the battle, Betsy called Vixen a "hag", which angered her. Vixen instructed Slaymaster that she wanted Betsy's eyes, so he brutally beat Betsy, then gouged her eyes out. Brian flew to her rescue and killed Slaymaster as Vixen escaped. Betsy refused R.C.X.'s offer of cybernetic eyes, preferring to rely on her psychic abilities to "see". She and Gabriel went to former S.T.R.I.K.E. Psi co-agent Alison Double's Switzerland chateau for Betsy to recuperate. Betsy
4080-406: A single source." DC and Marvel have continued to expand their commercialization of the "superhero" mark to categories beyond comic books. Now, the two publishers jointly own numerous trademarks for figurines (see Spider-Man, Batman), movies, TV shows, magazines, merchandise, cardboard stand-up figures, playing cards , erasers , pencils , notebooks , cartoons , and many more. For instance,
4250-513: A skull-faced creature with superpowers to fight evil; she debuted in Fiction House 's Jungle Comic #2 (Feb. 1940), credited to the pseudonymous "Barclay Flagg". The Invisible Scarlet O'Neil , a non-costumed character who fought crime and wartime saboteurs using the superpower of invisibility created by Russell Stamm, would debut in the eponymous syndicated newspaper comic strip a few months later on June 3, 1940. In 1940, Maximo
4420-471: A small alien in a duck costume interacting with Lea Thompson performing as Beverly Switzler (referencing the 1986 film adaptation of the character ). Mojo's multi-legged flying platform is armed with various particle beam weapons. It also has a large artificial appendage that can be used as an arm or a slicing weapon and two smaller arms. He is strong enough to hold a human off of the ground with one arm easily. He has several powers derived from magic, like
4590-701: A stroke in Xavier's body, freeing Excalibur. Before she could finish him off, Betsy was interdimensionally teleported to the Crystal Palace at the Nexus of All Realities. Appearing at the headquarters of the Exiles , heroes gathered from several realities to protect the Omniverse; both the Exiles' choice of Betsy as latest recruit, and the timing of same, were apparently the result of Roma's manipulations, again moving one of her pawns to where it would soon be needed as part of
4760-406: A suit not unlike the swimsuits in the T.V. show Baywatch . The sexualization of women in comic books can be explained mainly by the fact that the majority of writers are male. Not only are the writers mostly male, but the audience is mostly male as well. Therefore, writers are designing characters to appeal to a mostly male audience. The super hero characters illustrate a sociological idea called
4930-484: A supporting character, the sister of Brian Braddock , the eponymous Captain Britain, and established her career as a charter pilot . He also established that she had psychic abilities, the full extent of which were unknown, though no explanation is given for these powers. In Marvel UK's Super Spider-Man and Captain Britain #243 (October 1977), Betsy Braddock is presented as a professional model . In Marvel UK's Daredevils #3 (March 1983), Alan Moore established that
5100-556: A weapon to use against the First Fallen, Jamie tightened up the " quantum strings " of Betsy's body, rendering her mostly immune to external manipulation, enhancing her telekinetic powers, and leaving her invisible to the First Fallen's senses. Jamie was abducted by the Foursaken before he could fully inform them of the imminent threat; trying to rescue him, the X-Men were easily captured, except Betsy, who found herself invisible to
5270-611: Is Nick Fury , who is reinterpreted as African-American both in the Ultimate Marvel as well as the Marvel Cinematic Universe continuities. Mojo (comics) Mojo is one of the "Spineless Ones", an alien race that is immobile without advanced technology. He is a slaver who rules the Mojoverse , a dimension where all beings are addicted to his gladiator -like television programs. The character
Betsy Braddock - Misplaced Pages Continue
5440-512: Is "a figure, especially in a comic strip or cartoon , endowed with superhuman powers and usually portrayed as fighting evil or crime", and the Merriam-Webster dictionary gives the definition as "a fictional hero having extraordinary or superhuman powers; also: an exceptionally skillful or successful person." Terms such as masked crime fighters, costumed adventurers or masked vigilantes are sometimes used to refer to characters such as
5610-442: Is a fictional character who typically possesses superpowers or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero ; typically using their powers to help the world become a better place , or dedicating themselves to protecting the public and fighting crime . Superhero fiction is the genre of fiction that is centered on such characters, especially, since
5780-421: Is a motorcycle-riding hero in an insect-like costume, who shouts Henshin (Metamorphosis) to don his costume and gain superhuman powers. The ideas of second-wave feminism , which spread through the 1960s into the 1970s, greatly influenced the way comic book companies would depict as well as market their female characters: Wonder Woman was for a time revamped as a mod-dressing martial artist directly inspired by
5950-544: Is a website satirizing the sexualized portrayal of women in comics by recreating the same poses using male superheroes, especially Marvel's Hawkeye . In 1966, Marvel introduced the Black Panther , an African monarch who became the first non- caricatured black superhero. The first African-American superhero, the Falcon , followed in 1969, and three years later, Luke Cage , a self-styled "hero-for-hire" , became
6120-530: Is also a master manipulator and schemer, shown in his organization of his slaughter entertainment games. He can also call upon vast manpower to assist him in his endeavors and has access to vast technological resources. Mojo is also a force of death and corruption, able to generate an anti-life field that makes his touch able to wither plants and age humans outside of his home dimension. According to Doctor Strange , his prolonged presence on Earth could cause storms and other natural disasters. Mojo claims that he and
6290-549: Is also briefly overthrown by his clone Mojo II , who he later ousts. Mojo later sends Spider-Man and Wolverine randomly shifting through time, the time-shifts being virtual creations generated by Mojo as a new idea. Later, Mojo was demoted by the producers on Mojo World due to low ratings and was moved to "Educational Broadcasting". He created an agency named The Yellow Eye and spied on every single mutant alive. When Cable sent Domino to spy on this agency, she ended up being captured and brainwashed by Mojo. His organization
6460-510: Is an absurdist parody of network executives, and was inspired by Nocenti's reading of media critics Marshall McLuhan , Noam Chomsky , and Walter Lippmann . At the time she wrote the Longshot miniseries, writer Ann Nocenti was pursuing her Master's degree at the School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University , working at the magazine Lies of Our Times , and reading
6630-532: Is arguable that the Marvel Comics teams of the early 1960s brought the biggest assortment of superheroes ever at one time into permanent publication, the likes of Spider-Man (1962), The Hulk , Iron Man , Daredevil , Nick Fury , The Mighty Thor , The Avengers (featuring a rebooted Captain America , Thor, Hulk, Ant-Man , Quicksilver ), and many others were given their own monthly titles. Typically
6800-512: Is taken in by the Hand , who brainwash and physically alter her to take on an East Asian appearance so that she can blend in in Hong Kong . Braddock now believes herself to be "Lady Mandarin", the Hand's supreme assassin. After she is rescued by the X-Men's Wolverine and overcomes her brainwashing, the character retains the combat skills granted through the Hand's modification techniques as well as
6970-506: Is uncommon, the USPTO will grant joint ownership in a mark. For example, in the case Arrow Trading Co., Inc. v. Victorinox A.G. and Wegner S.A. , Opposition No. 103315 (TTAB June 27, 2003), the TTAB held that when "two entities have a long-standing relationship and rely on each other for quality control, it may be found, in appropriate circumstances, that the parties, as joint owners, do represent
Betsy Braddock - Misplaced Pages Continue
7140-655: The All-New, All-Different Marvel event, Betsy reappeared in a world where the Terrigen released in the atmosphere by the Inhumans proved to be deadly to mutants. For this reason, Magneto invited Betsy to be a partner in his endeavors and protect mutantkind. He also offered her the chance to work with a blank slate clone of Archangel he had come across earlier. Although not fully agreeing with Magneto's methods, Betsy remained part of his team, alongside Monet and Sabretooth, for
7310-668: The Black Canary , introduced in Flash Comics #86 (Aug. 1947) as a supporting character. The most iconic comic book superheroine, who debuted during the Golden Age, is Wonder Woman . Modeled from the myth of the Amazons of Greek mythology , she was created by psychologist William Moulton Marston , with help and inspiration from his wife Elizabeth and their mutual lover Olive Byrne. Wonder Woman's first appearance
7480-468: The Brotherhood from a future timeline , Lady Deathstrike's Sisterhood and The Future. During this time, Betsy started focusing her powers into different weapons of psychic energy such as a bow and arrow , a crossbow and a grappling line and a flail , mentored a small group of students consisted of Hellion , Anole , Broo and Rockslide and kept a relationship with a virtual boyfriend created in
7650-566: The Danger Room . In the wake of a terrorist attack known as the Alexandria Incident, which claimed 3,000 lives, Cable re-formed the mutant black ops team X-Force so that mutantkind not only had a continued place in the world, but also had a stake in it. While Cable recruited Fantomex, Marrow and Dr. Nemesis as his teammates, Betsy actually sought Cable because she couldn't bear staying away from X-Force as she admitted she
7820-775: The Dawn of X , a new volume of Excalibur written by Tini Howard was launched, with Braddock leading a new lineup of the titular team consisting of herself, Gambit , Rogue , Jubilee , Rictor and Apocalypse . Braddock was included a central character in the X of Swords crossover by Howard and Hickman. Following the completion of Howard's Excalibur run, Braddock was featured in the Knights of X miniseries and Captain Britain: Betsy Braddock , with Betsy and her long-time friend Rachel Summers confessing their romantic feelings for each other, with their kiss shown in
7990-535: The Emma Peel character from the British television series The Avengers (no relation to the superhero team of the same name), but later reverted to Marston's original concept after the editors of Ms. magazine publicly disapproved of the character being depowered and without her traditional costume; Supergirl was moved from being a secondary feature on Action Comics to headline Adventure Comics in 1969;
8160-669: The Hellfire Club from her father, Betsy was sent to infiltrate it, but was warned off by Tessa for her own protection. She also met future boyfriend Warren Worthington for the first time during one of the Hellfire Club parties. When the crime lord Vixen hired Slaymaster to eliminate the Psi-Division, only Betsy, Tom Lennox, and their friend Alison Double were left when Brian defeated him. When reality warped due to James Jaspers' powers, Tom sacrificed himself to give
8330-465: The Lady Liberators appeared in an issue of The Avengers as a group of mind-controlled superheroines led by Valkyrie (actually a disguised supervillainess ) and were meant to be a caricatured parody of feminist activists; and Jean Grey became the embodiment of a cosmic being known as the Phoenix Force with seemingly unlimited power in the late 1970s, a stark contrast from her depiction as
8500-706: The Ludovico technique scene in A Clockwork Orange had scarred his corneas. The rest of the equipment attached to Mojo's head controls his mechanized chair. Mojo first appeared in Longshot #3 (Nov. 1985), and was the main villain of the miniseries, appearing in the subsequent three issues. The character subsequently appeared in The New Mutants Annual #2 (1986). That same year, in The Uncanny X-Men Annual #10, Mojo appeared as
8670-658: The Nation X storyline, Betsy, Wolverine, and Colossus were sent down into the sewers under San Francisco to investigate the case of a missing Predator X . They ran into Fantomex , who had slain the beast. Betsy battled Sublime 's associates with the help of Fantomex and her teammates. During the Necrosha storyline, Betsy joined Rogue's team sent to Muir Island to battle the resurrected Proteus . Betsy appeared to have lost her immunity to telepathic attacks and reality alterations, as Proteus easily possessed her. However, her psi-blade
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#17327939133048840-706: The New York Times and The Colbert Report , and embraced by anti- Islamophobia campaigners in San Francisco who plastered over anti-Muslim bus adverts with Kamala stickers. Other such successor-heroes of color include James "Rhodey" Rhodes as Iron Man and to a lesser extent Riri "Ironheart" Williams , Ryan Choi as the Atom , Jaime Reyes as Blue Beetle and Amadeus Cho as Hulk . Certain established characters have had their ethnicity changed when adapted to another continuity or media. A notable example
9010-527: The Red Skull 's agents and freed by Captain America and Captain Britain, Betsy learned the latter was her brother Brian. At this time Betsy began to develop precognitive powers . She dyed her hair purple and took up modeling. At the age of twenty-one, her psychic powers fully manifested, which grew to include telepathy. Agent Matthew recruited Betsy into S.T.R.I.K.E. 's Psi Division, and she became fellow psi Tom Lennox's lover. As she had inherited membership to
9180-515: The Warwolves , humanoid mechanical dogs who can take on the appearance of others by wearing their skin. Additionally, Longshot previously served him before leaving to become a rebel fighter. In subsequent appearances, Mojo comes into conflict with the X-Men and creates diminutive clones of them dubbed the X-Babies. He also employs an alternate universe variant of Jubilee named Abcissa . He
9350-620: The X-Men 's Storm and the Teen Titans ' Cyborg avoided such conventions; they were both part of ensemble teams, which became increasingly diverse in subsequent years. The X-Men, in particular, were revived in 1975 with a line-up of characters drawn from several nations, including the Kenyan Storm, German Nightcrawler , Soviet / Russian Colossus , Irish Banshee , and Japanese Sunfire . In 1993, Milestone Comics , an African-American-owned media/publishing company entered into
9520-399: The " male gaze " which is media created from the viewpoint of a normative heterosexual male. The female characters in comic books are used to satisfy male desire for the "ideal" woman (small waist, large breasts, toned, athletic body). These characters have god-like power, but the most easily identifiable feature is their hyper sexualized bodies: they are designed to be sexually pleasing to
9690-831: The 1930s, in American comic books (and later in Hollywood films , film serials, television and video games ), as well as in Japanese media (including kamishibai , tokusatsu , manga , anime and video games). Superheroes come from a wide array of different backgrounds and origins. Some superheroes (such as Spider-Man and Superman ) possess non-human or superhuman biology or use and practice magic to achieve their abilities (such as Doctor Strange and Captain Marvel ) while others (for example, Iron Man and Batman ) derive their status from advanced technology they create and use. The Dictionary.com definition of "superhero"
9860-568: The 1970s as an alternate for Earth's Green Lantern Hal Jordan , and would become a regular member of the Green Lantern Corps from the 1980s onward. The creators of the 2000s-era Justice League animated series selected Stewart as the show's Green Lantern. In the Ultimate Marvel universe, Miles Morales , a youth of Puerto Rican and African-American ancestry who was also bitten by a genetically-altered spider, debuted as
10030-458: The 1980s, superhero fiction centered on cultural, ethnic, national, racial and language minority groups (from the perspective of US demographics ) began to be produced. This began with depiction of black superheroes in the 1960s, followed in the 1970s with a number of other ethnic-minority superheroes. In keeping with the political mood of the time, cultural diversity and inclusivism would be an important part of superhero groups starting from
10200-409: The 1980s. In the 1990s, this was further augmented by the first depictions of superheroes as homosexual. In 2017, Sign Gene emerged, the first group of deaf superheroes with superpowers through the use of sign language . Female super heroes—and villains—have been around since the early years of comic books dating back to the 1940s. The representation of women in comic books has been questioned in
10370-561: The 1990s). In 1978, Toei adapted Spider-Man into a live-action Japanese television series . In this continuity, Spider-Man had a vehicle called Marveller that could transform into a giant and powerful robot called Leopardon, this idea would be carried over to Toei's Battle Fever J (also co-produced with Marvel) and now multi-colored teams not only had support vehicles but giant robots to fight giant monsters with. In subsequent decades, popular characters like Dazzler , She-Hulk , Elektra , Catwoman , Witchblade , Spider-Girl , Batgirl and
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#173279391330410540-417: The Amazing Superman debut in Big Little Book series , by Russell R. Winterbotham (text), Henry E. Vallely and Erwin L. Hess (art). Captain America also appeared for the first time in print in December 1940, a year prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese government, when America was still in isolationism . Created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby , the superhero was the physical embodiment of
10710-567: The American spirit during World War II. One superpowered character was portrayed as an antiheroine , a rarity for its time: the Black Widow , a costumed emissary of Satan who killed evildoers in order to send them to Hell —debuted in Mystic Comics #4 (Aug. 1940), from Timely Comics , the 1940s predecessor of Marvel Comics . Most of the other female costumed crime fighters during this era lacked superpowers. Notable characters include The Woman in Red , introduced in Standard Comics ' Thrilling Comics #2 (March 1940); Lady Luck , debuting in
10880-422: The Avengers) with her brother, Quicksilver. In 1963, Astro Boy was adapted into a highly influential anime television series. Phantom Agents in 1964 focused on ninjas working for the Japanese government and would be the foundation for Sentai -type series. 1966 saw the debut of the sci-fi/horror series Ultra Q created by Eiji Tsuburaya this would eventually lead to the sequel Ultraman , spawning
11050-468: The Birds of Prey became stars of long-running eponymous titles. Female characters began assuming leadership roles in many ensemble superhero teams; the Uncanny X-Men series and its related spin-off titles in particular have included many female characters in pivotal roles since the 1970s. Volume 4 of the X-Men comic book series featured an all-female team as part of the Marvel NOW! branding initiative in 2013. Superpowered female characters like Buffy
11220-458: The Braddocks time to escape from a group of superhero hunters. Betsy was in Tom's mind when he died; feeling his death, she was left traumatized. Following the repair of the reality warp, an evil version of Captain Britain from another universe named Kaptain Briton switched places with Brian. The double tried to rape Betsy. In self-defense, she telepathically killed him. The same night, the twins were informed of their father's Otherworld origins, and
11390-408: The First Fallen's servants, the Foursaken, about to make their move, Jamie revealed his part in Betsy's resurrection to the X-Men: sensing the approaching threat of the cosmically powerful First Fallen (a harbinger of frozen, eternal "perfection") and learning of Betsy's demise, an annoyed Jamie resurrected her, reaching back through time to stop her spirit passing into the afterlife. Intending her to be
11560-440: The Foursaken's senses. Disrupting their attempt to give the First Fallen full access to Earth, Betsy and the X-Men were pulled into his realm, the Singing City, where Betsy's immunity to his mental control allowed her to free the city's residents, including the Foursaken, from his dominance. As a wrathful First Fallen turned on them, Jamie sent the X-Men home while he held the entity back, apparently sacrificing himself. Returning to
11730-402: The Kwannon impostor was first created, a body swap having occurred. In 1994, writer Scott Lobdell set up a relationship between Betsy Braddock and her teammate Archangel . The character is severely injured by a crazed Sabretooth in the Lobdell-written The Uncanny X-Men #328. Her life is saved by the use of a mystic artifact known as the Crimson Dawn, the aftereffects of which granted Betsy
11900-415: The Magician (1934), Olga Mesmer (1937) and then Superman (1938) and Captain Marvel (1939) at the beginning of the Golden Age of Comic Books , whose span, though disputed, is generally agreed to have started with Superman's launch. Superman has remained one of the most recognizable superheroes, and his success spawned a new archetype of characters with secret identities and superhuman powers. At
12070-417: The Neo, the Goth, the Crimson Pirates, the Twisted Sisters, and the Prime Sentinels , then aided her brother freeing Otherworld from Mastermind's Warpie army. After ending her relationship with Archangel, Betsy joined Storm's X-Treme X-Men team in the search for Destiny 's diaries. In Valencia , Betsy died in combat with the man known as Vargas while protecting Rogue and Beast , who were badly beaten by
12240-518: The Outback, and subsequently sends them through the Siege Perilous. Betsy reappeared amnesiac on an island near China, where the Hand , a ninja clan, found her. Matsu'o Tsurayaba , their leader, saw a chance to save his brain-dead lover, Kwannon . Spiral informed Matsu'o that Betsy's telepathy could restore Kwannon, and Matsu'o accepted. Unknown to Matsu'o, however, Spiral actually placed
12410-667: The Professor's guidance, she managed to fight Logan and Gambit, both possessed by the Shadow King, contain the psychic infection in London and protect the civilians. After Xavier killed the Shadow King, Betsy was shocked to learn he had taken over the body of Fantomex, who chose to remain in the Astral Plane. Suspicious of X, as now Xavier started to call himself, Betsy travelled to the Astral Plane herself to make sure Fantomex wasn't fooled into giving up his body. Unbeknownst to
12580-741: The Reavers and the Shadow King. The latter succeeded in freeing the Archangel persona in Warren. To prevent Archangel's ascension into Apocalypse, X-Force traveled to the Age of Apocalypse to seek a Life Seed, which could cleanse Warren. Betsy's hesitation to kill Archangel led to her transformation into the Horseman of Death at his hands. Jean Grey of the Age of Apocalypse managed to revert this process, unlocking
12750-766: The Reavers' Australian Outback base, from where they took on the Brood , Genoshan Magistrates , Mister Sinister and the Goblin Queen , M Squad, Mr. Jip and the Serpent Society , Master Mold and Nimrod , Nanny and Orphan-Maker , and Zaladane and the Savage Land Mutates . As they were about to depart the Savage Land , Betsy had a precognitive flash of the Reavers killing the team. To prevent this, she telepathically "convinces" them to abandon
12920-531: The Red Queen's control and return to her Japanese body. After these events, Betsy's powers changed once again; she now possessed both telepathic and telekinetic abilities, but with her psionic potential divided between them, neither ability is as strong as it once was. The following days saw Betsy travel back in time alongside Beast's The X-Club . Betsy also led the X-Club in a mission to raise Asteroid M , which
13090-589: The Revenant Queen – who wished to unleash her revenants (or mummudrai ) on Earth. Betsy ultimately stabbed her to death, breaking her vow not to kill again. Betsy's group also teamed up with Cable's X-Force to rescue Bishop and Hope Summers, both kidnapped by Stryfe . Betsy's posture in this mission impressed Cable . As a member of the X-Men, Betsy joined an all-female squad led by Storm alongside Rogue, Kitty Pryde and Rachel Summers, and later Omega Sentinel and Monet , taking on villains such as Arkea ,
13260-411: The Shadow King, which caused her to lose control. Betsy called for help and Rogue, Bishop, Archangel, Gambit, Fantomex and Old Man Logan came to her rescue. She sent the X-Men to the Astral Plane to deal with Farouk and remained behind to maintain the necessary mental link back to the physical world. Betsy found out the Shadow King was keeping Charles Xavier 's soul trapped in the Astral Plane, and under
13430-537: The Spineless Ones. Instead, they use motorized platforms to transport their bodies and had Arize create artificial slaves for them. However, they ultimately banish Arize after he refuses to build weapons for them. One of the Spineless Ones, Mojo, takes over the dimension and names it the Mojoverse, basing its culture on television. He is served by the android Major Domo, the multi-armed warrior Spiral , and
13600-514: The Spirit , who may not be explicitly referred to as superheroes but nevertheless share similar traits. Some superheroes use their powers to help fight daily crime while also combating threats against humanity from supervillains , who are their criminal counterparts. Often at least one of these supervillains will be the superhero's archenemy or nemesis . Some popular supervillains become recurring characters in their own right. Antecedents of
13770-827: The Sunday- newspaper comic-book insert The Spirit Section June 2, 1940; the comedic character Red Tornado , debuting in All-American Comics #20 (Nov 1940); Miss Fury , debuting in the eponymous comic strip by female cartoonist Tarpé Mills on April 6, 1941; the Phantom Lady , introduced in Quality Comics Police Comics #1 (Aug. 1941); the Black Cat , introduced in Harvey Comics ' Pocket Comics #1 (also Aug. 1941); and
13940-593: The UK to tell Brian of Jamie's fate, Betsy learned that Shadow Xavier , leader of the Shadow X-Men , had taken over the minds of his jailors in Crossmore Prison, and was demanding to see her. Accompanied by Excalibur , Betsy visited the prison, where Xavier revealed his true identity as the Shadow King, and tried to take revenge, having Excalibur attack Brian so that Betsy could witness his death; however, immune to his control, Betsy telekinetically induced
14110-408: The USPTO. Felix is one of many who argue that the term "superhero" has become generic (see discussion below). Felix's mark is currently abandoned, but he has stated that he intends to fight against DC and Marvel for use of the term. In 2024, Superbabies Limited managed to obtain a default judgement and cancel the "super heroes" trademarks as genericized, except for the animation pictures mark. This
14280-536: The Universe #1 (March 1995), X-Men: Mutations #1 (1996), Youngblood/X-Force #1 (July 1996), X-Force/Youngblood #1 (Aug. 1996), X-Force #60-61 (Nov.–Dec. 1996), The Adventures of the X-Men #9-10 (1996-Jan. 1997), X-Babies: Murderama #1 (Jan. 1998), X-Force #76 (April 1998), X-Babies Reborn #1 (Jan. 2000), X-Men Unlimited #32 (Sept. 2001), Exiles #18-19 (Dec. 2002-Jan. 2003), The Uncanny X-Men #460-461 (Aug. 2005), and Exiles #73-74 (Feb. 2006). Mojo
14450-540: The Vampire Slayer and Darna have a tremendous influence on popular culture in their respective countries of origin. With more and more anime , manga and tokusatsu being translated or adapted, Western audiences were beginning to experience the Japanese styles of superhero fiction more than they were able to before. Saban 's Mighty Morphin Power Rangers , an adaptation of Zyuranger , created
14620-529: The West as Astro Boy , was published. The series focused upon a robot boy built by a scientist to replace his deceased son. Being built from an incomplete robot originally intended for military purposes, Astro Boy possessed amazing powers such as flight through thrusters in his feet and the incredible mechanical strength of his limbs. The 1950s saw the Silver Age of Comics . During this era DC introduced
14790-469: The X-Men responding to unexplained natural phenomena across the globe. The X-Men soon found out Nate Grey was responsible for these disasters in a desperate attempt to enact world peace and remake the world as he saw fit with the help of his Horsemen of Salvation , which included Angel. Betsy engaged Angel head-on and used a massive psychic strike to free Warren from Nate Grey's control, which unintentionally released his Archangel persona. Warren and Betsy had
14960-705: The X-Men were better off without her. When Captain America and Hydra took over the United States , Betsy and a few mutants relocated to the mutant sovereign republic of New Tian, under the leadership of Xorn , who was mind controlled by Emma Frost behind the scenes. While the X-Men rebuilt the Xavier Institute for Mutant Education and Outreach in the middle of Central Park , Betsy decided to return to England . After spending some time in London , Betsy found herself under an overwhelming psychic attack by
15130-828: The X-Men's affairs, was impressed by her bravery and nominated her to join the team. As an X-Man she met Mephisto , Dr. Doom and the Fantastic Four, and the Horde . The X-Men later battled Freedom Force and the Adversary in Dallas, and, in a televised battle, sacrificed themselves to allow Forge to bind the Adversary; Roma secretly restored them to life, and gave Betsy the Siege Perilous , which they could use if they ever wanted to start new lives. The X-Men moved to
15300-479: The X-Men's leader, Storm , by Cameron Hodge . Following Hodge's defeat, the X-Men reunited and returned to New York. Betsy then joined the Blue Team led by Cyclops , for whom she displayed an obvious attraction. When Phoenix found out, the two women fought, but were interrupted by the arrival of Kwannon, now calling herself Revanche , in Betsy's former body, claiming to be the real Betsy. Unable to discern which
15470-417: The X-Men, X had unintentionally brought someone else with him, a newly resurrected Proteus. Not willing to take a risk with such a powerful being on the loose, the X-Men appointed Betsy as their leader over X and attacked Proteus, ultimately defeating him with a combined effort. However, when Betsy tapped into a psychic network to undo Proteus' reality-bending madness, the Shadow King took the chance to return to
15640-404: The ability to manifest her total focused telepathy in the form of a "psychic knife". With the launch of the second volume of X-Men (later rebranded X-Men: Legacy ) in 1991, the team splits, with Betsy joining the team led by Cyclops . In Jim Lee -written issues, the character becomes flirtatious with Cyclops, eventually attempting to seduce him. At this point, Kwannon , a new character with
15810-484: The ability to teleport in and out of shadows. Lobdell also temporarily took her out of the X-Men roster this issue. Braddock returns to the team in X-Men (vol. 2) #77–78, where she uses her Crimson Dawn-enhanced telepathy to trap the Shadow King in the astral plane. Any use of her telepathy would result in his release, so she forgoes the use of her telepathic ability. Some time later she would develop telekinesis for
15980-512: The archetype include mythological characters such as Gilgamesh , Hanuman , Perseus , Odysseus , David , and demigods like Heracles , all of whom were blessed with extraordinary abilities, which later inspired the superpowers that became a fundamental aspect of modern-day superheroes. The distinct clothing and costumes of individuals from English folklore , like Robin Hood and Spring-Heeled Jack , also became inspirations. The dark costume of
16150-482: The archetypical hero stock character in 1930s American comics, superheroes are predominantly depicted as White American middle- or upper-class young adult males and females who are typically tall, athletic, educated, physically attractive and in perfect health. Beginning in the 1960s with the civil rights movement in the United States, and increasingly with the rising concern over political correctness in
16320-699: The beings who populate Mojo World are "unique" in the sense that unlike the rest of the Marvel Universe, Mojo World has no parallel counterpart; this was documented in Exiles #18-19. However, alternate versions of Longshot and Mojo exist in the Ultimate Marvel continuity, and an alternate future reality of Mojo World, where the Spineless Ones were mistreated slaves, was featured in the "Shattershot" storyline. An alternate universe variant of Mojo from Earth-1610 appears in Ultimate X-Men . This version
16490-560: The character came in the 1986 relaunched Captain Britain series, where Betsy Braddock stands in for her brother as Captain Britain, and is rendered blind by the supervillain Slaymaster . In New Mutants Annual #2 (1986), Claremont integrated Betsy Braddock into the X-Men franchise. The story sees her abducted to the Mojoverse , where she is subjected to brainwashing, fitted with bionic eyes, and referred to as "the Psylocke" for
16660-411: The character has begun to work for the fictional governmental organization S.T.R.I.K.E. , who are making use of her psychic abilities. Her lover Tom Lennox is also a S.T.R.I.K.E operative and is later murdered. The story also presents the character as having dyed her hair purple after being blonde; this hair color has subsequently become the dominant presentation of the character. The next major change for
16830-572: The character was depicted in Exiles , a spin-off comic-book series in the X-Men franchise, set in an alternate universe . With the cancellation of New Exiles , Betsy Braddock starred in her first solo book, the X-Men: Sword of The Braddocks one-shot. Afterwards, the character was brought back to the main Marvel Universe in early 2009 within the pages of The Uncanny X-Men . In addition to appearing in many X-related team titles over
17000-502: The character was portrayed by Meiling Melançon in the 2006 film X-Men: The Last Stand and by Olivia Munn in the 2016 film X-Men: Apocalypse . Created by writer Chris Claremont , Elizabeth "Betsy" Braddock first appeared in Captain Britain #8 (December 1976), with Captain Britain #10 (December 1976) as her first cover appearance, published by the Marvel Comics ' British imprint Marvel UK . The original spelling of
17170-504: The character's name was "Elizabeth", though relettering of the UK versions for American reprints would occasionally misspell it as "Elisabeth". This led to spelling inconsistencies throughout future publications. The inconsistency was resolved by Claremont 32 years later in 2008 in the series New Exiles , which reasserted the particular spelling of her name as "Elizabeth". In the Captain Britain series, Claremont introduced her as
17340-528: The clone of Red Skull during the AXIS storyline. Months later, Betsy and the X-Men took refuge in the X-Nation under Cyclops' leadership, when Earth-616 suffered from an early death as a consequence of the multiversal phenomena known as the incursions. The intervention of Mister Fantastic in the rebirth of Earth-616 caused the Marvel Universe to be a direct continuation of the previous iteration. As part of
17510-458: The codename "Psylocke", becoming an enduring fixture of the team over the next three decades. Initially written as a pure non-mutant telepath with few fighting skills, Betsy later adopts body armor. In The Uncanny X-Men #251 (November 1989), the X-Men flee from the cybernetic terrorists, the Reavers , through the Siege Perilous , an extra-dimensional teleportation device. The now-amnesiac Betsy
17680-413: The comic-strip characters Patoruzú (1928) and Popeye (1929) and novelist Philip Wylie 's character Hugo Danner (1930). Another early example was Sarutobi Sasuke , a Japanese superhero ninja from children's novels in the 1910s; by 1914, he had a number of superhuman powers and abilities. The French character L'Oiselle , created in 1909, can be classed as a superheroine. In August 1937, in
17850-534: The companies filed a trademark application as joint owners for the mark "SUPER HEROES" for a series of animated motion pictures in 2009 (Reg. No. 5613972). Both DC and Marvel also individually owned trademarks involving the "super hero" mark. Notably, DC owns the mark " Legion of Super-Heroes " for comic magazines and Marvel owns the mark "Marvel Super Hero Island" for story books, fiction books, and children’s activity books. DC and Marvel have become known for aggressively protecting their registered marks. In 2019,
18020-552: The companies pursued a British law student named Graham Jules who was attempting to publish a self-help book titled Business Zero to Superhero . Much academic debate exists about whether the "super hero" mark has become generic and whether DC and Marvel have created a duopoly over the "super hero" mark. Conversely, DC and Marvel hold that they are merely exercising their right and duty to protect their registered marks. The following trademarks were or are registered jointly with MARVEL CHARACTERS, INC. and DC COMICS: As mentioned,
18190-477: The debut of Shotaro Ishinomori 's Skull Man (the basis for his later Kamen Rider ) in 1970, Go Nagai's Devilman in 1972 and Gerry Conway and John Romita's Punisher in 1974. The dark Skull Man manga would later get a television adaptation and underwent drastic changes. The character was redesigned to resemble a grasshopper, becoming the renowned first masked hero of the Kamen Rider series. Kamen Rider
18360-565: The decades, Psylocke (both Betsy Braddock and Kwannon) have appeared in several limited series. In the year of 1997, the characters appeared in the 4-issue team-up series Psylocke and Archangel: Crimson Dawn. Beginning in November 2009, Betsy Braddock was featured in X-Men: Psylocke a self-titled four issue miniseries written by Christopher Yost and drawn by Harvey Tolibao ; Matsu'o Tsurayaba and Wolverine are central characters in
18530-401: The end of the decade, in 1939, Batman was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger . During the 1940s there were many superheroes: The Flash , Green Lantern and Blue Beetle debuted in this era. This era saw the debut of one of the earliest female superheroes, writer-artist Fletcher Hanks 's character Fantomah , an ageless ancient Egyptian woman in the modern day who could transform into
18700-515: The first black superhero to star in his own series . In 1989, the Monica Rambeau incarnation of Captain Marvel was the first female black superhero from a major publisher to get her own title in a special one-shot issue. In 1971, Red Wolf became the first Native American in the superheroic tradition to headline a series. In 1973, Shang-Chi became the first prominent Asian superhero to star in an American comic book ( Kato had been
18870-454: The first entity to commercialize the phrase "super hero" when it registered the mark in connection with Halloween costumes. In 1972, Mego Corporation , an American toy company, attempted to register the mark "World's Greatest Superheroes" in connection with its line of action figures. Mego Corporation’s attempted registration led Ben Cooper, Inc. to sue Mego Corporation for trademark infringement. Due to its financial struggles, Mego Corporation
19040-616: The first time instead. Betsy's relationship with Archangel ends in the Claremont written X-Men (vol. 2) #109, where the character embarks upon a relationship with new Indian X-Men recruit Neal Shaara, also known as Thunderbird . In the Claremont-written X-Treme X-Men #2 (2001), the character dies, her comic book death lasting until 2005's The Uncanny X-Men #455; Claremont also wrote this issue, later stating he had always intended to revive her. Briefly,
19210-520: The first time. After being rescued by the New Mutants , she takes up residence at their mutant-training academy, run by Magneto at the time in the absence of Professor Charles Xavier . After aiding the team unofficially, Braddock proves herself by distracting the attentions of the murderous supervillain Sabretooth . Afterward, Braddock is formally invited to join the X-Men and officially adopts
19380-479: The hypothetical heteronormative male audience. Villains, such as Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy , use their sexuality to take advantage of their male victims. In the film versions of these characters, their sexuality and seductive methods are highlighted. Poison Ivy uses seduction through poison to take over the minds of her victims as seen in the 1997 film Batman and Robin . Harley Quinn in 2016's Suicide Squad uses her sexuality to her advantage, acting in
19550-470: The idea of a masked avenger and the superhero trope of a secret identity . Over the next few decades, masked and costumed pulp fiction characters such as Jimmie Dale/The Grey Seal (1914), Zorro (1919), Buck Rogers (1928), The Shadow (1930), and Flash Gordon (1934), and comic strip heroes such as the Phantom (1936), began appearing, as did non-costumed characters with super strength , including
19720-541: The latter of which derived from a body swap with the Japanese mutant ninja Kwannon lasting nearly 30 years of publication history. She and Kwannon were returned to their original bodies in a 2018 story , after which, Betsy took up the mantle of Captain Britain, while Kwannon adopted the Psylocke identity. Many alternative versions of the character have also appeared in several comics series of Marvel Multiverse , as well as in various other media and merchandise, notably in numerous video games. The body-swapped iteration of
19890-467: The latter, complete with a domino mask and a cape, became influential for the myriad of masked rogues in penny dreadfuls and dime novels . The vigilantes of the American Old West also became an influence to the superhero. Several vigilantes during this time period hid their identities using masks. In frontier communities where de jure law was not yet matured, people sometimes took
20060-662: The law into their own hands with makeshift masks made out of sacks . Vigilante mobs and gangs like the San Diego Vigilantes and the Bald Knobbers became infamous throughout that Old West era. Such masked vigilantism later inspired fictional masked crimefighters in American story-telling, beginning with the character Deadwood Dick in 1877. The word superhero dates back to 1899. The 1903 British play The Scarlet Pimpernel and its spinoffs popularized
20230-478: The likes of Batwoman in 1956, Supergirl , Miss Arrowette , and Bat-Girl ; all female derivatives of established male superheroes. In 1957 Japan, Shintoho produced the first film serial featuring the superhero character Super Giant , signaling a shift in Japanese popular culture towards tokusatsu masked superheroes over kaiju giant monsters. Along with Astro Boy , the Super Giant serials had
20400-764: The magazine King of the Monsters in 1977 describing Godzilla as "Superhero of the '70s." In 1971, Kamen Rider launched the "Henshin Boom" on Japanese television in the early 1970s, greatly impacting the tokusatsu superhero genre in Japan. In 1972, the Science Ninja Team Gatchaman anime debuted, which built upon the superhero team idea of the live-action Phantom Agents as well as introducing different colors for team members and special vehicles to support them, said vehicles could also combine into
20570-463: The man she once knew and loved. Once Ulysses , an Inhuman with the ability to forecast the future, emerged, Betsy briefly changed alliances, siding with Storm's X-Men in opposition to Magneto's team, who wanted to eliminate the boy. Betsy also found out Magneto had secretly employed Mystique and Fantomex and made an alliance with the Hellfire Club , much to her annoyance. After the X-Men foiled Someday Corporation's plans to weaponize mutants, Betsy quit
20740-470: The mark in connection with comic books, and were granted the mark by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in 1981. In the years leading up to the assignment of the mark, both DC and Marvel battled to register various trademarks involving the phrase “superhero.” However, DC and Marvel quickly discovered that they could only register marks involving the phrase "superhero" if
20910-612: The massacre . Knowing that the X-Men were away in New York , the Marauder Sabretooth invaded the mansion. Betsy used herself as bait to lead him away from the injured until the X-Men arrived to help her. While Sabretooth and Wolverine fought, Betsy used her telepathy to gather information about the Marauders and their leader, Mr. Sinister, from Sabretooth's mind. Wolverine, though initially reluctant to involve outsiders in
21080-483: The multiverse. X-Force faced a new Brotherhood of Mutants, of which the Shadow King was a member. Betsy imprisoned his psyche for good into Omega White, whose ability was to eat psychic energy . After this last mission, X-Force disbanded for good and Fantomex, who had been keeping a relationship with Betsy, but died at the hands of the Brotherhood, was resurrected in three different bodies for each of his brains. As
21250-601: The murder of Mariko Yashida . Matsu'o, now missing both hands and other body parts, desired an honorable death and wanted Betsy to grant him that honor since he could not hold a blade to perform seppuku himself. This put Betsy at odds with Wolverine, who felt that Matsu'o's punishment was not over yet. Betsy engaged Wolverine in a brutal fight which ended in a truce. With Wolverine's permission, Betsy finished Matsu'o off mercifully, using her telepathy to project illusions into his mind of his body restored and of Kwannon embracing him. Betsy quickly killed him with her psi-blade. During
21420-432: The new Spider-Man after the apparent death of the original Spider-Man, Peter Parker . Kamala Khan , a Pakistani-American Muslim teenager who is revealed to have Inhuman lineage after her shapeshifting powers manifested, takes on the identity of Ms. Marvel in 2014 after Carol Danvers had become Captain Marvel. Her self-titled comic book series became a cultural phenomenon, with extensive media coverage by CNN ,
21590-403: The original Captain Britain, before temporarily becoming the superheroine Captain Britain herself and later joining the X-Men in 1986 as Psylocke , a codename coined by the villains Mojo and Spiral . Presented as a precognitive in the pages of Captain Britain and then as a telepath , she was later established to be a mutant , developing telekinesis as well as martial arts skills,
21760-623: The pages of several popular superhero titles from the late 1950s onward: Hal Jordan 's love interest Carol Ferris was introduced as the Vice-President of Ferris Aircraft and later took over the company from her father; Medusa , who was first introduced in the Fantastic Four series, is a member of the Inhuman Royal Family and a prominent statesperson within her people's quasi-feudal society; and Carol Danvers ,
21930-420: The past decade following the rise of comic book characters in the film industry (Marvel/DC movies). Women are presented differently than their male counterparts, typically wearing revealing clothing that showcases their curves and cleavage and showing a lot of skin in some cases. Heroes like Power Girl and Wonder Woman are portrayed wearing little clothing and showing cleavage. Power Girl is portrayed as wearing
22100-406: The phrase referenced their own company or a character associated with their company. As a result, DC and Marvel decided to become joint owners of the "superhero" trademark. Although many consumers likely see DC and Marvel as competitors, the two comic book publishing giants are allies when it comes to protecting the trademark "superhero" and variants thereof. Although joint ownership in a trademark
22270-496: The physical appearance of Betsy prior to the Hand's manipulation, claims to be the original Betsy Braddock, accusing the Japanese-featured Betsy of being an impostor. After Jim Lee and six other creators left Marvel Comics to found Image Comics , new scriptwriter Fabian Nicieza established that Kwannon is the impostor and that Braddock's flirtations with Cyclops were part of a genetic and mental splicing in which
22440-504: The physical world. Betsy and X joined forces to defeat him once more, linking every psychic telepathically and cleansing the world of Farouk's filth. X erased the memories of the other X-Men and told Betsy she would be the only one to remember he had returned. As a member of the X-Men, Betsy also tutored the time-displaced Jean Grey in the art of creating psychic weaponry and investigated the Phoenix-related phenomenon that led to
22610-419: The power of a god, but was still drawn to a much weaker, mortal male character. This can be explained by the sociological concept "feminine apologetic," which reinforces a woman's femininity to account for her masculine attributes (strength, individualism, toughness, aggressiveness, bravery). Women in comic books are considered to be misrepresented due to being created by men, for men. The Hawkeye Initiative
22780-415: The projection of magical energy blasts, controlling the minds of others, and inter-dimensional teleportation. These magical powers are strengthened by the 'worship of his followers' and hence directly linked to the popularity of his TV programs. He cannot be harmed by the touch of Rogue , no matter how long she is in contact with him. He has bear-hugged Rogue with much ease until she was left unconscious. He
22950-520: The public, and policing unauthorized uses. However, misuse by the public alone does not necessarily cause a trademark to become generic if the primary significance of the term is still to indicate a particular source. Some legal experts argue that, like the once-trademarked terms "aspirin" and "yo-yo," the term "superhero" now primarily refers to a general type of character with extraordinary abilities, rather than characters originating from specific publishers. In keeping with their origins as representing
23120-462: The rest of the X-Men in their war against the Inhumans, seeking to destroy the cloud while the Inhumans fought to protect it. After the war ended, Magneto's team of X-Men disbanded and Betsy learned that he was working alongside Emma Frost and knew about her deceptions that led to the war. Making good on her promise, Betsy found Magneto and killed him. She then walked away, feeling like the world and
23290-399: The resurrection of the adult Jean Grey. Betsy was also selected by Kitty Pryde to join a team with Storm, Rogue, Jubilee and Domino and hunt for a resurrected Wolverine, facing Viper and her Femme Fatales along the way. During this encounter, Betsy was attacked by the psychic vampire, Sapphire Styx who absorbed her soul into herself. Once inside, Betsy discovered the psychic husks of all
23460-592: The sake of rehabilitating Archangel, whom she kept under telepathic control. Magneto's X-Men first mission had them face the Dark Riders , who were targeting mutant healers. Following a lead buried in the dormant Archangel's mind, Betsy and Magneto travelled to Colorado, where they found a wingless Warren Worthington brainwashed by the son of Apocalypse, Genocide, and Clan Akkaba , who were harvesting his wings to create an army of Archangel clones. When Warren and Archangel merged, Betsy started working with him to restore
23630-648: The story. At the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con , Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski and writer Jonathan Hickman revealed that, following the franchise-wide relaunch House of X/Powers of X , Betsy Braddock would become the new Captain Britain , with Brian adopting the new title of Captain Avalon and Kwannon taking over the Psylocke moniker. Cebulski compared Betsy's adoption of the Captain Britain mantle to Carol Danvers 's transition to Captain Marvel , indicating that this new status quo would be permanent. As part of
23800-498: The superhero supergroups featured at least one (and often the only) female member, much like DC's flagship superhero team the Justice League of America (whose initial roster included Wonder Woman as the token female ); examples include the Fantastic Four 's Invisible Girl , the X-Men 's Jean Grey (originally known as Marvel Girl ), the Avengers ' Wasp , and the Brotherhood of Mutants ' Scarlet Witch (who later joined
23970-454: The team's existence. Betsy had been using her telepathy to help Warren control the "Archangel" persona in his mind, which led to the two rekindling their previous relationship. The team's first mission was to locate and kill Apocalypse , who had been reborn. Upon discovering that the reborn Apocalypse was a child, most of the team decided against killing him, but Fantomex fatally shot the boy. With X-Force, Betsy also faced long-time rivals such as
24140-566: The team, vowing to keep an eye on Magneto's operations and putting an end to them if he ever crossed the line. On her own, Betsy tracked down and defeated threats to mutantkind such as Omega Sentinels, Sauron and the Nasty Boys . Betsy also faced Mystique, stabilizing the shapeshifter's psyche once and for all. When Beast discovered that the Terrigen was saturating and would soon render Earth completely uninhabitable for mutants, Betsy joined
24310-410: The term "SUPER HERO" trademark is at risk of becoming generic. Courts have noted that determining whether a term has become generic is a highly factual inquiry not suitable for resolution without considering evidence like dictionary definitions, media usage, and consumer surveys. Trademark owners can take steps to prevent genericide , such as using the trademark with the generic product name, educating
24480-421: The two companies also own a variety of other superhero-related marks. For instance, DC owns "Legion of Super-Heroes" and " DC Super Hero Girls " and Marvel owns “Marvel Super Hero Island" and "Marvel Super Hero Adventures." DC and Marvel have garnered a reputation for zealously protecting their superhero marks. As noted above, one of these instances included a man by the name of Graham Jules, who sought to publish
24650-446: The two women's minds into each other's bodies. She also merged their genetic structures, leaving both women with physical and mental traits of the other, and with each possessing half of Betsy's telepathic power. With some physical and mental conditioning, Betsy—inhabiting Kwannon's body—became the Hand's prime assassin, taking the name Lady Mandarin. She gained highly remarkable fighting skills and learned to focus her telepathic power into
24820-439: The victims Sapphire had claimed over the centuries, including a fragment of Wolverine's soul that she had been unable to purge from herself. Drawing on the strength of all the imprisoned souls, Betsy used her telepathy to destroy Sapphire from within, and emerged in her original body. She later explained to Jubilee that after Sapphire was destroyed, she was able to use the soul energy she left behind to re-create her original body. It
24990-660: The villain in the story, which saw Longshot join the X-Men. In 1988, Mojo appeared in a backup story in The Uncanny X-Men Annual #12. He was the main villain of the one-shot special Excalibur: Mojo Mayhem (Dec. 1989). Subsequent appearances include Marvel Comics Presents #89 (1991), The Uncanny X-Men Annual #15 (1991), Wolverine vol. 2 #52 (March 1992), X-Men #6 (March 1992), Wolverine vol. 2 #53 (April 1992), X-Men #7 (April 1992), #10-11 (July–Aug. 1992), The Uncanny X-Men Annual 16 (1992), Marvel Comics Presents #119 (1993), What If? vol. 2 #59 (March 1994), X-Men Adventures: Season Two #11 (Dec. 1994), Marvel: Portraits of
25160-671: The villain. Brian Braddock and Meggan collected Betsy's body from Spain. She was buried at the Braddock family estate and a memorial to her was erected at the X-Mansion by Beast. One year after her death, Betsy awoke where she had died, unaware of how she had been resurrected, and was soon reunited with the X-Men, helping them against the Saurian Hauk'ka, and Mojo and Spiral. Jamie started to covertly observe his resurrected sister, allowing her to catch occasional glimpses of him. Betsy
25330-611: The weakest member of her team a decade ago. Both major American publishers began introducing new superheroines with a more distinct feminist theme as part of their origin stories or character development. Examples include Big Barda , Power Girl , and the Huntress by DC comics; and from Marvel, the second Black Widow , Shanna the She-Devil , and The Cat . Female supporting characters who were successful professionals or hold positions of authority in their own right also debuted in
25500-401: The work of writers like Marshall McLuhan , Noam Chomsky , Edward S. Herman and Walter Lippmann . Mojo, a slaver and dictator who rules his dimension through the television programs he produces, was created as a direct result of these influences. (A character named Manufactured Consent, after the Chomsky book of the same name , who appeared in Nocenti's 1990 The New Mutants Summer Special ,
25670-434: Was a mutant and close relationships and love were forbidden. In this world, Betsy acted as a law enforcer for Department X alongside Iceman , Jubilee, Northstar and Blob , with whom she developed a special friendship. As the Age of X-Man crumbled down, Betsy returned to Earth-616, where she joined Cyclops and his X-Men to end the threat of Colonel Callahan once and for all. Superhero A superhero or superheroine
25840-436: Was able to break his hold on his hosts. Following the return of Cable and Hope Summers , Betsy was selected as part of Cyclops' "Alpha roster" of X-Men sent to locate and protect the two from the forces of Bastion . In the aftermath of " X-Men: Second Coming ", Betsy (along with Deadpool , Fantomex, and Archangel) was selected by Wolverine to be a member of the new X-Force; the sole condition being that no one could learn of
26010-452: Was addicted to killing. Their first mission had the team track and face Volga, a wealthy business man responsible for the abduction and weaponization of several mutants and depowered mutants. As a member of X-Force, Braddock grew more bloodthirsty, self-loathing and broken by the day, admitting that resorting to killing was the only way she could feel anything at all. She also kept a sexual relationship with Cable. X-Force also faced Fantomex, who
26180-419: Was alive. Almost immediately both the Exiles and Excalibur were called to the defense of Otherworld, under attack by an army of Furies created by a resurrected Mad Jim Jaspers; though the heroes prevailed, the Exiles were left as the Omniverse's primary defenders until the devastated Captain Britain Corps could be rebuilt. Choosing to remain with the Exiles, Betsy traveled to several realities. Upon arriving on
26350-433: Was also born of these works.) Artist Art Adams designed the character per Nocenti's instructions that he be disgusting and unpleasant, and also tried to make him look frightening. The wires that hold Mojo's eyelids open, thus preventing him from blinking, were inspired by an interview with actor Malcolm McDowell on Late Night with David Letterman , in which McDowell revealed that the similar apparatus he had to wear for
26520-423: Was also shown that Kwannon has apparently returned to life in her original body as well, as the new Psylocke. Immediately after reclaiming her original body and legal identity as Elizabeth "Betsy" Braddock, Betsy returned to the Xavier Institute, where Jean Grey helped her cope with such a major change. Betsy also traveled to England and reunited with Brian and Meggan and met her niece, Maggie. The following days saw
26690-462: Was at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean , to serve as the X-Men's new base of operations and a haven for mutantkind, called Utopia . Soon after, Betsy went to Japan with Wolverine to re-inter her former body. Upon arriving, she was ambushed by the Hand, who destroyed her original body at the behest of Matsu'o Tsurayaba. Enraged, Betsy tracked Matsu'o down, finding him terribly disfigured as the result of Wolverine's yearly revenge on Matsu'o for his role in
26860-447: Was destroyed, but her exposure to the Crimson Dawn gave her a new shadow form with temporarily enhanced powers, which she used to trap the Shadow King's core. To keep him trapped she was forced to constantly focus her telepathy on him, effectively rendering herself powerless. Jean Grey 's attempt to help Betsy deal with the Shadow King somehow swapped their powers, leaving Betsy telekinetic . With her new abilities Betsy fought Belasco ,
27030-438: Was driven to the point of insanity and received god-like powers. Betsy ultimately used her mind blade to scramble Fantomex's brain. As a member of the X-Men, Betsy investigated the Shi'ar 's Providian Order, while taking on Skrull / Brood hybrids, investigated a mysterious natural phenomena in the Blackrock Desert, helped Nightcrawler against a newly returned Shadow King, and joined the X-Men and Avengers in Genosha to fight
27200-406: Was eventually brought down by the X-Force , when Domino broke free from his control, and he was revealed as the mastermind behind the agency. Mojo is currently a prisoner of Cable's X-Force team. In the 2016 Howard the Duck run, Mojo was revealed to have used footage of Howard's adventure to create a reality show for the Mojoverse. To fill in the gaps on Howard's life, Mojo filmed footage of
27370-474: Was featured in an entry in The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition #8, and in the All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #7 (2006). Mojo appears in Ms. Marvel: Mutant Menace #2 . Mojo is an alien from another dimension whose species lacks skeletons and were driven insane by otherdimensional energy. After the scientist Arize develops exoskeletons to allow them greater mobility, some choose not to use them and become known as
27540-441: Was gutted by Sabretooth which led Angel, Wolverine, Doctor Strange and Gomurr the Ancient to retrieve a magical liquid from the Crimson Dawn dimension to heal her. This gave her the new ability to teleport through shadows, also marking her with a red tattoo over her left eye. Her personality took on a cold edge, which created distance between her and Warren. Kuragari, Proctor of the Crimson Dawn, tried to claim Betsy as his bride, but
27710-494: Was in All Star Comics #8 (Dec. 1941), published by All-American Publications , one of two companies that would merge to form DC Comics in 1944. Pérák was an urban legend originating from the city of Prague during the German occupation of Czechoslovakia in the midst of World War II . In the decades following the war, Pérák has also been portrayed as the only Czech superhero in film and comics. In 1952, Osamu Tezuka 's manga Tetsuwan Atom , more popularly known in
27880-425: Was kidnapped from the Alps by Mojo, brainwashed, given cybernetic eyes, and, as "Psylocke", became the star of his new show "Wildways". Brian and the New Mutants rescued her, after which Betsy moved to the X-Men's mansion to recover, exactly where Roma , Guardian of the Omniverse , needed her to be. When the Marauders attacked the Morlocks , the X-Mansion was used as a temporary infirmary for injured survivors of
28050-536: Was rescued by Madelyne Pryor – now calling herself the Red Queen – who controlled her to join the Sisterhood . They also stole Betsy's original body, in which Kwannon had died, at a graveyard. A ritual of sorts with both bodies was performed, resulting in Betsy's original body being brought back to life. The Sisterhood, now including a brainwashed Betsy, attacked the X-Men. Dazzler was forced to use her powers on Betsy, blowing half of her face off. Dazzler's attack shocked Betsy back to consciousness, enabling her to overcome
28220-503: Was reunited with Brian during the Scarlet Witch 's " House of M " reality storm. When the timeline was set right, the memories of their encounter took on a dreamlike state, prompting Betsy and several of the X-Men to visit London to check on Brian's status. Back in the US, Betsy and the X-Men failed to stop Shi'ar Death Commandos from slaughtering the Grey family , targeted for death because of their relationship to Phoenix , but helped defeat them before they could kill Rachel Grey . With
28390-422: Was thwarted with Gomurr and Angel's aid, freeing Betsy of the Dawn's influence. Betsy retained the abilities associated with it. Soon after these events, the couple retired from active duty with the X-Men. Subsequently, she aided Storm against the Shadow King , who tricked Betsy into initiating a psychic shockwave that disabled all other telepaths, leaving him unchallenged on the astral plane . Her own astral form
28560-403: Was truly Betsy, both stayed with the X-Men, maintaining an uneasy coexistence. Learning she had the Legacy Virus , Revanche had Matsu'o kill her, restoring Betsy's full personality and telepathic potential. Having become involved with her teammate Angel, the following months saw her fight the Phalanx , try to reach Jamie's comatose mind, battle Legion in Israel, and combat Gene Nation . Betsy
28730-404: Was unexpected as Marvel and DC had filed a motion to extend time to answer. There is an ongoing debate among legal scholars and in the courts about whether the term "superhero" has become genericized due to its widespread use in popular culture, similar to terms like "aspirin" or "escalator" which lost their trademark protection and became generic terms for their respective products. Some argue
28900-467: Was unwilling to defend itself against Ben Cooper Inc.'s suit. As a result, in 1977, Mego Corporation jointly assigned its interest in the trademark to DC Comics , Inc. ("DC") and Marvel Comics ("Marvel"). Due to the financial prowess of DC and Marvel, Ben Cooper, Inc. decided to withdraw its trademark opposition and jointly assigned its interest in the "World's Greatest Super Heroes" mark to DC and Marvel. Two years later in 1979, DC and Marvel applied for
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