“Oh my stars and garters!” X-Men: Apocalypse director, Bryan Singer took to social media to announce the latest casting in his upcoming mutant dystopian flick; Olivia Munn joins as the telekinetic, psy-blade wielding ninja, Betsy Braddock, aka, Psylocke.
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Olivia Munn, known for her inherit geek-factor, a stint on The Daily Show, and her time on The Newsroom (or maybe that topless scene in Magic Mike?), has thus far been accepted by X-fans and critics alike with mostly positive reactions. The casting is kind of a big deal considering Psylocke’s minimal role in X-Men 3: The Last Stand, that turned off even the most loyal of fanboys.
But with Bryan Singer back at the reigns, her casting could be promising in the larger scope of the X-verse that’s not been revealed until now. Like it predecessor, Days of Future Past, X-Men: Apocalypse boasts a hefty mutant roster with recent castings including Angel/Archangel, Apocalypse, Nightcrawler, Gambit and Jubilee, in addition to the younger versions of X-franchise alums, Jean Grey, Cyclops and Storm.
Psylocke is by far one of the most impressive mutants in the X-canon, with a rich backstory. Created by Chris Claremont and Herb Trimpe, Betsy made her first appearance in Captain Britain where she served as a support character to her titular brother, and as a famous British runway model. She later adopted the name ‘Psylocke’ and joined the X-Men in 1986.
Originally, Betsy was conceived as a precognitive psychic before she adopted the body and martial art skills of female Japanese ninja, Kwannon. The body swap gifted her with brilliant hand-to-hand combat skills allowing her to create her famous psychic blades and kitana as formidable weapons.
Aside from Psylocke’s bizarre heritage, she has strong ties with fellow X-men Angel, also recently cast in Apocalypse. Could we see a possible budding romance here? Psylocke and Angel were known to be an tumultuous couple in the comics, particularly during Angel’s evolution to Archangel, Apocalypse’s Horseman of Death. This could be a great way to utilize her as an emotional core, while introducing someone of extraordinary power.
What say you fans? Can Munn fill in Psylocke’s boots? Be sure to sound off in the comments!
X-Men: Apocalypse hits theaters May 17, 2016.
Images: Marvel (Lead – Greg Land), Flickr, HBO,
Warner Bros (Lead – Magic Mike), 20th Century Fox
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