See Psylocke Control Minds While Getting Mind Controlled Herself

A picture really is worth a thousand words... That's why today's entry focuses on a single panel from the past, but this time using a lot more words and a bunch of extra pictures to fully explain the magnitude of the mind control involved...

Case in point:

"I return these things... won in fair combat... to their rightful lord and master... who has for now and for all time... become mine."

Back in 2008, this image from Uncanny X-men # 256 was included as part of  a previous entry, but there's so much more mind control to cover from that issue. How did Psylocke go from a British, pink haired telepath and member of the X-men to an Asian assassin subservient to the Mandarin?

Well, remember how she mind controlled the X-men into entering the Siege Perilous, effectively having them commit suicide so the Reavers wouldn't ambush and kill them? Psylocke went through the mystical reincarnation gem as well, only to resurface in Uncanny X-men # 255.

Literally.

She washed ashore on a very familiar island, now controlled by the Hand. Naked and absolutely amnesic, no one knew who she was, until local crime kingpin Matsuo Tsurayaba arrived and got a good look at her...

"She is the mutant X-man Psylocke. And by all the gods who ever were...
I know full well what the Hand may do with her."

Tsurayaba's big plan unfolded in Uncanny X-men # 256 when he visited the Mandarin with an intriguing proposal: after some proper modification (read: mind control) Betsy would be ideally suited to be the Mandarin's mind reading premiere assassin. Taking care of his enemies ánd learning all their hidden secrets in the process.

Intrigued, the oriental warlord tentatively accepted Matsuo and the Hand's offer. They began Betsy's mental reconditioning using a combination of mystical influences and sensory deprivation, .

"Our ambition is to reconfigure her mental mosaic into a more... useful pattern"

Mind control by any other name, really.

Incidentally, probably the biggest reason the Mandarin appears in this storyline at all is the fact Uncanny X-men # 256 happened to be the first of three Acts of Vengeance crossover tie-ins. 

The big idea behind this Summer event was simple, yet elegant: tired of getting beaten by their archenemies, the villains decided to swap and attack heroes who weren't used to fighting them... Daredevil got Ultron, the Punisher fought Dr. Doom and the X-men had the Mandarin show up.

So, how was Psylocke's mind control going?

Honestly, who knows? Claremont writes a rather hard to grasp, perhaps purposely disjointed string of scenes that depict Betsy in the various stages of her life.

You remember how she started out as Captain Britain's blonde twin sister? Here she is, little more than a child, sitting in a prop Spitfire airplane on a carnival ride, imagining about really flying and killing Germans... And then the fantasy becomes all too real.

"A monster. A demon... No... Coming to claim me. No. No. Body and soul... No no no..."

After leaving the carousel, she finds a pretty ring. And pretty soon afterwards, she finds another. These are the ten rings of the Mandarin she is somehow collecting. But she's a bit too busy getting pushed around in her own mind to notice the villain's presence... or the rings' powers. Until she gets a make over that is...

"THERE you are, my naughty, naughty toy!"

By this time, she'd miraculously grown to adulthood, started wearing skin tight black leather outfits. 

"We can't have a westerner running the Hong Kong underworld. Art as life... I do love it so!"

By now, it's obvious we've reached the part of Psylocke's life in which she was under Mojo's thrall. Back in New Mutants Annual # 2, the ruler of the Mojoverse already mind controlled her and even transformed poor Betsy in a copy of himself. 

"And yet, for all that's changed... the oldest hurt remains"

And here we have the debut of the Asian style Psylocke.

There are just a few problems here: for one, all of this allegedly only plays in her mind. Changing Betsy's mental form should have no impact on her physical body. And yet it does. Also: what's with all the memories she has to work through? Didn't we establish earlier in the same issue she washed ashore a complete amnesiac?

Ah well, onward and upward... Betsy's about to resume her quest for the rings. And now, she knows they're powerful ánd that her former friends the X-men have them. With Storm conveniently enough standing next to her, she starts with Ororo who refuses... And this is when a mind controlled Psylocke uses mind control to get what she wants...

"You have no will but mine... That's my girl. Give it here."

So, a proven, strong telepath also uses the Mandarin's mind controlling 'mento-intensifier' ring (not to mention a flame blast) to get her hands on Storm's bauble. Well, one might call that overkill, but hey... whatever works.

Psylocke then goes on to kill Colossus, Dazzler and Havok for their rings. And, in a nice, foreshadow heavy nod to a future storyline, she doesn't have to fight Rogue, because she's already fought Ms. Marvel to the death...

Her brother Captain Britain would have been next on Betsy's hitlist, but then the unexpected happened:

"The impact beam is mine, Psylocke... And so now my pretty, at long last, are you!"

The disembodied voice belonged to the Slaymaster, a Captain Britain villain from back in the day who fought Betsy when she took over for the titular hero and was blinded by him in the process. The appearance of Slaymaster wasn't part of the mind control strategy the Hand and Mandarin had set out.

The whole idea was to force Psylocke to actively kill off everyone she cared for in her old life, so she would be hurt, vulnerable and open to whatever the villains wanted her to do. The Slaymaster threatened to throw the proverbial monkey wrench in that scheme. Luckily, Betsy overcame her fear for the villain and struck back, discovering not everything is quite as it appeared...

Smashing the Slaymaster's helmet, the face of the Mandarin was revealed. He immediately used whatever rings he still had left (count em in the upcoming panel, if the story makes any sense he could only have two out of ten). Not that he'd have time to count, because Psylocke was about to end him.

But even when caught at a distinct disadvantage, the mastervillain still tried to come out on top...

"Cast aside your boulder, Psylocke... And acknowledge the Mandarin as your lord and master."

Looks like he now has all his rings back. How come Psylocke doesn't have any left? Also why are Mojo and Spiral there, hovering in the background? And, more importantly, did Betsy just say 'no'?

"Your mind may control the ring... But mine... through my telepathy... controls your thoughts."

Ooh snap.

So, even while she herself is busy getting mind controlled, she controls others a record total of two times in the same issue. That girl sure is a pro. But surely, she wouldn't actually follow through on that threat now, would she?

Well, guess she would.

So, judging from this story... after witnessing her coming to terms with being changed against her will, after seeing her face and deal with childhood trauma and insecurities, not to mention having her stare down her greatest fears while fighting the Slaymaster ánd beating the tale's actual villain in the process... You'd think ... It's only logical to assume Betsy would end the issue a free woman.

Yeah, you'd think...

And so, with Psylocke killing everyone who tried to control or shape her, we come full circle, with this scene: Psylocke fully submitting to the Mandarin's rule after all. It makes very little sense indeed.

Y'know, not unlike an actual ring of the Mandarin.

Mojo's Mind Control Mayhem Part II: Sign Your Name And Cross Your Heart... FOREVER!

When we last left the X-babies and Kitty Pryde, they were busy doing a remake of the 1987 classic cult movie Adventures In Babysitting... On the Scottish moors, but still.

Kitty found herself taking care of baby versions of her former X-men teammates, who she still believed to be dead. In order to help her cuddly compadres find their previous nanny Ricochet Rita, Kitty decided to contact her current team: Excalibur.

But this is still 1989, well before the age of the internet, let alone mobile phones. This meant she had to head for the nearest town to call for help. But once she got there, Mojo's operative The Agent made his first move...

Beg yuir pardon, lassie... But I'll need your signature..."

"Now that you've signed a contract, little Psylocke... Your soul belongs to Mojo"

Yup, the Agent is also a shape shifter... ready to use his abilities to trick the X-Babies into 'renewing' their lifetime contract with Mojo, leaving them his powerless and mindless playthings. And it made sense he started with Psylocke, because while Mojo gained her soul, he gained Betsy's telepathy. Which made it all the more easy to claim the others...

Phasing her out before the Agent could do any real damage, Kitty gathered the remaining X-babies in a nearby police car and drove off... However, after driving through the night the car ran out of fuel somewhere near the border between Scotland and England. Fortunately, a very familiar comics writer and his posse happened to be on the road as well...

After leaving Claremont and company to fend for themselves, the journey continued on the British highway M1... But tragedy soon struck again when the band stopped for a quick road side snack. However, it was still quick enough for Havok to sign his life away...

That star struck waitress once again turned out to be the Agent in disguise... I suppose the dark glasses should have been a tip off. Still, the remaining X-Infants and Kitty made it to Manchester unscathed. Even though she was still unable to reach Excalibur, Kitty was actually starting to feel a little cocky. 

"Tempt us with our heart's desire. Hah! Faked him there! I got mine!"

Let's suppose that particular line shares no relation with Kitty's longing looks at the infant version of her first love Colossus... That would be wrong. But speaking of young love, just as the actual Rogue and Dazzler had been fighting over who Longshot liked the best, so did their young counterparts

...Talk about being tempted by your heart's desire...

After claiming both Rogue and Dazzler, the Agent had to keep his end of the promise and tried to take loverboy Longshot as well...

Colossus sacrificed himself so Kitty, Longshot and the others could get away. Shortly after reaching London, the Agent claimed Wolverine as well and Excalibur still wasn't responding to Kitty's calls. That's where the clever cat came up with a scheme bound to attract nation wide attention... It just so happened there was a televised royal wedding going down at St. Paul's Cathedral. What better way to get the attention of Meggan, Excalibur's resident tv junkie?

Unfortunately, the danger of the Agent was closer by than anyone had imagined... he was in fact the priest blessing the marriage of the royal couple. Naturally, a fearful fight ensued between him and the hopelessly outgunned remaining X-Babies. Everything seemed to be going the Agent's way until Excalibur barged in to save the day.

Still, it took lil' Longshot's luck to truly bring this caper to an end. One of his lucky moves delivered all his fallen teammates' signed contracts in Kitty's hands... And she knew just what to do with those.

With everyone restored to their normal selves, the jig was up. The Agent was powerless and surrendered. But just as the X-Babies reminded Kitty they still had to find Ricochet Rita, everyone's favorite heir to a universal energy force spoke up. Y'see, Rachel 'Phoenix' Grey noticed something was up with the Agent...

"Trust that twisted slug Mojo... to use her as his pet hunter.

Yup, that damn Mojo had actually kidnapped Rita... mindcontrolling and transforming her into the big bad everyone had been trying to beat in order to find her. Such sweet mind control ridden irony. And she wasnt quite rid of his influence yet, as Mojo literally took over her head to directly conduct business negotiations with the X-Babies for a new contract...

Still, freed or not, Ricochet Rita still chose to return to the Mojoverse with the X-babies who had come back to Mojo as promised.

But the second the lil' mutants returned, Mojo realised he'd bought a lemon. Yes, the X-babies had indeed agreed to return to the Mojoverse... But Mojo's request mentioned nothing about actually working or turning a profit, so a dumbstruck Mojo was greeted by this....

..

"And So It Goes..."

Mojo's Mind Control Mayhem Part I: Be My, Be Mine X-Babies

Our previous entry dealt with the events of 1988's X-men Annual # 12.

As a back up to the main Evolutionary War story, Chris Claremont penned a brief adventure with Mojo that introduced the world to... the X-babies.

Why would the supreme ruler of the Mojoverse even bother to create Muppet Babies-like versions of his enemies? Well, y'see... the X-men had died in their battle against the Adversary and after Roma resurrected them, they decided to keep their continued existence a secret. As an added bonus, they also didn't appear appear on any cameras, including the ones Mojo had installed in the X-man Psylocke's eyes.

And that proved to be a bit of a problem for the lord of lard. He had been producing a hugely succesful reality show based on the X-men's adventures, thanks to Psylocke's, ahum, eye witness footage. Without new material, ratings were dropping and man, was he freaking out about that...

Before deciding on the X-babies concept, Mojo considered many different options during the casting call he held on his floating airship (as one does). An airship with a rather interesting masthead. Here he is, lamenting the loss of both the X-men and his former star Longshot.

"So tell me then... who's the master here and who's the slave?"

The woman dangling from Mojo's mast is Ricochet Rita, a human stuntwoman who got herself on Mojo's bad side in Ann Nocenti's 1985 limited series Longshot. Ever ready to hold a grudge, Mojo had kidnapped her and started using her for a hood ornament.

Why is this relevant? Well, the X-babies immediately rebelled after Mojo recruited them. But before they fled, they also freed Rita who happily joined... Just as the annual's back up strip ended. 

Luckily, the story was continued in the 1989 Excalibur special titled Mojo Mayhem, that picked up where the previous panel left off. Wolverine found a way out and Rita and the X-babies made a run for it, finding refuge in the most unlikeliest of places...

A conveniently marked hideout constructed out of Marvel and DC's best known crossover events?

By now, it ought to be obvious Claremont was just having fun with this. Chris would even appear in the story himself a little bit further down the road.

As the X-babies tried to escape Mojo's forces by entering the house of all things crossover, Rita mysteriously vanished off panel... Just as Mojo decided his usual troops weren't enough to subdue his newest stars. He wanted the X-babies back, by any means possible. Wait, he'll tell you himself...

"We must bind them to you... with unbreakable livestime contracts"

And that meant hiring...

Now, any and all similarities between the Agent and other ruthless, heavy breathing bad guys in capes and black armor are purely coincidental... Though since both Marvel and Star Wars are properties of Disney nowadays, this might actually be their first retroactive crossover. Well done Darth Vader!

With Rita missing, the X-babies were in need of a chaperonne... Luckily, their trip through the portal of crossovers that time forgot dropped them off in the lap of the best babysitter imaginable...

Color Kitty completely surprised.

Continuitywise, Mojo Mayhem fit in between Excalibur # 9 and 10, and Kitty was feeling depressed and bummed out. Still mourning the loss of the X-men and not getting anywhere with her research into the mysterious interdimensional Widget, she took a much needed break from superheroing and left Excalibur's lighthouse to attend a jazz concert in Edinburgh.

Travelling back to London by train, she was surprised by the sudden appearance of the X-babies. But after a little convincing, she agreed to help them find the missing Ricochet Rita...

Just how that search and anything but rescue mission went down, we'll cover in part II of Mojo's Mind Control Mayhem: Sign Your Name And Cross Your Heart... FOREVER!

Beware the Brain Blasted Bratpack

Its New Mutants Annual # 2 and some explanation might be in order. This annual actually preceeds the Uncanny X-men annual covered in the previous post. That book introduced Longshot to the team, this particular tale is usedbring Psylocke in the Marvel Universe proper.

Introduced in 1976 as Captain Britain's mildly telepathic sister, Betsy Braddock had been through through a rather tumultuous decade before this 1986 annual made her an unwitting pawn of Mojo and Spiral. Long story short: Betsy had just recently been blinded by the assassin Slaymaster. While struggling to deal with her new situation, she was abducted by Mojo who outfitted her with bionic eye implants that also served as cameras that allowed everyone in the Mojoverse to look through her eyes in real time.

In retrospect, this single story idea makes Claremont responsible for the world's first ever reality tv show. But this being Big Mojo rather than Big Brother, the producer needed a little more excitement and decided to stir up some mischief for ratings through the medium he knows best: the airwaves.

With Psylocke firmly in his thrall, Mojo made his 616 television debut on a kids' show that swayed a rather eclectic bunch. Some of the New Mutants showed up, joined by Karma's siblings Leong and Nga and last but not least Butch, Darla and Alfie who had previouslyappeared in the Longshot limited series.

Mojo and Spiral already pretty much controlled their minds by the time they showed up, but Mojo decided they weren't quite there yet so he had Psylocke use some previously unknown and never mentioned again super power to empower Karma's brother and sister so they would, well...

By artificially ageing the mind controlled Leong and Nga, Mojo unlocked their superpowers which were a variant of their psyche controlling sister Karma. The siblings were able to mind control and reshape everyone they came across...

Calling themselves the Bratpack after a popular band of 80s actors, they waited around for the New Mutants to come looking for their missing team members. Leong and Nga, calling themselves 'Template', proceeded to use their powers and controlled the team.... with some noteable exceptions.

Only Magma seemed unaffected by Template's mind control whammy. After Doug and Warlock fled the scene, she tried to make a stand on her own. Guess how that turned out? 

With Magma properly subdued, Template can finally add some new members to Mojo's Bratpack.

Magma, however, is still less than convinced.

Her desperate pleas fall on deaf ears, as the New Mutants actually declare to love their new adult lives. Frustrated by the situation, she runs off. In the meantime, Doug and Warlock decided to join  forces in a rather extreme way that is by no means related to mindcontrol at all... *coughs*

Doug and Warlock quickly discover the Bratpack is being mind controlled by Psylocke, who has been transformed into a Mojo-like creature. Despite gaining new powers through their union, the boys still aren't up to the task of taking her down.

 Mojo Betsy yanks their minds out of their bodies and Doug/Lock finds himself in a hellish mindscape that allows penciller Alan Davis to show just how demented the situation really is.

"...We all float down here..."

Allusions to Stephen King aside, the notion of having Mojo's mind controlled victims represented as helpless merry-go-round rides is a brilliant one.

Naturally, Mojo Betsy tries to force Doug/Lock to take his place on the carousel, but he refuses and in the ensueing fight it turns out the demonesque Betsy on top of the roundabout is actually Spiral who has danced her way into Betsy's brain. Guess what happens when the team manages to free Betsy's actual mind...

Look at Spiral making a case for slavery... "Sure, there's no freedom but at least you'll still have eyes."  Betsy doesn't buy into this 'generous' offer and forcibly removes Spiral from her mind. And once she's gone, everyone wakes up... naked. 

Mojo left Betsy with her bionic eyes intact, which she didn't know were actually cameras, and despite her best efforts she can't force herself to claw them out. The annual ends with Betsy deciding to stay at Xavier's school for gifted youngster for the time being, setting up the sequel in the Uncanny X-men Annual we covered HERE. 

Forever young... and mind controlled!

Oy... its like a bad 1980s fantasy film. So, how did we end up in this particular pickle?

Chris Claremont must have written Uncanny X-men Annual # 10 with tongue firmly in cheek. It almost reads as a pastiche to those movies where teens and adults switch bodies like Tom Hanks in Big, Lindsay Lohan in Freaky Friday and most recently Zac Effron in 17 Again. But of course, this annual has that typical Claremontian twist so there's plenty of mind control.

How did the X-men get turned into younger versions of themselves, you wonder? Well, during an otherwise uneventful training session in the Danger Room, the X-men and Magneto got covered in some weird form of ectoplasm when someone just teleported in, along with all that goo.

The mysterious stranger would turn out to be Longshot. But he doesn't really play any part in this story, spending most of it in a coma in the X-men's med-bay. And its not like the X-men or New Mutants have any time to focus on him... the X-men appear to be deaging at an alarming rate. 14 year old Kitty Pryde is turned into a young girl overnight. This prompts Warlock and Cypher to research this change. Of course by merging together... mind control by any other name...

The 'team surpreme' is able to deduce what's causing the X-men's problems but alas... the young X-men appear to be under someone's influence because they act rather irrational.

Nice to see forced infantility hasn't dulled Magneto's mean streak. The soon to be X-toddlers commandeer professor Xavier's limousine as they seek out Mojo and Spiral. Note the dialogue in the last panel. Apparently Kitty's reverted to a pre-potty trained state. Charming. Still, diaper changes or not, the team soon locates Mojo at an old theatre downtown. And he's more than happy to see them.

"Please, sir... may we come in and play?"

"Of course, little wind-rider... That's why I am here... to play with you!"
Mojo luring in a bunch of innocent, googly eyed children with a sadistic smile and the promise he wants to 'play' with them just seems... wrong. Lets just agree any sexual undertones are completely unintended and move on.

Meanwhile back at Xavier's, the New Mutants had recovered from Magneto's whammy and figured it was up to them to save the X-men from whatever evil scheme Mojo was up to. This prompted the X-babies to consider themselves replacement X-men. Figuring they had to take up the mantle, the teen team decided to dress for the part and donned their graduation uniforms for the rescue mission.

Just look at those Art Adams designed costumes. Fair's fair, Cypher's costume makes him look like an off colour Cyclops, Warlock basically mimicks Superman and Mirage's impossibly tall legs in that outfit make her look like a cross between a stripper and an extra from a Cher video.

But the designs for Magma, Karma and Wolfsbane are actually pretty decent. Adams really went to bat designing these, as it turns out, one off costumes. And yet, the design for Cannonball proved to be inspirational to, of all people, Rob Liefeld, when he designed Sam's first X-Force garb.

Anyhoo, Magik uses her, well, magic to locate Mojo and her teleportation powers allow the new X-men to pop right into the theatre Mojo is using as a hideout. As it turns out, the place isn't as deserted as they had expected. In fact, there's a huge crowd waiting for some action... And action is what everyone is about to get when the all new X-men meet their all screwy predecessors...

"... Let the play truly begin!"

Ahhh, yeah... Part of Mojo's de-aging whammy was a mind control spell that bound the X-men to him as they regained their lost years. Of course, that meant they were dressed as twisted versions of themselves. Just look at Magneto, a former victim of the third reich, wearing the uniform of a Nazi soldier. Rather jarring.  But as set ups to exciting fight scenes go, this one's a doozy...

In an interesting twist, Karma actually realises she has the power to possess people. So she should be able to take over the Mojo controlled X-men, right? She first tries that trick on Wolverine, who doesn't seem too fazed at first, even uttering the ironic "Nothin' can hold me!" as he's still under Mojo's influence.

Meanwhile Mirage and Sunspot are having similar problems with Rogue...

You might wonder why the audience hasn't fled during this obvious fight to the death. Well, that's because there's mind control involved there as well...

Spiral mind controls the crowd to stay put... After all, what's a resounding victory really worth without a captive audience to witness your triumph? Unfortunately, the battle goes poorly and the crowd gets restless which forces Mojo to act.

In the end, the former New Mutants are able to reign in the X-men and together they manage to turn the tables against Mojo and force him to retreat to the Mojoverse. The semblance of order restored, Mojo is allowed to close out the story in style...