The "Retsy" Reading Guide
Yeah, I made this Substack so I'd have a place to post this... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Rachel Summers and Betsy Braddock have been a couple now for over two years, currently appearing together in X-Force by Geoffrey Thorne, Marcus To and Erick Arciniega. Their relationship is still fresh and a I see a lot of readers online wondering where it all started. I wanted to put together a guide that goes through all of their big (and some little) moments!
Starting off with…
Claremont Reload Era:
Claremont’s return to the X-Men in the early 2000s kicks off the growing relationship between Betsy and Rachel, and starts just before Betsy comes back from the dead! End of Tomorrow and Guess Who’s Back in Town both happen before Betsy returns, but are included here because Betsy’s older brother, Jamie, seems to have taken an interest in the current Marvel Girl…
Betsy returns for the World’s End arc of Uncanny X-Men which sees the group traveling to the Savage Lands. There, Rachel is brainwashed into believing she is a dinosaur and so she uses her psychic powers to partially turn herself into a dinosaur… It’s comics, guys, just roll with it. While the two spend most of the arc at odds, there are some subtle moments.
After the group returns to the Mansion is when things really begin to pick up as we head towards the infamous House of M…
During Resurrections and Reunions, we learn that Betsy is not the only surprising resurrection. Piotr has also returned, and he and Kitty Pryde rekindle their romance. Rachel reacts poorly, also upset that her mother isn’t among the newly not-dead, and after a fight with Kitty is left heartbroken and adrift. This is when Kitty decides to ask Betsy to look after Rachel.
A decision she will come to regret! (I’m kidding.)
If you’ve asked any Rachel or Betsy fan about their relationship before Krakoa, it’s likely they’ve mentioned House of M. I’m not going to spoil it for you, but it’s a lot of fun! There are some definite similarities between how they act within the warp and how they act once they officially begin dating.
This Decimation period of comics was not kind to mutants as a whole, but it was especially unkind to Rachel. It’s only with the help of her friends - Kitty, Kurt and the addition of Betsy - that she is able to make it through The Day After and the massacre of her family in End of Greys. Once again Kitty asks Betsy to take care of Rachel, and she obliges, being the last person by Rachel’s side at the funeral for the Grey family.
However, this is where their partnership begins to wrap up for the time being. I include these two stories because they are still together, and because the First FourSaken wraps up the mysterious plot that Jamie Braddock had planned for our two future lovebirds. But… it’s really up to you if you want to take that journey, I wouldn’t call it essential. Or particularly interesting.
Marvel NOW:
It takes awhile for the pair to come back together. They both join Storm’s all female X-Men, coming together to protect Jubilee and her newly adopted son, Shogo, from an ancient bacteria that can possess technology. Again, just go with it. The team consists of Storm, Jubilee, Monet, Betsy, Rachel and a newly human Karima Shapandar. There are some fun and even touching moments for the duo throughout this series. Betsy shows a willingness to let Rachel take the lead, providing her plenty of trust and support.
Also Rachel starts this series crushing on an ancient space bacteria while the only date Betsy can manage is with a computer program. Ladies, you’re both looking in the wrong direction!
Civil War II
Please don’t leave! Yes, I know. I KNOW. Don’t worry, this part isn’t essential either… but it did happen, so it goes on the list. It’s only four issues.
When Magneto and Psylocke come to blows over the fate of the Inhuman at the center of this current Civil War, Rachel is asked to step in. They do not interact much, but it does give us some perspective from Magneto on the differences between these two psychics. Rachel’s past as a Hound and Betsy’s fraught relationships with a previous lover both get touched on in this mini series.
Krakoa:
If you’re wondering why Betsy is suddenly white here… I suggest Wikipedia.
Look at that, we’re already near the end! Krakoa is when the relationship shifts from friends-who-flirt to actual love interests. Excalibur has Betsy dreaming about Rachel, and a few issues in she finds a warwolf puppy (named Amazing Baby) that she immediately gifts to Rachel. In the later half of the book, Rachel begins making more frequent appearances.
And while Betsy never features in X-Factor herself outside of a name drop, you should still follow Rachel and Amazing Baby’s exploits! After all, Amazing Baby wouldn’t be there without Betsy!
The miniseries Knights of X ends with the two becoming an official couple. The next time we see them, they’ve already moved in together.
Fall of X
After the Fall of X kicks off, Rachel and Betsy are separated. Despite not appearing together, I would still mark these books as required reading for the couple. The reason being that Rise of the Powers of X/X-Men Forever involves Rachel, in her role as Askani, protector of the Sacred Timeline, working to revive/helping to create the Phoenix Force. A pretty important task!
Without the Phoenix Force, Rachel would never have been born. And without Rachel, as these books show, the Phoenix Force would never have been created! A fun little paradox, especially when you add in that without the Braddocks and the Captain Britain Corps, Rachel might not have become Askani in the first place.
No Phoenix Force, no Rachel, no Excalibur, no Clan Askani, no saving Rachel and Betsy from the House of M, no Captain Britain and Askani, no Phoenix Force… whew, a bit of a circle! Does your head hurt too or is it just me?
From the Ashes
And that brings us to the present! Be sure to pick up X-Force to stay up to date with where this fantastic couple goes next.
If you’d like to read more of my thoughts on Betsy Braddock, I wrote a piece on her Krakoa era for Comic Watch back in July! And feel free to stick around here, I’ll be posting more of my thoughts on comics sometimes… I promise they won’t all be about the ‘ships. 😉
PS! Here are some fun optional stories I wanted to include. They aren’t part of the main list because they only include one character or the other.
Uncanny X-Men Volume 1 - #209: Rachel and Betsy both have fraught relationships with their bodies, body image and self confidence. This issue includes part of Rachel’s side of that coin.
Uncanny X-Men Volume 1 - #213: The issue where Psylocke officially joins the X-Men, and one of several issues where Betsy expresses dissatisfaction with how people see her versus how she sees herself.
Excalibur Volume 1 - #23: Well you should read Excalibur anyway. But… On an alternate earth, we see a brief interaction between an AU Betsy Braddock and Rachel, where they combine powers as Rachel often does with our mainline Betsy!
Excalibur Volume 1 - #41: Excalibur and the “X-Men” (including Betsy) meet up, and the reunion causes Rachel some angst. Seeing Brian and Betsy together, and feeling out of place….
Excalibur Volume 1 - #75: If you want to learn more about “Askani”, you can start here and then make sure to check out The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix. While it’s light on Rachel, it’s big on Rachel lore!
Uncanny X-Force Volume 1 - #17: First, you should read all of the “Dark Angel Saga”, but this issue has a moment where the Phoenix saves Betsy while also getting a glimpse of her past. Since Rachel’s mom is the Phoenix Force, I just find it funny.