What 'Fallen Angels' #3 Reveals About Psylocke's Past

Warning! This article contains spoilers for today's FALLEN ANGELS #3, so read on at your own risk, True Believers!

Within the pages of POWERS OF X, Jonathan Hickman and artist R.B. Silva revealed that the sixth life of Moira X was dominated by a version of humanity that fused with machines. That’s been a recurring theme for decades in the world of the X-Men, as normal humans turned to cybernetic upgrades in a desperate effort to exterminate mutants.

Writer Bryan Hill and artist Szymon Kudranski are carrying some of those themes forward in FALLEN ANGELS #3. However, Apoth doesn’t appear to have the same anti-mutant creed as its predecessors. Instead, it views itself as “God.”

Regardless of its endgame, Apoth isn’t above a little monologuing at the beginning of the issue. Apoth declares that it is a God “made by man, to make men as God.” More intriguingly, Apoth declares that it is “so lonely” and admits that is why it specifically sought Psylocke’s attention. Presumably this means that the entity that warned Psylocke about Apoth in FALLEN ANGELS #1 was Apoth itself. It states that Psylocke is its mother, as hard as it may be to believe. Kwannon’s life has many hidden chapters, but she only has one child that we know about. Apoth dominated Psylocke’s long-missing daughter in the first issue of this series, and Psylocke has yet to learn about that.

Watching Psylocke and X-23 in action, it’s impossible not to think about their first team up in UNCANNY X-MEN (1963) #456-460. As we’ve touched upon before, Psylocke is no longer Betsy Braddock. But X-23 still seems drawn to Psylocke, even if Laura Kinney is much more loquacious than she used to be. X-23 is still taking cues from Psylocke, and she seems to find her insights about anger to be helpful. As Wolverine’s de facto daughter/clone, X-23 has had to deal with rage her entire life. Psylocke is helping X-23 to better recognize situations where she can simply embrace that side of herself.

As for Cable, his Techno-organic virus has apparently made him very susceptible to Apoth’s technological upgrades. We’ve seen the older Cable display a similar vulnerability during THE PHALANX COVENANT. The creature that captures Cable at the end of issue #3 appears to value his “unity.” Cable is simultaneously man, mutant, and machine—Apoth claims all aspects of that for itself. While Warlock’s people, the Technarchy, and the Phalanx use the T-O virus to convert organic beings, Apoth may have different methods for assimilation. Cable could soon find out exactly what that entails, but he’s probably not going to enjoy it.

It’s perfectly obvious to both Psylocke and X-23 that Apoth is forcing them to dance to its tune. When given the choice between finding Cable and saving kidnapped children, the two women leave Nathan Summers to fend for himself. It’s a hard choice, but one that Cable would have made as well. The question is whether Nathan will still be the same Cable they remember when Psylocke and X-23 are finally able to catch up with him.

Everything will serve Apoth in the Dawn of X. And this problem may soon be more than these Fallen Angels can handle.

Read FALLEN ANGELS #3 at your local comic shop now!