28 years old telepath
citizen of the United Kingdom (contested) member of the X-Men
unmarried
Go backI never want to refer to Elizabeth by her nearly universal diminutive "Betsy." It must have fit her once, but probably when she was ten years old and still blonde and British. Her shift from Anglo-Saxon to Japanese is nearly as confusing to an outsider as Cable's personal chronology, but her telepathic abilities and memories have been enough to satisfy her family and team-mates that she's the same person. And who am I to argue? I only met her in this form, for which the complete, and utterly stately "Elizabeth" seems preferable, but "Betts" is de rigeur, and arguing proved pointless.Despite living in a body not her own, Elizabeth stikes me as supremely comfortable in her own skin. Her early (pre-body-change) modelling career left her with very little modesty, and her martial arts training disposed of the rest. I met her in the kitchen (where I seemed to meet everyone, eventually) wearing only a robe thrown over her shoulders and holding a cellular phone between her ear and shoulder, arguing with Warren in Los Angeles. When she turned, I had the opportunity to learn that the purple hair is not only natural, but complete, and I expected a scene. Instead, I got a cup of tea and a brisk hand-gesture to 'shush.'
Though not particularly close in recent years to her twin, Brian ("Britanic"), Elizabeth shares his commanding presence and air of royalty kept waiting. Born into a wealthy family, she found that nearly the full inheritance went to her brother. Her own financial skills have been honed, instead, on the proceeds of her modelling, and she is, quietly, as much a business force to be reckoned with as Brian (who currently controls Braddock Industries), or her lover Warren Worthington (who owns and operates International Industries).
Clever and ruthless in the way that women who operate in the male-dominated business world must be, Elizabeth has still managed to keep her activities from dominating her personality. Most of her attention remains focussed on the X-Men rather than her private affairs. I discovered later that her status as a citizen of the UK was being contested as a result of her body-change, but she apparently found it irrelevant to casual conversation. I photographed her at the mansion in Westchester, largely in her own bedroom. The cigarette is one I offered her after an hour of watching her fingers twitch idly with a years-old craving.
Elizabeth: When I came to America, I was struck by the extent to which I was isolated from social life. I was used to the class-structure of England, but I was also used to being at an advantage in that system. If I go out with Warren, it's necessary for me to dye my hair black first. And people still notice, though I'm not terribly striking as a mutant. But mutation is a much greater marker of difference here than I've encountered elsewhere.
Sinclair: In New York?
Elizabeth: In America. New York is two cities, one of them almost painfully cosmopolitan, and the other insular and somewhat paranoid. They give quite opposite responses. Just standing in the midst of Manhattan is a psychic assault. If I hadn't learned to shield my mind in London, I suspect I wouldn't be able to tolerate it.
Sinclair: How far do you think you're locked into the role of "Warren Worthington's girlfriend"?
Elizabeth: More in business life than with the X-Men. I don't tend to appear much in public except on Warren's arm, and that doesn't help me. I try to counteract it a little by going into the city on my own, to conduct whatever business I need to as well as to shop. I tried working by computer from Westchester, but I didn't like my invisibility. With the X-Men, it's less of an issue. I'm here more often than Warren is, and we keep separate homes and even rooms. We make good companions for one another, but we strike sparks as well.
Sinclair: Given the option, would you --
Elizabeth: Rather be human? No. There's a certain necessity to what we do. I was not, perhaps, the most successful Captain Britain, but I took up the role largely because I believed there was a protective function which had to be maintained. And in spite of the looks it draws and the occasional hostility, I appreciate my difference. There's a certain power in commanding attention, and there are particular moments at which I'm grateful for it.