WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Excalibur #4, by Tini Howard, Marcus To, Erick Arciniega, VC's Cory Petit and Tom Muller, on sale now.
Since becoming Captain Britain in her brother's stead, Betsy Braddock has had her plate full with threats from all sides. But now, it looks like she just added on to her problems - despite the necessity of the choice in the moment. It turns out that when Jubilee's son Shogo turned into a dragon in Otherworld in the previous issue of Excalibur, and he ended up tearing a hole through the dimensions, letting loose a whole new set of threats onto the world and threatening the entire Marvel Universe.
FLIGHT OF THE DRAGONS
Earlier in Excalibur, Captain Britain ventured into Otherworld alongside her allies Gambit and Jubilee in an attempt to rescue her brother, Brian Braddock. But when Jubilee's baby Shogo came into the other dimension as well, he was transformed into a massive dragon. Because of the child's innocent and imaginative nature, he was affected by the laws of faerie, turning him into whatever form he chooses. And Shogo wanted to be a dragon, so now he's a dragon - simple as that. He still has the mind of a small child, however. When the group was attacked and overwhelmed by a corrupted Brian, Shogo impulsively saved Captain Britain by unleashing a torrent of dragon fire. The group was able to escape thanks to the blast, but it may have actually caused more problems than it solved.
In Excalibur #4, the Queen of England places a great deal of responsibility on the new Captain Britain - but she still has her doubts about Betsy however. This forces Betsy and Pete Wisdom to visit Reuben and Marianna, two chief members of the Cover Akkaba who've been advising the Queen. They have been feeding suspicions about the new Captain Britain into the royal family, with Reuben revealing that he's specifically warned the Queen about Betsy's inexperience - which Shogo may have just accidentally proven.
THE PROBLEM WITH DRAGONS
It turns out dragons are incredibly powerful creatures in Otherworld. it's revealed that Shogo's dragon fire was so potent, it actually affected the reality around it. Those flames are so intense, they can actually burn through the fragile makeup of Otherworld. Shogo's fire literally melted a hole through the fabric of the dimension barriers, connecting it more openly with Earth. On top of that, dragon fire serves as a lure for other monsters across Otherworld - leading them to move through the new gate and onto Earth. Although Shogo's actions saved Excalibur's lives, it may have caused far more complications along the way by letting so many creatures loose.
One of the biggest potential problems going forward for Excalibur is Captain Britain's relationship with the British government. Betsy's extensive experience with Otherworld means the royal family turned to her to settle all matters regarding the realm, even going so far as to make an official decree about it. As the new Captain Britain, Betsy has agreed to be loyal to both England and Krakoa and to guard the world against any attacks from Otherworld. But now, she may be indirectly responsible for unleashing a number of monsters from the world. It's not a good look. Considering how recently the Marvel multiverse was patched back together following Secret Wars (along with all the other issues that have happened with Otherworld in recent years), it's probably not a good thing that holes are being torn through reality.
This could threaten countless lives across the Marvel Universe, especially if the hole in the barrier remains open. Things might get very tense, very quickly for Betsy and her team. Her best hope may now lie in Pete Wisdom, a fellow mutant and member of MI-13. His own lengthy experience directly working for the crown and with the former Captain Britain might allow him to smooth things over, although it might also entangle him further into their missions.