A discussion of Kitty Pryde

[Navarre]

(yeah, yeah...live with it.)

Kitty Pryde's powers and abilities:

Can alter her density to phase through solid matter.
Can disrupt electronic devices by phasing through them.
Can walk on air by manipulation of relative density.
Can phase other people, making them intangible.
Can phase objects she touches, making them intangible.
Resistant to psychic probing and psionic attack when phasing.
Mastery of training in aikido, ninjutsu, karate, and krav maga (among others).
Training in fighting with both bo and sai.
Genius level intellect.
Expert in computer sciences, including hardware design and use.
Speaks fluent English, Russian, Japanese, and Shi'Ar.
Accomplished pilot.
Adept with interstellar flight.
Trained dancer.
Vast experience and interaction with the Marvel Universe.
Damn cute and spunky.

Now tell me why this character doesn't have her own title or at least a bigger share of the spotlight?

[chrysalis]

I can't tell you why. I actually agree with you. Kitty was one of the main reasons I found the Astonishing X-Men run that Joss wrote so intriguing.

[Alisha Mynx]

Now tell me why this character doesn't have her own title or at least a bigger share of the spotlight?

Because her name isn't Wolverine?

I agree that she is a great character that could hold her own series just as well as any other Marvel character with their own ongoing, but I think Marvel simply doesn't want to take that risk.  But I think they should, because she's a more relatable female character than many others.  She may be quite accomplished now, but it took her a long journey to get there.  I still see the "girl next door" that she seems to be at heart.

[chrysalis]

I do too, Alisha. She is one of my favorite characters; my daughters too. We even named our cat after her. lol

[Gaumer]

Sometimes the problems of the characters is more interesting than anything positive that have going on.

Wasn't she more than a little nuts in a lot of AXM?

[chrysalis]

Hmm, I remember the part where she thought she had a baby, biput the most part I think she was in her right mind. My favorite part of that series is when everyone else was poising and she was fine. You may not remember that part though because Wolverine was afraid of everything. He ended up hiding behind Kitty from Beast... The big blue kitty. lol

[Navarre]

Yes, Kitty was stable in AXM.

I agree with Alisha that Kitty is one of the more approachable and relateable characters in Marvel. She has that Peter Parker aspect in that way even though they are very different characters.

That is part of why I think she could do well. If some super-soldier has a problem we sort of view the experience from the outside because we aren't super-soldiers. But when Peter Parker has life issues we find we often understand them and get to vicariously experience that with him, even when it parlays into superheroics.

I believe Kitty could provide the same thing. Gaumer is right that the challenges the characters face is what drives the story. But I think Kitty, like Peter, can give us a more realistic connection to those problems and provide a story that we wouldn't be able to get from most characters.

[Slappy]

1. She sucks.   
2. Should be stuck inside a bullet or dead. 

[The Mighty King Cobra]

Because she's a Mary Sue with too many skills?

[Slappy]

Because she's a Mary Sue with too many skills?

Jack off all trades master of none.

[greyman24]

Because she's a Mary Sue with too many skills?

Jack off all trades master of none.

Um...was that a typo? You know what, never mind. I don't want to know.

[greyman24]

Yeah, gotta say I'm a bit with Matthew on this. Kitty's primary power has always seemed to be "can do whatever is needed to fit the plot."

It seemed like no one knew where to take her. She's been so many things, there's been no cohesion to her character--probably because she hasn't had one regular writer for long enough. That's why she's been a child, a computer expert, a ninja, a government agent, a college student, a faux mother and I'm sure more in there.

This doesn't really make her unique, btw. Personally, I think that kind of thing happens to all characters who don't find a regular home.

[@lantis]

She doesn't have a regular title for two reasons:

1) No writer has thought of a good enough reason for her to go off on her own and be her own person independent of the X-men.

2) Her character has no focus and no gimmick to set her apart from every other superhero in the MU.  Look at your list and look at how much she is "good at."  She has almost no short-comings at all.  Expert fighter, super genius, impervious to nearly everything because she can phase.  Who would be her nemesis if she had her own title?

[Navarre]

Yes, I can see that. But that only suggests she needs a good writer to focus on her.

I always thought she was kind of like Willow from Buffy. Willow was a genius and could seem to do the impossible with computers and had all kinds of magical power to boot.

But she really caught the world's attention in Season 6 when she went all darkside. It wasn't because she was so powerful because we really kinda knew that already. It was because Willow went from supporting character to one of focus. We saw more of her than just what she could do and where she was convenient for a plot-fix or a quippy one-liner.

Kitty needs the same thing. Someone really needs to shake up Kitty's world and not just so she can react to it in a couple of panels while Wolverine slices up something.

That's why I suggested the death of Colossus. Unfortunately, they gave us a chance to tap that well and I think they missed it. But something like that could have torn Kitty apart, pulled her away from the team, and let us get to know her as the "Mary Sue".

Peter Parker is constantly being given those challenges. His origin is even based on it and we see how people connect with that.

One of the best X-Men issues was when Joss wrote the one where Emma was inside his mind and we see the fears that really drive Scott to be the way he is. From that, as he worked through those fears, we saw Cyclops finally develop into a character people liked (I didn't know that was possible).

Kitty deserves the same treatment. There is no reason to dismiss a character with that much history and potential because some writer doesn't know what to do with her so instead has her learn to speak Russian.

[Beta Ray Bill Cosby]

It seemed like no one knew where to take her. She's been so many things, there's been no cohesion to her character--probably because she hasn't had one regular writer for long enough. That's why she's been a child, a computer expert, a ninja, a government agent, a college student, a faux mother and I'm sure more in there.

Agreed. Let's say that there is some awesome event that turns Kitty Pride into a deep and interesting solo character. All it's gonna take is for the next writer to come by and say "you know? I miss the old Kitty, the one that used to be a dumb kid who was scared of everything, and then at the last minute saved the day." and boom we're back to square one. Most of the X-Men suffer from this to some extent, since that character defining moment is not in their back story. Sure many of them have had character defining moments AFTER their first appearance, but as we've seen so often those stories are malleable.