A discussion of Kitty Pryde

[Navarre]

Perhaps. Maybe if Wolverine died it would open up a spot for her... 

[Gaumer]

Then who would throw snide comments at Cyclops while Kitty is throwing them at Emma?

I think she is holding her own in UXM and Fraction is doing well with her. I don't think is Whedon good with her, but its good stuff.

I'd buy a mini and try an ongoing of her too.


Another cool thing about her is she has a pet dragon. Lockheed not being there in UXM has been a peeve of mine but S.W.O.R.D. getting shitcanned was a bigger one. and Shadowcat is a baddass codename.

[Navarre]

Shadowcat is a great name. I like "Shadow"-anything for some reason. Shadow War, what?

I do want to go back and buy the issues of UXM I've missed since Kitty's return. Not buying comics has been difficult for my spirits but necessary for my wallet. But I miss Kitty and your accolades of Fraction's writing (combined with the few I read) makes me want to get back into UXM.

Lockheed is great, yeah. Weirdly, Joss developed Lockheed as much in AXM as he did Kitty. lol

[Alisha Mynx]

Shadowcat is a great name. I like "Shadow"-anything for some reason. Shadow War, what?

My custom Mighty Morphin Power Ranger was called Shadow Dragon (the great-great-great-and so on granddaughter of the clone Tommy who went back to Colonial times, inheriting his Green Ranger power coin but also infused with a massive dose of dark energy).   What?  I was 17, cut me some slack!

Anyways, back to Kitty...

I think it would probably be ideal if they did a couple of mini-series exploring how Kitty got to where she is.  Like I said before, she didn't start off having all these skills, it took a journey to get there.  Maybe if they explored that from her point of view, it might make the character seem less of an over-powered, over-skilled 'Mary Sue' and closer to the character Navarre and I see.

[Gaumer]

They have been doing a series of one-shots starring individual X-Men in an Origin story. Some have been good, other not so much. The Jean Grey one had some really great art.

But that could be something.

[Slappy]

A good character builder for Kitty would be to get hooked on Heroin abd then have Wolvie and Elektra barging in on the cover.

[Navarre]

A good character builder for Kitty would be to get hooked on Heroin abd then have Wolvie and Elektra barging in on the cover.

I hope Deadpool makes an appearance and it's all part of a 17-part crossover Event. Kitty needs to stay off of the heroin. Green Arrow would never approve.

Gaumer: These one-shots...Do any of them feature Kitty?

[Gaumer]

No sorry

X-Men Origins: Beast (2008) [1 issue]
X-Men Origins: Colossus (2008) [1 issue]
X-Men Origins: Cyclops (2010) [1 issue]
X-Men Origins: Deadpool (2010) [1 issue]
X-Men Origins: Emma Frost (2010) [1 issue]
X-Men Origins: Gambit (2009) [1 issue]
X-Men Origins: Iceman (2010) [1 issue]
X-Men Origins: Jean Grey (2008) [1 issue]
X-Men Origins: Nightcrawler (2010) [1 issue]
X-Men Origins: Sabretooth (2009) [1 issue]
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) [1 issue]

But no Shadowcat

[Navarre]

And is this not an example of my point?

[@lantis]

Not entirely.  If you look at the list all of the characters, save Colossus, have already been established as unique staples of the X-men branch of the Marvel U.  Colossus I'd imagine was thrown in because of his death.  Kitty hasn't done that because, well she doesn't have a niche established yet either within the team or within the universe.

[Navarre]

Yes...but...why the hell not??

She's been around since 1980. Thirty years, for gods sake! She's been in almost all of the issues, the spin-offs, etc. She has connections to all the other characters (Storm, Colossus, Logan). She's well-loved.

I am baffled that she can be used so often yet be so unused, if that even makes sense.

[@lantis]

I understand what you mean.  And I've pointed out the reason to answer your question.  She doesn't have a niche in the universe or the team.  Her niche to this point has been the reliable supporting character.

Figure out a new niche for her, and maybe she'll finally be able to break out into the spotlight.

That's what Bendis did with Luke Cage, and to a lesser extent, Spider-Woman.

[Navarre]

I suggested something.

I think her and Colossus should break up in a seemingly permanent way because of something that is totally Kitty's fault. She screwed up and it cost her.

At the same time, she is struggling with this message from her deceased father; the request by him for her to "make him proud". She turns from a solid steady support character into an overachiever.

She is trying to prove something to everyone by virtue of trying to prove something to her father and, therefore, herself. That doesn't go well because, as good as she is, she can't be perfect.

She starts to crack under the stress, becoming too critical of others because she is too critical of herself. She has powerful scenes with Emma over this.

But, more importantly, she has powerful scenes with people like Logan (because he sells comics, dammit) as she alienates her friends when they try to reach out to her. For her to need their help means she must be weak and failing so she finds herself rejecting them. The harder they try the more she pushes back.

Rifts develop between her and the team. Finally, she gets led down a darker road as she tries to find empowerment.

The journey through all of that could involve a "Dark Kitty" of sorts (because bad girls sell comics too dammit). Her only confidant is her best friend and poster child for dysfunction, Illyana.

Illyana stands by her but she's such a dark character already that it actually hurts Kitty's case. Kitty and Illyana then have this entire story arc over the course of the next year or two as they go down their dark little path toward self-acceptance and self-forgiveness.

Along the way, they also develop a romantic relationship with each other (because girl-girl love sells the most comics of all, dammit!).  

No matter how it all resolves, the effect on the character is powerful, permanent, and noticeable. The ramifications carry on for years, just like Rogue's redemption way, way back.

Even the Kitty/Illyana sweet, sweet lovefest has repercussions as somewhere down the road Peter and Kitty start to work things out but now there's the past Peter's girlfriend has had with his "little snowflake".

All of this would work. I only need Joss to write it and for Marvel Editorial to stay out of his way.

[@lantis]

You're still not actually answering the question I posed.  You're giving me story arcs and character growth ideas while actually ignoring the question being asked.

She needs a niche, none of what you described gives her that.  I'm not saying they are bad ideas and wouldn't develop her character in an interesting way, but in order for Marvel to care enough to do it she needs to offer something new to the setting by taking up the spotlight for so long.  So until someone actually articulates how she is a unique part of the Marvel U, she's stuck on support duty.

[Navarre]

I'm not sure if I am understanding why you feel she is any less unique or holds less of a niche than any other character.  What are you considering a "unique part of the Marvel Universe"?