Warning! Spoilers ahead for Exceptional X-Men #5!Marvel just recreated Kitty Pryde’s iconic “Professor Xavier is a jerk!” moment, setting up a major dynamic shift as a newX-Men member is slated to take Kitty’s place as the superhero team’s eager, fresh-faced recruit. As Kitty Pryde tries to run from her past mistakes made during the Fall of Krakoa, she finds herself retreading in her disgraced mentor, Professor X’s, footsteps.
In a preview of Exceptional X-Men #5 – written by Eve L. Ewing, with art by Carmen Carnero – after clashing with Iceman, Kitty Pryde accidentally reveals to her new students that she killed people during the fallout of Krakoa. Recreating the “Professor Xavier is a jerk!” pose, Thao Tran tells Kitty Pryde she wants nothing to do with her and quits the team, foreshadowing Thao taking Kitty Pryde’s place as the X-Men’s exceptionally passionate but brash young hero.
With Kitty Pride training three new mutants alongside Emma Frost and Iceman, X-Men revisits the potential for Kitty Charles to be Xavier’s successor.
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Exception X-Men #5 – Written By Eve L. Ewing; Art By Carmen Carnero; Color By Nolan Woodard; Lettering By Travis Lanham; Cover Art By Carmen Carnero & Nolan Woodard
Thao’s callback to Kitty Pryde calling Professor Xavier a jerk is not only a fun easter egg, it also showcases howKitty’s journey as an X-Men is coming full circle as she becomes the teacher to a rag-tag team of mutants in need of guidance. There has also been heavy foreshadowing that Thao, also known by her hero name of Melee, greatly parallels Kitty in her youth as Thao is shown to share her phasing abilities and displays an immense sense of justice. Melee’s habit of rushing into a fight harkens back to Kitty’s time as a bold yet inexperienced X-Men.
With Thao taking on Kitty’s role of “prodigy,” Kate Pryde may just surpass Charles Xavier and become the next mentor the new wave of X-Men needs.
The original scene in Uncanny X-Men #167, shows Charles Xavier demoting Kitty from X-Men to New Mutant trainee as Charles admits she is too young to fight on dangerous missions. Ironically, Kitty would come to regret fighting at such a young age as the horrors of what she has seen and done to keep Professor Xavier’s dream alive have haunted her into the present era. With Thao taking on Kitty’s role of “prodigy,” Kate Pryde may just surpass Charles Xavier and become the next mentor the new wave of X-Men needs.
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Uncanny X-Men #167 – Written By Chris Claremont; Art By Paul Smith; Released In 1982
Not only are there similarities between Thao and a young Kitty Pryde, but this parallel also revives the pre-Krakoa theme of Kate Pryde replacing Charles Xavier as the new leader and mentor to the X-Men. As seen in Wolverine & the X-Men #1 by Jason Aaron and Chris Bachalo, Wolverine decides to re-open Xavier’s school and Kitty rejoins the X-Men as the school’s headmistress. Now in the post-Krakoa era, as Kitty comes to terms with her past, she is making great effort to learn from both Charles Xavier and her own past mistakes.
Kitty Pryde was a teen prodigy transformed into a child soldier in another man’s ideological war. Now, she has to be better for the next generation.
Between the original X-Men, Kitty Pryde is doing a better job of leading the next generation, as Rogue is falling into the pitfalls of bringing children into battle and Cyclops is outright refusing to mentor young mutants. Thao’s recreation of Kitty’s most memorable moment is a real indication of big change coming to the dynamic of the X-Men. With the X-Men fractured and Charles Xavier imprisoned for his actions after the fall of Krakoa, now is the perfect time to continue Kitty Pryde’s journey toward becoming a better version of Professor X and the leader the X-Men need.
Exceptional X-Men #5 is available now from Marvel Comics!
The X-Men franchise, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, centers on mutants with extraordinary abilities. Led by the powerful telepath Professor Charles Xavier, they battle discrimination and villainous mutants threatening humanity. The series explores themes of diversity and acceptance through a blend of action, drama, and complex characters, spanning comics, animated series, and blockbuster films.
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