Warning: Contains spoilers for Exceptional X-Men #1Queer identity and politics have been an integral part of the X-Men mythos for nearly 50 years. Yet, for much of the time, This queerness was relegated to subtext and fan head canons. Thankfully, in recent years, a major increase in LGBTQ+ representation at Marvel Comics has seen beloved heroes like Iceman, Magik and Kitty Pryde confirmed as queer. While Kitty’s weirdness was canonized during the Krakoan Age, her new starring role in Exceptional X-Men May finally allow the beloved hero to explore her sexuality.
After the fall of Cracow and Kitty Pryde’s murderous time spent as ShadowkatKitty decided to formally leave the X-Men and move back to Chicago…where she began trying to live a “normal” life as a bartender.
Exceptional X-Men #1, by writer Eve Ewing and artist Carmen Carnero, sees Kitty getting ready for a date she thinks she’s raised before. Confirm that the love interest she was meeting is a womanConfirm once again that Pride is at least bisexual.
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Kitty Pryde may finally be allowed to explore her bisexuality
The iconic hero deserves the chance to come out of the closet
Kate Pryde – now going by Kitty once again – has a long and complex history of relationships with people, particularly people named Peter. The feisty superhero has dated Pete Wisdom, Peter Quill, and her longtime love interest, Piotr Rasputin. All of these relationships ended, and her near-marriage to Colossus was particularly disastrous. Over the years, there have been many hints surrounding Kitty’s quirks, such as her extremely close friendships with Ileana and Rachel Summers, and her almost kiss with Karma in Mechanics. however, It wasn’t until murderers (2019) #12 That Kitty canonically kissed a womanHer tattoo artist, on panel, fulfilling decades’ worth of funny subtext in one simple frame.
Since that time, Kitty hasn’t gotten the chance to explore her queer identity on panel, most likely because she’s been busy dealing with the constant crisis Krakoa experiences…basically every day. Now that Kitty isn’t as burdened by the stressors of the Silent Council and the Marauders, it would be really nice if Marvel allowed her to get into a relationship with a woman. Her relationships with people always felt a little off to readers – especially with Colossus who she met as a minor – and it would be nice to see her really get to express her full self in her dating life. Unfortunately, Kate messed up her schedule and was wrong on the day of her date, so Readers will have to wait for a future issue to hopefully see her actually go on a date with a woman.
The beloved Iceman can offer Kitty some funny support
The two used to date which could make for some adorable interactions
Since Kitty Pryde doesn’t have a lot of experience with non-superhero dating, or dating as a queer person, it would be nice if she had another member of the queer community to support her exploration. Luckily, that’s where Iceman comes in. Not only is Bobby Drake famously gay, but he also used to date Pride, right before he came out publicly. Their breakup was awkward, and their friendship has never been the same since. The end of Exceptional X-Men #1 teased Bobby’s trip to Chicago, hopefully hooking up with Kitty and Emma Frost, and it would be really cute to see the two iconic Weird X-Men have a night on the town together.
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It’s very exciting that Kitty Pryde’s weirdness was cemented on panel in the first issue of the new series (thank you, Eve Ewing!), since she has such a long history of funny subtext, especially during the beloved Claremont era. hope, Kitty’s newest era after Krakoa will give her time and space to explore her sexuality and potentially even get into a relationship with a womanA development that would interest fans everywhere.
Exceptional X-Men #1 from Marvel Comics is available in stores now.