Unlike most X-Men that have died in the past few months – Kitty Pryde has had to suffer a longer wait than most to be brought back. It’s funny to say that a handful of books is a “long wait.” In the past, if a character died and there was no time travel involved, they’d be dead for at least a couple years. But thanks to Protocols -that’s changed.
Most mutants like Cyclops, Jean (twice), Professor-X, Wolverine, and Domino, amongst many others, have only been out of circulation for a single issue. Kitty was murdered in Marauders #6 – the tenth issue debuted this past week and they’re just now addressing the problem.
So, what’s the deal? If death no longer has a sting for the mutants of Krakoa – why is Kitty being left in the Shi’ar data-crystal waiting room? It probably has something to do with how she died and the problems she’s experienced since first comically breaking her nose in Marauders #1.
The Machinations of the Black King
I mentioned earlier that Kitty didn’t simply die – she was murdered. Not by Doctor Doom or a soldier of one of the many sovereign nations she and her squad of X-Men have assaulted. It was by Sebastian Shaw – the Black King of the Hellfire Club.
Unlike the days of yesteryear, the X-Men and the HFC are no longer at loggerheads. Kitty herself is a member of the Club. She currently occupies the position of Red Queen and with that is also a member of the Quiet Council alongside Shaw and Emma Frost – the White Queen.
What drove Shaw to murder was nothing new for him. He seeks power. Before Emma gifted the title of Red Queen to Kitty – Shaw intended to place his newly revived son, Shinobi, in the position. The move would not have just earned him more influence within the club, but possibly another vote on Krakoa’s Council.
Shaw, annoyed with both his female counterparts, drowned Kitty and her dragon companion, Lockheed, (he survived). However, that still doesn’t add up. Surely the moment she’d emerge from her egg Kitty would reveal the circumstances of her death. Shaw couldn’t have known for certain that there would be an issue resurrecting Kitty.
That is unless Shaw put into place measures to ensure that very thing wouldn’t occur. One of Shaw’s accomplices was none other than Emma Frost’s younger brother Christian Frost – another member of the Hell Fire Club. Holding a role (White Bishop) underneath his sister’s arm, Christian was promised money and power for his help.
Thing is – it doesn’t explain why Kitty is still dead. Unless you factor in Christian’s powers. Understandably, the ability to project psionic energy and manifest constructs wouldn’t have much use in this situation – but it’s not impossible he’s playing some role in stopping Kitty’s mind from downloading into a new body. But it’s doubtful.
Is Kitty even all-the-way mutant?
Another issue for Kitty seems to be her compatibility with Krakoa itself. I mentioned earlier that Kitty broke her nose in the first issue of Marauders. Well, that happened because she was unable to walk through one of Krakoa’s ‘mutants-only’ teleportation portals.
If someone’s not a mutant or not given explicit authorization – a person will bounce off of the portal’s event horizon like they were walking into a brick wall. As is what happened to Kitty. With a broken nose and a bruised ego, Kitty decided to “borrow” someone’s boat and sail to Krakoa (instead of using one of their many jets…).
Even then, she didn’t feel comfortable on the isle and preferred to sail the high seas on her ship. In Marauders #10 she revealed in a letter to Nightcrawler that it wasn’t just the portals she was having trouble with. There were parts of the island itself that she couldn’t phase through.
Related: X-Men: A Comprehensive Guide To The Inner Workings of Krakoa’s Government
It’s possible she was getting too close to Moira’s ‘no-space’ – but it’s also likely that whatever is stopping her from using the portals is also blocking her from fully interacting with Krakoa. A matter of fact, Shaw was able to bypass Kitty’s powers by entangling her in vines he sourced from Krakoa!
That would explain why she can’t be resurrected as the island itself is a big part of the process. What do you think the problem is? Is Kitty being blocked by outside sources – or is it something inside of her that’s the issue? Let us know below!