This article was originally written for Modern Myths, INC. and was posted on April 5, 2013. This is a reproduction for portfolio purposes.
Though not the most bizarre “pregnancy” in comics, the one that comes most out of left field (and also one of the most broadly ignored) is the pregnancy of Kitty Pryde, found in the pages of Joss Whedon’s celebrated Astonishing X-Men run.
I make no secret of the fact that I’m not a huge fan of Whedon. I appreciate how he has contributed to nerd culture and how he often focuses on “strong female characters,” but a lot of that is negated by how he allows his male characters to interact with his female characters and how he handles character deaths and the portrayal of emotion. And all of that is compounded in Astonishing X-Men.
It’s well documented that Whedon is probably a fan of Kitty Pryde: Buffy was essentially based off of her in the television show. Astonishing X-Men is often seen as his opportunity to put Kitty in the limelight again, and show that, despite her protective powers, she has the potential to be the heart, soul, and strength of the X-Men. In a lot of ways, Whedon did accomplish this, showing how tough she was, displaying her flaws (like her never-ending grudge against Emma Frost), and, despite my dislike of Kitty Pryde’s deus ex machina “death,” I willingly admit that it is a perfect and essentially summation of her character: willing to sacrifice her life for those she loves.
However, also in Astonishing X-Men, Whedon had Emma Frost telepathically alter Kitty’s memories, leaving her under the impression that she had not only been pregnant, but also gave birth to and raised a baby boy (Michael) until he was able to talk. Yes, this was a plot to aid in the revival of the Hellfire Club and, in actuality, it was Cassandra Nova psychically suggesting Emma use Kitty to help free herself, but, in one foul swoop, Whedon removes the autonomy of his two primary female characters, controlling one mentally and forcing the other one to experience two or three years of her life that never happened.
Then, less than a decade later, Kitty Pryde gets to experience another exciting pregnancy! In Wolverine and the X-Men, Jason Aaron sets up the first story arc of the series to include a mysteriously pregnant Kitty. As it turns out, her recent experiences in space on the S.W.O.R.D. ship included her getting infected by microscopic brood, who were trying to use her body as a host for their birth.
I find this pregnancy a lot less distasteful than Whedon’s, as Kitty isn’t forced to live through (and then immediately suppress) the time it takes to conceive, give birth to, and raise a child, instead, her “pregnancy” quickly shows, and Beast quickly figures out the root of the problem. While the story does provide for solid emotional moments (Kitty attempting to call Colossus about her suddenly full belly), it doesn’t take away Kitty’s strength, intelligence, or ability to fight. While Whedon shows Kitty collapsing under the weight of false memories, Aaron shows her protecting the school and fighting aliens while undergoing invasive internal surgery.
Ellie Hillis 