Welcome to another X-centric edition of Adventure(s) Time, where we examine beloved animated series of the past. This week, we’re addressing a question that many have asked over the years. While X-Men: The Animated Series featured no shortage of cameos and spotlight episodes for various mutant characters, one X-Man never made the cut.

Introducing the concept through the eyes of a female neophyte mutant has become a standard trope of X-Men adaptations. The producers of the ‘90s animated series selected Jubilee as the point-of-view character early in the show’s development. Earlier drafts for the first X-Men film toyed with various teenage females. Eventually, as we know, Bryan Singer settled on Rogue for the first film. (One early draft even had Jubilee as the daughter of scientists working on the Weapon X project!)

RELATED: X-Men: The Animated Series and Its Surprising Jim Lee Controversy

Wolverine Kitty Pryde

When X-Men was first developed as a film in the 1980s, it was a no-brainer to make Kitty Pryde the tyro X-Man. Introduced in the comics in 1980 during the seminal Chris Claremont/John Byrne run, Kitty developed an intense following. It’s hard for fans today to realize just how invested readers at the time were in Kitty’s life. When Claremont penned a story that had Colossus breaking young Kitty’s heart, fans literally wanted to murder the fictional character. It’s hard to argue that Kitty wasn’t the reader identification figure of the 1980s. Joss Whedon even cites Kitty as a major influence on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

“Kitty” Who?

So, it’s the 1990s and a hit X-Men cartoon is giving life to Marvel’s most popular characters. And, thanks to its success, the series enjoys a healthy five-year run. Yet, throughout the seventy-six episodes, Kitty never even ranks a cameo. Why?

This question is asked with greater regularity now, but in the early ‘90s, many fans were barely aware of Kitty’s existence. Kitty had been written out of the series in 1987, sent overseas to star in the spinoff comic Excalibur. And Excalibur, following a strong start from creators Chris Claremont and Alan Davis…kind of languished in subsequent years.

RELATED: X-Men: The Animated Series – Which Scenes Never Aired in Reruns?

Excalibur Alan Davis

For many X-fans, it was not essential reading, rarely participating in the ongoing continuity. Even a return from co-creator Alan Davis wasn’t enough to draw some readers back. (Those fans missed out, however. Alan Davis’ Excalibur comics are ridiculously good.)

Marvel would later put a greater emphasis on making Excalibur “count,” certainly. And eventually the main Excalibur cast was folded back into the X-Men titles, with great fanfare. But years earlier, during the era of the animated X-Men’s development, Kitty’s predominance within the franchise had faded.

Page 2: [valnet-url-page page=2 paginated=0 text='X-Men%3A%20The%20Animated%20Series%20Had%20Plenty%20of%20Kitty%20Pryde%20Stand-Ins']



Toss Out Those Textbooks. Who Wants Chili Fries?

With Jubilee already appearing regularly by 1992, casting her as the rookie X-Man was a logical choice. Throughout the run, we see Jubilee in positions previously occupied by Kitty in the comics. Beginning with the pilot, a sequence that has Jubilee accidentally destroying an arcade game evokes a classic Kitty Pryde moment. Uncanny X-Men #180 features Kitty (with her friend Doug Ramsey) achieving the high score on an arcade game. A score so high it fries the board and kills the game. (Yup, that’s how arcade cabinets work.)

“Night of the Sentinels” reimagines the scene with Jubilee in the starring role. Lacking Kitty’s vast intellect and computer skills, Jubilee relies on her pyrotechnic powers to kill the game. The final result is the same -- a grouchy arcade manager oppresses the young mutant and kicks her out.

RELATED: X-Men: The Animated Series – The Story Behind All Those Uncanny Cameos

Whose Life Is It, Anyway?

Perhaps the oddest Marvel comic of 1982, Uncanny X-Men #153 is a bedtime story told by Kitty. Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum didn’t know how fans would react to the offbeat issue, but reader response was overwhelmingly positive.

"Kitty's Fairy Tale" is considered a classic of the era, introducing a sense of whimsy to the X-Men’s somber world. Adapting it for the animated series seemed inevitable. As inevitable as the choice for Kitty’s replacement.

RELATED: Which Classic Foes Couldn’t Appear on X-Men: The Animated Series – And Why?

“Jubilee's Fairytale Theater” aired during the final run of episodes, the debut of the series’ more simplified art style. It’s not held in the same regard as the original story, to put this mildly.

X-Men featured other other famous Kitty moments, assigned to Jubilee. Her befriending Caliban in "The Fifth Horseman"? Inspired by Kitty’s friendship with the Morlock, who later fell in love with Kitty. (As seen in Uncanny X-Men #179.)

Jubilee overcoming her unease over Nightcrawler’s appearance in "Bloodlines"? That’s one of Kitty Pryde’s earliest character arcs, beginning with the “Dark Phoenix Saga.”

Gruff Wolverine adopting Jubilee as a surrogate daughter figure? Well, that’s in the comics, too. But Kitty was his unlikely ally first.

Page 3: [valnet-url-page page=3 paginated=0 text='So%2C%20Where%20Was%20Kitty%20Pryde%3F%20Blame%20It%20All%20On%20Marvel']



"Too late, @$$holes!"

And Jubilee wasn’t the only one to steal Kitty’s spotlight. The original “Days of Future Past” had the consciousness of a future Kitty (“Kate” Pryde) traveling through time. Kate inhabited the body of her younger self, warning the X-Men of the impending assassination of Senator Kelly.

Kitty Pryde in X-Men Days of Future Past with Wolverine

The timelost hero of the animated adaptation makes perfect sense for the early 1990s. Bishop, one of the hottest characters in comics at this time, slides into Kitty’s position, shotgun in hand. And let’s not forget that Wolverine filled this role in the Days of Future Past film. (Although Kitty’s powers were tweaked to enable her to play a role in the movie’s time travel mechanics.)

So…Why?

In a canon where everyone from Copycat to Blink to Mimic earned at least a cameo, where was Kitty? The answer lies in Marvel’s previous attempt at bringing the X-Men to the small screen.

RELATED: X-Men: The Animated Series Showrunner Proposes Season 6 Storyline

1989’s Pryde of the X-Men was the pilot Marvel hoped would sell the X-Men. And while the cartoon does feature impressive animation and performances from several established voiceover actors, its reputation…is lacking, let’s say. Essentially, it’s a simplified version of the X-Men. Calling it “campy” would be generous; it just comes across as a generic ‘80s action cartoon. Regardless of the striking animation, no network would touch this pilot.

Showrunner Eric Lewald provides his insights on X-Men in his book, Previously on X-Men. He affirms that casting Jubilee as the junior member came directly from Marvel. And has this interesting quote, when revisiting his first season on the show:

The use of Kitty Pryde was a non-starter: She was never going to make an appearance in X-MEN:TAS after the less-than-enthusiastic reaction to Pryde of the X-Men.

Marvel must’ve undergone some severe Kitty Pryde-related trauma to ban her from the entire series! The edict stood for five years, however. It’s possible if one of the producers pressed, Kitty might’ve made at least an appearance on the series. However, given her aforementioned time away from the spotlight during these years, it’s unlikely anyone was pushing for an appearance.

Kitty’s star has risen again, of course. Since her 1998 return to the main titles, Kitty is usually treated as a major player in the comics. She also played prominent parts in the subsequent X-Men cartoons -- X-Men Evolution and Wolverine and the X-Men.

That’s all for now. Any suggestions for future installments? Great! Leave a comment or just contact me on Twitter .