Kitty is still younger than most of the people around her, but the group can no longer treat her as somebody whose only role is to learn from the adults. She has opinions about…

Kitty is still younger than most of the people around her, but the group can no longer treat her as somebody whose only role is to learn from the adults. She has opinions about how they behave, and enough experience to recognize when being older isn't the same thing as being right. Storm's changes are difficult for her because their relationship matters. Kitty has an image of Ororo that feels safe and familiar. Seeing that image change forces her to deal with the fact that someone she loves has an inner life that isn't organized around remaining reassuring to her. The breakup with Peter adds another kind of disappointment. A relationship that meant a great deal to her doesn't continue simply because she wants it to. Their later attempts to find a less painful way to be around each other matter in a book where neither person can just vanish from the other's life after an awkward conversation. Kitty also brings a particular kind of attention to rescue work. During the Power Pack story in #195, the endangered children are people whose fear and confusion have to be understood. Reaching them requires more than beating whichever opponent happens to be closest. She can recognize the harm being done without forgetting that grief is part of what created the situation. That mixture of technical usefulness and personal investment makes her valuable to this lineup. Phasing can get her through a barrier, but she still has to decide what to do on the other side. The Massacre's damage to her ability makes the ending of this period especially unsettling: even the power that usually lets her escape a physical threat becomes part of the crisis.