Success of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Makes a 57% "Rotten" Disappointment Look Even Worse
Joss Whedon has confirmed that a beloved comic book character who got mistreated in her official movie adaptation in 2006 had the biggest impact on Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Called a cross between My So-Called Life and The X-Files, Buffy the Vampire Slayer blends the spooky terror of a monster-infested supernatural horror series with the relevant adolescent foibles of a teen drama. Arriving as a completely original gem in the television scene, it took a varied spectrum of inspirations to unite the show.
Whedon names Kitty Pryde the "Mother of Buffy".
From the Ellen Ripley of the Alien series to the Sarah Connor of the Terminator franchise to Night of the Comet's Sam Belmont, Whedon has named many inspirations on his development of Buffy Summers. But one character—one that Whedon described as both "a huge proto-Buffy" and "the mother of Buffy"—more than any other shaped the development of Buffy (via /Film). Kitty Pryde from Marvel's X-Men comics is the character under question; Buffy's rendition of the character was more popular than Kitty's approved live-action adaptation in 2006's X-Men: The Last Stand.
Buffy's rendition of Kitty Pryde proved more successful than the real-life live-action film. Kitty Pryode
Kitty made cameo appearances in the first two but starred in all three original X-Men films. She was portrayed in 2000's X-Men by Sumela Kay; in 2003's X2 by Katie Stuart. Not until the threequel, X-Men: The Last Stand, in which Kitty was recast with Elliot Page, did the character have a significant part. From Charles Xavier's death to Jean Grey's Dark Phoenix arc, and including Kitty's character, The Last Stand failed practically everything.
Critics gave X-Men: The Last Stand a "rotten" rating of 56% on Rotten Tomatoes, and it was judged to be much below its forebears. Conversely, a hit show loved by both viewers and critics was Buffy The Vampire Slayer. While X-Men: The Last Stand – using the actual character herself – did not enjoy the same success, Buffy was a great success using Kitty as the template for its lead character.
How Buffy twists Marvel's Kitty Pryde Character?
Although both Buffy and Kitty are young women who acquire supernatural powers and battle to control them, their similarities go beyond that. Using their abilities, Buffy and Kitty both recover some agency in a world (and a genre) where young women are usually denied any. Examining that empowering idea was far better done by Buffy the Vampire Slayer than by X-Men: The Last Stand.
Synopsis of Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Supernatural comedy-drama series Buffy the Vampire Slayer debuted in 1997. The program chronicles the exploits of Buffy, a woman born into a line of "Slayers" meant to fight monsters, demons, and vampires. Supported by her close circle of friends and a Watcher who guides her in developing her trade, the crew answers riddles and fights evil forces to guard their town - and the planet.
