If anybody had ever told me a few years ago that I would legitimately love a wacky, pirate captain Hellfire Club Red King version of Kitty Pryde, I would have said they were out of their freaking minds. But then the Jonathan Hickman era of X-Men arrived, bringing with it Marauders Kate “Don’t Call Me Kitty” Pryde, and my heart grew three sizes that day. I’ve been hoping for a statue or at least a Marvel Legends figure of her ever since, but the first piece of merch for the character is neither: the Previews EXCLUSIVE Funko POP Kate Pryde & Lockheed figure is now up for order online! Hold Fast!!

For those who aren’t reading the current era of “Dawn of X” and “Reign of X” comic books set in Jonathan Hickman’s “House of X/Powers of X” framework (and you are definitely missing out on some great stuff if you’re not reading), one of the core comic books being published for the last two years is Marauders, a series featuring a bunch of X-Men characters sailing around on a pirate ship (I shit you not) to help mutants that can’t be reached by the Krakoan Gates and to fight mutant drugs being illegally sold on the black market. (This is difficult to summarize, believe me.)

Anyway, a pirate ship needs a pirate captain, and in this case, it’s the all-grown-up Kate Pryde, chosen by Emma Frost to sit on the ruling Krakoan Council and serve as the new Red King of the Hellfire Club. Kitty sometimes has “HOLD FAST” tattooed on her knuckles, but got “KILL SHAW” tattooed there instead on her newly-resurrected body after Sebastian Shaw murdered her. If this all sounds crazy, I swear it is true. Go read some modern X-Men comics!

Anyway, when Hasbro announced their first wave of House of X era Marvel Legends figures for release this year, Captain Kate Pryde was high on my wish list. That did not happen, but I’ve still got hopes for future years! I’d also like a premium art print and a 1/4 Sideshow Premium Format Figure statue of Pirate Captain Kitty Pryde, but I’ll settle for what’s actually available for now: a Previews Exclusive (PX) Funko POP Vinyls figure!

An adult Kitty Pryde POP (in yellow and blue costume) with Lockheed was released as a shared NYCC Exclusive in 2016, but this is obviously a wholly different version of the character that will fill a unique niche on a shelf or as part of an X-Men collection.

The red pirate coat and “HOLD FAST” tattoos put a huge, whimsical smile on my face. I would’ve liked Kate to have a black eye like she gets in the Marauders comics to serve as an “eyepatch”, but the Funko style just doesn’t allow for that, really. Alas.

While a POP Lockheed figure was part of the 2016 Kitty Pryde POP as well, this one is different and has a cool fire-breathing pose. This Lockheed is larger and better-scaled than the original as well. Score. I’m also glad that the Lockheed dragon figure is freestanding and not permanently attached to Kitty. I dig it.

The Previews Exclusive Kate Pryde & Lockheed POP is now up for order and scheduled to ship in December 2021. I’ve got this ordered already and ordered a spare as a holiday gift for a friend. Love, love this. Good job picking something fun and unique from the modern X-Men comics, Funko. As a PX Exclusive, this will be available online and in comic book stores, but not general brick and mortar stores like Walmart, Target, Michaels, etc.

Any of you readers anywhere near as hyped for this Marauders Captain Kate Pryde POP as I am? Would anyone else want to see more statues or figures of this iteration of the character, and what other Hickman X-Men versions of characters are you hoping to see merch released for?