Marvel's Singaporean mutant as a 1-min wonder is lame

Singaporeans finally have a mutant to call their own.

Jitter, whose real name is Sofia Yong, burst onto the scene in the relaunch of The Uncanny X-Men, written by Gail Simone – of Birds Of Prey and Batgirl fame – and illustrated by David Marquez, whose work has been featured in the likes of Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man and All-New X-Men.

Fans got their first glimpse of Jitter in issue #1, which dropped on Aug 7, and will see more in issue #2, due out Sept 11.

She's part of a new generation of mutants dubbed "the Outliers", joining the likes of Becca Constance Simon-Pinette (Calico), Hotoru (Deathdream) and Valentin Correa (Ransom).

But when we dig a little deeper into Jitter’s “hyper-focus” abilities, one can’t help but wonder if Marvel just threw some familiar stereotypes into a blender and called it a day.

Let’s break it down. From what we can tell so far, Jitter can master any skill – but only for one minute.

One minute to become a world-class chef? Sure.

One minute to decipher ancient languages? No problem.

But she needs to be extra careful not to overexert herself or risk an immediate crash.

Compare this to, say, Wolverine’s regenerative healing factor or Storm’s weather manipulation powers, and suddenly “hyper-focus” feels a lot like the superpower equivalent of scoring straight “A”s only to flunk out of university a year later.

And perhaps that’s the most unsettling aspect of Jitter’s character. Is this how the world sees Singaporeans? As overachievers who burn bright for a fleeting moment, only to fizzle out just as quickly?

We’re known for our rigorous education system, yes, but we’re also a nation of diverse talents and unwavering resilience, something Jitter’s one-minute power limit doesn't quite capture.

And speaking of underwhelming, can we talk about the name?

"Jitter." Seriously?

It evokes the image of a nervous kid ordering food from a cai fan stall for the first time in her life, not a powerful mutant. Even among her fellow Outliers, she's outshined in the name department.

"Deathdream" is appropriately ominous, "Calico" hints at a connection to something wilder, and "Ransom" sounds straight up badass.

"Jitter" just sounds... jittery.

Is this a subtle dig at Singapore's reputation for being a little uptight, a little too focused on order and efficiency?

Maybe. But it's a disservice to the potential of the character and the vibrancy of Singaporean culture.

This isn’t to say Jitter can’t evolve. Perhaps future issues will see her pushing her limits, strategising her minute bursts of brilliance to become a force to be reckoned with.

And to be entirely fair to Marvel, she’s literally only been seen in one panel so far, so it may very well be that my rant is off the mark.

Until proven otherwise, however, Jitter’s debut feels like a missed opportunity to showcase the true depth and dynamism of a Singaporean superhero, rather than relying on tired tropes and time-limited abilities.

So, thank you, Marvel, for putting Singapore on the mutant map. But until we get a Singaporean superhero that isn’t a caricature of an adderall-fueled ah lian, colour me unimpressed.