August 12, 2024
SINGAPORE – A special ability to “hyper-focus”, the capacity to do anything she sets her mind to, and never slowing down, not even to sleep.
While some may feel those are everyday attributes most Singaporeans are already equipped with, in the Marvel universe, that describes Jitter, one of the latest mutants to feature in the comic book publisher’s storied canon.
Marvel officially unveiled the Singaporean teen Jitter, whose real name is Sofia Yong, somewhat fittingly on Aug 9, Singapore’s National Day. She was introduced in a closer look alongside three other new characters known collectively as “the Outliers” in a new iteration of The Uncanny X-Men series that first ran in 1981.
The second issue of the latest series penned by Gail Simone and drawn by David Marquez, which will feature said Outliers alongside other X-Men, will go on sale from Sept 11. The characters were first discussed at July’s San Diego Comic-Con.
Jitter has difficulty concentrating or prioritising things, according to writer Simone. Her hyper-focus ability allows her to attain a skill set, but not powers, for up to a minute before she “crashes”.
“She can take one set of skills, like being the top martial artist in the world, or the best lockpicker that there ever was, for one minute. And she has a timer that she sets, and she can do that thing for one minute and then it’s gone,” she told pop culture site Popverse, adding that the teenage girl has a stutter and is “very cool”.
“These new Outliers, we’ve designed them to represent invisible disabilities in that when you look at them, you cannot tell that they’re mutants.”
Jitter’s unveiling has caught the attention of fans keen on more Singaporean and South-east Asian representation in the Marvel universe.
Commenting on her introductory description in her character card, Redditors said her not needing to slow down or sleep means she could be any other Singaporean student or simply a product of a Tiger mum.
“I’m just going to say, Jitter has no superpower. As a Singaporean, her entire powerset is what is expected of all of us,” one wrote, half in jest.
One Singaporean wrote on social media platform X that Jitter has the “most stereotypically Singaporean superpower imaginable”, explaining to writer Simone that people in the Republic are known for overworking, with students cramming studies into long hours to deal with demanding parents.
Others have noted how her mutant ability of hyper-focusing seems to be inspired by a common attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptom, with reactions mixed.
“A Singaporean mutant and her power is being on the spectrum?” wrote one Redditor, adding a facepalm emoji.
Others on the ADHD Subreddit or community dismissed the character as another potentially “simplified” characterisation of the neuro-developmental condition in media while others took offence at the character’s name.
The jury remains out for some fans wanting to read about ADHD representation as a relatable role model in Marvel comics.
“Thanks to Jitter, I have a new answer to the old ‘If you could have any character’s superpower…’ question,” wrote an X user, welcoming the presentation of the new mutant.
Singapore in Marvel
The fleshing out of Jitter’s character and backstory is set to extend Singapore’s legacy in the Marvel canon, after previous depictions and inspirations.
The fictional island nation of Madripoor, geographically located in the Indonesian archipelago in South-east Asia, has been said to be loosely modelled after Singapore.
In the universe, Madripoor is an island hideout for some wanted criminal characters and its underworld is ruled by Harvard-educated Singaporean banking heiress Jessan Hoan, a character also known as Tyger Tiger, who is equally at home in the world of finance as she is with firearms and arm-to-arm combat.
Jitter’s introduction also joins Thao Tran, another character with South-east Asian roots who goes by Melee, a mutant with the stealthy powers of invisibility.
As for how much Singlish Jitter will be using in the comics, what one fan has described as “extremely important to us Singaporeans”, Simone said the character’s use of it is “fairly minimal”, but acknowledged loving the sound and cadence of Singlish.
“That doesn’t mean she’s the only one using it, lah,” the writer teased on social media platform X.