One sort of a parallel moment that I noticed and really enjoyed with Exceptional X-Men (2024) was the way that Emma introduced the exact same tactic she used in Astonishing X-Men (2004) to scare the shit out of the Xavier kids and to, ultimately, remind them that the world will never truly accept them for being mutants. In both cases, she orchestrates some sort of major threat to ultimately support that conclusion.
[Marvel / Astonishing X-Men (2004) Issue #1]
However, the key difference in these extremely similar moments is Kitty's response.
Kitty in Astonishing, who inherently never trusts Emma yet begrudgingly works alongside her, is clearly pissed, yet she holds her tongue...
But Kitty in Exceptional speaks her mind and lets Emma have it! She immediately lets Emma know that she not only doesn't agree with what Emma did, but she is also willing to put a stop to everything if Emma continues.
(And to be completely frank, I was a little disappointed when this argument was interrupted for the introduction of Bobby into Exceptional. No shade to Bobby or anything, but I was disappointed because I would have loved to see where this argument would have gone between the two of them. Though, this is obviously to the surprise of no one - I love seeing Emma and Kitty interact, and I'm a sucker for good dialogue, especially a moment like this one.)
To me, while this isn't a particularly riveting or revolutionary moment for these two characters nor does it reveal all that much, especially in the grand scheme of things, what I do love is that this moment is a testament to the way their relationship has changed so much over time and - in my opinion - for the better. In Kitty's frustration, I actually see someone who is willing to stand up and call Emma out - something that a lot of characters aren't willing to do! And I think having that repertoire really solidifies the recent past development of their relationship with Marauders while also simultaneously paving the way for the future of their relationship as well.
And of course, it helps support the growth of their relationship - and, by extension, Emma's relationship to others - throughout the rest of series. Which might be a little bit of a reach, but considering how you /really/ see Emma change in the way she manages her relationships with others throughout this series (which, imo, is the main character development she has throughout this series), I think this stands as an example in that list.
[Exceptional X-Men (2024) Issue #6]
This is just one of the examples I can think of and could easily find, but there are more. And I don't know about you, but these are definitely the moments I really appreciate for Emma's character. It's also something that I do think is important development for a character who, you know, is supposed to be a teacher and who is supposed to really enjoy working with kids (which is also something I'd love to eventually touch more on, especially when we consider the often sexist stereotyping that surrounds making a female character have those desires - which is not what I think is happening with Emma, but I do think it is important to ask those questions for her character in particular) ... But that is a whole other soap box that I do like to get on - and should probably be its own whole post - for another day!
