X-Men member Kitty Pryde has the mutant ability to phase through solid matter, becoming as intangible as a ghost. The Avengers’ resident android Vision has a similar ability to control his density, giving him similar phasing abilities. Both heroes are a huge asset to their teams for their special abilities – but which one is better at phasing?
It’s an interesting question since, despite their similarities, Kitty and the Vision’s powers are really quite different. Let’s take a closer look at how they’ve used their abilities in the comics to see how they stack up against each other. Who's the better phaser - the Avengers' articulate android, or the X-Men's rebel daughter?
Kitty Pryde: The X-Men’s Friendly Ghost
Kitty Pryde’s phasing ability is one of the X-Men’s more exotic powers. Although it looks as if Kitty can become a living ghost, her power actually enables her to slip the atoms of her body between the atoms of whatever object she’s passing through. This enables her to walk through walls, forcefields, and other barriers. She can also direct objects like bullets and even lasers to pass through her without any injury to herself. This allowed her to take part in dangerous X-Men missions even as a teenager without having to worry about getting hurt. Over time, however, Kitty learned how to use her power more offensively.
As an adult, Kitty now has such a high degree of control over her phasing that she can render different parts of her body intangible or solid, making it easier for her to strike an opponent while leaving the rest of her body untouchable. Her “phased” state is also highly disruptive to electronics and she can cause computers to malfunction or even destroy them simply by walking through them (which makes her very dangerous to robotic enemies like the Sentinels). Since the human nervous system also conducts electricity, she can even knock out humans in the same way if she concentrates correctly.
Kitty can also turn other people or objects intangible just by remaining in physical contact with them. Over the years, this power has increased and she is now capable of not only phasing large groups of people but also a ten-mile long “bullet” through the entire Earth. Of course, if she happened to turn a person intangible and then let go while that person was inside a solid object, the person would solidify and likely die. Naturally, Kitty is reluctant to use her powers in this way, but she once used this move on Thor (while she was brainwashed to think he was the Juggernaut) and caused the Thunder God unbelievable pain.
Kitty’s powers are also useful for transportation. While in a “phased out” state, she can step on individual air molecules and “walk on air.” This power extends to anyone she makes intangible, although they need to hold onto her to keep from falling. When Kitty really needs to get somewhere fast, however, she can phase out of sync with the Earth’s rotation and let the planet pass through her to get from place to place with blinding speed (however, she can only move east or west in this way).
Despite the versatility of her abilities, Kitty does have several limitations. She can generally only move through an object for as long as she can hold her breath or risk becoming solid inside of it. This limitation was apparently changed when Kitty phased a ten-mile long “bullet” and passed out within it. She survived, but upon exiting found she was in a permanently phased state. Kitty was also stuck in her “phased” condition after being struck by an energy harpoon and had to focus to become solid. In addition, magic and mystical beings can still harm her in her phased state and some materials like adamantium are harder for her to phase through than others.
Vision: The Intangible Avenger
Where Kitty Pryde's gifts are genetic, the Vision gained his phasing powers by design. An upgraded version of an alternate Human Torch android, the Vision was given the ability to control the density of his synthetic body. This control extended in either direction – he could lower his density and become ghost-like and intangible or increase it and become so solid that he gained superhuman strength, increased weight, and a diamond-hard form.
In his intangible state, Vision can replicate many of Kitty’s powers. He can pass through walls and other solid objects and even phase through living beings. His main advantage here is that, as a synthetic being, he doesn’t need to breathe and isn’t bound by Kitty’s usual limits. Moreover, he can even solidify partly inside a living person with such control that he can knock out that person without permanently damaging his target or himself. (Kitty is also capable of this, but she risks killing a person or losing her arm if her calculations are off).
Kitty Pryde vs. the Vision
Vision’s ability to control his density in either direction shows he has greater range than Kitty. Interestingly, however, the Kitty Pryde of the Ultimate Universe also showed she could increase her density like the Vision and gain superhuman strength and a harder body. Recently, her mainstream counterpart also showed she could do this, but only when Doctor Doom manipulated her powers in this direction. Thus, Kitty currently only has the potential to control her density and has not yet fully developed this aspect of her powers.
Kitty’s main advantage over the Vision is that she can render other people and objects intangible by touching them, something the Vision is incapable of doing. This extra ability grants her powers the Vision doesn’t have – such as being able to help people escape by taking them through walls with her. Also, while Kitty might risk damaging her own body by making it solid inside an opponent, she can solidify an object inside an enemy and produce deadly or debilitating effects. Combat isn't the only test for these characters' abilities, but it should be noted that should Kitty make contact with Vision, it's reasonable to assume she'd be able to then control his phasing, basically rendering his own abilities moot.
Overall, then, it seems that while the Vision has more precise control over his phasing abilities, Kitty’s mutant intangibility power has a greater number of options she can use for stealth or battle. It’s also worth noting that while Kitty Pryde’s skill and potential are constantly growing, the Vision is a synthetic being who has a complete understanding of his capabilities and limits, and it's reasonable to assume that he hasn't been holding anything back while serving on the Avengers. For these reasons, we have to declare Kitty Pryde as the more versatile phaser - great news given her recent role as the X-Men's resident pirate queen.