SINGAPORE — Internet users have reacted with amusement to comic book publisher Marvel’s announcement that one of its newest characters is a Singaporean teenager, with some saying she sounds like the typical burned-out student or workaholic intern from Singapore.
The character Jitter, whose “real” name is Sofia Yong, was introduced along with three other characters collectively known as “the Outliers”.
She will appear in the second issue of The Uncanny X-Men, a reboot of writer Gail Simone’s comic book series, due out September 11.
The teenager has the ability to “hyperfocus,” which means she can “do anything she sets her mind to, drawing on talents and skills that most people develop throughout their lives,” Marvel said in announcing the move on Friday (August 9).
But using her power would cause an “instant crash if she uses her ability for too long.”
The teenager also “always carries a stopwatch with her” because she can only use her skills for one minute – for example, to become the world’s best martial artist or an expert at lock picking, Ms. Simone said in an interview with the pop culture website Popverse.
Some netizens on social media said that Jitter’s personality traits resemble the stereotype of Singaporean students who are burned out from studying for their exams or a “workaholic intern”.
One Redditor jokingly said that Jitter’s ability “could be the result of years of training by her kiasu More of a “tiger mother” in the Singapore academic system than a real superpower.
Others echoed this sentiment, pointing to Singapore’s competitive landscape and commenting that even mutants are not immune to the “rat race.”
They jokingly wrote about how her power could help her complete the 10-year series, a collection of national examination papers from the past decade that represents a transition period for every student here.
“They call her Jitter because she gets nervous when she’s not doing something productive, like taking a break,” wrote one Reddit user.
However, some Reddit users have also pointed out that her ability may have been inspired by a common symptom of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and that this may be a “simplification” and possibly a trivialization of the condition ADHD.
Finally, a netizen also called her an “Adderall ah lian” in jest, where Adderall is a combination drug for ADHD and “ah lian“” is a colloquial Hokkien term for a young Chinese woman.
This isn’t the first time Singapore has appeared in Marvel canon. Madripoor, a fictional Southeast Asian state featured primarily in the X-Men series, is said to be loosely based on Singapore.
The underworld of Madripoor is also ruled by a figure named Tyger Tiger – a Singaporean banking heiress and graduate of Harvard University.
Some fans have asked Ms. Simone on social media platform X how much Singlish Jitter will speak in the comics. In response, the author said Jitter will use it “pretty minimally,” but added that she personally loves “the sound and cadence of Singlish.”
“That doesn’t mean (Jitter) is the only one using it, lah”, wrote Simone.
TODAY has reached out to The Walt Disney Company, parent company of Marvel Entertainment, for comment.
