The character Kitty Pryde from the X-Men comic was an early model for Whedon 's strong teenage girl characters : `` If there 's a bigger influence on Buffy than Kitty , I donâ t know what it was . The character Kitty Pryde from the X-Men comics was an early model for Whedon 's strong teenage girl characters : `` If there 's a bigger influence on Buffy than Kitty , I donâ t know what it was .