Kit Cloudkicker is the deuteragonist from the Disney animated series TaleSpin.
Background
Kit is a young 12-year old, orphaned bear cub full of spirit and spunk, and is Baloo's best friend, partner, and navigator. Before he met Baloo, he was a member of Don Karnage's air pirates. After spending a year with the air pirates, Kit claims that he "got sick of them", and after Don Karnage stole a valuable jewel from Shere Khan, Kit decided to make his move - to take the jewel, leave the pirates, and begin a new life. While trying to escape Karnage (in the pilot episode, "Plunder and Lightning"), he literally runs into Baloo at Louie's place. We get the impression that Kit is fearful and hesitant of trusting adults. But in this same episode, Baloo saves Kit from Karnage, and this appears to be a turning point for Kit. He opens up to Baloo and begins to trust and admire him. Kit now refers to Baloo as his 'Papa Bear', and loves him like a father. He and Baloo are close friends.
Personality
Considering Kit is a former pirate, he has surprisingly good manners and is highly respectful of adults - when he initially introduced himself to Rebecca, for example, he took off his hat, and he refers to her as 'Miss Cunningham'. However, he initially had a "tough guy attitude" likely because of the harsh life he lived.
He greatly enjoys a hobby known as air surfing. Air surfing involves Kit soaring through their air (usually towed behind a plane) on his boomerang-shaped board known as his airfoil.
Being on his own and having had to fend for himself all of his life, Kit is very independent and streetwise. Acting much older than his younger years, he hates being treated like a kid and loathes the fact that he is too young to get his pilot's license.
Appearances
DuckTales (2017)
Kit appears in the Season 3 episode "The Lost Cargo of Kit Cloudkicker!" as an adult. Here, his design resembles Baloo. In the series, Kit also knew Della Duck from flight school and help her and her sons to find an artifact he lost during a plane quest. He now works as an official pilot for Higher for Hire.
Kit in the reboot.
Kit is first seen under attack by Don Karnage and his squadron to which while fending off the Sky Pirates and Karnage, he notices a mutated chicken/goat hybrid caused by a mystical artifact known as the Stone of What Was to which he manages to get rid of it before it attacks him.
As Della, Huey, and Dewey arrive at the Higher for Hire cargo company area, Huey explains to his mother that according to F.O.W.L. transmission, the pilot who was hired to transport the Stone was none other than Kit Cloudkicker. Kit appears on television showcasing the story of Higher for Hire which used to be owned by Baloo with Kit now as the new owner of the company. Huey and Della then approach Kit who explains to Della that he remembers that he went to Flight School with her. Della continues explaining that Kit became an Ace Pilot just like what Molly Cunningham did to which just like Kit, Molly grew up to do better things. Dewey approaches hims and while talking to him, he explains that he was once an Ace Pilot just like Baloo.
Huey then shows him a book showcasing the Stone of What Was to which he explains that according to him, Bradford Buzzard was the one who hired him to find the Stone, which was unfortunately lost during an ambush sent by Don Karnage followed by the Stone's power fusing a chicken and goat into a monstrous hybrid, causing Kit to deploy the monster. As Della and her children board the Sea Duck, Della angrily confronts Kit for using a motionless crowbar as his co-pilot to which Kit refuses to leave the plane under Della's orders. Dewey is then sent to help Kit while being spied by Don Karnage and his pirate squadron. Kit then plans to help Dewey escape from Karnage only for the Della and her children to find themselves on an uncharted island.
The four ended up getting pursued by a monstrous gorilla/rhino hybrid, Rhinocerilla, chasing them to which the group manages to escape from it. Kit and the rest of the group later spy on Karnage and his henchmen taking the Stone of What Was to which Kit hears Dewey explaining that what the Stone transforms combines two into one. Kit later notices Della riding on a monstrous bear/butterfly hybrid, Bearterfly chasing the mutated pirates as it also chases Kit only for it to miss its chance to attack just as the nephews and Kit go back on the Sea Duck.
Back at the Sea Duck, Kit explains to Dewey that he is not good at using his airfoil to which Huey explains that Kit is good at doing his skills, telling him to be confident in himself. Dewey then plans to help Kit Cloudkicker fight against Karnage and his pirate squadron. Furthermore, Kit arrives to retrieve the Stone before Karnage does just as he fights off Karnage's other pirates, followed by Kit engaging in a duel between him and Karnage during battle while planning to drop the stone on the Sea Duck in order for Kit to complete his mission. Kit then uses Crow-B, his trusty crowbar to defeat Karnage once and for all.
Having defeated Karnage and protected the Stone from Karnage completing his mission, Huey congratulates Kit for the teamwork he did just as Kit sends the Stone to be delivered. With the mission completed, Kit arrives giving him his fee to Della. Despite Della's disgust for the receipt she received from Kit, he explains to Della that he is running a business his plane gets sold only to find out that Molly Cunningham explained that someone already paid to keep Kit's business running. Approaching Molly, she explains to Kit that his plane is part of Danger Woman's Death-Defying Sky Circus just as Molly asks Kit to find a new attraction to be part of Danger Woman's circus. Kit then accepts Molly's offer.
He makes a brief cameo in "The Last Adventure!"; having been captured by F.O.W.L. alongside Molly and numerous other McDuck Family allies in an effort to be destroyed.by their enemies. However, he is rescued in the end.
Gallery
Trivia
- Despite Kit's having formerly been an Air Pirate only being mentioned in the pilot of the show, it is brought up frequently by both him and the pirates in the comics.
- Kit could be seen as TaleSpin's equivalent to Mowgli, considering both are orphans and have a special bond with Baloo. Kit even calls Baloo "Papa Bear" like Mowgli, while Baloo refers to Kit as "Little Britches", his nickname for Mowgli.
- In the Ducktales Reboot, adult Kit is based off of his original incarnation and Baloo both in appearance and in personality.
- In the comics, he admitted that he never knew either of his biological parents, and learned how to navigate from stowing away on aircraft.
- Prior to his defection, he is shown wearing a red bandanna on his neck.
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