Kitty Pryde

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Shadowcat
Shadowcat. Detail, cover of Astonishing X-Men #16 (Oct. 2006), by John Cassaday
Publisher Marvel Comics First appearance Uncanny X-Men #129 (Jan. 1980) Created by Chris Claremont John Byrne
Characteristics Alter ego Katherine "Kitty" Anne Pryde Species Human Mutant Affiliations X-Men, Excalibur, S.H.I.E.L.D., New Mutants, Gladiators Notable aliases Ariel, Sprite, Cat, Kate Pryde/Widget (Earth-811) Abilities Intangibility with secondary effects.

Katherine "Kitty" Pryde, also commonly known by the codename Shadowcat, is a Marvel Comics mutant superhero and a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne, she first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #129 (Jan. 1980). Pryde also used the names Sprite and Ariel briefly.

Kitty Pryde possesses a "phasing" ability that allows her and those she is in contact with to pass through solid objects. This mutant power also disrupts any electrical fields she passes through, and lets her simulate levitation, literally letting her "walk on air". She possesses a genius level IQ; is an expert with computers; and has a significant proficiency in martial arts.

At the time of her membership, Kitty was the youngest person ever to be invited to join the X-Men. During her early years, she is portrayed as a "kid sister" to many older members of the X-Men, filling the role of literary foil to the more established characters. However in the many years since her introduction, she has aged and matured, and has become a main character on her own in various ongoing comic books, miniseries, and cartoons.

Contents 1 Fictional character biography 2 Powers and abilities 3 Real-life Kitty Pryde 4 Alternate versions 4.1 Age of Apocalypse 4.2 Days of Future Past 4.3 Ultimate Shadowcat 4.4 Other versions 4.5 Names in translation 5 In other media 5.1 Television 5.2 Video games 5.3 Films 6 In popular culture 7 See also 8 References

[edit] Fictional character biography

Katherine "Kitty" Pryde was born in Deerfield, Illinois to Carmen and Theresa Pryde. Her paternal grandfather, Samuel Prydeman, was a European Jew who was held in a Nazi concentration camp during World War II.

Kitty started to have headaches at age thirteen, headaches which signalled the emergence of her mutant powers. She was approached by both the X-Men's Charles Xavier and the Hellfire Club's White Queen, Emma Frost, both of whom hoped to recruit her for their respective causes. Kitty was unnerved by Frost, observing that the White Queen had looked at her as if she were "something good to eat." She got along better with Xavier and the three X-men who escorted him to his meeting with her and her parents, becoming fast friends with Ororo Munroe. Ororo told Kitty who she really was and about the X-Men, which made the teenager even more enthusiastic about attending Xavier's school.

Their conversation was cut short, however, when they (along with Wolverine and Colossus) were attacked by armored mercenaries in the employ of Frost and the Hellfire Club. The X-Men defeated their assailants but were subdued by the White Queen's telepathic powers immediately after. In the confusion, Kitty had become separated from the X-Men and therefore was not captured along with them. She managed to contact Cyclops, Phoenix and Nightcrawler. With the help of Dazzler and Pryde, those X-Men rescued their teammates and Xavier (who had also been captured).

The White Queen appeared to perish in the battle, which meant she was no longer competing with Xavier for the approval of Kitty's parents. Unfortunately, Kitty's parents hadn't heard from her in more than a day, because during that time she was first being pursued by the Hellfire Club's men and then working with the X-Men to save their friends. All they knew was that Kitty had left with Xavier's "students" to get a soda, there had been reports that the soda shop had been blown up, and that Kitty had been missing since. Understandably, they were angry at Xavier when he finally returned with Kitty in tow. At first it seemed like there was no chance of Kitty being allowed to attend the school and join the X-Men. Then Phoenix decided to use her considerable telepathic power to erase the memories of Kitty's parents and plant false ones, resulting in a complete shift in their attitude towards Xavier. Questions concerning the morality of tampering with minds in such a fashion aside, Kitty was then allowed to enroll at Xavier's school with her parents' blessing. She was the youngest person to join the X-Men up to that point.

During her teen years, Kitty fostered a number of close relationships with others at the school and in the X-Men. She developed a crush on Colossus and became close friends with his little sister Illyana Rasputin. Initially uneasy around Nightcrawler and other mutants with physical deformities, Kitty finally overcame her prejudice and became close friends with him. Kitty also befriended Lockheed, a highly intelligent alien resembling a dragon, who followed her home after a mission in outer space. Lockheed is extremely loyal to Kitty, and the two them share a psychic bond. Wolverine became something of a mentor to Kitty despite his usually gruff personality.

Kitty was later assigned to the New Mutants, a team of younger mutants established in the absence of the X-Men while they were in outer space. Kitty convinced Professor Xavier to allow her to remain a full member of the X-Men on the basis of her high intelligence, maturity, and the fact that she was already a fully-trained member of the team. During this time, Kitty began to date Colossus, but this did not last long as Colossus developed feelings for an alien woman named Zsaji whom he met on the Beyonder's planet in the first Secret Wars. Colossus' feelings toward Zsaji were primarily a side effect of her own unique healing abilities, which she had used on him after he became injured. Regardless, Colossus' feelings were real and he returned to Earth consumed with grief after Zsaji's death. He admitted to Kitty that he had cheated on her, which hurt her deeply and ended their relationship.

During the 1985 Kitty Pryde and Wolverine miniseries, Kitty is possessed by a demon, ninja Ogun. Ogun psychically bestows upon Kitty a virtual lifetime of martial arts training. Kitty is able to resist Ogun's influence with Wolverine's help and the two form a strong teacher/student bond. Kitty returns to the X-Men, no longer the innocent they once knew, and officially adopts the codename Shadowcat.

Kitty was badly injured by Harpoon during the Mutant Massacre story arc, with the result that she became permanently intangible. She was rushed to Muir Isle along with other surviving casualties of the Massacre to be tended to by Moira MacTaggert. MacTaggert was able to keep Kitty's condition from deteriorating to the point where she completely lost physical substance and ceased to exist, but wasn't able to do any more to help her. At this time Kitty's natural state was to be intangible. Where she once had to make a conscious effort to phase, she now had to make a conscious effort to solidify and stay solid. She was saved by Reed Richards, Mr. Fantastic of the Fantastic Four, but not without trouble. The X-Men had gone to Richards for aid, but he had refused to help her because he was not sure he would be able to help Shadowcat. (Reed was in a struggle with the rest of the Fantastic Four about their origins and the fact that they thought that Reed caused their accident which turned them in the Fantastic Four deliberately, thus making him very uncertain about his personal motives and abilities.) Having no where else to go, the X-Men turned to Richards' enemy Dr. Doom. This created a moral dilemma for both the X-Men and the Fantastic Four. Both teams fought each other because the FF were trying to stop the treatment while the X-Men were determined to save Kitty's life. In the end, both the personal crisis of the Fantastic Four and the life of Shadowcat were saved. It was Franklin Richards, with the help of Lockheed, who brought both teams to their senses.

Among the others injured and brought to Muir Isle were Colossus and Nightcrawler, although Colossus left the United Kingdom shortly after being released from MacTaggert's care to join the rest of the X-Men on their mission to battle the Adversary. The X-Men sacrificed their lives to defeat the Adversary, and the battle was televised and broadcast across the world. Unknown to the world at large the X-Men were resurrected later, but chose to keep a low profile and perpetuate the belief that they were still dead, in order to more effectively fight their enemies. This meant avoiding contact with friends and family, including Kitty. Thinking the X-Men were dead, Kitty and Nightcrawler joined Rachel Summers, Captain Britain and Meggan to form the Britain-based team Excalibur. During her time with Excalibur, Kitty had a short-lived relationship with former Black Air agent Peter Wisdom. She also developed a crush on Professor Alistaire Stuart which went unreciprocated since Alistaire was attracted to Rachel.

Excalibur eventually disbanded, and Shadowcat returned with Nightcrawler and Colossus to the X-Men. But as soon as they returned, they faced a group of imposters following Cerebro, in the guise of Professor X. Kitty remained with the X-Men for a while before leaving after the apparent death of Colossus. Trying to give herself a normal life, she attended the University of Chicago. During this time, her father was killed when Cassandra Nova’s sentinels destroyed Genosha.

At the insistence of Cyclops and Emma Frost, Kitty once again rejoined the X-Men, despite having extreme reservations about working with the former White Queen, given their history; however, this was the primary reason why Frost herself wanted Kitty on the team, as a sort of "safety" should Frost ever revert to type, reasoning that the person who trusted Frost the least would be most likely to spot such behavior. On one of the new team's first missions, Shadowcat discovered Colossus was alive. After some initial awkwardness, Kitty and Peter resumed dating and finally consummated their relationship.

Recently, during the latest incarnation of the Hellfire Club's assualt on Xavier's School, Kitty fulfilled the role that Emma Frost envisioned, personally taking down Frost and imprisoning her, only to fall under a telepathic delusion created by Hellfire member Perfection, who claims to be the true, unreformed Emma Frost. Under this delusion, Kitty was made to believe that she and Colossus had conceived a child which was later taken away by the X-Men because its potential mutant abilities were supposedly dangerous. Kitty reacts in the delusion by attempting to rescue the child from a near-inescapable "box" in the depths of the school, unaware that in reality she is freeing an alien entity, "Stuff", who contains the trapped consciousness of Cassandra Nova, the apparent ringleader of this new Hellfire Club. Kitty collapses immediately afterward, driven to unconsciousness by either Perfection or Nova, and Nova's stated intention is to transfer her mind into Kitty's body.

[edit] Powers and abilities

Kitty has the ability to phase, or flow, through solid matter by passing her atoms between the spaces of other particles through which she is moving. Using her power was optional, but for a brief period Kitty existed in a naturally "phased" state, and had to consciously choose not to do so [1], [2]. However, she returned to her original form and is now naturally solid and must choose when to use her power. While phasing, she does not physically walk on surfaces in this form, but rather the molecules of air above them allowing her to ascend and descend. Also while phased, she is immune to physical and energy attacks, and has a high resistance to telepathy. The density of some materials (such as adamantium) can prove deleterious to her phasing, causing her to be severely disoriented if she tries to pass through them. Magic and magical beings also prove to be an enigma in regards to Kitty's phasing, as proven in a battle with a N'Garai demon that showed it could cause physical harm to Kitty even while in her phased state, as well as the Soulsword. The use of her abilities also interferes with any electrical systems (including those within the human body) she passes through by disrupting its electromagnetic field.

Kitty can also extend her powers to phase other people and objects. Currently, she is able to phase at least a half a dozen other people (or objects of similar mass) if they are in contact with her prior to her phasing. Her defenses and form of movement extend to those others she affects.

Besides her mutant powers, Kitty is a genius in the field of applied technology and computer science. Because of her possession by Ogun, she is an excellent hand-to-hand combatant, having been trained in the arts of aikido, karate, ninjutsu, and Krav Maga. She also has training in gymnastics and is a professional level dancer.

[edit] Real-life Kitty Pryde

John Byrne named Shadowcat/Kitty Pryde after a classmate he met in art school in Calgary in 1973. He reportedly told her that he liked her name and asked permission to use it for his first original comic character. The real-life Pryde agreed, thinking nothing would ever come of the agreement, but was later so overwhelmed by Shadowcat fans after the publication of the X-Men comics that she abbreviated her name to K.D. Pryde to avoid association with her fictional counterpart. She has since stated that she has mixed feelings about her fame, saying that she values Byrne's comics for their entertainment and artistic value but wishes that more people would appreciate her as more than just Shadowcat's namesake. [3] [4].

Chris Claremont said several elements of Kitty Pryde's personality were derived from those of Louise Simonson's daughter, Julie. [5] p. 79

[edit] Alternate versions

[edit] Age of Apocalypse

In the Age of Apocalypse reality, Kitty grows up under harsh circumstances and her nature reflects it. She has short hair, tight clothes, and is a chain smoker. Her parents were killed in the Chicago Culls, and she is forcibly recruited into Apocalypse's army, but is later rescued by Colossus. Magneto puts Shadowcat under Logan's training, and Kate becomes a warrior (sporting a set of retractible artificial claws around each wrist to better imitate her teacher's fighting style). Along with her husband Colossus, they become teachers of Generation Next. This reality's Shadowcat is accidentally killed by Colossus in his ruthless obsession to protect his sister Illyana.

[edit] Days of Future Past

In the Days of Future Past timeline (Earth-811), Shadowcat goes by the name Kate Pryde. Kate attempts to go back in time to prevent the slaughter of all superhumans. Although she succeeds in preventing the cause (the assassination of Senator Robert Kelly by Mystique and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants), she only creates a separate timeline where anti-mutant sentiment is still strong and their eventual persecution seems inevitable. Back in her own time, she helps Rachel Summers escape back to the timeline she just created. Captured by sentinels, Kate manages to escape by accidentally phasing which merges her with a time warp that sends her to the timeline Rachel is inhabiting. Kate’s mind settles in a small, metal, off-spherical body and becomes known as Widget. After a few adventures in that timeline, Widget / Kate regains her memory and returns to her original timeline where she is able to reprogram the ruling sentinels to protect life, ending their tyranny.

[edit] Ultimate Shadowcat

The Ultimate version of Shadowcat (Kitty Pryde) first appears as a 14 year-old girl in Ultimate X-Men #21. Kitty’s mother, worried about Kitty’s mutation, seeks help from Professor Charles Xavier. Kitty becomes a student at Xavier’s school, when her mother allows her to attend under the condition she does not take part in any X-Men missions, nor train in any "Danger Room." Kitty soon rebels against this and joins the X-Men as their youngest member.

Kitty dates Bobby Drake for a short time before beginning a relationship with Peter Parker (Spider-Man), of whom she is very fond and has posters. She starts fighting crime alongside Peter’s alter ego Spider-Man, but wears a different costume so that she and Peter can also be seen together in public without revealing his secret identity. A television program has revealed to the world that Spider-Man and Shadowcat are a couple, thus making it harder for the two to date.

[edit] Other versions

• In the Amalgam Universe Shadowcat appears in the title Spider-Boy Team-Up merged with Legion of Super-Heroes member Phantom Girl to form the character Phantom Cat. Phantom Cat is a member of the Legion Of Galactic Guardians 2099.

• In the reality of Earth-597, an alternate universe where World War II was won by Nazi Germany, Kitty is forced to serve as Shadowcat alongside Nightcrawler, Meggan, and Hauptmann Englande as a member of the Lightning Force (a version of Excalibur), made a virtual slave because of her Jewish heritage. She leads a sad existence, and is easily identified by her shaved head and the Star of David tattooed on her forehead. It is indicated, from her own statements and those made by her reality's counterpart of Moira MacTaggert, that this Shadowcat is a true ghost, raised from the dead by a combination of science and magic and bound to serve the Nazi regime. This Shadowcat had the added ability to disrupt life force with her phasing power, knocking her victims unconscious, much like how her counterpart in the "prime" Marvel Universe (Earth-616) can disrupt technology that she phases through. She is also able to alter her facial features to a "demonic" aspect when attacking, and also in response to aggressive, commanding behavior from her perceived superiors.

• In Mutant X, Shadowcat became the Black Queen of the Hellfire Club

• In the limited series Magik (Illyana and Storm), an alternate reality Kitty renames herself "Cat" after she is mutated by the demonic sorcerer Belasco into a more feline form, with cat eyes, whiskers, a tail, and enhanced physical abilities and senses. Trapped in Belasco's Limbo, Cat takes a militant bent towards defeating the sorcerer, eschewing the magic that her reality's Storm embraces, instead turning to skills in swordplay and physical combat. She tries to save the Illyana Rasputin of Earth-616 from corruption through magic by taking Illyana into the wilderness of Limbo and teaching the child to fight and survive, but Illyana eventually comes under Belasco's influence and Cat is further transformed towards a feline bent, with a semi-animalistic mind completely loyal to Belasco. Cat is eventually slain by Illyana when Belasco sets Cat upon his rebellious apprentice; facing death at Cat's hands and knowing that, deep down, a part of Kitty still existed and hated her enslavement, Illyana broke Cat's neck in self-defense.

• In the non-canonical X-Men: The End future, Kitty Pryde becomes the mayor of Chicago and then President of the USA. She has three children with an unnamed partner.

• In Earth X it is revealed in the Appendix that Kitty Pryde is killed saving Colossus while he could not shift into his metal form. Instead of phasing the bullet through her, she herocially takes the bullet and is killed.

[edit] Names in translation

Kitty's code name "Shadowcat" is translated differently in foreign languages. In French, Kitty was called "Etincelle" while she was named Sprite in the comic, though she is now known as Shadowcat as well, "Gata Sombra" (shadow cat) in Spain, "Sombra" (shadow) in Latin America, "Varjokissa" in Finnish, and "Lince Negra" (black lynx) in Portuguese.

[edit] In other media

[edit] Television

• Shadowcat appeared as Sprite in "The X-Men Adventure" episode of Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends which guest-starred the X-Men. She was voiced by Sally Julian.

• Kitty Pryde, voiced by Kath Soucie, played the viewpoint character in the animated television one-shot Pryde of the X-Men.

• In the animated series X-Men: Evolution, Shadowcat is a main character and voiced by Maggie Blue O'Hara. In this continuity, she is a bright and carefree teenage girl who comes from a loving Jewish family. Her love interest is Avalanche. She is also pursued briefly by Evolution's Nightcrawler, and following the precedent of the comics, Kitty is initially repulsed by his appearance, but then grows to accept him as one of her best friends. Shadowcat speaks with a strong valley girl accent early on in the series, but is dropped after Season 1 to show that she is more mature.

[edit] Video games

• Shadowcat appears in Konami's 1992 X-Men video arcade game, as a non-playable character (NPC. In this game, she is not known as "Shadowcat"; instead, she plays the "damsel in distress" role.)

• Shadowcat also appears as an NPC in the X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse, in a cameo when the player reaches the ruins of the X-Mansion. Her relationship with Colossus remains intact in this version of her character: If the player speaks with her using Colossus, this triggers a humorous occurs wherein Shadowcat scolds him for hypothetically flirting with the Scarlet Witch. Unlike most of the other Ultimate Marvel game characters, Shadowcast wears her mainstream-Marvel costume.

• Shadowcat appears in a scene in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance.

[edit] Films

• In the movie X-Men, she is played in cameo by Sumela Kay. She is referenced as "the girl who can walk through walls" by humans who fear mutants. She is shown in Xavier's class when Wolverine walks in; she forgot her books, and grabs them and walks out through the wall.

• In X2, she has brief appearance played by Katie Stuart. She is shown fleeing the mansion William Stryker's military force after they attack.

• In X-Men: The Last Stand, she is portrayed by Ellen Page and has a larger role in the storyline. She serves as a romantic rival with Rogue and Bobby Drake, similar to the Ultimate X-Men version of Shadowcat. She also joins the X-Men in the battle on Alcatraz Island, breaking off from the battle to save Leech from the Juggernaut.

[edit] In popular culture

• Kitty Pryde is mentioned in the Weezer song "In the Garage".
• Shadowcat is also mentioned in the song "Missing Link" by Dinosaur Jr and Del the Funky Homosapien from the soundtrack for the movie Judgement Night.
• In the Spike Lee's film 25th Hour, Edward Norton's character expresses his desire to avoid prison by stating he wishes he was "that girl from X-Men... the one who can walk through walls"
• Kitty Pryde and the Shadowcats was the name of an all-female band that existed for several years in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
• Kitty Pryde is mentioned in the ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead song, "An Ounce Of Prevention".
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon has acknowledged that Kitty Pryde was his inspiration for Buffy.[6].
• In Genesis, the first episode of the TV series Heroes, the character of Hiro Nakamura specifically mentions Kitty Pryde travelling through time. However, he erroneously cites the issue number as X-Men #143 whereas the actual time travelling storyline takes place in X-Men #141-142.

[edit] See also

• List of S.H.I.E.L.D. members

[edit] References

• MDP: Shadowcat - Marvel Database Project
• UncannyXmen.net, Spotlight feature on Shadowcat
• Open directory listing for Shadowcat
• Shadowcat on the Marvel Character Bio Wiki
• Ultimate Shadowcat on the Marvel Universe Character Bio Wiki