A
hero published by
Marvel Comics.
Kitty Pryde first appeared
in
The Uncanny X-Men #129 in 1979.
In the midst of Chris Claremont's time as the writer of the
popular X-Men comic, the character of Kitty Pryde was introduced.
Pryde was the thirteen year old daughter of a successful business
man in Chicago. Interested in dance and computers, Kitty was an
excellent student, who had recently been plagued with intense
headaches. She was approached by both Emma Frost of the Hellfire
Club and Charles Xavier, the leader of the X-Men, offering her
positions in their school. Both Xavier and Frost were aware that
Pryde's headaches were the first signs that of her emerging mutant
ability, to make herself intangible and move through solid objects.
This is done by Pryde unconsiously synching the molecules in her
body with those of the object she is trying to pass through allowing
her molecules to slip between the molecules of the object in question.
Over the years, Pryde has been able to extend this ability to other
objects that she is touching.
Pryde used her new ability to help rescue three of Xavier's students
(Wolverine,Storm, and Colossus)who had been captured by Frost.
She was then enrolled in Xaviers School for Gifted Youngsters and
arrived at the school soon after the believed death of Jean Grey.
Pryde was originally given the code name Sprite and was trained
in controlling her mutant power and combat. She adventured with
the X-Men on a number of occasions, with Xavier keeping
a close eye on her progress. Xavier was concerned about her young
age, but she time and again showed her self to be brave and competent
eventually earning herself a spot as an X-Man despite her age.
Kitty Pryde also began a budding romance with fellow X-Man Peter
Rasputin or Colossus. When Colossus was injured during a battle
with the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, Pryde made a deal with the
leader of the Morlocks Callisto to have the Morlock healer
use his power to save Colossus in exchange for her marrying the
Morlock Caliban. Only when Storm defeated Callisto in combat
was the deal negated. Soon after Kitty changed her code name to Ariel.
Where Kitty Pryde had a romance with Colossus, her relationships
with the other X-Men blossomed as well. Xavier became her surrogate
father and Storm her surrogate mother after the break up of her
real parents marriage. She became close friends with Colossus's younger
sister Illyana who was a member of Xavier's younger team the New Mutants
and was befriended by a small dragon-like creature from another planet
that followed her home. The alien creature was nicknamed Lockheed after
a character in a fairy tale she told to Illyana. She became the kid sister to Nightcrawler and
the X-Man Wolverine became her mentor.
The mentoring relationship with Wolverine came to a head, when
Kitty followed her father to Japan after leaving the X-Men after
she and Colossus ended their romance. Kitty was captured and
brainwashed by the ninja master Ogun and sent to kill Wolverine
who had followed her to Japan. Wolverine battled Kitty who
was now as deadly as Ogun and was nearly killed during the fight.
Wolverine helped Kitty to break Ogun's conditioning and the two
were able to defeat the villain. From this point forward, Kitty adopted
the name Shadowcat.
Returning to the X-Men, Kitty became a more intergral part of the
team, until an attack by the Marauders, agents of the villain
Mister Sinister, attacked the Morlock community. The battle
between the X-Men and the Marauders cost the X-Men heavily, with
both Nightcrawler and Colossus nearly killed, and Kitty
injured so that she was unable to phase back to solidity. Only with
the help of the Fantastic Four's Reed Richards was she able
to begin to recover.
During her recovery, Kitty and Nightcrawler stayed with Moira
MacTaggert at her research station on Muir Island. The two
along with Rachael Summers became involved with Captain Britain
and Meggan and formed the team Excalibur. The team lasted
many years.
During this time, Shadowcat became romantically involved with a
former member of British Intelligence Peter Wisdom. The two
were quite serious for a time, but eventually this romance ended
as well, and Nightcrawler, Shadowcat, and their former
teammate Colossus, returned to the X-Men.
As of recently, Shadowcat as ceased to work with the X-Men and
returned to school to pursue her degree. Her newest adventures are being told in the new comic by Chris Claremont, MechaniX.