Shadowcat
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Shadowcat (real name: Katherine "Kitty" Pryde) is a Marvel Comics mutant superhero and a member of the X-Men. Created in 1980 by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne, she first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #129.
Kitty Pryde possesses a "phasing" ability allowing herself and those in contact with her to pass through solid objects. This mutant power also allows her to disrupt electrical fields she passes through and simulate levitation, literally "walking on air". She possesses a genius level IQ, is an expert with computers and has significant proficiency in martial arts.
When her superhuman ability manifested at age thirteen, Kitty became the youngest person invited to join the X-Men, a group of mutants like herself. During the early years of her stories, she was largely portrayed as a kind of "kid sister" to many older members of the X-Men, filling the role of literary foil to more established characters. However in the many years since her introduction this character has aged and matured, and has become a main character on her own in various ongoing comic books, miniseries and movies.
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. Samuel was rescued by the United States Army at the end of the war. Soon after, he immigrated to the United States and started a family there.At the age of thirteen, Kitty started suffering from intense recurring headaches signaling by the emergence of her mutant power. She was approached by both the X-Men's Charles Xavier and the rival Hellfire Club's White Queen, Emma Frost. Taking an instant dislike to the White Queen, Kitty chose to go with Xavier. Her parents, particularly her father, objected to to her enrolling in a school with large potential dangers, but X-Men telepath Jean Grey used her abilities to 'convince' them otherwise (an ethical lapse that would be dealt with in later stories). Unaware of this manipulation, Kitty began at the X-Men's school in Westchester, NY, the youngest person to have ever done so at that time. In such a stimulating environment and away from the stress of her parents' crumbling marriage, her beginning there was a happy one.
During her teen years, Kitty developed a number of close relationships with others at the school and in the X-Men. Most importantly, from the time of their first meeting, she developed a crush on her teammate Colossus. Her initial reaction to Nightcrawler, however, was much less positive. Terrified of his nightmarish looks, Kitty avoided his friendly overtures and flinched whenever she saw him. It was not until an encounter with the lonely Morlock mutant Caliban (described as an outcast even among outcasts) that she realized her attitude about appearances was childish. Consequently, Kitty and Kurt became close friends and have remained so ever since.
Her best friend during these early years was Colossus's younger sister Illyana Rasputin, who at the time had been artificially transformed to about Kitty's age, giving her a peer at the school. Another of Kitty's constant companions was considered a pet for many years though he's proven to be highly-intelligent and capable of speech since, a small alien 'dragon' whom she named Lockheed, who followed her home to Earth from an outer-space adventure.
This space adventure was the beginning of another important chapter in the history of Kitty and the X-Men. During the team's absence in space, Professor X had created a sister team of younger mutants called the New Mutants as a replacement for what he thought were the lost X-Men. The New Mutants were just teenagers, however, and he did not intend them to combat threats. He decided to place Kitty in that group so she could be among her peers but Kitty convinced 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 part of the team.
Around this time, Kitty and Colossus began dating but the romance came to an end following the Secret Wars miniseries, during which Colossus developed feelings for an beautiful alien woman that he had met on another planet. That romance also ended and Kitty and Piotr seemingly cooled off towards each other.
During the 1985 Kitty Pryde and Wolverine miniseries, Kitty became possessed by a demon ninja, called Ogun. While in Japan, Kitty was brainwashed by Ogun into thinking she was his assassin. Ogun psychically bestowed upon Kitty a virtual lifetime of martial arts training and sent her to kill fellow X-Man, Wolverine, himself a former pupil of Ogun. Kitty was able to resist Ogun's influence with Wolverine's help and a bit of tough love. Kitty and Wolverine defeated Ogun and in the process formed a strong teacher/student bond with each other which remains to this day. Nevertheless, Kitty returned to the X-Men a changed girl, no longer the innocent they knew. At this time she officially took the superhero name of Shadowcat.
While Kitty and Nightcrawler were away on a visit to Scotland, the rest of the X-Men apparently died fighting the Adversary in Texas. Badly grieving, Kitty, Nightcrawler and another mutant Rachel Summers decided to carry on fighting and joined the British superheroes Captain Britain and Meggan to form the Britain-based team Excalibur. It was not until much later that the world would learn that the X-Men were still alive. They had been brought back to life by the extradimensional sorceress Roma almost immediately after they'd sacrificed themselves. The X-Men had then opted to 'remain dead' in order to better strike at their enemies in secret but their actions alienated many of their allies, particularly Kurt, Rachel and Kitty who had considered the X-Men their family.
During her tenure with Excalibur, Kitty became romantically involved with former Black Air agent Peter Wisdom, a much older man. Kitty officially passed her fifteenth birthday while a member of Excalibur but she was probably older due to the unknown amount of time she spent traveling through dimensions during an adventure called "Excalibur's Cross Time Caper". Later on it was remarked that Kitty was probably "sixteen or seventeen". It is assumed, therefore, that she was of a proper age to begin an adult relationship with the older man, at least by British law.
Eventually Kitty ended her relationship with Wisdom, and Excalibur disbanded after the wedding of Brian Braddock and Meggan. She returned to the X-Men, but left again after the apparent death of Colossus. She went on to attend the University of Chicago trying to give herself a normal life. During this time, her father was killed when Cassandra Nova's wild Sentinels destroyed Genosha.
Recently she once again rejoined the X-Men at the urging of Cyclops and Emma Frost (Astonishing X-Men #1). On one of the new team's first missions, Kitty discovered Colossus alive and imprisoned in a research facility. After a bit of initial awkwardness, Kitty and Peter resumed dating and finally consummated their relationship in Astonishing X-Men #14.
Powers and abilities
While originally using her power was optional, currently Shadowcat exists in a naturally "phased" state, and must consciously choose not to do so. This means that when she is unable to focus she will naturally enter this "phased" state. [link], [link].When phased, she literally flows through solid matter by passing her atoms between the spaces of other particles through which she is moving. As she does not physically walk on surfaces in this form, but rather the molecules of air above them, she is able to ascend and descend by walking on air molecules akin to steps. While phased she is immune to physical attacks as well as having a high resistance to telepathy. The density of some materials, however, may prove deleterious to her phasing, causing her to be severely disoriented if she tries to pass through. Use of her abilities interferes with any electronic equipment she passes through by disrupting its electromagnetic field.
For some time after she discovered her powers, she was only able to phase herself and her clothing. However, she quickly learned to phase other people and objects with her. 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 defences and form of movement extend to those others she affects.
Shadowcat is a genius in the field of applied technology such as computer science. She is an excellent hand-to-hand combatant, having been trained in the arts of aikido and karate. After the martial arts master known as Ogun possessed her and imprinted his mind onto hers, Shadowcat became skilled in the arts of ninjutsu. She was later trained extensively in this art by her one time mentor, Wolverine, who also taught her Krav Maga. She has had training in gymnastics and is a professional level dancer.
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 his colleague 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. [link] [link].According to a recent interview with Chris Claremont, several elements of Kitty Pryde's personality were derived from Louise Simonson's daughter, Julie. [link] p. 79
Alternate Shadowcats
Kate Pryde/Widget
In the Days of Future Past timeline (Earth 811), the assassination of Senator Robert Kelly by Mystique and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants set off a wave of anti-mutant hysteria that led to the Mutant Registration Act and the creation of a new line of Sentinels. The Sentinels took over the government and either executed or enslaved all superhumans.In an attempt to alter the past, the remaining X-Men, along with Rachel Summers, Franklin Richards and Magneto worked together to send the consciousness of the now-adult Kate Pryde back in time to inhabit the body of her younger self, who had just joined the X-Men. Kate Pryde worked with the X-Men of the present to prevent the assassination. Once this was accomplished, her consciousness returned to her own time, where she discovered that she had not altered history, merely created another timeline. In her absence, the rest of the X-Men died protecting her unconscious body, leaving only Kate and Rachel alive.
Running for their lives, they were cornered when the Phoenix Force appeared, having followed her out of curiosity, and Kate persuaded it to take Rachel back, physically, to the timeline she'd just been to, and to keep her from remembering the horrors she'd been through. After Rachel was gone, Kate was captured, and the Sentinels attempted to use the residual effects of the time warp on her to retrieve Rachel. Just as the warp was being created, her inhibitor collar failed and she phased, merging with the warp.
She came to rest in a small metal, off-spherical body (built by Tweedledope of the Crazy Gang) in the timeline Rachel resided in and was known as Widget. Her mind scrambled by the "interference" from other timelines she felt, she was amnesiac and went about everything with a child-like glee, and inadvertently took Excalibur (including Rachel) through a number of alternate timelines in a so-called "Cross-Time Caper". After this, Roma had her locked to the Marvel Universe timeline, preventing her from moving far from it. This began to clear her mind, and she reconstructed her body. After this, Rachel (who had recovered her full memory), Widget and Excalibur returned to Rachel's original timeline and successfully reprogrammed the ruling Sentinels to protect all life, ending their tyranny.
Lightning Force
In one of the many alternate universes in which World War II was won by Germany, Shadowcat was a member of that reality's Excalibur, the Lightning Force. Being Jewish, Kitty was forced to serve alongside Nightcrawler, Meggan and Hauptmann Englande. Shadowcat led a sad existence, and was easily identified by her shaved head and the Star of David tattooed on her forehead.Cat
In Magik #1, Shadowcat renamed herself "Cat" after she was mutated by Belasco into a more feline form, with cat eyes, whiskers and a tail.Amalgam
Shadowcat appeared in the Amalgam Comics title Spider-Boy Team-Up merged with Legion of Super-Heroes member Phantom Girl to form the character Phantom Cat. She was a member of the Legion Of Galactic Guardians 2099.Age of Apocalypse
In the alternate reality called the Age of Apocalypse, Shadowcat grew up under harsh circumstances and her nature reflected it. She has short hair, tight clothes, and is a chain smoker. Her parents were killed in the Chicago Culls and she was forcibly recruited into Apocalypse's army by Sabretooth, but was later rescued by Colossus. Magneto put Shadowcat under Logan's training so she would become the X-Men's ghost assassin. Kate became a warrior, even donning a pair of metallic retractable claws, and along with her husband Colossus became the teacher of Generation Next after Colossus had refused to continue the war for Xavier's dream. Despite being of a similar age of her trainees, Shadowcat's training was extremely harsh. They succeeded in their first mission to rescue Colossus' sister Illyana, but at the cost of their students' lives. This reality's Shadowcat was accidentally killed by Colossus in his ruthless obssession to protect his sister Illyana.
Ultimate Shadowcat
In the Ultimate Marvel continuity, Kitty Pryde was one of the first additions to the core X-Men group. She was the only child of Theresa Pryde, a strong, independent woman who is hinted to have brought up Kitty alone. Kitty had a long-standing crush on Spider-Man which was recently fulfilled in the Ultimate Spider-Man Annual #1, where they hooked up after ending their relationships with their respective ex-partners, Iceman (Bobby Drake) and Mary Jane Watson. In USM #87, Kitty and Peter are dating for the first time in the "real" comic. Brian Michael Bendis, writer of Ultimate Spider-Man, plans to continue with Kitty as a supporting character in USM. [link]. Issue 66 of Ultimate X-Men showed Kitty and Spidey on a date. This issue reveals that they spend much of their time hunting criminals to beat up. This effectively makes Kitty his crime-fighting partner. However, the next issue shows a singular panel involving the two, where they passionately kiss, showing that the probable reason the two fight crime is to keep their relationship to themselves, and still be seen together in public without questions arising, though Kitty eventually adopts a full masked costume to fight crime with Spider-Man so when seen with Peter Parker, people will be less likely to figure it out.
When the X-Men are kidnapped by the mercenary Deadpool and his team of Reavers, Kitty sent an X-Plane to Spider-Man for help. Spider-Man boards the plane and is taken to the X-Mansion, where he, too, is subdued and kidnapped. The X-Men and Spider-Man are taken to Krakoa where they fight Deadpool and the Reavers on Genoshan television. Because their entire fight is televised, their romantic relationship is revealed to the world. While this causes the two to rank as a "Hot Couple", it effectively prevents them from being able to date without compromising Peter's secret identity. This is shown to place a strain on their relationship, though both characters insist that they wish to continue dating. When Peter Parker is confronted by his ex-girlfriend, Mary Jane, with a picture of he and Shadowcat together, he admits that he is not in love with Kitty but that he is "working on it".
X-Men: The End
In the non-canonical future, Kitty Pryde first becomes mayor of Chicago and then President of the USA. She has three children with an unnamed partner.Appearances in other media
- 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.
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- In the animated television one-shot Pryde of the X-Men, Kitty Pryde was voiced by Kath Soucie. In that episode, she was the viewpoint character.
- Shadowcat appears in Konami's 1992 X-Men video arcade game, as a non-playable character. In this game, she is not known as "Shadowcat"; instead, she plays the "damsel in distress" role.
- Shadowcat never appeared in the 1990s X-Men animated series, not even in a cameo role.
- In the video game , Kitty has a cameo as a non-playable character 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, a humorous scene occurs wherein Shadowcat scolds Colossus for hypothetically flirting with the Scarlet Witch.
- In the animated series , Shadowcat is a main character and voiced by Maggie Blue O'Hara. In this continuity, she is a bright and carefree teenage girl who came from a loving family. Her love interest was Avalanche. She was also pursued by Evolution's Nightcrawler and, following the precedent of the comics, Kitty was initially repulsed by his appearance but then grew to accept him as a good friend.
- In the movie X-Men, she was played in cameo by Sumela Kay. In the sequel, X2, she was played in a similarly brief appearance by Katie Stuart. In she is portrayed by Ellen Page and has a larger role in the storyline, serving as a supposed romantic rival for Bobby Drake (Shawn Ashmore) to Rogue (Anna Paquin).
Trivia
- 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.
External links
- - Marvel Database Project
- [Sprite at Peoples Central]
- [UncannyXmen.net, Spotlight feature on Shadowcat]
- [Open directory listing for Shadowcat]
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