She was the first of the next generation. She would become the template that many have followed in her steps. She’s become a hero beyond the team she started with but loves to return to them here and there. So, who is Kitty Pryde and what’s her deal? Let’s find out!
Katherine “Kitty” Anne Pryde was born to Carmen and Theresa Pryde in Deerfield, Illinois. Here, Kitty lead a fairly happy life. As Kitty grew, she started to experience headaches, these were tied to her mutant gene awakening her phasing powers. This would lead to both the Hellfire Club and Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters seeking Kitty out to join their respective teams.
While both teams offered compelling arguments, it was the friendship Kitty was able to make with Storm of the X-Men that had her go to Xavier’s. Here, she would be the youngest student in a while, most of the students having been with the school since it’s inception or joining later in life. Kitty would find a mentor in Wolverine, a friendship that would prove to be life-long. Kitty would also gain an alien pet, a dragon-looking creature named Lockheed.
Even though Kitty had chosen Xavier over the Hellfire Club, Emma Frost of the Club would still seek to have Kitty join their side from time to time. This would lead to Kitty having a distrust of Emma for many years, especially when she would join the X-Men, years later.
Kitty would grow up among the chaos of being an X-Men and date members of varying teams she was a part of but never really finding anyone to stay with. Kitty also has a strong friendship with her former boyfriend, Colossus’s, sister, Illyana. Through all their adventures and experiences, these two have stayed close through it all.
Though the X-Men were her first team that she would find herself returning to many times over the years, her first foray with another team took the death of the X-Men for her to branch out. When many of the team was believed dead, Kitty would work together with several U.K. based heroes to form Excalibur.
By the time Kitty was college aged, she would decide to leave heroics behind to become as normal of college student as she could in Chicago. Sadly, her father would end up dead during an attack of the mutant nation of Genosha leading Kitty back to X-Men and joining Storm’s team. When the school is lead by Cyclops and Emma Frost, it is Emma who requests Kitty join their team to better keep Emma in check since she would be suspicious of her already and it kept Emma from slipping into her old ways as well.
During this time, Colossus, who had died several years prior in a mission, had returned, leaving the pair to try dating once more. Their reunion would be cut short as a massive bullet was aimed at Earth and Kitty would sacrifice herself, allowing the bullet to phase through the planet safely but getting stuck along for the ride. It would take the efforts of Magneto nearly killing himself to bring the bullet close enough to Earth allowing Kitty back and destroying the bullet in the process. Stuck in her phased form for a period, having spent so long in it to survive riding the bullet, she would eventually become tangible after several missions.
Wolverine would decide to start a genuine school for mutant children without any military training going on behind the scenes and asked Kitty to come teach at the Jean Grey School. Soon, Kitty found herself not just teaching but the new headmaster as Wolverine found the leadership role of a school not to his liking. This would lead to Kitty feeling underappreciated by her friends and would leave for Scott’s school.
During a time when the original X-Men had been time-tossed, Kitty took it upon herself to look after them and when young Jean Grey was kidnapped by aliens, Kitty would team up with the Guardians of the Galaxy to rescue her. After the rescue mission, Kitty would stay in contact with Peter Quill and the two would begin dating long-distance.
This relationship would eventually lead to Kitty teaming up with the Guardians again, even being asked to marry Peter and she would say yes. During this time, Peter would become busy running a planet, leaving Kitty and the rest of the Guardians without him. Kitty would decide to take on the name of Star-Lord and work with the Guardians on missions. Eventually, Kitty and Peter would part ways, realizing their lives were too hectic for such a thing.
Back on Earth, Kitty would return and be offered to lead her own team of X-Men by Storm. Taking control, she would finally be leading an X-team full time. She and Colossus would get back together and also get engaged but Kitty would step out at the last minute, realizing once more, their lives are too hectic despite their love.
When mutant kind began a massive move to the island of Krakoa, Kitty would go to join her friends. She would try to, for whatever reason, Kitty could not enter the portals around the world that could allow mutants to enter Krakoa quickly. Forced to go by ship, Kitty would be enlisted by Emma Frost to captain a ship and team, the Marauders, to free any mutants around the world who may be held captive for being mutants. Frost would dub her the Red Queen, effectively getting her wish, finally, of Kitty joining the Hellfire Club as a leader. It is at this time that she would change her name from Kitty to Kate and start sporting a long red coat.
There you have it! Kitty Pryde, or Kate Pryde nowadays, rather, has been an X-Men for over forty years now. She’s been on the big and small screen, animated and live-action. Where she’ll end up next is anyone’s guess. See you next time!
Suggested Reading
The Uncanny X-Men #129
Astonishing X-Men
Excalibur
Wolverine & the X-Men
Guardians of the Galaxy and the X-Men: Black Vortex
Legendary Star-Lord
Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3
Marauders
Dr. Bustos
drbustos@comicattack.net
