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This article, Katherine Pryde (Earth-61615), is property of MarvelousMarty. |
United States Government, U.S. Congress: United States Senate
Theresa Pryde (mother);
Piotr Rasputin (husband),
Christina Pryde (daughter),
Timur "Timmy" Pryde (son);
Peter Parker (ex-boyfriend),
Bobby Drake (ex-boyfriend)
X-Men Vol 1 1
History
"Once an X-Man, always an X-Man..." The Professor used to always tell us that... Even though I have a path of my own now, I'm starting to understand what he really meant.
- — Shadowcat
- — Shadowcat
Early Years
Born around early January 1986 in Deerfield, Illinois, mutant Katherine Anne "Kitty" Pryde was born to a strong, independent single mother named Theresa Pryde. Kitty's mutant powers began to manifest at a young age, discovering that she was able to rise and lower herself through solid objects while she was accidentally locked inside her chemistry laboratory after class, much to her astonishment that she was "gifted." However, her loving mother, upon learning her ability, abruptly became over-protective and concerned knowing how this conservative society that they were living in would react and respond to "someone of her kind." Seeking help from the mutant pacifist Professor Charles Xavier to give her daughter a safe space and a heavenly place for mutants to grow and develop with their powers and abilities, she became a student at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, located at the X-Mansion, Westchester County, New York.
Learning to Fight
Xavier brought Kitty to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, where Kitty herself expected she would learn and train to control her own ability in order to join the heroic X-Men. She befriended several mutants including Xavier himself and Professor Warren Worthington II, and several fellow students such as seniors Scott Summers, Hank McCoy, Ororo Munroe, Lorna Dane, and Jean Grey, though she would also befriend students and trainees of the same age group as hers, which included Warren Worthington III, Bobby Drake, Kurt Wagner, Rogue, Jubilee, and Piotr Rasputin, whom the latter had developed some secret lingering feelings for Kitty. Unfortunate for Peter, Kitty was dating Bobby at the time, rendering him to keep it until the two would break up at a much later time.
Despite Kitty's hopes and expectations of becoming an X-Man quite sooner, she would only end up feeling sheer dejection and utter disappointment after finding out that she was restricted to join the X-Men in outside activities and was only allowed to participate in indoor and any other training courses within the reaches of the X-Mansion, with Xavier reluctantly revealing to Kitty her mother's strong condition to keep her from becoming a full-time X-Men member if it involved dealing with fighting crime and other villainous mutants. Initially feeling enraged at and betrayed by her mother for keeping this overprotective secret, the latter apologized though still defended herself, explaining that her decision was done out of her care and love for her daughter in order to keep her out of danger.
This argument had inevitably caused a severe strain between the relationship of mother and daughter, but as time passes, Kitty later realized how truly concerned and loving her mother was for her with the helpful advice of her closest friends, knowing that she's the only family she had ever since her father left them for unknown reasons. Eager to fix her relationship with her mother, Kitty went home to apologize with each other and spend a day with her once again, reconciling their relationship as it has always been since the beginning. By the end of that day, Kitty's mother finally told her that she could now join the X-Men, only for Kitty to answer that her mother was right to think that way, in which Kitty assured and promised her that she would remain as a trainee and sometimes be a part-time member for the X-Men in which she surprisingly excels at, unless the world would be finally need her help and by such moment she would finally get her chance to phase out of the shadows and debut as a mutant superhero.
Joining the X-Men
- Main article: Ultimate War (Earth-61615)
Kitty joins the X-Men and teams up with the rest of the heroic Ultimate Alliance in the concluding battle against the Movement Alliance
When the mysterious and diabolical Movement Alliance conducted a series of massive terrorist attacks all over the world destroying several famous and sacred landmarks, killing over 1,500 people on the very first day of their worldwide assault. Consequently, all the Movement's opposing adversaries, the heroes, were united into creating their own Ultimate Alliance, in order to stop and prevent the Movement from commencing its schemes upon world domination and authoritarian rule, before its too late. For the first time in her, Kitty and some of her fellow schoolmates have never seen a conflict this atrocious and appalling and as they watch the ongoing news being reported across the world.
As the attacks all over the world have continued for days and then weeks, more and more casualties are sadly, starting to increase in numbers, due to the extreme terrorism and serious devastation, continuously committed by the conflict between the Movement Alliance and its seemingly unstoppable forces against the combined forces heroes and anti-heroes of the world, the Ultimate Alliance, who are not stopping their fight against the villains until they find a way to make them pay for their irreversible actions and restore back peace in the entire world.
Eventually, the adult Kitty finally gripped the chance to officially join the X-Men as her self-styled codename Shadowcat and as the heroic mutant team momentarily merged with the rest of the Ultimates and battle the forces of Movement. During one of the ensuing conflicts, Shadowcat along with her teammate, good friend, and on-and-off flame Colossus had teamed up with some Avengers, most notably her idols Hawkeye and Spider-Woman, on intervening the A.I.M. faction and some Hydra troops under the command of George Tarleton, whom they were able to defeat thanks to their cooperative efforts.
In the end of Sinister's short-lived reign, the villain was eventually founded by the mutant alliance (both Magneto's Brotherhood and the X-Men) once again in Genosha, after a dying Archangel threw a tracker on him without him noticing it, earlier during their battle. In the end, all of Sinister's clones were killed mostly by the overly-empowered Rogue, and he as well was finally defeated after he was defenseless after being surrounded by the X-Men and the Brotherhood, who used all their mightiest strength and powers against him that subsequently disintegrated the villain in the process, killing Mister Sinister and ending his tyranny in several countries all over the world and the Ultimate War itself once and for all. In the aftermath of Ultimate War, Kitty returned to the X-Mansion since graduating from University of Washington with her PhD, registering as a professor and an X-Men trainer now that she was and would always be, an X-Man.
After returning back to the X-Mansion to lay rest from a long month of fighting, an exhausted Peter suddenly bursts in joy (internally) when he found out that Kitty came back home after finishing graduate school from University of Washington, though he was either too insecure or somewhat shy to be personal with her once more due to the time just the two of them would hang out. Kitty, who secretly missed Peter after how many years they've last seen each other with just the two of them, person approached him and professed her love back for him, as he had done for her after a few years back. Peter was dumbfounded in the best imaginable way, overwhelmed that the very woman he had always cared for so long who initially rejected him, now surprisingly loves him back, making him believe that sometimes miracles are real. The two kissed with uttermost passion arising from the bottom of their hearts and spent the night together at Kitty's room, although they simply yet lovingly slept, embraced, and snuggled beside each other until dawn since Kitty insisted they should wait "a little bit more."
Mutant with Pryde!
Phasing Through a New Path
Kitty's reputation and dedication as a U.S. senator was one of the historically major instruments in improving the public perception towards mutants and their equal rights in the government
However, the aftermath of Ultimate War and its long-term effects took a toll on Kitty on a mental and emotional level, to which her social consciousness was slowly molded and gradually improved due to how the public started to perceive mutants due to Mister Sinister's campaign. In the next several years of carving her new career path, Kitty selflessly served her communities, tending to the needs of the people — be it human or not, no matter the social class — and actively advocated for mutant rights through the means of volunteering and working for the Department of Mutant Affairs, Kitty engaged in public service and politics with enough wit, courage, and knowledge, albeit at the cost of her leaving the X-Men as an active member and taking an indefinite leave of absence from teaching at the X-Mansion around the spring of 2021 as she would dedicate herself into lending her service to Mutant Affairs as an astrophysicist, as well as taking her courses in the major of political science when she started to work in the field. While she was reluctant to take these studies at first, it was a sacrifice that Kitty was willing to make to accept a more national responsibility, all to serve the greater good so she could grasp the opportunity to make a greater change for the betterment of mutants with greater legislative power in her hands.
Despite lacking enough campaign finance and endorsement, Kitty nevertheless ran for the United States Senate in late 2024 as an independent party, with the support of her associates and loved ones and without using her powers as means to gain fair advantage against her fellow candidate. Unfortunately, Kitty lost due to insufficient number of votes and the heated dispute which she unavoidably faced from opposing parties, such as the mutantphobic & militaristic Larry Trask, who won as president, and the avaricious & morally corrupt Arthur Vaughn, who won as senator due to his eccentric wits and fashionable charms to fuel the people's fear and hatred for the recent mutant-related events. However, when second chance came in the next two years, the very allies and supporters she had gained since her previous campaign only reminded her that the cause she was fighting for was far from over, she wasn't merely fighting for herself or her ideologies, but she was fighting for her people, so that mutants, inhumans, enhanced individuals, and other marginalized sectors of the community can have a future with egalitarian rights and privilege without facing stereotypical discrimination and subjugation, especially under the Trask administration and the history of mutant-related crimes.
A Legislator for a New Generation
In the end of her second chance, Kitty failed to give up on her goal as she went to run for a second time, and her win as the first "openly mutant" senator in the United States government was a major peaceful and progressive leap for mutantkind, especially since the elections were several months after Mister Sinister's second global assault on enhanced individuals, dubbed the X-t(In)ction Event, had taken place. Becoming officially inaugurated as a senator by early 2027, Kitty's activities were centered on making and/or legislating bills that are meant to improve the livelihoods of citizens in all aspects and their strengthen trust on the government, whether the people had powers or not, as well as supporting and passing laws centered on improving the environment through the use of eco-friendly technology and renewable energy and resources, something that was inspired by the ideas of her mentor and former teammate, Hank McCoy. However, the Trask administration would start to feel threatened by her progress and contributions as they would start to counteract the stance of the president against mutants, especially when Kitty became an outspoken critic towards the administration's recent actions against homeless or transient enhanced individuals.
When she failed to stop the greenlighting of the oppressive Executive Order 3144 which was deemed to stop the "growing mutant threat," which in reality was merely referring to the regrowth of the mutant population post-'X-t(In)ction Event' (as the late Professor X had restored them as the last Phoenix Force host), Kitty had no other choice but to go back to her roots and secretly reunite with her friends and family at the X-Mansion, including her distant lover, Piotr, whom Kitty would eventually get back together with after two years of separation. Through her connections with the Hellfire Club and the Department of Mutant Affairs, the rest of the X-Men and even the Brotherhood was able to secretly meet and welcome her as they heeded to her warnings about the ulterior motives of Trask and the true identity of Senator Vaughn: Mojo Adams, a long lost enemy of the X-Men who used to hunt mutants with his power and influence in the media who had since amplified his impact on the majority of the Congress's decisions by using a secret hypnotic device.
Because of these actions driven by one's hatred towards mutantkind across the nation, Kitty and her allies was once again have to face the next largest threat on their own as both the heroic and radical mutant groups were forced to assemble and at the same time, rescue every oppressed mutant which they could find from the torturous hands of the Order 3144's Nimrod Sentinel police and give them refuge within the remote island of Magneto's Citadel, Genosha, in the meantime until victory is established against the efficiently-coercive government. Despite risking her life once more, Kitty still used her platform to speak with her allies at the government to the rest of the country and the world to expose the true colors and intentions of Trask, Adams, and those who willingly work for him. This bided enough time for Kitty and the mutant alliance to investigate and confront the generals of the Sentinel Program, Reverend William Stryker and Major Sebastion Gilberti, to which Kitty had found herself confronting the former nearing the finale of their battle against Trask and his anti-mutant forces, ending their conflict with truth and justice prevailing as the masterminds behind the Sentinel program and Order 3144 were finally apprehended, effectively abolishing the inhumane law.
After Trask's administration fell in its third year thanks to the efforts both the mutant alliance and their supporters around the world, Vice President Miriam Sharpe took the place of position as the new President of the United States of America. Despite her once infamous disdain and prejudice against superheroes for having them responsible for the death of her son during Ultimate War, it was revealed she has since had a change of heart after seeing the heroes pure sincerity ever since Thanos' Infinity Quest years. With the help of selfless and passionate figures in the government such as Senator Pryde amongst other public servants, she pledged to the people that she would do everything in her executive power to right the wrongs Trask, Adams, and its subordinates have inflicted on mutants across America, seeing the latter and humanity as equal, which received mostly critical and general acclaim from the public. Kitty was hailed as a hero, both with her momentary return in the X-Men as Shadowcat, as well as her reputation as a selfless senator that would be seen as a figure of hope and perseverance for the next generations.
Powers and Abilities
Powers
Homo Superior Physiology: Shadowcat is a mutant who possesses the ability to pass through solid matter and objects by passing her atoms through the spaces between the atoms of the object through which she was moving. In this way, she and the object through which she was passing could temporarily merge without interacting, leaving her unharmed. During her extensive trainings, Shadowcat also discovered the abilities to condense the atoms of her body and even increase extra dimensional mass, which amplify her strength, durability, and resistance.
- Phasing/Intangibility
- Selective Intangibility
- Elemental Intangibility
- Physical Disruption
- Non-Corporeal Physiology
- Air & Water Walking
- Phasing/Intangibility Extension
- Camouflage
- Shadow Camouflage
- Electronic Disruption
- Telepathic Resistance
- Cloaking
- Density Manipulation
- Superhuman Strength
- Superhuman Durability
- Superhuman Physical Resistance
| Power Grid [1] | |||||
| Intelligence |
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| Strength* |
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| Speed* |
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| Durability* |
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| Energy Projection |
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| Fighting Skills |
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| * Heightened stats on durability represents the peak potential of her phasing abilities | |||||
Abilities
- Leadership
- Expert Martial Artist
- Dance Training
- Expert Pilot
- Computer Expert
- Multilingual
- Trained Swordsman
Strength level
Class 13+
Weaknesses
- Mystical Vulnerability
- Phasing Limitations
Paraphernalia
Equipment:
- Shadowcat's X-Suit
Transportation:
- X-Men Blackbird
- The X-Jets
Weapons: None known.
Notes
- Kitty is a devoted Jewish, similarly to her mainstream counterpart.
- Kitty simply labeled orientation as someone who would often find attraction to men, though she also was never close-minded in finding some women attractive (but not exclusively) at the same time, indicating she's bisexual. An instance of this scenario was when she confessed Spider-Woman being one of her few girl crushes, and has later admitted into having blind dates with a few men and women — a tattoo artist named Krissy and a teacher named Rachel — a few years before she eventually got back together with Colossus and got more committed with him.
- Kitty was in her late twenties when she officially joined the X-Men during the Ultimate War. Her outside encounters teaming up with the X-Men prior to that were times when she haven't decided to be a full-time member due to the promise that she made to her mother that she would only join the X-Men when the "world deems it so."
- ↑ Modern Comics: X-Men Vol 1 15
Trivia
- Kitty occasionally used Tumblr and Twitter under the public account of @Shadow.X.Kat, where she frequently posts about her personal life and advocates her support on mutant rights against their prejudice. As of early 2024, she has gained approximately 18 million followers before she eventually ran for Senate and subsequently won during her second campaign in late 2026, wherein she garnered a total of 80 million followers and counting as she used her social media accounts as formal platforms of advocacy.
- Kitty's first time (losing her virginity) was with Peter Parker, one of her very people whom she officially considered dating instead of just a fling. Unfortunately, Peter decided to end their relationship for each his and her own good, since Peter confessed that he still hasn't completely moved on from Gwen Stacy's passing at the time, while Kitty seems to (by mistake, subconsciously, and Freudian slip) often called his name with an accent, referring to Piotr a.k.a. Colossus, every time they meet.
- Speaking of Piotr, that was one of the very first moments Kitty realized having feelings for her friend and batchmate ever since he confessed to her.
See Also
- Appearances of Katherine Pryde (Earth-61615)
- Character Gallery: Katherine Pryde (Earth-61615)
- Quotations by Katherine Pryde (Earth-61615)
Discover and Discuss
- Search News for: Kitty Pryde · Katherine Anne Pryde · Katherine Pryde (Earth-61615)
Links and References
- None.