Katherine "Kitty" PrydeKate Pryde

Brave, resourceful and level headed, the mutant Kitty Pryde can disrupt and phase through solid matter. She joins the X-Men at a young age and quickly becomes familiar with planet-sized perils. With her genius-level intellect and phasing powers, Kitty is instrumental in the X-Men’s victories over their many enemies of mutant-kind and mankind, including the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and the Brood.

Not Just A Phase

Katherine “Kitty” Pryde’s genius-level intellect allows her to take college-level courses at 13 1⁄2 years old. As a young Jewish girl, with a Grandfather who survived a Nazi concentration camp in World War II, she leads an otherwise normal life in Deerfield, Illinois. Until she experiences increasingly severe headaches due to her emerging mutant power. Unaware that she’s a mutant, Kitty finds out as two special schools detect her mutant nature and seek to recruit her. Emma Frost, secretly the corrupt White Queen of the Hellfire Club, visits the Pryde home offering Kitty a place in her elite Massachusetts Academy. During the visit, Kitty suffers her worst headache yet and retreats upstairs to her room. When the headache stops, Kitty finds she phased through solid matter, passing through her bed and floor into the room below. 

As Frost leaves, Charles Xavier, AKA Professor X, arrives to invite Kitty to join his school. While Xavier talks with her parents, Kitty socializes with several of Xavier’s students, secretly members of his heroic X-Men team, until Frost’s minions attacked them; the X-Men present are captured but Kitty escapes, and she soon helps several other X-Men and the mutant singer Alison Blaire, AKA Dazzler, free Frost’s captives. After Frost’s defeat, the X-Men’s Jean Grey, AKA Phoenix (the Phoenix Force possessing Grey) telepathically coerced Kitty’s parents into letting Pryde join Xavier’s School, making her the X-Men’s youngest member. 

Kitty quickly befriends her teammate Ororo Munroe, AKA Storm, who calls her Kitten and gives her her first codename: Sprite. Kitty is at first uncomfortable around teammate Kurt Wagner, AKA Nightcrawler, but they eventually become close friends and he nicknames her Katzchen. She soon develops a crush on another teammate, Piotr Rasputin, AKA Colossus, who often calls her Katya. Their relationship eventually develops into a chaste romance. As part of her enrollment, Xavier arranges for Kitty to take dance classes under Stevie Hunter.

Intangibility Powers

Kitty Pryde can “phase” through solid matter by shifting her atoms through the spaces between the atoms of the object through which she is moving. Kitty phases her clothing along with herself, and through practice has learned to phase other objects and people without harm, as long as she remains in contact with them. For all intents and purposes, Kitty is intangible while phased; however, she is still vulnerable to mystical attacks and some energy attacks, such as Harpoon's energy harpoons. She has trained herself to instinctually become intangible at any sign of danger, such as a loud noise. Some objects of great density, such as Adamantium and the metal of the Breakworld, offer resistance to her phasing power. When Kitty phases through an object with an electrical system, including the human body’s bioelectric system, she disrupts the flow of electrons from atom to atom, effectively short-circuiting the system. As a result, Kitty can render others unconscious by phasing part or all of her body through them, typically without harm to herself. Kitty can also wound or even kill others by phasing them into a solid object and then releasing them, causing them to solidify while still within the object. 

She passes through objects at the same rate of speed at which she is moving before phasing. She can also keep her phased form at rest to the Earth’s rotation, allowing her to assume a ground speed of 150 yards per second. By shifting her atoms between those of air molecules, Kitty can “walk on air.” Since she cannot breathe while phasing, she can only continuously phase through solid objects—as when she travels underground—as long as she can hold her breath. After Harpoon injured her, Kitty’s natural state was to be phased, and she could become tangible only through an active force of will; the extent to which this condition persists at present is unclear. Because her molecular state is so unstable, it has been theorized that some elements of her psyche may reside in different dimensions. Thus, Kitty is functionally immune to any form of telepathic probe, but has been affected by delusions produced by Omega-level telepaths like Emma Frost and Nate Grey, AKA X-Man.

When she is exposed to the Black Vortex, an artifact that endows its bearer with cosmic-level powers, her abilities are enhanced so that she can phase through other planes of existence beyond her own. 

Kitty possesses moderate expertise in the martial arts of the Japanese ninja and samurai, and is proficient with edged weapons and nunchaku. A computer science genius, she is highly skilled in the design and use of computer hardware. She is also a skilled pilot of various aircraft and certain advanced interstellar vehicles. She’s trained in ballet and modern dance, speaks fluent Japanese, Russian, and the royal and standard languages of the alien Shi’ar, and has moderate expertise in Gaelic, Hebrew, and German. Kitty is slightly nearsighted.

Adversarial Agents

In her early days with the X-Men, she faces off with Emma Frost and Max Eisenhardt, AKA Magneto. Kitty eventually joins with Emma to liberate mutants. So some of her adversaries teeter between enemy and ally.

Belasco, a sorcerer in the dimension limbo steals away Kitty’s new friend Illyana Rasputin, AKA Magik, and in Kitty’s attempt to save her, Belasco removes Kitty’s skeleton. Thanks to her intangibility powers and Storm’s ability to reform her skeleton to her body, Kitty is saved.

The Brood, a group of aliens, impregnates Kitty with Brood drones but they are eventually defeated by her allies, the X-Men. She also goes up against Ogun, Phobos, and Nathaniel Essex, AKA Mister Sinister’s minions.

Chosen Family

Kitty’s parents, Carmen and Theresa “Terri” Pryde, are at first reluctant to allow her to attend Xavier’s school since she had disappeared with him and his X-Men to get a soda and they heard the malt shop had been burned to the ground. While possessed by the Phoenix Force, Jean Grey uses her psychic powers to modify their memories and make them more congenial, so that they would allow Kitty to attend the school for gifted youngsters. 

Kitty happily joins the X-Men and becomes close to Storm and James Howlett/Logan, AKA Wolverine, who calls her Cat and Pun’kin. She soon develops a crush on Colossus, and befriends his younger sister Illyana. Kitty and Illyana end up the same age after Illyana spends many years in an alternate dimension (limbo) and form a connection akin to a psychic bond. Kitty later forms a similar bond to Lockheed, a housecat-sized dragon-alien, who helps her battle murderous parasites. At one point, Xavier puts her on the New Mutants team, which she sees as a demotion.

Her relationship with Piotr becomes more romantic later and they share an on-again, off-again relationship. In between, she joined with Lockheed, Nightcrawler, Rachel Summers, AKA Phoenix (later Marvel Girl), Meggan and Captain Britain to form the British super-team Excalibur to protect humanity. She dates teammate Peter Wisdom, though when Colossus finds out, he goes into a jealous rage and nearly kills him. The team takes responsibility for Colossus and he became a valuable member of Excalibur. Kitty sticks with Peter until she starts having feelings for Rigby Fallon, an intern at S.H.I.E.L.D. while she worked there. Peter breaks up with her after finding out.

She eventually rejoins the X-Men under Wolverine’s leadership and as headmistress of Xavier’s school, renamed the Jean Grey School of Higher Learning. When the younger versions of the original X-Men are brought forward through time, Kitty takes it upon herself to guide them. While she wants to leave the decision of whether they return to their time to them, the rest of the X-Men disagree, so she leaves and takes the time-displaced mutants with her. She acts as a mentor to the young Jean Grey, who tries to come to grips with her ever-increasing telepathic abilities. 

When young Jean is abducted by the Shi’ar who seek to make her pay for the older Jean Grey/Phoenix’s crimes, Kitty meets the Guardians of the Galaxy. Kitty strikes up a flirtatious friendship with Peter Quill, AKA Star-Lord, which blossoms into a romance. She joins the Guardians of the Galaxy and helps him when his father J’Son harnesses the power of the Black Vortex. Though she succeeds at turning the power against him and becomes cosmically empowered saving the planet Spartax. After Quill becomes King of planet Spartax, she supports him and takes on his identity as Star-Lord, despite Quill taking issue with it. They become engaged but it ends due to a betrayal of trust on Quill’s part. 

Kitty later reunites with Piotr and proposes to him, but leaves him at the altar due to their tumultuous history being a poor foundation for a marriage.

Later, Kitty joins with her former enemy Emma Frost to liberate mutants and forms the Marauders with Storm, Bobby Drake, AKA Iceman, Lockheed, St. John Allerdyce, AKA Pyro.

Phasing In and Out

After successfully completing her first training session in the X-Men’s Danger Room, Kitty collapsed, her psyche switched with that of her adult counterpart from Earth-811, a post-apocalyptic future wherein mutant-hunting Sentinels ruled. That reality’s adult Kate Pryde sought to prevent her future from occurring by stopping Senator Robert Kelly’s assassination by Raven Darkhölme, AKA Mystique’s Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. With the X-Men’s help, Kate saved Kelly’s life, and both psyches were restored to their proper places. During this adventure, Kitty’s mind occupied Kate’s body in the future, mostly dormant but retaining a vague recollection of her surroundings. 

Soon after, Kitty proved herself by single-handedly defeating one of the demonic N’Garai when it invaded Xavier’s school. Later, while Kitty attended a Dazzler concert, lonely mutant outcast Caliban of the sewer-dwelling Morlocks tried to kidnap Pryde, but Storm and Jessica Drew, AKA Spider-Woman, stopped him. Ordered to stay behind when the X-Men went to confront Magneto, Kitty stowed away; her powers proved instrumental in disrupting his latest plan, and she inadvertently prompted his temporary reformation when Magneto became guilt stricken after nearly killing her. After returning home, Kitty was stunned to learn that her parents wanted to transfer her to Frost’s school, unaware that it was part of a plot by Frost to infiltrate the X-Men by switching bodies with Storm. After learning the truth, Kitty helped Storm upset Frost’s plan and she returned to Xavier’s School.

After Colossus’ younger sister Illyana was kidnapped by Belasco, sorcerer and ruler of limbo (Otherplace), Kitty and the X-Men travel there and in their rescue attempt, Belasco removes Kitty’s skeleton. She is saved by Storm and her intangibility powers. They rescued Illyana and returned to their dimension. Belasco came back and snatched Illyana through a portal despite Kitty’s efforts to hold onto her. Kitty reached back through the portal and pulled her back though, though Illyana spent seven years in Belasco’s limbo while only seconds passed on Earth. Afterward, Kitty and Illyana became close friends and they eventually share what amounts to a psychic bond.

During Kitty’s first off-planet voyage, the X-Men were captured by the parasitic Brood and implanted with eggs that would transform them into Brood hatchlings. Despite imminent death, they fought to save the Acanti, a peaceful space-faring race enslaved by the Brood. During the struggle, a small dragon-like alien saved Kitty and then secretly stowed away on the X-Men's spacecraft. After the Brood’s defeat, the Acanti leader purged the X-Men of the Brood eggs. Returning to Earth, Kitty was reassigned by Xavier to his new junior trainee team the New Mutants, much to her chagrin. Kitty tried and failed to convince Xavier to let her rejoin the X-Men until she faced an alien Sidri infestation. Despite her powers being neutralized by them, Kitty held her own against the Sidri until the alien dragon’s assistance helped turn the tide. Impressed, Xavier allowed Kitty to rejoin the X-Men and permitted the dragon to stay with her. Kitty named the dragon Lockheed and soon formed an empathic bond with him. 

After Colossus’ younger sister Illyana became a teenager by spending seven years in the sorcerer Belasco’s limbo while seconds passed on Earth, she and Kitty also became close friends. Soon after, the X-Men sought to rescue their former teammate Warren Worthington III, AKA Angel, from the Morlocks. Infected by the Morlock Plague and nursed by Caliban, Kitty asked him to help the X-Men in exchange for her promise to remain underground with him. Caliban helped Storm overthrow Callisto as Morlock leader, but Kitty broke her word and left with the X-Men and takes the codename Ariel. Later, the Morlocks abducted Kitty and faked her death to mislead the X-Men. Kitty agreed to marry Caliban if the Morlocks helped Colossus, who had been seriously injured while battling the Brotherhood. Colossus was saved, but when Caliban realized Kitty didn’t love him, he released her from her vow.

Kitty gained another close friend in local boy Doug Ramsey, unknowingly a mutant, who shared her affinity for computers and later joined the New Mutants as Cypher. When the cosmic Beyonder abducted the X-Men (minus Kitty) for his “secret wars,” Colossus fell in love with a healer named Zsaji who gave her life to save his. After the X-Men returned to Earth, Colossus broke up with Kitty. 

Heartbroken, Pryde left the X-Men to visit her recently divorced father. After learning of his involvement with the Japanese Yakuza, she followed him to Japan where she was captured and mentally enslaved by Ogun, her teammate Wolverine’s former sensei. Ogun sent Kitty to kill Wolverine but she failed, and, in turn, Wolverine trained Kitty until she was skillful enough to help defeat Ogun and exorcise his spirit and it was during this time that she takes the alias Shadowcat. Shortly thereafter, Kitty met the X-Men’s newest member, Rachel Summers, a mutant from Earth-811’s future. Remembering Rachel from her earlier psyche swap, Kitty quickly befriended her. She also made peace with Colossus and the two became close friends.

When Illyana, now called Magik, was temporarily erased from reality, her Soulsword—the ultimate expression of her magical abilities—and magical armor were mystically transferred to Kitty due to their connection. Later, during the massacre of the Morlocks by Mister Sinister’s Marauders, Kitty was injured by one of Harpoon’s energy spears, leaving her unable to regain solidity and becoming progressively more immaterial. She was rushed to Muir Island where she was tended to by Dr. Moira MacTaggert and placed in a protective chamber. While she waited for a cure, Lockheed sat by her side. She was ultimately saved by the combined efforts of Victor von Doom, AKA Doctor Doom, and the Fantastic Four’s Reed Richards, AKA Mister Fantastic, but she could now only maintain solidity through concentration. 

Recuperating on Muir Island, alongside her injured teammate Nightcrawler who was in a coma, Kitty and Lockheed witnessed the televised apparent death of the X-Men. Nightcrawler came to and she informed him of the bad news. Cypher’s almost simultaneous death in action with the New Mutants added to Kitty’s personal loss. Still grieving, she and Nightcrawler helped Brian Braddock, AKA Captain Britain and Meggan save Rachel from Mojo’s Warwolves and the otherdimensional bounty hunters the Technet, and the heroes decided to form the British super-team Excalibur to honor the seemingly dead X-Men.

When Excalibur became involved in an attempted demonic invasion of Manhattan, Kitty briefly manifested Illyana’s Soulsword and armor when Illyana sacrificed her magic to end the invasion and reverted to childhood. Returning to Excalibur’s home, Kitty found the Soulsword there waiting for her, but she refused to wield it. 

Later, during a series of interdimensional adventures, Kitty was forced to kill for the first time when she saved Earth-1289’s Princess Kymri from the nefarious Anjulie. Kitty was then separated from her teammates and, believing them lost, she returned to Reality-616 (her native reality) where she continued her schooling at St. Searle’s School for Girls. After helping save the school from closure, Pryde rejoined her recently returned teammates to oppose Mesmero. Upon learning that the X-Men had not been killed, Kitty, Nightcrawler, and Rachel opted to remain with Excalibur to represent Xavier’s dream throughout Europe.

When Illyana contracted the mutant-killing Legacy Virus, Kitty rushed to her side and watched over her until she finally succumbed. At Illyana’s funeral, Kitty witnessed a disillusioned Colossus’ defection to Magneto. Xavier later had Pryde lure Colossus to Muir Island to test his mental faculties, to see if he switched sides of his own free will, only to learn that Colossus had indeed freely joined Magneto. Kitty later saw Rachel seemingly sacrifice herself to rescue a time-lost Captain Britain, and was shocked to encounter Douglock, an apparent techno-organic replica of Doug Ramsey (actually the former New Mutant Warlock whose mind had been overwritten with fragments of Doug’s brain patterns). Initially angry at the perceived mockery of her late friend’s memory, Kitty ultimately accepted him. 

Eventually, Kitty learned that Illyana’s death had bonded the Soulsword to her and that its arcane magic had begun to corrupt her. She surrendered it to teammate Amanda Sefton, who used her magic to sever its bond with Kitty. Soon after, the clandestine organization Black Air sought Excalibur’s assistance on a mission to the mutant rights-violating nation Genosha. Excalbur’s assigned liaison, uncouth British mutant Peter Wisdom, regularly clashed with the outspoken Kitty. The pair eventually overcame their initial impressions of one another and a decade’s age difference and began dating. Wisdom quit Black Air and joined Excalibur to be with Kitty. Soon after, Colossus returned to Muir Island, saw Kitty and Wisdom kissing and flew into a rage, almost killing Wisdom. Realizing Colossus was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, Kitty and her teammates offered to help him, though she berated him for assaulting Wisdom.

Elite intelligence agency S.H.I.E.L.D. recruited Kitty to repair their Helicarrier’s computer system as it would inexplicably only accept her commands. Kitty discovered Ogun’s spirit within the computer system, and Wolverine helped her purge Ogun’s presence. During this time, Kitty’s attraction to S.H.I.E.L.D. intern Rigby Fallon made her doubt her relationship with Wisdom. Learning of this, and fearing further hurt, Wisdom broke up with her and left Excalibur. 

After Captain Britain and Meggan were married, Excalibur disbanded and Kitty, Colossus, and Nightcrawler rejoined the X-Men. A subsequent visit to her father on Genosha saw Kitty briefly develop a more rebellious attitude, reflected in a drastic change in appearance, a more ferocious combat style and wielding one of Wolverine’s broken bone claws in battle. Kitty eventually left the X-Men and enrolled in Chicago’s Robert A. Heinlein School for Engineering and Astrophysics on a full scholarship, and began working as a bartender for her neighbor at his establishment, the Belles of Hell.

After Colossus sacrificed himself to help produce a cure for the Legacy virus, he was seemingly cremated. Kitty spread the ashes in his native Russia, unaware that Colossus had survived and that the remains were from a duplicate created by the Breakworld alien Ord. Concerned over prophecies claiming an Earth mutant would destroy his planet, Ord had secretly stolen Colossus’ body, and later revived and experimented on him. Unaware of this, Kitty later clashed with the anti-mutant student organization Purity and was forced to attend mandatory counseling as a result. During this time, Kitty learned her father was among those killed in a Sentinel attack on Genosha. Kitty’s battle against Purity continued when the organization tried to frame her for sabotaging a research experiment. A student meeting was called to debate the banning of either Purity or mutants from campus, but discussions were cut short by an attack by a new form of Sentinels, which Kitty ultimately destroyed with the help of former New Mutant Xi’an Coy Manh, AKA Karma, and Genoshan exchange student Shola Inkosi. Kitty and a Storm-led squad of X-Men later reluctantly teamed with the mutant-hating Reverend William Stryker against Mount Haven’s rogue artificial intelligence Reverend Paul, who threatened both humans and mutants until Stryker imprisoned Paul’s intelligence by merging with him.

While assisting Storm’s X-Men against the mutant predator Elias Bogan, Kitty was reunited with Rachel. After Bogan’s defeat, Kitty accompanied the team to the Xavier Institute and was asked to rejoin the team by co-headmaster Scott Summers, AKA Cyclops. Pryde agreed reluctantly, as a reformed Emma Frost was now the school’s co-headmistress; however, Frost revealed that she wanted Kitty on the team as a safety measure should she ever revert to type. Soon after, the X-Men encountered Ord and Kitty discovered Colossus was alive. After Ord’s defeat, Colossus rejoined the X-Men and, having overcome her initial shock, Kitty resumed her romance with him. 

After the X-Men’s clash with Danger (the rogue sentient Danger Room computer), Xavier Institute prisoner Cassandra Nova mentally forced Emma to create a delusion within Kitty’s mind wherein Kitty believed she and Colossus had a child together that the X-Men had imprisoned due to its dangerous powers. When Kitty phased her “child” Nova out of her prison, Cassandra tried to possess Kitty but failed. At that moment, Ord and Danger both attacked the X-Men and all were teleported away by the Sentient Worlds Observation and Response Department (S.W.O.R.D.), an agency which dealt with alien threats to Earth; S.W.O.R.D. had learned that the mutant in the Breakworld prophecies was Colossus, and that Powerlord Kruun intended to destroy Earth with a ten-mile long bullet to prevent the prophecy’s fulfillment. Traveling to the Breakworld with S.W.O.R.D.’s Abigail Brand, Kitty and the X-Men learned the prophecy was part of an elaborate scheme by Aghanne, the insane leader of a reformation cult who sought the Breakworld’s destruction. Seeking to save Earth, Kitty phased inside the bullet as it launched, mistakenly believing it was a missile she could mechanically disrupt. Unable to disable it, she was trapped inside as it approached Earth. Kitty pushed her phasing ability to its ultimate potential and phased the entire bullet so that it passed harmlessly through Earth, but became bonded to it, stuck in an intangible state and Earth’s heroes unable to free her. 

Sometime later, while trying to prove his good intentions, former X-Men enemy Magneto located the bullet, retrieved it, and freed Kitty, but her body could not unphase. Kitty remained in a special preservation chamber in the X-Men’s infirmary, awaiting a cure, no longer going by Shadowcat but simply Kitty. During this time, she helped Emma Frost with making her former Hellfire teammate Sebastian Shaw disappear. Kitty was returned to normal after a battle between the Breakworlders and the X-Men. Kitty though slain during the battle, she was resurrected by Breakworld’s leader Kruun’s mate Haleena, her powers restored.

Kitty traveled with Magik and Colossus into the Crimson Cosmos where they met with Cyttorak, a god and demon who created the crimson gem that gave Cain Marko, AKA Juggernaut, his powers. Intending to become his new avatar, Illyana informed Cyttorak that Cain betrayed him but Colossus intervened and became the new Juggernaut. Colossus’ sacrifice made Kitty realize she needed someone who was willing to live for their causes, not only die for them, so she broke off their relationship.

When Wolverine restarted Xavier’s school, against Scott who he thought was using the kids as soldiers, Kitty joined Logan and became the school’s headmistress, now renamed the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning. While she was there, she became pregnant suddenly but she was really infected by Brood drones, and the Brood invaded the school. She was saved with Centaurian penicillin after a battle between the Brood and the X-Men. She and Bobby Drake share a few kisses and date but it doesn’t last long. When Henry McCoy, AKA Beast, brought the original five X-Men through to their time to prevent Cyclops’ outlaw mutant rebellion from getting to genocide, Kitty took the students under her wing.

Kitty left the school after her companions distrusted her decisions during the Battle of the Atom, and in taking the time-displaced X-Men with her, she joined Cyclops’ X-Men and the New Charles Xavier School for Mutants. She then met the Guardians of the Galaxy and helped free a young Jean Grey from the Shi’ar who tried to pin Phoenix’s prior crimes on her. Kitty bonded with Guardians member Star-Lord and they embarked on a long-distance relationship.

During one of their dates, Peter was taken by the Slaughter Squad but Kitty successfully rescued him. Though she saved him from Peter’s father, J’son. They stole the Black Vortex from J’son, an artifact that could enhance a person’s powers on a cosmic level. Growing concerned with what to do with it, they looped in the Guardians and the X-Men. Though the Black Vortex changed hands, going from the X-Men and Guardians, to the Kree empire and back to J’son, the X-Men ultimately recovered it. Kitty succumbed to its power so that she could phase the planet Spartax, that J’son had encased for the Brood in a construct, through its enclosure and save it. Kitty kept her cosmic powers and afterward, Star-Lord proposed marriage and she accepted.

The people of Spartax elected Kitty’s fiancée Peter as their new King of Spartax and after some hesitation on his part, Kitty supported him and he became King leaving the Guardians behind. His duties as King made her feel lonely so she worked with the Guardians and assumed Peter’s identity as Star-Lord. Peter became upset that Kitty was trying to make him look bad and they had a falling out. She joined the Guardians with Rocket Raccoon leading the group as Star-Lord. During this time, she went up against Yotat the Destroyer and met the Knowhere Corps. Kitty returned with the Guardians to Spartax with a strange artifact from a Chitauri ship but they were immediately attacked upon their return by Hala, a rogue Kree accuser. Accusing the Guardians of destroying the Kree empire, Hala desired revenge and fought with Kitty and captured Peter, but the group eventually defeated Hala. The Spartax council voted to remove Peter from his position making him a wanted man but Kitty helped him escape and he rejoined the Guardians. 

Kitty and Peter were faced with their unresolved issues when they were sucked into a trap by Taneleer Tivan, AKA The Collector, and stranded in a spaceship without power. They discussed their problems and resolved to continue their relationship. Kitty and the Guardians then heard that aliens were being enslaved on the planet Badoon. They ventured there and despite Peter getting captured, they freed the planet. Not long afterward, Carol Danvers, AKA Captain Marvel, requested the Guardians help in fighting the superhero Civil War on Earth. Though Peter kept secret that he knew Thanos was captured which led to the group feeling betrayed. Kitty left the Guardians and Peter after the war was over.

She settled in her hometown of Chicago but soon rejoined the X-Men as a leader of the team. The team included Storm, Nightcrawler, Old Man Logan, Prestige, and Colossus. She found the team in limbo, who had been steering clear of a Terrigen outbreak that killed Mutants. Finding them directionless, she moved the team to New York’s Central Park. Colossus and Kitty rekindled their romance and Kitty proposed to him. During the ceremony Kitty realized she couldn’t marry Colossus and left him at the altar. It was clear to her that their tumultuous history wasn’t a proper foundation for marriage.

Kitty was later kidnapped by X-Man who remade the world into a utopia for mutants. Kitty freed herself and fought against him with the X-Men. Nate’s response was to make the X-Men vanish to bring about his vision. With their memories erased, Kitty and the others were sent to a different reality Nate created where Mutants realized Xavier’s dream and lived in peace. Kitty joined En Sabah Nur, AKA Apocalypse’s group X-Tracts who were revolutionaries in this reality. She had flashbacks of her old life while holding a Menorah but brushed it off. She joined him in a rally where he preached love not war and eventually Nate freed the mutants when he realized his approach was flawed.

After Xavier and his allies created the mutant nation-state Krakoa, Kitty discovered that she couldn’t pass through one of their floral gateways. Not being able to access the mutant world affected her, to the point where she turned to drinking and stealing. Going by Kate, she stole a boat and traveled to Krakoa, and when she arrived, she joined Emma Frost in her Hellfire Trading Company to help free mutants from hostile countries and get them to Krakoa. Kate led the Marauders, a group that would become known as raiders with the purpose of freeing mutants. Working for the Hellfire Trading Company as the Red Queen, her team of Marauders included Storm, Lockheed, Iceman, and Pyro, and she soon joined the Quiet Council of Krakoa. 

Kate and Frost soon worked against the trading company’s Sebastian Shaw, halting his plans of profit, which led him to work with the anti-mutant group, Homines Verendi, and take violent measures that included killing Kate. Her body was found by Lucas Bishop, AKA Bishop, and Lockheed, who had witnessed the murder, informed Frost. Kate was soon resurrected thanks to the Five on Krakoa, five mutants with the power of resurrection, but it took over a dozen times to successfully resurrect her. Keeping her resurrection a secret allowed Kate and Frost to ambush, neutralize how powers and paralyze him, taking control of his role in the trading company and on the council. 

When she learned the Verendi were attempting to gentrify Lowton in Madripoor, Kate had the trading company outbid them in purchasing properties and creating a free hospital. The Verendi sought revenge and unleashed a new iteration of Reavers—mechanically augmented humans with a grudge against mutantkind—to clear the streets of Lowtown. Kate planted a Krakoan flower, which grew into a gateway so that the Morlocks could come through and defend the people of Lowton. Thanks to Kate and her alliance with Callisto and the Morlocks, the people of Lowton lived to fight another day. 

During one of Krakoa’s Hellfire Galas on Krakoa where they tried to foster friendship with humanity, a mutant-hating organization led by Nimrod ambushed the important event. In the attack, Orchis killed many mutants as did Moira who slew Jean Grey. Orchis had figured out how to lock the Krakoan gates but somehow Kate suddenly could access them and accidentally went through one. She landed on a rooftop amidst heavily-armed Orchis shock troopers who threatened her with arrest since she was a member of Krakoa’s ruling council and considered a high-value mutant terrorist. They attacked her but she resisted, killing them in defense of her life. Afterward, she sobbed and hid the bodies by phasing them through the roof. She returned to her old home on Graymalkin Lane, retrieved her swords, her old costume and started going by an old alias: Shadowkat. 

As Shadowkat, she worked with a team of mutants including Woofer, Everett Thomas, AKA Synch, Laura Kinney, AKA Talon, Rasputin IV, and Kamala Khan, AKA Ms. Marvel. Their mission was to uncover Orchis’ strongholds and Shadowkat was on duty, though not before Synch patched up a cut she had received and warned her not to be so sloppy since she was mutantkind’s best asset and secret weapon, whom they couldn’t afford to lose.

Shadowkat was soon deployed to Eurpoe with Ms. Marvel to meet up with Wolverine in an effort to meet and rescue mutants. Their search led them to Latveria where they found themselves in a battle with Doctor Doom’s Legion of Mutants. Doom broke up the fight and offered them dinner. He claimed to have protected his people who were also mutantkind since he always knew Krakoa would fail and implied that he had the answer to what would happen next. Doom soon departed the dinner table, however Doom’s mutants indicated that they might join the fight against their common enemies.