Lockheed is a dragon-like alien that forms an empathic bond with X-Man Katherine “Kitty” Pryde, AKA Kate Pryde. As her closest companion, he protects her from harm and sticks by her through difficult times.
From the Flock to the X-Men
One of the greatest warriors of the alien race the Flock, Lockheed battles the alien Brood on their homeworld where he encounters the young Earth mutant Kitty Pryde. Leaving his fiancée behind, he secretly returns to Earth with Kitty and her X-Men teammates. Lockheed finds a nest of alien Sidri beneath the X-Men’s mansion and defeats them, along with Kitty and her teammate Colossus. Kitty names Lockheed after a character in a fairytale, which itself was named after the X-Men’s SR-71 Lockheed Blackbird jet, and the pair quickly become inseparable friends, developing an empathic bond between each other.
Empathic and Dragon-Like
Lockheed is a purple-skinned alien with a dragon-like appearance, including small forepaws and wings. He can fly and breathe fire. Lockheed is immune to the intense heat and flames he can generate, as well as that from external sources within certain limits. Lockheed has been seen to withstand immersion in molten lava with no ill effects. He also possesses five lungs of unknown function. Lockheed also has a long lifespan being at least 170 years old.
Lockheed’s mind is capable of resisting telepathic probes from even the most powerful telepaths. Like all members of his race, Lockheed can sense the emotions of others via empathy. He has learned several Earth languages including English, though he rarely speaks it and has been known to speak his native tongue, Flocketch. He is also skilled at piloting his race’s astral starship. Lockheed once wore an image inducer on a collar around his neck that created the holographic illusion of him being a housecat.
Threatening Foes
Because of their close bond, most of Lockheed’s enemies are those that threaten Kitty Pryde. Lockheed often comes to her aid and sustains injuries in trying to protect her from such adversaries like Victor von Doom, AKA Doctor Doom.
While Lockheed works at the espionage agency Sentient Worlds Observation and Response Department S.W.O.R.D., he teams up with the head of the agency, Abigail Brand, and Henry “Hank” McCoy, AKA Beast, against her anti-alien co-director Henry Gyrich.
Close Connections
Lockheed forms an empathic bond with Kitty Pryde of the X-Men and as such becomes a member of the merry mutant team. Due to their bond, they become inseparable, where she goes, he follows, most of the time. With her and other heroes, they form the British superhero team Excalibur. Lockheed will often protect Kitty at the cost of his own life.
While Lockheed works for S.W.O.R.D., he reports to the agency’s head Abigail Brand and works alongside Beast and the psychic extraterrestrial Sydren.
Lockheed joins the Pet Avengers alongside Lockjaw, Hairball, Ms. Lion, Throg, and Zabu to seek out Infinity Gems and prevent Thanos from getting ahold of the powerful artifacts.
A Warrior’s World
On the alien Battleworld, Lockheed befriended a female green dragon, later nicknamed “Puff,” and after the X-Men unwittingly brought her to Earth she grew to gigantic size and caused chaos in Tokyo until Lockheed defused the situation, after which she inexplicably disappeared in a massive energy discharge. Lockheed later showed up with Puff and they joined the X-Men, Avengers and Fantastic Four on Battleworld after they defeated a host of villains. When the X-Men entered a teleportation device to return to Earth, Puff flies into the teleportation beam at the last-minute causing a dramatic energy fluctuation.
When Kitty lost solidity after being injured from one of Harpoon’s energy spears, she was placed in a protective chamber on Muir Island until a cure could be found. Lockheed sat by her side.
Lockheed later joined Kitty and others in founding the British super-team Excalibur. During a battle with the despotic Doctor Doom, Lockheed was severely wounded while protecting Kitty. After undergoing surgery, his astral form was transported aboard the spaceship that carried the collective transient souls of his entire space-faring race. There, Lockheed was placed on trial for abandoning not only his people, but his intended bride on their wedding day. Lockheed defended his decision to leave, but during his speech the ship’s pilots fell asleep. Lockheed regained control of the ship, thus preventing his people’s souls from dissipating. The court still found him guilty; however, they commuted the death sentence and instead exiled him from the Flock.
When Kitty dated Peter Wisdom, Lockheed disapproved and showed it by stealing Peter’s cigarettes and even went into hiding for a time. When he would reappear, and despite his feelings for Kitty’s boyfriend, Lockheed intervened and saved Wisdom from his old rival Lee Franks, AKA Scratch.
After Kitty returned to the X-Men, Lockheed was injured during a fight after which he was taken in by a pair of sister witches. After discovering they were terrorizing their town with their powers, Lockheed joined a rival witch in opposing them. She helped him locate Kitty, who had since left the X-Men and was attending university, and he rejoined her there.
After Kitty returned to the X-Men once more, Lockheed was recruited by S.W.O.R.D., which deals with extraterrestrial matters and is headquartered in space. They wanted Lockheed to act as a mole to observe and report on the X-Men’s activities in exchange for S.W.O.R.D.’s help in resolving pressing homeworld issues.
Lockheed rejoined the X-Men in time to aid in opposing the alien Ord. Lockheed was then alerted to Puff's reappearance in Tokyo where, having returned to normal size, she was kidnapped by the Path of Destiny cult. Lockheed was captured as well but with Kitty's help, they rescued her.
When the X-Men were taken by S.W.O.R.D. to the Breakworld to oppose their intended destruction of Earth, they learned of Lockheed’s S.W.O.R.D. agent status. In between, when the X-Men go up against a rampaging Bruce Banner, AKA Hulk, Lockheed tried to help but along with the team he is defeated. Lockheed then aided the X-Men against the Breakworld threat, but lost Kitty when she apparently sacrificed herself to save Earth and became stuck in an intangible state inside a giant bullet.
He left the X-Men to work for S.W.O.R.D. full time, but suffering the loss of Kitty led him to drink heavily to cope. He became more tough and aggressive in his nature, attacking others violently including fellow S.W.O.R.D. officers. When the Director of S.W.O.R.D. Abigail Brand revealed Kitty was still alive but stuck in an intangible state within a bullet careening around in space, Lockheed sought out the robot Unit who was imprisoned on the S.W.O.R.D. base. He asked for Unit’s help but their price to release them from their containment was too high.
Kitty was eventually freed from the bullet, and when Lockheed reunited with her on The Peak, the orbital headquarters of S.W.O.R.D., he was quite sore about her absence. They fought but ultimately rejoiced in how much they missed one another. He eventually joined her at the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning where she was teaching. He followed her into space to help stop the Black Vortex from falling into the wrong hands. He stayed with her after Scott Summers, AKA Cyclops’ X-Men disbanded and up until Kitty joined the Guardians of the Galaxy but he reappeared for Kitty and Piotr Rasputin, AKA Colossus’ wedding with Puff and their children.
