SHADOWCAT
Earth-295
Real Name: Katherine "Kate/Kitty" Pryde
Identity/Class: Alternate Earth (Earth-295), human mutant
Occupation: Teacher, freedom fighter
Group Membership: Generation Next (Chamber/Jonothon Starsmore, Colossus/Peter Rasputin, Husk/Paige Guthrie, Know-it-all/Claudia, Mondo, Skin/Angelo Espinosa, Vincente Cimetta), formerly X-Men (Banshee/Sean Cassidy, Blink/Clarice Ferguson, Dazzler/Alison Blaire, Exodus/Bennett du Paris, Iceman/Bobby Drake, Magneto/Erik Magnus Lehnsherr, Morph/Kevin Sydney, Nightcrawler/Kurt Darkhölme, Rogue/Anna Marie Lensherr, Sabretooth/Victor Creed, Storm/Ororo Munroe, Sunfire/Shiro Yoshida, Wild Child/Kyle Gibney, Quicksilver/Pietro Maximoff-Lensherr)
Affiliations: Bishop, Destiny (Irene Adler), Gambit (Remy LeBeau), Jubilee (Jubilation Lee)
Enemies: Apocalypse, Dark Beast (Hank McCoy), Infinites, Mikhail Rasputin, Seattle Core Workers (Quietus, Sugar Man, Undercloaks, unidentified others), formerly Sabretooth (Victor Creed)
Known Relatives: Peter Rasputin (husband, deceased), Carmen Pryde (father, deceased), Theresa Pryde (mother, deceased), Illyana Rasputin (sister-in-law, deceased), Mikhail Rasputin (brother-in-law, deceased)
Aliases: "Katya" (nickname used by Colossus)
Base of Operations: X-Men Memorial Gardens, New
York City, New York;
formerly The Tomb, Colorado Rockies, Colorado;
formerly mobile with the X-Men;
formerly Deerfield, Illinois
First Appearance: Generation Next I#1 (March, 1995)
Powers/Abilities: Shadowcat was a mutant with the ability to phase through solid matter by shifting her atoms through the spaces between the atoms of the object she is moving through. She had discovered that phasing through electronic equipment disrupts the system. Kitty could also pass this phasing ability on to other people she was in physical contact with, and simulate flight by "walking" on air. Kitty was a trained ninja assassin with a ruthless streak. She could comfortable stay phased inside solid objects or even people, patiently waiting for her moment to strike seemingly without requiring air. Her costume came equipped with a pair of wrist gauntlets containing claws similar to those of her mentor Weapon X. Shadowcat was a smoker.
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 115 lbs.
Eyes: Hazel
Hair: Brown
History:
(Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: X-Men - Age of Apocalypse
2005 I#1) - Katherine Pryde lived the suburbs of Illinois and kept her
mutant abilities a secret. When Apocalypse began gathering mutants,
Kitty's parents protested and were murdered. Kitty phased out of the
house and ran.
(Official Handbook of the Marvel
Universe: X-Men - Age of Apocalypse 2005 I#1) - Kitty was
eventually captured by Apocalypse's master hound Sabretooth who
discovered her during a mutant sweep in the ruins of Chicago. Before he
could take her back to Apocalypse, the X-Men's Colossus freed her. Kitty
became the youngest member of the X-Men.
(Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe:
X-Men - Age of Apocalypse 2005 I#1) - Magneto assigned Weapon
X to train her. He was secretly preparing her to become the X-Men's
ghost assassin. Given metallic claws similar to Logan's, Shadowcat took
to her training readily.
(X-Men Chronicles I#2 - BTS) - When Weapon X and his lover Jean Grey
left the X-Men after an argument with Magneto, Kitty found herself
without a mentor.
(Official Handbook of the Marvel
Universe: X-Men - Age of Apocalypse 2005 I#1) - After the loss of her
mentor, Kitty began to question her role on the team. Searching
for someone to bond with, she turned to Colossus. The two developed a
strong relationship and eventually married (see comments).
(X-Men: Age of Apocalypse One-Shot I#1) - Tired and demoralized after
years of constant combat and death, Colossus lost the will to fight. He
was comforted by his wife who told him they had every right to live
their own lives and to get away from this madness to start their own
family. Shadowcat also decided she had enough. As if on cue, Magneto
entered the couple's quarters to propose that they used their collective
experience to teach the next generation of mutants, showing them images
of future Generation Next members including Husk, Mondo, Skin and
Vincente.
(Generation Next I#1 (fb) - BTS) - Shadowcat and Colossus took their
band of young mutants to Colorado where they established a base inside
The Tomb, an old, abandoned castle in the Rocky Mountains. Their recruit
Know-it-all was granted her own computer lab in the catacombs from which
she helped her teachers run the base. She used her control over
machinery to set up weapons gauntlets in the woodlands near the Tomb
that Kitty and Peter used for combat exercises.
(X-Men
Chronicles I#2) - Shadowcat and Colossus, along with their recent
recruit Skin, helped save young British psionic Jonothon Starsmore
from Mikhail Rasputin and his forces. Jonothon joined the team as
Chamber.
(Generation X I#1 (fb) - BTS) - Battle-hardened after years of strife,
Colossus and Shadowcat were ruthless towards their students. To make
sure they were ready for the war against Apocalypse, the duo had them
constantly on edge, often having them engage in kill or be killed
scenarios.
(X-Men Alpha I#1 (fb) - BTS) - When Magneto learned from the
mysterious Bishop that their reality was a mistake, he intended to set
things right. He reached out to various X-Men allies, including Peter
and Kitty. He ordered them to prepare the students for a mission he
was coming to Colorado inform them about.
(Generation Next I#1) - While waiting for Magneto to arrive, Colossus
and Shadowcat put their young wards through their paces in the
woodlands. After the team had survived for three minutes, Colossus
joined the fray with Kitty hiding inside him. She made her presence
known when Husk tried to burn her husband by turning into acid. She
clawed at the girl, calling her sloppy while forcing her to shed her
skin to get rid of the flesh wounds she'd caused. Paige thought she
could nail her teacher by secretly husking her hand into a diamond
dagger, but Kitty phased and let it pass through her. Paige's teammates
Chamber and Skin tried to intervene, but Kitty made short work of them.
This did allow Paige to shift into a bio-pattern that Kitty's phasing
was useless against: a corrosive mist that filled Pryde's lungs. Before
the situation could turn dire, Magneto arrived to end the training.
(Generation Next I#1 - BTS) - Magneto and his associate Bishop first
visited with Know-It-All who was asked to scan
Apocalypse's databanks for information on chrono-variant mutants. She
gathered a list of mostly deceased subjects like prelate Gallo and T.
Edenfox, as well as Flashback who was missing in action.
(Generation Next I#1) -
Kitty and Peter went inside with Magneto to have a meeting with Bishop
and Know-It-All who presented her findings. Both Peter and Kitty
expressed concern for their student's safety. If the Shadow King were to
catch her psi-surfing Apocalypse's files, she risked instant
lobotomization. Undeterred, Know-It-All continued her presentation which
ended when Colossus was stunned to find his young sister was on the
list. He had thought she'd died, but Know-It-All confirmed Illyana was
being held at The Core, Apocalypse's main power plant in Seattle.
Figuring Illyana's latent temporal abilities were their best bet,
Magneto ordered the team to rescue the girl.
(Generation Next I#2 (fb) - BTS) - The news that his sister was alive
made the taciturn, morose Colossus reckless and unpredictable. Kitty
noticed the change in him, but felt she could do little to change his
mind. Along with the students, they planned a way to get Illyana out.
The team was to infiltrate the facility while their teachers would go
around the back to serve as ace in the hole.
(Generation Next I#2 - BTS) - Know-It-All remained behind in the Tomb
to monitor the rescue mission.
(Generation Next I#2) - Arriving at the Core incognito, Shadowcat was
astounded by its imposing size. When she expressed her incredulity at
being expected to break into there, Colossus coldly dismissed her
concerns: if you do not feel up to this, Katya, am more than
willing to do it alone." All she could do was whisper to herself:
"That's what I'm afraid for."
(Generation Next I#2)
- When Colossus walked off, Kitty was left muttering to herself and
about to light a cigarette when she was attacked by the Undercloaks,
Sugar Man's assassins who preferred to strike from the shadows. Colossus
rushed to aid his wife, but she didn't need much rescuing: popping her
claws, she stabbed her assailants to death, hoping they caught them
before they could warn their superiors.
(Generation Next I#3) - Know-It-All concluded that her teammates were
having problems inside The Core. She risked her safety by contacting her
teachers, projecting an image of herself on the outside wall of The Core
where Colossus and Shadowcat were waiting for a signal to move in.
Know-It-All told them Skin, Chamber, Husk and Vincente were cornered and
needed help while Mondo was about to reach Illyana's location deep
within the plant. Taking Claudia's recommendations to heart, Peter and
Kitty phased through the wall of the Core to help their young wards.
(Generation Next I#4 - BTS) - Peter and Kitty caused a massive
disturbance when they crashed through the ceiling of the Core,
immediately causing the distraction needed to get Illyana and the others
to safety. Kitty remained hidden inside her husband who started barking
orders at his students, telling them to get his sister. However, Mondo
was killed by the Sugar Man while carrying Illyana inside his own body.
Colossus jumped on the villain, seemingly splattering him but freeing
the girl in the process. Shadowcat was on hand to watch Peter's back,
popping up to claw at anyone who attempted to blindside him.
Reconnecting with most of their students, they set out to escape the
Core but got drawn into the massive riots that had broken out following
Colossus' arrival. Shadowcat offered to go after Skin and Chamber, but
Colossus coldly reminded her of their mission: to bring Illyana to
Magneto. He ordered his wife to take him and Illyana out of there. Once
safely outside the Core, Kitty wanted to go back but Peter offered to go
instead, not wanting to risk losing both his wife and his sister.
Generation Next I#4 -
BTS) - While Kitty waited with Illyana, Colossus tried to get back
inside the Core. He pried open the massive doors and was about to go in,
but when he saw that all his students except for Husk appeared beyond
rescue, he decided to head back.
(Generation Next I#4) - When he returned alone, Kitty asked about the
others. Peter lied and told her he did everything he could. "Sorry" was
all he managed to say, a sentiment mirrored by Kitty. They quietly sat
by the fire before heading to Westchester with Illyana (see
comments).
(Amazing X-Men I#4 (fb) - BTS) - Peter and Kitty arrived with Illyana at
the Xavier Estate. Finding the place empty, they came across a message
from Quicksilver telling them Magneto and Bishop had been taken by
Apocalypse's forces while young Charles and his robotic Nanny were also
missing. The note further stated that Quicksilver and his team had gone
off to rescue Bishop from the Madri in Quebec, while Dazzler and Exodus
went to search the tunnels for signs of Charles.
(Amazing X-Men I#4) - Shadowcat
and Colossus welcomed Rogue and her team of X-Men back from their
mission to halt Holocaust's cullings. They informed the new arrivals of
the situation, but Shadowcat had no interest in Rogue trying to express
her sympathies over the loss of her students. Kitty calmly stated she
had no more tears left as she phased to avoid Rogue's well-intended hug.
Not too long after that, Peter and Kitty witnessed Rogue trying to kill
Gambit when she learned he was responsible for letting Charles fall into
Apocalypse's hands. They were also on hand when Quicksilver and Storm
returned from Quebec with Bishop while Nightcrawler teleported in with
the mutant seer Destiny. Fascinated by the fact that all of Magneto's
disparate plans had more or less worked out, Kitty and Peter joined the
others in their preparations for a final assault on Apocalypse's
citadel.
(X-Men Omega I#1) - Blink teleported Shadowcat, Colossus and the others
to the Pens underneath Apocalypse's stronghold. They were ready for
battle, but much to their surprise found the place was mostly empty and
abandoned, with only the injured Dark Beast present. When Rogue called
this lucky, Colossus grew unreasonably angry: he was not about risk his
sister's life on luck and demanded an explanation, much to his wife's
concern.
(X-Men Omega I#1 - BTS) - Dark Beast told the X-Men about Apocalypse and
his plans for the M'Kraan crystal. He was forced to tell them where the
crystal was kept and got dragged along with the group. At the same time
the young psionic Nate Grey had freed Magneto from Apocalypse and
Holocaust.
(X-Men Omega I#1) - Colossus slammed his way through the walls to enter
the crystal chamber. When faced with the ever growing crystal, the seer
Destiny sensed Bishop's stories about the alternate timeline were true.
She told the X-Men that only she and Illyana could accompany Bishop.
Colossus protested, but got distracted by X-Man and Holocaust who
dropped through the ceiling and crashed through the floor to continue
their fight. Magneto approached Illyana, asking her to help him create a
better world. Colossus tried to keep his sister from agreeing, saying
Magneto couldn't promise her that this new world would be better because
he didn't know. This led Bishop to step in and assure her there would be
at least hope there.
(X-Men Omega I#1 - BTS) - Illyana accompanied Bishop and Destiny into
the expanding crystal. Colossus angrily promised Magneto they would be
enemies forever if something happened to her in there.
(X-Men Omega I#1) Shadowcat and Colossus then joined the other X-Men in
protecting the crystal and fighting off the hordes of Apocalypse. But
after a while the frantic, erratic Colossus broke ranks and went
barrelling towards the crystal, screaming that he was coming to join his
sister, in death if need be.
(X-Men Omega I#1) - Shadowcat tried to block
his path, so confident that he would stop for her that she didn't bother
phasing. Colossus was so clouded by insanity that he didn't even see his
wife until after he had trampled her to death. Now completely mad with
grief, he was killed by Gambit before he could cause any more damage. As
he lay dying, Illyana returned from inside the M'Kraan. She was ready to
hold her brother's hand when he passed, only to be rapidly snatched away
by Quicksilver to keep her safe from lurking attackers.
(X-Men: Age of Apocalypse I#6 (fb) - BTS) - After
Apocalypse was defeated and the world was saved, Shadowcat was
eventually laid to rest in a graveyard near the Xavier Institute in
Washington D.C. Her burial plot was right next to Peter's.
(Excalibur I#103) - Shadowcat of Earth-295
was one of the many alternate reality Kitty Pryde counterparts
summoned by Belasco to toy with Earth-616's Excalibur.
(Rise of
the Powers of X I#5) - The soul of Shadowcat was among the
countless deceased mutants from untold realities summoned
by Earth-616's Jean Grey to help her and the Phoenix
finally defeat the multiverse spanning threat of Nathaniel
Essex.
Comments: Created by Chris Claremont and John Byrne;
adapted by Scott Lobdell, Chris Bachalo, and Mark Buckingham.
Considering Earth-295's divergence point
from Earth-616 is the death of Charles Xavier, this technically means
that Earth-295's Shadowcat had the same past as her Earth-616
counterpart. However, since this has not (yet) been confirmed on
panel, it's not included in the profile.
There's a bit of a discrepancy between the 2005 Handbook and the
actual comics. According to her handbook profile, Shadowcat married
Colossus. However, in Generation Next they specifically
state there were no clergymen left alive to perform a wedding
ceremony, but they consider themselves husband and wife anyway.
It's also left unclear how Colossus and Shadowcat traveled with
Illyana from Seattle to the Xavier Estate in Westchester. Generation
Next didn't appear to have any aircraft of their own and it's not
recommended to fly over Apocalypse controlled terrain. They definitely
didn't walk and Illyana wasn't old enough yet to have manifested her
teleportation powers either. Perhaps Earth-295's Shadowcat also
mastered the fast travel technique some of her counterparts employ:
phasing out of sync with the Earth's rotation and using it to quickly
'travel' hundreds of miles.
Shadowcat wears a choker that's oddly reminiscent of the one that
appears when people are possessed by Malice. Kitty certainly is every
bit as devious and ruthless as that discorporate Marauder, but I guess
having to survive in an ever worsening hellscape since your early
teens tends to breed a mean streak as well.
And, if you'll permit me some armchair quarterbacking 30+ years after the fact: Know-It-All was able to pinpoint Illyana's exact location inside the Core. So why risk the entire team of students while their intangible ninja assassin teacher remains outside taking a smoke break? She could have walked in and walked out with her sister-in-law with literally no one laying a hand on them... Especially if she had mastered that fast travel technique!
All locations mentioned are Earth-295, unless otherwise specified.
Shadowcat of Earth-295 received a full profile in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: X-Men - Age of Apocalypse 2005 I#1
Profile by Norvo
CLARIFICATIONS:
Shadowcat of Earth-295 should not be confused with
Images: (without ads)
Generation Next I#1, p11, pan1 (main)
X-Men Age of Apocalypse one-shot, p8. pan3 (starting a family)
X-Men Chronicles I#2, p44, pan1 (saving Chamber)
X-Men Chronicles I#2, p44, pan1 (teaching)
Generation Next I#3, p22, pan4 (one last fastball)
Generation Next I#4, p19, pans4&5 (wants to go back for her
students)
Amazing X-Men I#4, p9, pan3 (they're dead Rogue)
X-Men Omega I#1, p32, pans2,3,4 (dies)
Appearances:
Generation Next I#1 (March, 1995) - Scott Lobdell (writer), Chris Bachalo (pencils), Mark Buckingham (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
Generation Next I#2 (April, 1995) - Scott Lobdell (writer),
Chris Bachalo (pencils), Mark Buckingham (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
Generation Next I#3 (May, 1995) - Scott Lobdell (writer), Chris Bachalo
(pencils), Mark Buckingham (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
Generation Next I#4 (June, 1995) - Scott Lobdell (writer), Chris Bachalo
(pencils), Mark Buckingham (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
Amazing X-Men I#4 (June, 1995) - Fabian Nicieza
(writer), Andy Kubert (pencils), Matt Ryan (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
X-Men Chronicles I#2 (June, 1995) - Howard Mackie (writer),
Ian Churchill (pencils), Scott Hanna, Al Vey, Bob Wiacek, Steve Moncuse
(inks), Kelly Corvese (editor)
X-Men Omega I#1 (June, 1995) - Scott Lobdell, Mark Waid (writers), Roger
Cruz (pencils), Bud LaRosa, Tim Townsend, Karl Kesel, Harry Candelario,
Scott Hanna, Al Milgrom (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
Excalibur I#103 (November, 1996) - Warren Ellis
(writer), Carlos Pacheco (pencils), Scott Koblish, Bob Wiacek (inkers),
Matt Idelson, Paul Tutrone (editors)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: X-Men -
Age of Apocalypse 2005 (March, 2005) - Mike Raicht (writer), Jennifer
Grunwald (editor)
Exiles I#60 (May, 2005) - Tony Bedard (writer), Jim Calafiore (pencils),
Mark McKenna (inks), Mike Marts (editor)
X-Men: Age of Apocalypse One-Shot I#1 (May, 2005) -
Akira Yoshida (writer), Mark Brooks (pencils), Jaime Mendoza (inks),
John Barber (editor)
X-Men: Age of Apocalypse I#6 (June, 2005) - Akira
Yoshida (writer), Chris Bachalo (pencils), Mark Irwin et al (inks), Mike
Marts (editor)
X-Termination I#1 (May, 2013) - David Lapham,
Marjorie Liu, Greg Pak (writers), David López (pencils), Ãlvaro López,
Allen Martinez (inks), Jeanine Schaeffer (editor)
Rise of the Powers of X I#5 (July, 2024) - Kieron Gillen (writer),
Luciano Vecchio (pencils & inks), Jordan D. White, Lauren Amaro
(editors)
First Posted: 01/03/2025
Last Updated: 01/06/2025
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel
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