Wolverine may be a killing machine, but he’s not the only deadly member of the X-Men. In fact, Logan’s latest comic reminds fans that Kate Pryde is one of the most lethal mutants in the Marvel Universe.
Kate “Kitty” Pryde made her debut in X-Men #129 by Chris Claremont and John Byrne. As her mutant power of being able to phase through solid matter began to emerge in her teenage years, Kitty was approached by both Professor X’s school and the villainous Hellfire Club, who had a much more aggressive recruitment strategy than Xavier. Kitty refused the Hellfire Club’s offer and went on to join the X-Men under the name Shadowcat, and has been a staple member of the team for years now. More recently, however, Kate became the new Red Queen of the reformed Hellfire Club as part of Gerry Duggan’s Marauders, and a new Wolverine comic proves she may be the deadliest person to ever hold the title.
Wolverine: Black, White, and Blood is a new series from Marvel. Each issue contains three, separate stories starring Logan, and while issue #2 mostly centers around why Wolverine is still misunderstood by fans, the third story by legendary writer Chris Claremont also features none other than Kate Pryde. In this story, Logan and Kate are in Madripoor facing off against the villains Beasty-Brute, Soulscream, and Sanzu, who has the power to disable mutant abilities, meaning Wolverine can’t heal and Shadowcat can’t phase. Fortunately, neither of them need their powers to be dangerous. “Cat chose her tag, Shadowcat, after being trained by a man I considered my friend…to be just like him…a master assassin,” Logan recounts, “Folks call me scary. Not compared to Cat.” Sure enough, Kate single-handedly takes down both Sanzu and Beasty-Brute, proving that her phasing powers are just an added bonus to her impressive combat skills.
Wolverine: Black, White, and Blood #2 may be Logan’s story, but it also proves just how dangerous Pryde has become. Before she realizes her powers have been disabled, Kate attacks Beasty-Brute head-on, thinking “she’d make her hand intangible and reach inside for the man’s heart.” While the attack fails in this particular moment for obvious reasons, in any other scenario, this would be a pretty lethal move against almost any opponent. Many forget that Shadowcat is a master of martial arts, street-fighting techniques, and sword combat, into all of which she can incorporate her unique phasing ability to give herself an advantage. In fact, she may be the X-Men’s best hand-to-hand fighter, and that’s no small feat. When even Wolverine thinks someone is scary, it’s a good idea to run the other way.
Kate Pryde has certainly come a long way from the innocent teenager she was in her debut. From mastering her mutant abilities to training as an assassin to becoming the Hellfire Club’s new Red Queen, to being brought back from the dead, it seems as though nothing can stop Shadowcat.
