Kitty Pryde is a Jewish mutant from Illinois with versatile phasing abilities, which allow her to move through solid matter. After her powers first manifested, Pryde was approached both by Emma Frost, the White Queen of the Hellfire Club, and the X-Men. Realizing Frost had vile intentions as she captured and tortured the X-Men, Pryde demonstrated immense bravery and freed the X-Men. As Sprite, she became the X-Men's youngest member by enrolling at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.
Proving to be a controversial but invigorating addition to the team, Pryde had her life completely guided by her tenure with the X-Men, who became her second family. After being brainwashed by the sword master known as Ogun, Pryde connected herself with darker aspects of her soul, adopting the codename Shadowcat for years. She was also a founding member of the British-based mutant team known as Excalibur, experiencing an exceptional adolescence, growing up as a superhero. As an adult, she returned to the X-Men and, as a mutant superhero, she had a great impact on the world, such as sacrificing her freedom to save Earth, becoming the headmistress of Xavier's School, and leading the X-Men.