2024 was one of the biggest years for theX-Menfranchise there’s ever been, with theending of the epic Krakoan Erafollowed by the major direction change of Marvel’s ‘From the Ashes’ relaunch. Heroes have gotten their first solo series ever, lore-defining secrets have been exposed, and not everyone made it out alive. However, even in that context, Kitty Pryde has been through a staggering transformation, unlocking her ultimate form as the inhuman Shadowtiger.
2019-2024’s Krakoan Era ended with the X-Men going up against two of their deadliest enemies - the super-advanced Sentinel Nimrod andthe AI god Enigma. Kieron Gillen and R.B. Silva’s epicRise of the Powers of Xrevealed the near future, where the final team of X-Men gave their lives to change the past and give mutantkind a slim chance at victory. That team included power mimic Synch, an AI copy of Tony Stark, Wolverine, Kamala Khan’s Captain Krakoa, and Kate Pryde’s Shadowtiger.
The comic revealed that, to save mutantkind, Kitty Pryde had absorbed the Death Seed - a piece of Celestial technology usually used to create Apocalypse’s strongest soldiers. With past recipients including the Sentry, Wolverine and the Grim Reaper,this upgrade supercharged Kitty Pryde’s powers beyond all known limits.
The Krakoan Era describes a period when the vast majority of Earth’s mutants lived together on the island nation of Krakoa, becoming a major world power.
The Death Seed enhanced Kitty’s body, turning her into a superhuman bruiser, as well as evolving her phasing powers so she could “fold reality.”
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2024 Unleashed Kitty Pryde’s Shadowtiger Form
Kitty Sacrificed Her Humanity to Give the X-Men One Final Chance
The Krakoan Era heralded somehugechanges for Kitty Pryde. Long the ‘little sister’ of the X-Men (in a way that shapedfuture pop culture likeBuffy the Vampire Slayer), Kitty began the Krakoan era by asking her friends to acknowledge her maturity and start calling her ‘Kate.’ Allying with her old enemy Emma Frost, Kate Pryde became the Red Queen - a major economic player on the island of Krakoa, and one of the voices on the leading Quiet Council. However,when Orchis took down the X-Men, invaded Krakoa, and killed mutants including her close friend Iceman, Kate went through a dark transformation.
Kate embraced lethal tactics to survive against Orchis, andtook the codename Shadowkat, inspired by her villainous mentor Ogun. Kate fought with the X-Men to resist Orchis, and in the future ofRise of the Powers of X, finally gave away the last of her humanity to become Shadowtiger. The Death Seed enhanced Kate’s existing powers, allowing her to use her phasing powers on more than just herself, and vastly increasing their range.She could also phase reality itself, ‘folding space’ to cause what was essentially teleportation.The Death Seed also transformed her body, turning her into a super-strong, super-durable giant.
Thankfully, the future X-Men’s mission was successful, and they managed to create an opportunity for a new timeline to form instead of their own dark world. As a consequence, Kate avoided becoming the Shadowtiger and wasgiven a second chance to reclaim her humanity, but in the months since, it hasnotbeen going well.
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“I’d rather live among people who hate me than among the shattered remains of the life I knew.”
Since the end of the Krakoan Era, Kate (now once again going by ‘Kitty’) has become one of the main characters of Eve L. Ewing and Carmen Carnero’sExceptional X-Men. The series begins with Kate now living among humanity,having decided that the X-Men failed in their mission to create mutant/human equality, and asking herself,“What did I do with my life?“Kate admits she’d rather live among people who hate mutants than return to what feels like a lost cause.
Thankfully, Emma Frost has other plans, and has been manipulating Kitty to set her up as the co-teacher of a new class of young mutants. However, Kitty’s read on the state of the X-Men isn’t wrong - the former allies have precious little unity, and while Cyclops and Rogue are attempting to found new versions of the team, fans know that it won’t be long until aCivil War breaks out between the two groups.
2024 saw Kitty Pryde lose her humanity, sacrificing her soul for the extra power she needed to save mutantkind. Sadly, victory just means theX-Menget to keep living in a world that hates and fears them, andKitty Pryde’s shattered faith in Charles Xavier’s dream has left her scrabbling for a new sense of identity in a very different world.
X-Men
The X-Men franchise, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, centers on mutants with extraordinary abilities. Led by the powerful telepath Professor Charles Xavier, they battle discrimination and villainous mutants threatening humanity. The series explores themes of diversity and acceptance through a blend of action, drama, and complex characters, spanning comics, animated series, and blockbuster films.
