The young Kitty Pryde upon reaching puberty began to suffer frequent and increasingly severe headaches. Professor Xavier observed the young mutants manifesting powers via the mutant detection system Cerebro. He was unaware that his rival Emma Frost had tapped into Cerebro and was aware of Kitty's emerging powers as well. Both Frost and then Xavier interviewed Pryde for membership into their respective schools, not revealing to her or her parents that she was a mutant. After Pryde's interview, Xavier's students, the X-Men, treated her to a local malt shop visit. While at the malt shop, Frost and members of her group the Hellfire Club attacked the X-Men. A frightened Pryde phased through a wall into the alley where she lay unconscious, due to exhaustion from using her new-found power.
Regaining consciousness Pryde stowed away aboard the Hellfire Club's hovercraft, where the X-Men were being held captive. After the craft arrived at Frost Industries, Pryde managed to obtain the phone number to the Xavier Institute from Storm and summoned the other X-Men. After a successful rescue Pryde was offered membership in the X-Men, taking the name of Sprite and then later Ariel. During an adventure with Wolverine against his former nemesis, Ogun, Pryde gained maturity and experience as a martial artist adopting the title of Shadowcat.
After Charles Xavier and his allies established the mutant-exclusive nation of Krakoa, Kitty found herself somehow unable to pass through the Krakoan gateways, the entry points into Krakoa that were planted all over the world. Only capable of accessing the island by boat, Kitty accepted Emma Frost's offer to captain a ship to liberate mutants trapped inside hostile countries and unable to reach Krakoa. After freeing a group of captive mutants from a rogue group of Russian agents led by Phobos, she named the new team the "Marauders" to distance the X-Men from their future activities, asked Storm to join her, and dropped the "Kitty" nickname in favor of "Kate."
Current Version:
Kate Pryde (Red Queen)
Former Version:
Sprite
Shadowcat
Shadowcat (Constant Phased)
Star-Lord
