Let’s dreamcast the X-Men before they appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
By Daniel Roman
LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 07: Emma Appleton attends a photocall for new Channel 4 drama “TRAITORS” held at BFI Southbank on February 07, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images)
15. Emma Appleton as Kitty Pryde / Shadowcat
When Katherine Anne “Kitty” Pryde first appeared in the X-Men comics all the way back in 1980, she was the youngest mutant ever to join the team (until Jubilee stole the title in ’89). She was often depicted as a kind of “younger sister” to many of her teammates, providing a fresh perspective and challenging the status quo. As the years have gone on, Kitty has worked with several different groups of heroes, including a long stint as part of the British mutant team Excalibur and more recently, the Guardians of the Galaxy.
Kitty Pryde is able to turn incorporeal and phase through solid objects, and the comics are always finding new applications for her abilities, from walking through walls to phasing out just one part of her body to phasing a giant bullet through the planet. She also has an alien dragon companion, Lockheed, with whom she shares an emotional and telepathic link.
Y en la Tierra, el dragoncito volvió a ayudar a Kitty, esta vez contra otros alienígenas, los Sidri. Kitty Pryde convenció al Profesor-X de quedarse con él y lo llamo Lockheed como en su cuento. Uncanny X-Men nº 168 (abr.1983) pic.twitter.com/nZFTvHVsqV
— Ashler (@AshlerSidekick) August 30, 2020
Kitty has typically been portrayed as a young teenager in the X-Men films, most famously by Ellen Page in 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand and 2014’s X-Men: Days of Future Past. Those movies never got around to Kitty Pryde’s coming-of-age story, where she takes on the moniker of Shadowcat and becomes a much more mainline hero, but if the MCU brings Ms. Pryde into the franchise, they’d be wise not to overlook that part. Since we’re looking at a slightly older generation of X-Men, it would make sense to go with a slightly more mature Kitty Pryde, and really delve into the Shadowcat material.
Emma Appleton’s biggest role thus far has been as Renfri on Netflix’s adaptation of The Witcher…but she made every second of screen time count. As Renfri, she not only showed that she has phenomenal acting and action chops, but also that she has both the innocence and edginess that Shadowcat needs. She’s also shown she can stand toe-to-toe with actors like Henry Cavill, so there’s no question that she could bring a presence to the part that would make her stand out among the ridiculously stacked group of X-Men.