Katherine Anne "Kitty" Pryde is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #129 (Jan. 1980) and was created by writer-artist John Byrne.
A mutant, Pryde possesses a "phasing" ability that allows her and objects or people with which she is in contact to become intangible. This power also disrupts any electrical field she passes through, and lets her simulate levitation. At the time of her membership, under the codename Sprite (suggested by Storm in lieu of Professor X's suggestion, Ariel), Pryde was the youngest person invited to join the team of mutant superheroes the X-Men. Her current codename is Shadowcat.
During her early years, she was portrayed as a "kid sister" to many older members of the X-Men, filling the role of literary foil to the more established characters. In the years since her introduction, she has aged and matured, and has become a main character on her own.
Kitty Pryde was portrayed by three separate actresses in the X-Men film series. Sumela Kay and Katie Stuart had brief cameos as Kitty Pryde in the 2000 film X-Men and the 2003 sequel X2: X-Men United, respectively. In 2006, Ellen Page portrayed Kitty Pryde as a main character in the third installment of the film trilogy, X-Men: The Last Stand.
She is ranked #47 in IGN's Top 100 Comic Book Heroes.