X-Men's Kitty Pryde Debuts Horrific New Design

Published Nov 8, 2026, 10:00 AM EST

Nicolas Ayala is a Senior Writer for the Comics team at ScreenRant, with over five years of experience writing about Superhero media, action movies, and TV shows. 

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The X-Men's most innocent member, Kitty Pryde, becomes a terrifying monster capable of fighting the mutants' biggest extraterrestrial threat. Kitty Pryde is one of the X-Men heroes with the largest number of wardrobe changes across her growth from a shy teenager into a seasoned mutant leader. Kitty started her career with a chaotic string of experimental outfits like a roller-skate disco ensemble, a clunky blue-and-yellow training suit, and the wildly mismatched "Ariel" costume before she finally found her footing in the sleek Shadowcat attire. As she matured, Kitty sported a classic blue-and-gold X-Men uniform, a black-and-white space suit, and a swashbuckling red pirate coat as the Red Queen of Krakoa.

The X-Men have defended the Earth against many extraterrestrial threats. Their ties to space often pit them against the Shi'ar Empire and the D'Bari. They have also survived harrowing encounters with the ruthless techno-organic hive mind Phalanx, and the Phoenix Force in outer space before it became a recurring antagonist on Earth. Besides civilized empires and cosmic forces of nature, the X-Men also find a consistent threat in the Brood, the sadistic insectoid parasite species that infects hosts with eggs to birth new monsters, which bear a striking resemblance to the Alien franchise's Xenomorphs.

Just like the Phoenix Force likes to give its hosts a visual overhaul alongside a power enhancement, the Brood can turn the X-Men into one of their own, as shown by their encounter with Alien's Xenomorphs.

Kitty Pryde Transforms Into The Brood Queen's Daughter To Fight The Xenomorphs

Alien Vs X-Men #2; Written By Chris Claremont; Art By David Messina & Rain Beredo

Kitty Pryde’s flashback from Alien vs X-Men #2 introduces a separate classic-era reality where the Xenomorphs meet the Brood. While the main story shows the modern X-Men being overwhelmed by mutant-Xenomorph hybrids, Chris Claremont’s backup story "Belles of Hell" explores how the X-Men’s history with alien infection and cosmic forces like the Phoenix makes Kitty uniquely equipped to fight back. An infected Illyana Rasputin throws a Facehugger on Kitty Pryde's face, but Kitty miraculously brushes it off, experiencing a strange vision of herself transforming into the daughter of the Brood Queen, complete with an athletic, anthropomorphic Brood Queen body.

Marvel · Mutant Profile Which X-Men Character Are You? “Mutation: it is the key to our evolution.”

🐺 Wolverine The Loner

🧠 Professor X The Visionary

🧲 Magneto The Survivor

ACTIVATE CEREBRO →

01

Humans discover your mutant abilities. What do you do?

ADisappear. Go off the grid before anyone can come after me — I don’t owe them an explanation BReach out calmly and try to have a dialogue — fear comes from misunderstanding, and I can help bridge that gap CMake a show of strength — they need to understand that mutants will not be hunted or controlled, ever

NEXT →

02

Anti-mutant protesters surround a school full of young mutants. What’s your first move?

AGet between the kids and the mob. If anyone raises a hand, they answer to me BAddress the crowd telepathically or publicly — show them the children are just scared kids, not threats CEvacuate the children to safety, then make the protesters deeply regret their choices

NEXT →

03

A team of mutants needs a leader for a dangerous mission. What role do you naturally fall into?

AI work alone, but I’ll take point — someone’s gotta make sure nobody gets killed BI coordinate the team, play to each person’s strengths, and keep morale steady CI lead from the front — my vision, my plan, my responsibility if it fails

NEXT →

04

A powerful mutant threatens innocent humans. How do you respond?

APut them down fast — talk later. Innocent people don’t have time for a debate BTry to reach them mentally — understand why they’re doing this and find a peaceful resolution COffer them a place at my side — their power is wasted on chaos when it could serve a greater cause

NEXT →

05

A human politician offers to champion mutant rights — but has a shady past. What do you do?

AGive them a chance — people can change, and this alliance could mean real progress for coexistence BI don’t trust politicians. Watch them closely, and the second they betray us, I’ll be right there CUse them — let them think they’re in charge while I control the narrative from behind the scenes

NEXT →

06

What’s your biggest flaw?

AI push people away — I’d rather be alone than risk losing someone I care about BI’m too idealistic — I keep believing in people even when the evidence says I shouldn’t CMy anger — once I commit to a path, I’ll burn everything down before I admit I was wrong

NEXT →

07

Sentinels are hunting mutants in your city. What’s your move?

AHunt the hunters — tear them apart before they find anyone else BCoordinate an underground network to hide and protect every mutant in the area CSeize control of the Sentinels — turn the weapons of oppression into instruments of liberation

NEXT →

08

What do you believe about coexistence between humans and mutants?

ACoexistence is a fantasy. Humans will always fear what they can’t control — mutants must secure their own future BI don’t care about the big picture — I protect the people I care about, and everyone else can sort themselves out CIt’s possible and worth fighting for — the dream of a world where humans and mutants live in peace is everything

REVEAL MY MUTANT IDENTITY →

Cerebro Scan Complete Your X-Men Identity

🐺

Wolverine (Logan)

“I’m the best there is at what I do. But what I do best isn’t very nice.” You’re the fierce loner who acts first and philosophises later — but beneath that adamantium-plated exterior beats a heart that cares far more than you’d ever admit. You’ve been burned enough times to distrust the world, so you keep people at arm’s length, yet you’d throw yourself into any fight to protect the ones who slip past your defences. You don’t need a cause or a manifesto — you just need someone worth fighting for. Like Logan, your greatest strength isn’t your claws or your healing factor; it’s the stubborn refusal to let the people you love face danger alone.

Fierce Protective Resilient Untamed

🧠

Professor X (Charles Xavier)

“Just because someone stumbles and loses their path, doesn’t mean they’re lost forever.” You’re the visionary who sees the best in everyone — even when the world gives you every reason not to. Your greatest power isn’t telepathy; it’s an unshakeable belief that understanding and compassion can bridge any divide. You lead not through force but through hope, building bridges where others build walls. Some call you naive, but you know that real strength lies in extending a hand to your enemy. Like Charles Xavier, you carry the weight of a dream that most consider impossible, and you refuse to let it die.

Visionary Empathetic Diplomatic Hopeful

🧲

Magneto (Erik Lehnsherr)

“Peace was never an option.” You’re the survivor who learned the hardest lesson life has to offer: the world will not protect you, so you must protect yourself. Your conviction is unbreakable and your patience is terrifying — you’ll wait years to set the right plan in motion. You don’t hate humanity; you simply refuse to let your people be victims ever again. Every action you take, no matter how ruthless, is driven by a profound love for those who share your struggle. Like Erik Lehnsherr, you are both revolutionary and tragic — a leader forged in pain who will bend the world before it bends you.

Resolute Strategic Ruthless Unyielding

↻ PLAY AGAIN

Just as the Brood rewrite a host's DNA to turn them into a new queen or broodling, and just as Illyana Rasputin is scarred and transformed by Limbo into Magik, the Facehugger tries to hijack Kitty's body and mind, but Kitty resists both forces to weaponize the transformation in her favor, preventing a Chestburster from forming inside her body. Still, the partial genetic and psychic trauma leaves her with permanent alien facial ridges and markings. Unfortunately, the Kitty Pryde from Alien vs X-Men's main storyline isn't so lucky, as she falls unconscious and isn't able to phase through the Facehugger.

Kitty Pryde Is One Upgrade Away From Being Unbeatable

Kitty Pryde's Baseline Powers Are An Amazingly Valuable Asset

Kitty Pryde's mutant ability to phase through solid matter makes her untouchable in battle. However, her near-total invulnerability makes her a limited fighter. To actually defeat an opponent, Kitty needs to be very creative and rely on her environment, her martial arts training, and risky close-quarters maneuvers like partially solidifying objects inside her targets in order to hurt her opponents. Still, when she solidifies her body to throw a punch, Kitty Pryde allows her enemies to grab her or hit her.

If Kitty Pryde were ever granted even a single straightforward offensive power-up, she could transform into one of the most effective members of the X-Men. Kitty could pair her intangibility with lethal close-range weapons like Wolverine’s adamantium claws, or ranged projectiles like Cyclops’s optic blasts that would allow her to render hand-to-hand combat completely unnecessary. A physiological enhancement like Quicksilver’s super-speed would make her a ghostly, inescapable blur capable of defeating an entire army in milliseconds and without receiving a single scratch. Likewise, if villains like the Brood were to weaponize Kitty Pryde's intangibility, the X-Men would realize how much they've overlooked her mutant power.

Alien vs X-Men #2 is now available from Marvel Comics