Kitty Pryde Debuts a Horrific Brood Design in a Battle Against Xenomorphs

Kitty’s changing X-Men look

Kitty Pryde has worn many costumes over her years with the X-Men, evolving from a shy teenager into a seasoned leader. Her early looks included a roller-skate disco outfit, a blue-and-yellow training suit and the mismatched “Ariel” costume.

She later adopted the Shadowcat attire, then appeared in a blue-and-gold uniform, a space suit and a red pirate coat as Krakoa’s Red Queen. Her newest frightening appearance comes from an encounter with alien infection.

A vision of the Brood

In the “Belles of Hell” backup story in Alien vs X-Men #2, written by Chris Claremont with art by David Messina and Rain Beredo, Kitty appears in a flashback to a separate classic-era reality. The story brings the Xenomorphs into the X-Men’s history with the Brood.

An infected Illyana Rasputin throws a Facehugger onto Kitty’s face. Kitty brushes it off and experiences a vision of herself as the Brood Queen’s daughter, with an athletic, humanoid Brood form. She resists the attempted takeover and prevents a Chestburster from developing, but the trauma leaves permanent ridges and markings on her face.

The main story offers a contrast: that version of Kitty falls unconscious and cannot phase through the Facehugger. The flashback instead shows her using the transformation against the threat.

Phasing has limits

Kitty can pass through solid matter, making her difficult to hit, but the ability does not automatically give her a strong way to attack. She often has to rely on her surroundings, martial arts and dangerous close-range tactics.

When she becomes solid to strike, opponents can grab or hit her. The story’s transformation points to the possibility of adding offensive power to her phasing, though the article presents such upgrades as possibilities rather than abilities she currently has.

Potential for greater power

The article suggests Kitty could become more formidable if she paired intangibility with weapons such as Wolverine’s adamantium claws or projectiles like Cyclops’s optic blasts. It also considers super-speed as a possible enhancement. The Brood’s ability to alter a host raises a darker possibility: if enemies could exploit Kitty’s phasing, the X-Men might have to reconsider the full reach of her mutant ability.