The news that Fox is making a Kitty Pryde solo movie has seemingly come out of nowhere, but the character's long comic history is actually packed full of stories that would be perfect for the big screen. What's more intriguing about the in-development film, however, is that Fox is choosing to move forward with yet another X-Men spinoff in the midst of their pending sale to Disney. As such, it seems increasingly likely that any Kitty Pryde film would have to come out under the new owners, possibly bringing the mutant into the main Marvel continuity. And if that's the case, then Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 would be the perfect way to introduce Kitty Pryde to the MCU.Created by Chris Claremont and John Byrne for 1980's Uncanny X-Men #129, Kitty (known alternately as Shadowcat, Ariel, and Sprite) has the ability to phase through objects and disrupt machinery, which has proven incredible useful to her fellow mutants in the comics and throughout various television and film appearances. She's most notably factored into X-Men: The Last Stand and Days of Future Past as played by Ellen Page, though it's unclear if the solo film will bring back the actor.RELATED: Disney Plans To Keep Making Deadpool MoviesThe more likely case is that Disney's buyout of Fox will reboot the character and any film featuring the Kitty would involve a new actor. And given that there's no way for a Kitty Pryde movie to move forward before the X-Men fall under Kevin Feige's purview, the best way to introduce the mutant to the MCU could be as part of one of her more recent comic arcs.

Kitty Pryde In Space

Kitty Pryde actually has quite a lengthy history in space. Not long after her debut, Uncanny X-Men #166 found Kitty and the other X-Men in space. It was during this very mission that Kitty encountered an alien creature that resembled a small, purple dragon. Calling him Lockheed, the two would be inseparable for years and the alien-dragon would be a constant reminded of Kitty's first trip to the cosmos.

Many, many years after her initial intergalactic outing, Kitty began working with the time-displaced original X-Men. While that's a long story in and of itself, the plot eventually brought the wrath of the Shi'ar Empire down on the young Jean Grey who the intergalactic race wanted to put on trial for her older self's actions as the Dark Phoenix. The specifics would of course need to be changed, but the end result is that Kitty headed up to space with her students and encountered the Guardians. And when the trial was all said and done, she decided to stay behind and pursue a relationship with Star-Lord.

Guardian of the Galaxy

While working alongside the Guardians, Kitty had a number of intense adventures, from freeing Angela from an alien concentration camp”something that struck a chord with the Jewish Pryde”to dealing with the cosmic power of the Black Vortex. Eventually, she accepted Peter Quill's marriage proposal before he became the ruler of his father's planet of Spartax. After a deviation for Secret Wars, the Guardians' story picked up with Quill the ruler of his people while Kitty took the name Star-Lord and continued adventuring with the rest of the team. Quill's rule didn't last long and eventually Civil War II brought the Guardians back to Earth where Kitty decided to end things with Peter and go back to leading a team of X-Men.

Almost all of this would have to be shelved for Kitty Pryde's introduction into the MCU, but the mission of Guardians of the Galaxy 3 could easily bring the mutant aboard the team. The romance between Pryde and Quill in the comics is also something that would fit perfectly with Marvel Studios snarky brand of humor. Gamora may do well in a fight, but the films have hardly shown her go toe-to-toe with Peter in terms of attitude. Kitty, meanwhile, has no problem dishing it out in the comics whenever Peter lays on his self-inflated charm. And providing Peter with a love interest outside of Gamora would allow Gunn to properly write for the Deadliest Woman in the Galaxy, rather than reduce her to someone Peter fawns over.

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With the next Guardians of the Galaxy movie taking place at least 4 years after last year's outing and Gamora getting a bigger story arc, it's likely some of this has already taken place. The team is also said to expand and could easily mirror the recent years in the comics when heroes like Pryde, Angela, Agent Venom, The Thing, Captain Marvel, and Iron Man have all joined the Guardians. And if a Kitty Pryde movie were to arrive just before Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, then her origin could be told before her first mission to space tees up her arrival in the cosmic franchise.

Kitty Pryde In The MCU

Like DC's Legends of Tomorrow, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy team is one designed to grow and change over time. The comics have certainly reflected this, meaning just about any hero or villain can be slotted into the group. Between Kitty's history in the comics with the Guardians to the potential for romance with Quill, there's plenty of reasons for the mutant to jump the line and join the gang. Not to mention, her phasing abilities have a certain sci-fi quality to them that could be incredible useful for surviving the vacuum of space or disrupting tech. And of course, there's Lockheed.

The little, purple alien-dragon has long been Kitty's most beloved companion and many fans are hoping to see him appear on screen. The New Mutants director Josh Boone even teased Lockheed in a recent image from that film, in the possession of Illyana herself. But a full-blown version of Lockheed could be the perfect companion for Kitty to encounter if she makes her debut as part of James Gunn's eccentric Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. Whether Kitty already has Lockheed or just meets him is up for debate, but the dragon would be a fitting addition to the team (and Marvel's merchandising) alongside the likes of Rocket and Groot.

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The future of the X-Men on the big screen is uncertain at this point, but Marvel and Disney are sure to continue making movies with the characters. What's more, but the mutants will likely join the MCU. With that in mind, using various Phase 4 movies to slowly seed the idea of the X-Men could be the perfect way to bring all of Marvel's characters under one roof. And if that's the case, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 could be the perfect vehicle for introducing an all-new Kitty Pryde.

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