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Intelligent, brave, charming, grumpy, loyal, adorable. There are many words to describe the dragon Lockheed, almost always positive, who is fondly regarded by all but the coldest of X-Men fans. The story of how he came to be a part of the X-Men team is a little convoluted though, as it is a by-product of another, larger, story from the Chris Claremont era. Read on to find out how Lockheed met Kitty Pryde of the X-Men.

Captured by the Brood

At the end of Uncanny X-Men 161, from 1982, Kitty Pryde, the other X-Men, and Carol Danvers were attacked by Deathbird, sister of Liandra, whilst on the Shi’ar ship Z’reee Shar. She had been working alongside the Brood to capture the X-Men and used a stasis bomb to subdue them.

The Brood held them hostage inside fantasy worlds, with only Wolverine working out it was not real. His enhanced senses picked up that what he could see didn’t match what he could smell and hear. Wolverine spied the Brood’s true intentions as he watches a former member of Liandra’s guard transform into a Brood warrior. They were using the X-Men as hosts!

Luckily, Wolverine’s adamantium skeleton and healing factor made it impossible for the metamorphosis to take hold, killing the parasitic alien. He made it his mission to free his companions, starting with Carol Danvers who had been experimented on separately to the others. One by one, the X-Men awaken or are brought back to reality, although only Wolverine was aware of what was growing inside them.  

Wolverine’s mission for revenge against the Brood is cut short with The X-Men teleported away to the awaiting ship just before he could kill the Queen. It is only a brief respite though as the team are pursued. It takes Carol unleashing immense power, awakened by the Brood’s genetic experimentation to save them. She becomes Binary, defeating the Brood fleet with new energy powers.

Carol is not the only one who underwent a transformation as Storm figures out what happened to her and flees. Storm called upon awesome powers to rid the embryo from her by becoming a star. It was effective but Storm died in the process too. Her soul became one with a nearby Acanti, a space-whale, which in turn helped heal her body. 

*** I SWEAR WE WILL GET TO LOCKHEED SOON! ***

Attacking Sleazeworld

Storm learned that the young Acanti was born a prophet-singer, a key part of their society and one they had not had in years. In fact their last prophet-singer was lying dead and rotting on the Brood homeworld, as the Brood hunted their kind and co-opted them to become living ships. The X-Men decided to save the soul of this dead Acanti prophet, despite learning that most of them were hosting a Brood embryo and might die before completing the mission.

In issue 166, at the depths of the planet, where terrible creature live, the X-Men battle the Brood, but things were going awry. Scott was partway through transforming into a Brood warrior, when Kitty found herself split from the rest. She was captured by Brood soldiers before being rescued by something small, scaly and projecting fire. It looked like a dragon. A Brood blaster shot punched a hole in the wall, leading to something incredibly bright, it urged her towards it. 

At the same time, the rest of the X-Men were captured, but Cyclops’s metamorphosis meant the Brood form lost control of its optic rays. This caused confusion, giving Wolverine the chance to grab the Queen, forcing the soldiers to drop their weapons. 

Kitty emerged from the bright light, which was the Acanti’s soul. The rest of the X-Men entered it, with the Brood Queen, but the Queen’s presence started to corrupt it, as she planned to use it to enslave the rest of the Acanti.

Once again, Binary came to the rescue and Carol unleashed powerful energy, released the soulforce into the waiting child Acanti prophet-singer. The action also purged the Brood embryos from the X-Men and turned the Queen into crystal. With this, the Brood homeworld started to collapse and Kitty lamented she did not get to see the dragon again. 

The Brood threat on Earth

Before she was crystallised, the Brood Queen told the X-Men there was one more egg left. They realised it must be in Professor X and rushed to rescue him. Arriving back on Earth, they discovered it was too late and Charles turned into a queen in front of their eyes.

The X-Men struggled to contain the queen, before Binary and Storm showed, subduing the queen with their incredible powers. Weakened, Charles was able to wrestle tenuous control of his mind back and the others took him back to the mansion for monitoring.

Charles is cured of the Brood inside him simply by transferring his mind into a clone body. This body would have the potential for him to walk again. 

After things settled down again, Charles decreed that Kitty, despite her protestations, must study with kids her own age – the New Mutants. When Kitty complained about this decision to Illyana, she was being watched by someone, or something.

Still disappointed with the result, Kitty investigated an anomaly in a part of the mansion and discovered it was her dragon! It had followed her all the way from Sleazeworld. They were not alone though and there were Sidrian Hunters (from Uncanny X-Men 154) hiding down there too.

Lockheed, named in the battle, helped Kitty defeat the remaining hunters, burning the immature soldiers and their nest. This act of courage and skill from Kitty changed Xavier’s mind. He lets her back onto the X-Men team. Lockheed, despite demonstrating psychic resistance, is allowed to stay with Kitty and the two become inseparable.

The origin of Lockheed’s name

From reading Uncanny X-Men 166, it would appear that Kitty randomly gives the dragon the name Lockheed, but the inspiration comes a little while before then. It is actually in issue 153 that the name is first used.

Kitty and Colossus were telling Illyana (a young child at this point) a bedtime story. In this story, Kitty was a pirate alongside her good friend Colossus, alongside other members of the team, all of whom played a different part, like Jean Grey as the enchanted princess. Among the listed characters in the story was a dragon called Lockheed, representing the SR-71, the X-Men’s Blackbird.

Kitty the Pirate and Colossus team up with the Wizard and the Prince, Professor X and Cyclops, to battle the Dark Phoenix, who had used her powers to sink every ship in the harbour. The Dark Phoenix fled, but the fight was far from over. Kitty then summons the dragon Lockheed to emerge from the depths of the sea. Despite its complaints, Lockheed flew Kitty, Colossus and their new companions in pursuit of the Phoenix.

Lockheed leads the adventurers to an island where they happen upon more misfits – Bamf (Nightcrawler), Wind Rider (Storm), and the Fiend (Wolverine). Together they take on the Dark Phoenix, with Lockheed playing a pivotal role in defeating and returning her to her normal form of Princess Jean.

It is strange to think that the very first Lockheed story does not have the true Lockheed in at all! Either way, as part of her imagination, or as a faithful companion, Lockheed has always stayed true to Kitty, protecting her and being there in times of need.