Kitty Pryde and Wolverine have one of the X-Men's best mentor relationships, but when Logan lost control, she was forced to kill him in one of the darkest ways imaginable. In What If...? Wolverine: Enemy of the State, Wolverine killed many of the greatest heroes in the Marvel Universe, forcing Kitty Pryde to reach inside of his head with her phase powers and destroy his brain by solidifying her hand.
Wolverine and Kitty Pryde might be two different kind of heroes, but the young X-Men managed to get the claw-wielding hero to show his softer side. In the Kitty Pryde & Wolverine miniseries from Chris Claremont and Al Milgrom, the characters would develop a mutual respect for one another, despite their contrasting personalities. Over time, Kitty and Wolverine would make for a great odd couple, as Logan would evolve from reluctant mentor to a father-figure to Pryde. Their unlikely friendship still plays a key role in X-Men comics, as Wolverine is still very protective over Kitty. However, in a What If...? comic, their relationship took a tragic turn, as Pryde killed Wolverine after he lost control.
In What If...? Wolverine: Enemy of the State #1 by Jimmie Robinson, Carmine Di Giandomenico, Robert Campanella, and VC's Randy Gentile, the story imagined what would happen if Wolverine was never reprogrammed as a killer. Working alongside the Hand and Hydra, Wolverine becomes the ultimate Avengers killer, as he murders most of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. In response, the few surviving heroes plan to reprogram and stop Wolverine. However, their mission ends up resulting in more deaths with Wolverine killing Magneto and Captain America. But, when he turns to Kitty Pryde, she tries to reason with him. But, after realizing he's completely lost control, Pryde phases her hand through his head as he cuts it off, killing Wolverine instantly.
Wolverine's corpse is discovered by Nick Fury, as Pryde's hand can be seen embedded into his skull. Fury admits Captain America chose Pryde because she served as the ultimate back-up plan in stopping Wolverine from killing more heroes. It turns out, he was right in selecting the young hero to stop her mentor.
The comic proved that alongside the likes of Magneto, Pryde is one of the greatest weapons in the Marvel Universe to stop Wolverine. She can reach through his adamantium-coated bones and rip apart his brain with her phasing powers. However, it's a last resort option for Pryde, as even when Logan became a killer, she wanted to save Wolverine up until it was clear that wasn't possible. So, convincing Kitty Pryde to kill Wolverine would be a difficult feat. But, Earth's Mightiest Heroes might sleep a little easier knowing at least the option is out there.
