After a visit to her recently divorced father, Carmen, Kitty learned that he had become involved with the Japanese Yakuza and followed him to Japan where she was captured and put under the mental control of Ogun, the martial arts master who had once been her teammate Wolverine's teacher. Using Kitty's body, Ogun attempted to kill Wolverine but failed. Wolverine then taught Kitty to become skilful enough in the martial arts to combat Ogun, and together they managed to exorcise Ogun's spirit. During the course of this adventure, Kitty took to calling herself Shadowcat.

While Colossus was away on Battleworld during what was to be called the Secret Wars, he became infatuated with an alien healer named Zsaji. Upon returning to Earth, he admitted his disloyalty to Kitty, severing their romance.

During the massacre of the underground community of mutants known as the Morlocks by the team of superhuman mutant assassins the Marauders, Kitty was injured by an energy spear hurled by the Marauder called Harpoon that adversely affected her powers. Unable to regain her solidity, Kitty was saved by the combined efforts of the European dictator Doctor Doom and his arch-rival, Reed Richards of the team of superhuman adventurers known as the Fantastic Four. However, she could now only maintain a solid form through concentration.