The second trailer for The New Mutants finally dropped and if you look close enough, you may be able to spot a potential cameo from a fan-favorite X-character. Lockheed, Kitty Pryde's alien-dragon sidekick, may have been hidden in the latest footage for the Fox film.
Towards the end of the trailer, Illyana Rasputin, played by Anya Taylor-Joy, hops out of one of her teleporting discs to fight the demon bear. As she unleashes her Soulsword and charges at her foe, another blue flame can be seen in the distance. A close-up on this scene reveals a familiar dragon-like shape...
The most obvious answer here is that could be Lockheed. The character was teased with a tiny Easter Egg in the last trailer as a young Illyana Rasputin clutched a stuffed purple dragon to her chest. Though Lockheed is usually tied to Kitty Pryde, without her being in The New Mutants film, Illyana is a logical choice to team up with the beloved purple dragon. In Uncanny X-Men #153, Kitty tells a bedtime story to a young Illyana Rasputin. In this story, the X-Men take on traditional fairytale-esque roles. One of the characters in this story was a big, black dragon named Lockheed, who was based on the X-Men's aircraft.
While that was just a cute tongue-in-cheek reference to the Blackbird, Lockheed soon became an actual character within the X-Men franchise. When the Brood captured the X-Men, Kitty Pryde encountered the small, purple dragon who shared some similarities to the character from her fairytale. Thus, she names him "Lockheed" as well. However, Lockheed isn't your average dragon -- he's actually a member of a dragon-like alien race who are capable of traveling through space via astral ships which transport their very essence.
Lockheed saves Kitty from the Brood and from then on, the two formed one of the X-Men's most iconic partnerships. Lockheed also shares a significant bond with Illyana, who is Kitty Pryde's best friend. Illyana was abducted by the demon Belasco at a young age, causing her to spend the majority of her childhood in Limbo. Because of her time spent in Limbo, when she was finally freed from the hellish dimension, she had physically aged to a teenager. Illyana and Kitty were roommates during the New Mutants years, resulting in the two becoming very close. In turn, Lockheed and Illyana grew close as well.
During this time period, it wasn't uncommon to see Lockheed perched on Magik's shoulder or curled up around her. Since Kitty Pryde isn't in The New Mutants film, it's possible they are opting to maintain Illyana and Lockheeds bond without her inclusion. After all, each "Lockheed" easter egg from the trailers and other promotional material thus far has been explicitly tied to Magik and only Magik.
When Kitty left the New Mutants and joined Excalibur, Lockheed followed along. After a while, he even ended up being considered a member of the team in his own right. One of the most amusing bits of Excalibur was Lockheed's feuds with Pete Wisdom, Kitty's boyfriend at the time. The purple dragon didn't approve of their relationship and actively sought to drive a wedge between the two. At every given opportunity, Lockheed would mess with Wisdom, pulling all sorts of pranks on him like hiding his cigarettes and hanging his clothing from the top of Excalibur's base. Lockheed even began to speak English to Wisdom -- something he hadn't done with anyone else at the time -- and told him he hated him. Of course, Kitty didn't believe her lovable little dragon could be so devious side and often sided with him.
Despite his strong connections to Kitty Pryde, Lockheed has had a life of his own while the two were apart. At one point, he even became an agent of S.W.O.R.D. who worked with Abigail Brand. If the rumors are true, the fan-favorite purple troublemaker will get his onscreen debut this April in The New Mutants.
Directed and co-written by Josh Boone, The New Mutants stars Maisie Williams as Rahne Sinclair/Wolfsbane, Anya Taylor-Joy as Illyana Rasputin/Magik, Charlie Heaton as Sam Guthrie/Cannonball, Henry Zaga as Roberto da Costa/Sunspot, Blu Hunt as Danielle Moonstar/Mirage and Alice Braga as Dr. Cecilia Reyes. The film arrives in theaters April 3.