Who Plays Mary Ingalls On Little House & Which Marvel Shows Did She End Up In?

When it comes to TV westerns, few shows are more iconic than "Little House on the Prairie." The 19th century period drama featuring the lives of the Ingalls family of rural farmers is still a household name even nearly 50 whole years after its debut. That being said, even those who have seen a good bit of the series may be less familiar with the actors who make up the show's main cast. As it happens, the show features notable names like Michael Landon as Charles and Melissa Gilbert as Laura, and it even has a certain actor for the character of Mary who would go on to appear in several Marvel productions.

Mary is played on the series by none other than Melissa Sue Anderson. The "Little House on the Prairie" role was one of the actor's first credits, with her having previously appeared as a guest star on episodes of shows like "Bewitched" and "The Brady Bunch." Anderson would go on to appear in productions like "Murder, She Wrote" and "The Love Boat," but perhaps her most fascinating credits outside of the iconic western show are those from her work as voice actor for two distinct Marvel animated series.

Melissa Sue Anderson's first appearance in a Marvel TV show came at the tail end of her time working on the original "Little House on the Prairie" series. In 1982, she guest starred on the Season 2 premiere of "Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends." The episode features Anderson in quite the notable superhero role, too, as she portrays Kitty Pryde, one of the most powerful X-Men. Anderson would later return to the same part once more in the Season 3 episode "The X-Men Adventure."

Funnily enough, Anderson's appearance on "Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends" would not be the last time she would get involved in a project featuring the X-Men. Over a decade later, she would similarly guest star on the iconic "X-Men: The Animated Series," though notably not as Kitty Pryde this time. In an episode of Season 2 titled "Repo Man," Anderson plays the part of the heroic deity Snowbird, who crosses paths with Wolverine and the rest of the X-Men. She appears as the character once more in the Season 3 episode "Phoenix Saga, Part 5: Child of Light."

Anderson hasn't appeared in a Marvel production since then, but there's always a chance she could make a return in the future. After all, "X-Men: The Animated Series" is coming back by way of "X-Men '97," so anything's possible.