| Nightcrawler | |
|---|---|
.png) | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Giant-Size X-Men #1 (May 1975) |
| Created by | Len Wein (writer) Dave Cockrum (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Kurt Wagner |
| Species | Human mutant |
| Place of origin | Bavaria,Germany |
| Team affiliations | |
| Abilities |
|
Nightcrawler is asuperhero appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics, commonly in association with theX-Men. Created by writerLen Wein and artistDave Cockrum, hedebuted in thecomic bookGiant-Size X-Men #1 (May 1975).[1] By the time of his creation, there was already another Marvel character with the same name, but with ahyphen (Night-Crawler), which was later changed toDark-Crawler to avoid confusion.[2]
Nightcrawler, the superhero identity ofKurt Wagner, is a member of a fictional subspecies of humanity known asmutants, who possess an X-gene that can cause possible physical mutations and in many cases grants some form of superhuman ability. Nightcrawler possesses superhumanagility, the ability toteleport, and adhesive hands and feet. His physical mutations include indigo-colored velvety fur which allows him to become nearly invisible in shadows, two-toed feet and three-fingered hands, yellow eyes,pointed ears, and aprehensile tail. In Nightcrawler's earlier comic book appearances, he is depicted as being a happy-go-lucky practical joker and teaser, and a fan ofswashbuckling fiction. Nightcrawler is aCatholic, and while this is not emphasized as much in his earlier comic book appearances, in later depictions he is more vocal about his faith. He was originally stated to be from a small village called Witzeldorf in theGerman state ofBavaria.[3]
In 1994, it was revealed that Nightcrawler was the son of mutant supervillainMystique / Raven Darkhölme, and for many years after a 2003 storyline, it was believed that he was born out of her short affair withAzazel. However, 2023'sX-Men Blue: Origins revealed that his parents were actually Mystique and her wifeDestiny / Irene Adler; Mystique having shapeshifted into her male form to conceive him, with Destiny being the one who experienced the pregnancy and gave birth to him.
Since his inception, Nightcrawler has had a regular presence in Marvel comic books. He has been featured in manyvideo games, and a small number of the1990sX-Men animated series episodes and was a regular on its successors,X-Men: Evolution andWolverine and the X-Men. He was portrayed byAlan Cumming in the feature filmX2 (2003) and the upcomingMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) filmAvengers: Doomsday (2026), whileKodi Smit-McPhee played a younger Nightcrawler inX-Men: Apocalypse (2016),Deadpool 2 (2018) andDark Phoenix (2019).
Dave Cockrum originally created Nightcrawler while he was in theUnited States Navy, stationed atGuam. He recounted: "I sat up one night in the middle of atyphoon because it was too noisy to sleep, so I stayed up and thought up this character. Originally, Nightcrawler was ademon fromHell who had flubbed a mission, and rather than go back and face punishment, he decided to stay up here in the human world. He was supposed to be the sidekick of another superhero character that I had created named The Intruder." At this point Nightcrawler wore trunks instead of a full costume, but otherwise looked identical to his final version.[4]
Cockrum submitted the character to be part of a group of characters called The Outsiders (not to be confused with the later teamThe Outsiders), set in the universe ofDC Comics'Legion of Super-Heroes series.[5] However, DC rejected the character, resulting in Cockrum importing him to Marvel after he began working onX-Men in 1975.[6][7] Because editorRoy Thomas wanted the new X-Men to be a multinational group, it was decided to make Nightcrawler German.[4]
Although anX-Men character for years, Nightcrawler did not get his own comic book title (written and drawn by Cockrum) until November 1985. In the four-issue limited seriesNightcrawler, along withLockheed, accidentally travel to severalalternate dimensions, meeting strange beings such as theBamfs. After various adventures, Nightcrawler and Lockheed manage to get home safely.
A second four-issue limited series was published in November 2002. Written by Chris Kipiniak and penciled byMatthew Dow Smith, it focuses upon Nightcrawler's decision to become a priest and his attempts to fight a group of slave traders.
In September 2004, the firstNightcrawler ongoing title was published by Marvel, written byRoberto Aguirre-Sacasa with covers and pencils byDarick Robertson. The series was canceled with issue twelve.
In 2014, a newNightcrawler ongoing title commenced, written by Chris Claremont. This was also canceled with issue twelve.
Nightcrawler starred in an ongoing book titledWay of X, written bySi Spurrier and illustrated by Bob Quinn. It was announced in January 2021 for an April 2021 debut as part of the X-Men line'sReign of X, following the conclusion ofX of Swords crossover. It is billed as a smart, psychedelic tale about faith, science, culture, love and law.[8][9] The series featured the return ofLegion and the threat ofOnslaught to the mutant nation.[10]
A one-shot titledX-Men: The Onslaught Revelation served as the finale of the first chapter of the series.[11]
In April 2023, it was announced that Wagner would star in a 5-issue miniseries entitledUncanny Spider-Man, written by Spurrier and illustrated byLee Garbett as a part of theFall of X, in which he would become the latestSpider-Man (Spinnenmann).[12]
In 2025, Nightcrawler will be getting a solo X-Men project.[13]
Kurt Wagner was born with certain unusual physical characteristics, but his power of self-teleportation did not emerge until puberty.[14]Margali Szardos, asorceress and aManouche Roma queen, allegedly found Kurt an hour after his birth, in a small roadside shelter in theBlack Forest with his father lying dead on the road outside.[15] However, this claim was later called into question, and it was subsequently proven that Kurt was the child ofMystique[16] (also known as Raven Darkholme). In a 2003 story, the mutantAzazel was canonically established as Nightcrawler's biological father.[17] However, this was retconned twenty years later. Instead, Mystique impregnatedDestiny but changed her body to mimic the pregnancy's progression in order to fool the Bavarian nobleman Baron Christian Wagner. Destiny, pretending to be Mystique's maid, eventually gave birth to Nightcrawler before Mystique fled with him to the nearby woods to escape attacking villagers.[18] Azazel later found Nightcrawler, believing him to be his from an affair with Mystique, in the woods and gave him to his lover and crony, Margali Szardos, to raise him.[19] This is retconned slightly in 2023'sX-Men Blue: Origins, where Mystique hid Nightcrawler in the woods to go back and rescue Destiny, only to find Destiny gone and Nightcrawler taken upon her return. Destiny likewise implies that she informed Margali of Nightcrawler's location.[18] Margali took the newborn Nightcrawler to a small Bavarian circus named Herr Getmann's Traveling Menagerie where she worked as afortune teller as a cover for her activities as a sorceress.[20] Nightcrawler was never legally adopted by anyone, but he was raised by all the members of the circus, who had no prejudices against mutants, except for the ringmaster, Herr Max Getmann. However, Margali took up the role of Nightcrawler's unofficial foster mother.[21]
Kurt grew up happily in the circus, and his two closest friends were Margali's son Stefan and daughter Jimaine. Long before histeleportation power emerged, Wagner had tremendous natural agility, and by his adolescence, he had become the circus' star acrobat and aerial artist. Circus audiences assumed that he was a normal-looking human wearing a devil-like costume.
Years later, theTexas millionaire Amos Jardine, who ran a large circus based inFlorida, heard of the circus for which Wagner worked and bought it. Jardine intended to move its best acts into his American circus; however, he demanded that Wagner be placed in the circus'freak show. Jardine drugged him to prevent escape, but a young mutant child with the ability to sense other mutants helped Kurt escape.[22] Appalled, Wagner left and made his way toward Winzeldorf, Germany, where his foster brother Stefan was. He discovered that Stefan had gone mad and brutally slain several children. (It has since been stated that Stefan did not actually go mad, but slew the children because he had recognized them as disguised demons.)[23] When they were younger, Stefan made Kurt promise to kill him if he ever took an innocent life. Two nights after leaving the circus, Wagner found Stefan and fought him, hoping to stop his rampage. In the course of the struggle, Stefan was killed.[24]
The villagers of Winzeldorf, who assumed from Kurt's appearance that he was the one who killed the children, attacked. They were about to kill him when they were all psychically paralyzed byProfessor Charles Xavier, who came to recruit Wagner into the X-Men. Before they left for America, he and Xavier went to the Bavarian circus to explain to Margali about Stefan's death, but Margali was not there .[volume & issue needed] With the codename Nightcrawler, Wagner becomes a member of the X-Men.[25] Margali held Wagner responsible for murdering Stefan and created a facsimile of the hell fromDante'sInferno in which to punish him years later. Through the use ofDoctor Strange's all-seeingEye of Agamotto, she learned the truth, and she and Wagner were reconciled. Wagner was happily reunited with his foster sister Jimaine, who had moved to the United States and changed her name toAmanda Sefton, later becoming Kurt's girlfriend.[24]
Sometime later, Nightcrawler fought Shagreen the Sorcerer and became lost in various dimensions, including the manifestation of a fairy tale his teammateKitty Pryde (Shadowcat) had once told toIllyana Rasputin (Magik).[26] It was there that Nightcrawler first encountered theBamfs, strange creatures that resembled miniature versions of himself and who would appear during some of his future adventures.[27]
Shortly after this, and once he had rejoined his teammates, a tactic designed to disable the super-SentinelNimrod backfired, and Kurt found himself at the mercies of an angry mob without his teleportation ability. He was rescued by Shadowcat,Colossus, and Magik but feared he had lost his ability for good.[28] His power returned but left him drained and vulnerable when he used it, again leading to self-doubt about his value to the team. During theMutant Massacre (when theMarauders tried to kill all of theMorlocks), this exhaustion left him vulnerable to an attack fromRiptide, which injured him into acoma.[29]
While he recovers from these injuries, his fellow X-Men wereapparently killed on a mission in Dallas. Not long after, Nightcrawler and teammatesShadowcat andRachel Summers left to joinCaptain Britain in an adventure in theUK. They fought Gatecrasher's group of inter-dimensional mercenaries known as theTechnet. The heroes worked together so well, they decided to form a group they namedExcalibur.[30] Captain Britain originally assumed leadership of the group, but Nightcrawler gradually took over the responsibility. When Captain Britain's andMeggan's relationship went through a rocky time, Nightcrawler became interested in Meggan, a feeling that was reciprocated but never consummated.[31][32][33][34][35][36] During his time with Excalibur, he took charge of the Technet, renaming them his 'N-Men',[37] and he became romantically involved with his teammateCerise before she left to stand trial before theShi'ar.[38] Later, his former girlfriend, Amanda Sefton, joined the team and the two continued their previous relationship.[39] She left the team to take control ofLimbo, a task that kept her away from Earth, but the two remained close friends. Fearing it would be stolen from her, Amanda magically hid theSoulsword inside Nightcrawler's body.[40]
For a time, Kitty Pryde and Nightcrawler express some resentment over the X-Men's failing to contact them after their supposed deaths.[citation needed] Following the wedding of Captain Britain and Meggan, Excalibur disbands and Nightcrawler returns to the X-Men with Shadowcat and Colossus.[41] Yet, as soon as they return, they face a group ofimpostors followingCerebro, in the guise of Professor X.[42]
Wanting to devote more time to the priesthood, Nightcrawler shares team leadership withArchangel. However, his work as a priest isretconned to be an illusion; he had, in fact, never attained priesthood.[43] He has also met his half-brothers Nils Styger, aliasAbyss, andKiwi Black. With them, Nightcrawler defeated his fatherAzazel, who had tried to use him as a pawn in escaping his prison.[44]
Later[volume & issue needed], Nightcrawler served as the new leader of the Uncanny X-Men team alongside Wolverine,Bishop,Psylocke,Cannonball, andMarvel Girl. In the last mission against the Foursaken[volume & issue needed], Nightcrawler took his team (except for Wolverine) to Central Park. He later[volume & issue needed] helped Storm liberate Africa from her uncle's control.
Afterwards,Professor X recruited him, along withDarwin,Havok, Marvel Girl,Warpath, andPolaris, to participate in a space mission to stopVulcan from laying waste to theShi'ar empire.[45] During the battle with Vulcan, Nightcrawler helped get the injured Professor X and Darwin back to their spaceship.[46] While there, trying to save Professor X,Lilandra sent the ship on its way back to Earth, leaving half the team behind.[volume & issue needed]
Kurt was still part of Professor X's team, helping Charles findMagneto before the government did, while the rest of the team searched for theMorlocks.[47]
In the 2005 "House of M" storyline, Nightcrawler was part of Wolverine'sS.H.I.E.L.D. team and helped Mystique track him down.[48] After his memory returned, he assisted in the final confrontation against Magneto.[49] Upon their return to the true reality, he rapidly teleported around the mansion to find Wolverine on Cyclops' orders, as both men worried that Wolverine would have lost his powers and therefore be vulnerable to metal poisoning caused by hisadamantium skeleton.[50]
When the first mutant sinceM-Day appeared,Cyclops sent Nightcrawler, Wolverine, Angel, Storm, and Colossus to find formerAcolytes for information on theMarauders. It was predicted byBlindfold that Kurt would be seriously injured in the upcoming events, and indeed this came true when he was shot by the Marauder,Scalphunter[volume & issue needed]. Kurt seemed to have nearly fully recovered from his injuries since he, along withBeast and the entireNew X-Men team, is teleported toMuir Island byPixie.[51] He took part in the final battle.[52]
Still recovering from his injuries, Kurt traveled through Europe along with Wolverine and Colossus. Kurt and Wolverine were currently involved in a "war of pranks," as Peter called it. One of the many pranks involved Loganhacking into Kurt's image inducer to make him look likeAngelina Jolie, which resulted in a picture of Angelina and Peter appearing in assortedtabloid newspapers.[53] The three of them traveled toRussia, where they visited the cemetery where Peter's family is buried. Afterward, they went to a local bar, where they discussed the recent loss of Kitty Pryde and the destruction of the X-Men. A fight occurred in the bar, during which their cover was blown.[54] Soon after, the three of them were captured by the Russian government, which demanded to know why all their mutants were depowered and why Colossus, Wolverine, and Nightcrawler retained their abilities.[55] After a battle withOmega Red, the three heroes returned to the US and rejoined the team, now living in San Francisco.[56]
Kurt, along with Wolverine andKarma ambushed the Hellfire Cult after a series of mutant related hate-crimes happened around San Francisco.[57] He also took it upon himself to build a new chapel at Graymalkin Industries, the X-Men's new home and base of operations.[volume & issue needed]
During a training session in theDanger Room, he revealed he was trying to keep himself distracted because whenever he had time to think, he couldn't help but think of Kitty, how the X-Men didn't need him, and howPixie was a better teleporter than he was. After battling (unsuccessfully) several simulated villains, he reprogrammed the Danger Room to show Kitty. He confessed he was sorry he was not there for her and hugged the simulation and cried. The simulation of Kitty replied that she missed Kurt, too.[58]
Nightcrawler briefly believed that he no longer had a role with the X-Men, especially due to Pixie's abilities in teleporting. A trip back to Germany renewed his conviction through an encounter with a boy cursed by gypsies into demonic form, a brush withMephisto, and a romantic fling, before he returned to San Francisco to aid the X-Men against a foe they struggled with, lacking his help.[59]
In the 2008 storyline "Secret Invasion," Nightcrawler fought alongside the X-Men when theSkrulls invaded San Francisco. He came across a Skrull bible and, after studying it, gave it toBeast, who figured out how to deal with the Skrulls.[60]
In the 2008 miniseriesX-Infernus, Pixie summoned her Souldagger and stabbed Kurt in the chest, knocking him out. When Pixie removed her Souldagger, Magik's Soulsword emerged from his chest.[61]
Magik teleported away after taking out Pixie,Mercury,Rockslide, and Beast. Kurt woke up and stopped Pixie from going after her, and Pixie broke down and apologized for stabbing him. Later, the X-Men gathered and Kurt was put in charge of a team of X-Men to go help save Magik.[62]
Upon entering Limbo, Kurt, Mercury, Colossus, Rockslide, Pixie, and Wolverine fought their way through many demons. Pixie, Mercury, and Rockslide were horrified at how brutal the older X-Men were towards the demons. An octopus-type creature attacked Kurt until Pixie jumped in and killed it with her Souldagger.[volume & issue needed]
Hearing the screams from the castle, Kurt teleported the X-Men into the throne room. Once there,Witchfire turned Colossus and Wolverine against Mercury and Rockslide. Kurt noticed Illyana chained to a pillar, and she asked him to stab her with Pixie's Souldagger, as it was the only way and he was the only one to do it because he was attuned to magic. He apologized and stabbed her; at that moment Colossus punched Kurt, and Witchfire finished making her fifth and final Bloodstone from the now demonic Pixie.[63]
The fact, however, that Colossus and Wolverine hadn't killed him made Kurt realize they were not fully under her control. Using Pixie's Dagger, Kurt then pulled Illyana's Soulsword from her and used it to free Wolverine and Colossus of Witchfire's control. However, the demon managed to use the Bloodstones to summon the Elder Gods. Through their combined efforts, the X-Men and Magik managed to banish both Witchfire and the Elder Gods, but not without losing four of the five Bloodstones. Furious at losing another part of her soul, Pixie fled. Being told by Illyana to let her go, Kurt consoled Magik about the theology of a soul, before she teleported them back to Earth. Kurt, along with Colossus, Cyclops, and the former New Mutants team, convinced her to stay with them and join the X-Men.[64]
After mutants rose from the dead and attacked the island Utopia as part of theNecrosha storyline, Cyclops sent Nightcrawler to lead a team of X-Men consisting of Rogue, Trance, Magneto, Husk, Psylocke, Colossus, and Blindfold to investigate Muir Island. It was revealed that Proteus had been resurrected and had taken possession of Blindfold (who had the vision of going to Muir Island in the first place).[65]
In the 2010 "X-Men: Second Coming" storyline, the X-Men traveled to Westchester whenCable andHope were detected there. Nightcrawler's discovery of the lethal methods used by X-Force led to an argument between him and Cyclops. While teleporting during a battle withBastion, Bastion extended his arm into the space in which Nightcrawler would materialize. Nightcrawler rematerialized around Bastion's arm, fusing with it. Though mortally wounded, he managed to teleport Hope to Utopia, telling her before expiring that he believed in her.[66]
Despite his death, Nightcrawler continued to aid his friends. When Wolverine was possessed byHellverine, Nightcrawler entered his friend's mind to help him drive out the invader. The other X-Men who entered Logan's mind to help him assumed that Nightcrawler was just a manifestation of Wolverine's mind, rather than the real one.[67]
Nightcrawler spent his sojourn inHeaven alongside Professor X, but despite enjoying paradise, Nightcrawler continued to feel as though he had unfinished business, remaining on the periphery rather than actually joining the heavenly choir. When Azazel mounted an attack on Heaven using his connection to Kurt as a door, Nightcrawler instructed a fewBamfs to create a portal to Heaven inside theJean Grey School for Higher Learning, allowing him to summon the X-Men to aid him in his fight.[68] Having gathered his friends, Kurt used the Bamfs and his connection to Azazel to restore himself to life back on Earth, thus preventing Azazel from attacking Heaven again by tying them both together, although this resulted in Kurt sacrificing his own soul to ensure that Azazel would not be able to return to Heaven.[69] His 'Welcome Back' party is subsequently attended by all the X-Men, including Cyclops' branch of the team. Despite the tensions between them, Nightcrawler stated that he wanted all of his family to be present. Nightcrawler later left the party to confront Mystique when she was successfully freeing Azazel.[70]
WithStorm's andRachel's encouragement, Nightcrawler accepted a teaching position at the Jean Grey School, where he formed a bond with the pupilScorpion Boy. While attempting to reunite withAmanda Sefton, he was duped by her motherMargali Szardos to grant her sanctuary at the school, where she forcefully extracted the knowledge about the Beyond fromBeast and Storm to open a portal to the Afterlife. Nightcrawler and Amanda managed to foil Margali but at the cost of Amanda getting stranded in the Void.[71] Afterward, Nightcrawler and Scorpion Boy engaged theCrimson Pirates, who acted on behalf of Tullamore Voge, over the custody of a young mutant named Ziggy Karst,[72] who subsequently joined the Jean Grey School.[73] Soon afterward, Nightcrawler and Bloody Bess were forced to fight against their fellow Crimson Pirates and X-Men, all mind-controlled by the resurrectedShadow King.[73] The fight ended with the Pirates kidnapping Ziggy and Scorpion Boy and fatally stabbing Nightcrawler; but on his way to the afterlife he was intercepted by Amanda, Wolverine and thePhoenix, who encouraged him to return.[74] Together with Bess and the Bamfs, he traveled to Voge's interdimensional child slave market and rescued Ziggy and Scorpion Boy, battling Voge's henchmen and theWarwolves. In the end, they defeated Voge, breaking up his slavery racket, and returned the enslaved children, taking those orphaned by the slavers into the school.[75]
During the 2016 "Civil War II" storyline, both Storm and Magneto were having a conflict on their own to save mutantkind from theTerrigen Mist. Storm and the other X-Men who followed her decision to supportCaptain Marvel's side, to require theInhumans' help to solve their kinds' extinction from breathing that mist. Nightcrawler decided to join Magneto and Iron Man's side.[76][77] He later joined Kitty Pryde's mutant school. He eventually developed romantic feelings for his longtime friend and teammate Rachel.[78]
When the mutant colony ofKrakoa was established, Kurt was given a position on the council, helping to shape the laws of this new mutant society. However, Kurt's religious concerns led him to decide to form a mutant religion.[volume & issue needed]
During the "Fall of X" in light ofOrchis' attack on Krakoa, Nightcrawler assumed the identity of the UncannySpider-Man (Spinnenmann) after he gained a spare suit from Spider-Man following Orchis' previous brainwashing on him to assassinate some heads of state and Orchis' attack on theHellfire Gala.[79] His activities as Spinnenmann are tracked by an Orchis facility run byVulture, now calling himself Director Vulture after he upgraded his suit with a sample of theTechnarchy. In addition, Kurt also became a target forSilver Sable and theWild Pack.[80] Kurt later battledRhino, who was under the same mind-control technology that was used on him. Despite Silver Sable's interference, Kurt was able to defeat Rhino.[81] Nightcrawler then took up the name of Creepy Crawler when he was targeted by OrchisHounds who consist of the Technarchy-possessed Animax,Cloak and Dagger, Fatale,Feral, and Reaper. It was also during this time that he started an affair with Silver Sable, and he also encountered Mystique, whose memory had been warped by Professor X, tormenting her with guilt over her loss of Kurt right after his birth.[82]
Nightcrawler managed to restore Mystique's full memory, learning in the process that not Azazel, but Mystique herself was his father andDestiny his actual mother; his likeness to Azazel came about due to Raven's assimilation of Azazel's genes. When her mutant identity was revealed right after Kurt's birth, she fled with Kurt on Irene's urging, only to find the mob chasing her going back for Irene. Leaving Kurt at the base of a tree, she rushed back to save her love, but in the end found both Irene and Kurt gone. Years later, after Mystique found her in custody ofAnna Marie, Irene revealed that her precognition had made her see Azazel conquering the world and killing all mutantkind, and that he would only be thwarted by a child he would presume to be his blood heir. Thus she told Margali where to find Kurt, to have him raised into the role as a hero. To resume their relationship for Anna Marie's sake, they asked Professor X to erase their memories of Bavaria, though Raven insisted on still being able to remember Kurt as her son. Upon this revelation, Kurt and Raven reconciled.[18]
Aware of Kurt and Sable's relationship, Vulture hired Wild Pack's second-in-command Kremer to capture Nightcrawler for Orchis.[83] However, Nightcrawler, Sable and Mystique worked out a ruse to infiltrate the Orchis base, and they freedWarlock, who had earlier been captured byNimrod,[84] and whose Technarchy virus had been used by Vulture to create the Hounds.[82] Nightcrawler defeated Vulture and had Warlock purge him and the captive mutants of the Technarchy before they escaped, and Mystique parted ways with him once more to find Destiny.[85]
Kurt Wagner is amutant whose primary mutant power is the ability toteleport himself, his clothing, and a certain amount of additional mass from one point to another virtually instantaneously. He does this by displacing himself through an alternate dimension briefly and reappearing in a desired, pre-selected location. He has been shown to be able to teleport distances of up to two miles (3 km) under optimal conditions, although this is usually his outer limit, and he can become severely fatigued if he tries to teleport that distance; he has exceeded this limit on multiple occasions. In one case, he teleported somewhere over 50 mi (80 km).[86] Via coordinates received telepathically from Professor Xavier, Nightcrawler has teleported an unknown (but presumably large) distance.[87] In a final, dying effort to rescue the mutant-messiah Hope, he teleported them both fromLas Vegas,Nevada to the mutant safehold Utopia, just off the coast ofSan Francisco,California, a distance of more than 410 mi (660 km). Nightcrawler's teleportation ability is also affected by direction—north-south along Earth's "magnetic lines of force" is easier than east–west against them.[88]
His effective teleport range was extended after his revival both due to outside assistance and a later enhancement to his powers, thanks to a deal he made with a demonic race ofBamfs loaned to him by Azazel. Nightcrawler can warp greater distances by locking onto them as a form of waypoint marker to teleport longer distances, even trans-dimensional ones.[69][89] Beyond the use of his own demonic companions Kurt can now seemingly transport himself longer distances without tiring, be they local or continental in range, having teleported over 7,800 mi (13,000 km) from the UAE (United Arab Emirates) toAntarctica,[90] and again traveling over 2,900 mi (4,700 km) from theCzech Republic toEgypt.[91] He possesses a limited unconscious extrasensory "spatial awareness" ability which prevents him from teleporting into solid objects within his immediate vicinity, but this ability diminishes the greater the distance he teleports. Because teleporting into other solid matter would cause severe injury or death, he will only teleport to an area he is familiar with or that he can clearly see at the time or has seen in the past. His power automatically displaces liquids[volume & issue needed] and gases when he arrives.
The process of teleportation places a strain on his endurance and that of any passengers; carrying mass other than his body and clothing when teleporting adds additional strain to his body.[92] Through practice, he has been able to teleport with a passenger over a long distance without exhausting himself. Extensive training has raised his tolerance for teleportation, but most of his passengers lack this tolerance. Therefore, one of his tactics is to grab opponents and make several quick teleportations with them. They usually become weakened or even pass out from the strain.[29]
After Nightcrawler teleports, he leaves behind the smoke and a faint scent of burning brimstone; this is a small portion of the atmosphere of the dimension through which he travels when he teleports. His teleportation power is due to a biophysical/biochemical reaction he consciously triggers within himself. A loud "bamf" noise is always present whenever he teleports (being the sound of air rushing to fill the space he was just occupying). His teleporting also causes a slight change in the atmosphere before he arrives, although only superhumans with heightened senses such asDaredevil can detect it.[93]
In addition to his primary power of teleportation, Nightcrawler's physiology is unique in several different ways. His agility far surpasses that of an Olympic-level gymnast, and his bone structure allows him great flexibility. His spine is more flexible than an ordinary human, enabling him to remain in a crouched position for a long time and perform contortionist-type feats without causing any damage to his spine. Nightcrawler's balance and bodily coordination are all enhanced to superhuman levels. He has the ability to cling to surfaces through microscopic suction cups located on the pads of his hands and feet.[94] However, some surfaces are so frictionless that he cannot cling to them.[95] He also possesses superhuman dexterity, being able to manipulate items andfence with either hand as well as his tail.[27][68]
He has the ability to blend into shadows, both as a result of his indigo fur,[94] and the dimensional portal which always surrounds his body and absorbs photons.[96] At one point shortly after his initial introduction, it was suggested that he could actually travel through shadows (in much the same wayPsylocke did after exposure to theCrimson Dawn) and this was shown inBizarre Adventures, but never really touched upon after that. In the story,Vanisher removes some of theDarkforce that formed his costume and threw it at Kurt, who disappeared. He then reappeared from within the Darkforce on the ground, saying that it was like "a pool of shadow" and that he "fell right through it".[97]
Nightcrawler has aprehensile tail, allowing him to grab onto objects with relative ease. His tail is strong enough to not only support his body weight, but also lift an adult man completely off the ground at the same time, and is deft enough to fight with while wielding a sword[94] or blunt object. He also possesses a degree of heightened night vision.[94]
Aside from the abilities granted by his mutation, Nightcrawler is a superb fencer and skilled hand-to-hand combatant, to the point of being able to stalemate super-beings as powerful asCaptain Britain. He has also served as the team's pilot and medic when more qualified X-Men were not around to do so. He and Wolverine were also the mechanics of the X-Men'sBlackbird jet for a long time. He is also recognized by other Marvel characters as the leading authority on teleportation, withSpider-Man and Daredevil contacting him for information and advice following their first encounter withFrancis Klum. Nightcrawler deduced from analysis of photographs of a crime scene that a man had been killed by someone else teleporting inside the victim, despite having never witnessed such a thing before.[98]
For a long period, Kurt's body housed the Soulsword.Magik states that Kurt is attuned to magic and thus able to wield her Soulsword and Pixie's Souldagger.[63] After Margali Szardos had brainwashed him under Orchis' command, she manifested a part of Kurt's soul essence which represented his innate hope into a Hopesword.[79] The exact capabilities of the Hopesword are not known yet, but so far it has been able to stun an opponent impaled by it[85] and restore sanity to Mystique's shattered mind.[18]
As an after-effect of his death and resurrection, Nightcrawler has developed a heightened resistance against psychic domination which helped him resist theShadow King's telepathic powers, even after the latter had possessed such strong minds asRachel Grey andPsylocke moments before.[73] With the loss of his soul, he has also been rendered quasi-immortal, although he still feels the pain of any injuries inflicted upon him.[99]
X-Men writerChris Claremont had intended to reveal that Nightcrawler was the son ofNightmare early in his run.Roger Stern recounted, "It happened when I was the writer ofDr. Strange, back when writers were still occasionally listened to. Chris had come up with the latest of several crazy ideas and declared that Nightcrawler's father was Nightmare. And I replied with something like, 'No, he's not. I'm not going to let you appropriate one of my character's major villains.' As I recall, Len Wein crossed the room and shook my hand. And not too long after, I [became] theX-Men editor and was able to make sure that didn't happen for long enough that Chris eventually changed his mind."[100] Claremont's new plan was for the mutant terroristMystique and her loverDestiny to have been Nightcrawler's biological parents.[100][101] Mystique, being a shapeshifter, would have taken the form of a man and impregnated Destiny. However, Marvel felt the idea to be too controversial and an alternative origin was developed.[102]
After hinting for many years that Mystique was indeed Nightcrawler's biological mother, it was confirmed by writerScott Lobdell inX-Men Unlimited #4.[16] In 2003, it was revealed that although Mystique was married to a wealthy German, Herr Wagner, Nightcrawler's father wasAzazel, a member of a race ofdemonic-looking mutants known as the Neyaphem which date back toBiblical times that were banished to another dimension by a race ofangelic mutants.[17] The storyline was furthered by the revelation that fellow X-ManArchangel's healing blood did not heal Nightcrawler, and in fact caused him great pain.[103]
However this was actually a ruse perpetuated by Destiny to deceive Azazel's plans and he was never actually Nightcrawler's father. Instead, Mystique impregnated Destiny but changed her body to mimic the pregnancy's progression to fool the Bavarian nobleman, Baron Christian Wagner. Destiny, pretending to be Mystique's maid, eventually gave birth to Nightcrawler before Mystique fled with him to the nearby woods to escape attacking villagers. Charles Xavier later erased the details of Nightcrawler's birth from both Destiny and Mystique's minds at Destiny's request.[18]
Nightcrawler's siblings include his adoptive sisterRogue and half-brotherGraydon Creed by Mystique.[19] They previously includedAbyss andKiwi Black from Azazel;[104] however, it was revealed that Azazel never actually fathered a child with Mystique.[18] He is also a distant cousin to Blindfold and Trevor Chase, the grandchildren of Destiny.
It is also revealed that in a parallel universe, an alternate Nightcrawler fathered a daughter with an alternateScarlet Witch;[105] this girl, namedNocturne, is a dimensionally-stranded mutant bearing traits similar to Nightcrawler himself. Nocturne has since referred to Nightcrawler as her father. The demeanor of Nightcrawler is very similar to that of the Nightcrawler from Nocturne's reality, so the two developed a close bond that resembles a father-daughter relationship.[106]
Nightcrawler is amutant born with fine blue-black fur covering his body, two fingers with an opposable thumb on each hand and only two toes, each longer than a normal human being's, on each foot and a third toe-like projection on his heel, as well as pronounced, fang-like canine teeth on both upper and lower sets, yellow eyes, pointed ears, and a3+1⁄2-foot-long (1.1 m)prehensile pointed tail which can support his weight.[volume & issue needed]
Among his more ironic character traits, Wagner is an extremely religious man. A devoutCatholic, hisdemonic appearance obviously makes it very difficult to attendMass. Despite this, as mutants in the Marvel Universe become more accepted, he even managed to almost become aCatholic priest, but his studies were interrupted by a villainous group known as "TheNeo".[volume & issue needed]
In contrast, Nightcrawler also has a knack for the spontaneous and exciting. He sees himself as a swashbuckler, usually comparing himself toErrol Flynn. He is, despite his looks, always charming and gallant, and several storylines contain Kurt's love life as a conflict to his religious nature. His days in the circus make him a gifted performer and showman. Kurt is also a jokester. He has a great sense of humor for someone in his situation. He always plays pranks on people; some even call him "Trickster" because his combined teleporting abilities and playful disposition enable him to play quite the joke.[volume & issue needed]
Wagner has used a personalholographic device called an image-inducer on several occasions to pose as a human. However, after an incident where he lost a bet with Wolverine and was forced to walk through town without it, he was emboldened and has since largely forsaken the use of the device, using it only when necessary.[107]
Nightcrawler has received positive reception as a comic book character and as a member of the X-Men. Nightcrawler was ranked as the 133rd-greatest comic book character of all time byWizard magazine.[108]IGN also ranked Nightcrawler as the 80th-greatest comic book hero of all time describing Nightcrawler as a mutant with the appearance of a demon and the heart of a preacher; IGN also states that as the X-Men enter one of their most uncertain periods, his legacy still looms large.[109] In 2006, IGN has also rated Nightcrawler at #7 on their list of top 25 X-Men from the past 40 years, stating that religion is one of the few commonalities that could bring mutants and humans together, and it is through his faith that Nightcrawler has stayed true to the X-Men for so long.[110] In 2008, Marvel rated their top ten X-Men of all time. Nightcrawler ranked #4 on their list stating that far from a character consumed by doom and gloom, Nightcrawler's chivalry, a flair for the dramatic and sense of humor have made him one of the most likable X-Men ever, a character you genuinely look forward to seeing leap into action.[111] In 2013,ComicsAlliance ranked Nightcrawler as #19 on their list of the "50 Sexiest Male Characters in Comics".[112]
In 2014,Entertainment Weekly ranked Nightcrawler 5th in their "Let's rank every X-Man ever" list.[113]
In 2018,Comic Book Resources ranked Nightcrawler 28th in their "Age Of Apocalypse: The 30 Strongest Characters In Marvel's Coolest Alternate World" list.[114]
In theAge of Apocalypse miniseries, Nightcrawler is similar to hisEarth-616 counterpart, but much darker and more violent, and he carries two sabers at all times, denoting his skills as a swordsman. Nightcrawler is close to his mother,Mystique, and uses her surname of Darkholme.[115]
After the events of theDark Angel Saga, AoA Nightcrawler chooses to remain in the 616 reality and joinX-Force. Searching for theSugar Man,Dark Beast,Iceman andBlob, Kurt promises to "kill the bastards who ruined our lives".[116] He is openly hostile concerning being mistaken with his alternative self.[116]
In March 2013,X-Treme X-Men,Age of Apocalypse, andAstonishing X-Men crossed over in the "X-Termination" storyline, which focuses on the AoA Nightcrawler's attempt to get to his home universe. The AoA reality is seemingly destroyed with Nightcrawler in it.[117]
| Title | Material collected | Publication date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Astonishing X-Men: Nightcrawler, Vol. 1 –The Devil Inside | Nightcrawler #1–6 | June 8, 2005 | 978-0785114284 |
| Astonishing X-Men: Nightcrawler, Vol. 2 –The Winding Way | Nightcrawler #7–12 | March 1, 2006 | 978-0785118183 |
| Title | Material collected | Publication date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nightcrawler Vol. 1:Homecoming | Nightcrawler #1–6 | November 25, 2014 | 978-0785190844 |
| Nightcrawler Vol. 2:Reborn | Nightcrawler #7–12 | June 9, 2015 | 978-0785190851 |
| Title | Material collected | Publication date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Way of X by Si Spurrier | Way of X #1–5,X-Men: The Onslaught Revelation #1 | October 27, 2021 | 978-1302928070 |
| Title | Material collected | Publication date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uncanny Spider-Man: Fall Of X | Uncanny Spider-Man #1–5,X-Men Blue: Origins #1 | June 18, 2024 | 978-1302952266 |
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