Nightcrawler (comics)

This article is about Nightcrawler, the comic book superhero. For the animal nightcrawler, see Lumbricus terrestris. Nightcrawler (Kurt Wagner) is a comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe, and a member of the X-Men. He first appeared in Giant-Size X-Men #1 (May 1975).

Character history

Wagner spent some time in the Munich circus, but eventually his appearance left him persecuted and hunted. He was rescued from a mob by Professor Charles Xavier, who invited him to join his second team of X-Men. There, Wagner adopted the name Nightcrawler.

With the X-Men, Nightcrawler at last found a home and a family, and his humorous, swashbuckling Errol Flynn-like nature came to the fore. He also found a close friend in his fellow X-Man Wolverine.

After some years with the X-Men, Nightcrawler departed to become leader of the UK-based group Excalibur, but he eventually returned to the X-Men.

Among his more interesting character traits, Wagner is an extremely religious man. A devout Catholic, his demonic appearance obviously makes it very difficult to attend church services. Despite this, as mutants in the Marvel Universe become more mainstream, he even managed to become a Catholic priest, though he later removed himself from the position, as he felt too tempted by romance.

Wagner has, at various points, used a personal holographic device to appear as a normal human, though this device is rarely used unless absolutely necessary.

It was recently revealed that his mother is definitely the mutant terrorist Mystique (as has been hinted at to varying degrees, since they first appeared together; this makes Rogue his foster sister). It was also revealed that, though Mystique was married to a wealthy German at the time (Herr Wagner, one would assume), Nightcrawler's father was Azazel, a member of a race of demonic-looking mutants dating back to Biblical times, who were banished to another dimension by another race of angelic mutants.

Comic book writing-veteran Chris Claremont had originally intended for Mystique and Destiny to have been Nightcrawler's biological parents (Mystique, being a shapeshifter, would have taken the form of a man and impregnated Destiny.) Marvel, however, felt the idea to be too controversial and it was nixed.

Appearances in other media

In the 1980s cartoon television series Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, Nightcrawler was one of the X-Men who appeared, though only briefly.

In the 1990s X-Men animated series, Nightcrawler only made cameo appearances, and never joined the X-Men.

the X-Men Evolution cartoon, Nightcrawler is a student at the Xavier Institute, with much the same nature and demeanor as his comic book counterpart. The show has, like the comics, revealed that Mystique is his birth mother and Rogue his foster sister. He was voiced by Brad Swaile.

In the film X2: X-Men United, Nightcrawler is played by Alan Cumming. This version shares much of the same history (circus, Catholicism) with the comic book inspiration; his scenes with Mystique leave it ambiguous as to whether or not any subsequent sequels will reveal her to be his mother.