BAMF! X-Men’s Nightcrawler: The Star of the Munich Circus Explained
Hold tight and try not to hurl as we talk about the X-Men’s resident demonic teleporter, Nightcrawler. Just ignore the blue smoke.
Guten tag, brave heroes! For a primarily noblebright realm, Marvel Comics has its fair share of dark heroes. From Moon Knight to Ghost Rider, not all the heroes fighting to protect the world are as plucky as Spiderman and Thor. However, one of the most recognizable “dark” heroes does his best to be anything but. I’m talking, of course, about the Catholic devil himself, Kurt Wagner, known to most as The Incredible Nightcrawler.
Premiering in 1975, Nightcrawler was initially slated to join the DC Universe but was rejected. While he isn’t the most well-known member of the X-Men by a longshot, many have found a kinship with the indigo-furred mutant. His frightening appearance is well-balanced by his kind nature. Though he appears to be a devilish monster, he is a timid and soft-spoken young man. Don’t let that fool you, however; Nightcrawler is more than capable of throwing down when the situation calls for it. He is a unique, multi-layered hero and sits at the top of the favorite list for many Marvel fans.
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Kurt Wagner, the Boy Who Jumped Through Hell
Kurt Wagner was born to the shapeshifting mutant Mystique, who was married to Baron Christian Wagner then. Of course, the Baron was NOT the young boy’s real father. For many years, it was speculated that the Neyaphem mutant Azazel was his father. However, while that is true technically (Nightcrawler bears Azazel’s Neyaphem blood and genetic imprint), it isn’t entirely accurate. Mystique was in a relationship with her chambermaid, the blind mutant Destiny, and they desired to have a child. She also had a sham relationship with Azazel. The devilish mutant hoped to sire a child to free himself permenantly from the Brimstone Realm.
Mystique used her shapeshifting powers to assume a male form, changing her genomes to mimic the Baron, Azazel, and others she wanted to emulate. The resulting offspring with Destiny was Kurt, who bore the Baron’s blood and Azazel’s teleportation powers. Destiny had foreseen that Azazel would try to use the child to destroy the world. To avoid it, he must believe their child was his.
They tried maintaining secrecy, but the Baron caught wind of the relationship. In a fury, he tried to have all three of them killed. Instead, Mystique killed him and fled, hoping to save her beloved from an angry mob. Destiny also escaped, taking the young Kurt to Margali Szardos, a Romani witch and circus performer. She and Mystique then sought out Charles Xavier, who wiped Mystique’s memory to help her deal with her grief.
Herr Getmann’s Reisende Mengerie
Though Margali did not formally adopt the boy, she took him back to the circus she worked for to raise him. Kurt grew up alongside Szardos’s actual children, Stephan and Jimaine Szardos. He considered them his closest friends. Kurt developed a particularly close bond with Stephan. Worried he may one day be tempted to evil thanks to his magical blood, Stephan made Kurt swear a blood oath to kill him if he ever took a life without reason.
Before his teleportation powers showed, Nightcrawler was an incredible acrobat. His natural talent made him a star in the circus. Audience members assumed his devilish appearance was makeup and costuming. However, as he grew older, the novelty began to wear off, and the circus could not afford to keep him. Herr Getmann, the proprietor, planned to sell Kurt. His adoptive mother freed him, but Kurt accidentally knocked over a lamp during his escape, setting the circus on fire. Getmann’s men pursued him into the woods, but when they cornered him, his mutant genes awakened, and he teleported away.
Nightcrawler’s Journey to the X-Men
Kurt found himself in the care of a Catholic priest named Father Wagner. He traded shelter for labor, and lived happily for a time, until Getmann and his goons found him. He had followed Armen Frelich, who had helped Kurt escape. Father Wagner tried to intercede, but Getmann’s heavies beat him and set his church on fire.
Kurt teleported Armen away, then went back and viciously attacked Getmann. He likely would have killed him if not for Father Wagner, who reminded Kurt of his humanity. Seeing his opening, Getmann tried to kill Kurt, but found he couldn’t move. Professor Xavier, having sensed Kurt’s powers, had arrived. He programmed Getmann and his goons to believe that Kurt had died in the church fire, allowing him to escape.
Years later, Kurt was performing with a different circus when he heard that his brother had brutally murdered several children. Hoping to stop his rampage, he confronted him in Winzeldorf, Germany. However, in the ensuing brawl, he accidentally broke Stephan’s neck. The citizens of Winzeldorf attacked him, believing he was a demon responsible for the killings. However, once again Professor Xavier saved him. This time, however, he took Kurt with him, recruiting him to the X-Men with the mutant name “Nightcrawler”. He joined the second group alongside Storm, Colossus, Wolverine, Banshee, and Thunderbird.
Nightcrawler’s Powers: More to the BAMF!
- Teleportation – Nightcrawler’s most famous ability is his teleportation. He can typically only teleport to places he can see. The nature of his teleportation may materialize him into a wall, so he had to use care. However, his range increased as he grew more comfortable with his powers. In one moment of great desperation, he teleported Hope Summers several hundred miles. When teleporting, he briefly transports himself to the Brimstone Realm, instantaneously travels within it, and then rematerializes. This leaves behind the signature blue smoke, a remnant of the realm. The “bamf” sound his jumps make is the air rushing to fill the vacuum left by his body.
- Spatial Awareness – Part of his teleportation power gives Nightcrawler very minor precognition, which keeps him from teleporting into the ground as long as he can see where he’s going.
- Micro-Suction – Nightcrawler can stick to surfaces with his hands and feet, allowing him to climb sheer surfaces.
- Flexible Bone Structure – Nightcrawler has extremely flexible bones, allowing him to stay in a crouched position for long periods of time.
- Limited Camouflage – Due to the dark fur on his body and his Neyaphem heritage, he can blend into areas of shadow with only his eyes visible.
- Prehensile Tail – Nightcrawler can use his tail like a fifth limb. It is capable of holding his body weight, lifting an enemy, or even effectively wielding a weapon.
- Night Vision
- Superhuman Agility and Reflexes
In addition to his mutant powers, Nightcrawler is also a master acrobat, martial artist, swordsman, and aviator. He also served as the mechanic and medic of the X-Men for a time. Nightcrawler can also speak several languages, thanks to his travels through Europe. He is fluent in English, Russian, Japanese, French, Spanish, Krakoan, Italian, and his native German.
Nightcrawler on Screen
Though he hasn’t made his way to the MCU just yet, Nightcrawler has appeared in the Fox X-Men film series. In X-2, he was portrayed by Alan Cumming, and then by Kodi Smit-McPhee in Apocalypse, Deadpool 2, and Dark Phoenix.
Nightcrawler in Other Media
You can bring the devilish teleporter to the tabletop in Marvel: Crisis Protocol boxed up with Bishop. As expected, he can teleport across the battlefield, striking his foe from the shadows before vanishing again.
