Nightcrawler (Marvel)

Nightcrawler is a male comic superhero who features in Marvel Comics.

Biography

Origins

Kurt Wagner was the Mutant son of the shapeshifting Mystique and the demonic appearing Azazel. He was born twenty years ago in Germany when his mother disguised herself as a pretty woman that caught the eye of a human noble named Christian Wagner. She had married the man and took the name Raven Wagner though her husband was unaware of her true nature as she used this time to enjoy wealth and a life of luxury. Secretly, she took on the identities of various women to have affairs with them before returning to her married life where her husband Christian wanted to have a child with her but failed to get her pregnant. One day, Raven was introduced to another noble named Azazel who charmed and enchanted her where she revealed her true form to him as they embarked on an affair. This led to her becoming pregnant with Azazel's son though he showed no interest in a romantic encounter and departed where he bade her to pass the child off as her husband Christian's son. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #428)

Taking Kurt with him, she took him with her to the caravan with her fellow travellers refusing to accept the boy with them. This led to Margali along with her children Stephan and Jimaine being forced from the tribe. On their own, they travelled until they came upon a circus that was run by Max Getmann who offered to take them in but they had to serve as one of his acts. Thus, Margai along with her children and Kurt became part of Herr Getmann's Traveling Menagerie where he came to be a famed star at the circus. During this time, the circus owner forced Margali and the young Kurt to perform for him with Wagner receiving injections from Doc Mojo to keep him sedated. Getmann regularly beat Kurt and forced him to perform in order to pay for his lodgings. This was until one day when he decided he would profit more from selling the Mutant. Upon learning of this, Margali had Kurt escape his cell and he fled the circus with Getmann's people chasing him where they caught him. Getmann then attempted to kill Kurt which was when he first manifested his teleportation ability allowing him to escape the area. (X-Men Origins: Nightcrawler v1 #1)

X-Men

After most of the original team left for a time, Wagner, along with fellow new recruits Storm, Colossus, Wolverine, Banshee, and Thunderbird, stayed at the Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters as members of the new X-Men. The second group of X-Men were mostly adults and required no tutoring from Professor X, but trained in the use of their powers, in the Danger Room. (X-Men v1 #94)

When the X-Men went to Ireland to fight Black Tom and the Juggernaut at Cassidy Keep, yet another mutant ability of Nightcrawler was discovered. When Kurt was knocked unconscious, he fell down in a dark corner and his body blended in with the shadows. Nightcrawler was found by the leprechauns living in the castle and, when he regained consciousness, they told him about the strange effect. Up till then, Kurt did not know of this camouflage ability. (X-Men v1 #103)

Kurt met Amanda Sefton and the two began to date. Investigating the murder of an old friend, Eric Hoffman, Kurt briefly battled Spider-Man and the Punisher until the real killer, Jigsaw, was revealed and the trio defeated him. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #162)

While meeting Amanda at an airport, Kurt recognized the plane of Arcade and overheard that he had been contracted, by Arnos, to kill Spider-Man and refused. After arriving at Arnos' circus, Kurt impersonated Spider-Man, to draw-out the new assassin, and the duo battled Cutthroat. (Marvel Team-Up v1 #89)

Months later, on Kurt's 21st birthday, he received a surprise package from an unknown sender. Inside was a beautiful crystalline statue of Nightcrawler, but when he touched it the figurine exploded and Kurt's soul was spirited away. With the help of Dr. Strange, the X-Men followed and found themselves in a simulacrum of Dante's Inferno. In the last of nine circles, which is supposed to be the final punishment for traitors, the team faced Margali Szardos, who held Kurt responsible for the death of Stefan. It turned out that the statue had been sent by Jimaine to arrange this confrontation, for she could not let her mother punish the man she loved in a magical hell of her own creation. When Nightcrawler explained that Stefan had gone insane and Margali was convinced of the truth of his words through Dr. Strange's Eye of Agamotto, she forgave her adoptive son and departed. Jimaine, on the other hand, revealed that she had been at Nightcrawler's side over the last months in the form of his girlfriend, Amanda Sefton, having magically disguised her appearance. (Uncanny X-Men Annual v1 #4)

Kurt then accompanied Wolverine to Ottawa, Canada, where he learned Wolverine's real name "Logan", to make things right with Alpha Flight and Department H and together with Alpha Flight they battled Wendigo. (X-Men v1 #140)

Then, The X-Men stopped the attempted assassination of Senator Robert Kelly by the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants lead by Mystique. When Nightcrawler encountered Mystique for the first time in his adult life, he was shocked to discover how similar in appearance they were and that she knew his real name. Mystique only told him to ask his foster mother, Margali Szardos, about it, leaving Nightcrawler confused. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #141)

During the X-Men's battle with Dracula, the extent of Nightcrawler's religious faith became apparent. When Logan tried to use the symbol of the cross against their opponent, the Lord of the Vampires taunted the X-Men that it only worked for those who truly believe. Hearing this, Kurt formed a cross of two wooden stakes, causing Dracula incredible pain. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #159)

Back on Earth, Kurt's relationship with Amanda got more intense. He would often visit her in her apartment, or go out on dates with her. Eventually, Kurt confided in his girlfriend that he was troubled by the fact that he did not know anything about his biological parents. These feelings had reemerged with Cyclops being reunited with his father, Corsair, and Nightcrawler would have given anything to be that lucky too. Amanda told him what little she knew, which was actually only what Margali had told her about finding Kurt as a baby. When Kurt revealed that Mystique of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants had been hinting at Margali knowing more than she let on, Amanda was puzzled just the same as Kurt. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #177)

A few months later, Mystique's foster daughter, Rogue, would come to Xavier for help with her powers and joined the X-Men, despite objections by nearly all the standing team about letting an 'Evil Mutant' become one of them. Nightcrawler was one of the first X-Men to warm towards Rogue, tending to her illness as the team's doctor after a battle in Japan. Shortly after Storm was blasted by a Neutralizer gun that negated her powers, seemingly forever, she left the team to cope with this loss and leadership of the X-Men fell into Nightcrawler's hands. Kurt saw it as one of his tasks to help explore the limits of the abilities Rogue had stolen from Ms. Marvel. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #192)

Excalibur

After having the same continuous dream, Nightcrawler and Kitty realized that Rachel might have been trying to telepathically reach them. After being attacked by Gatecrasher and the Technet, who were hired by Saturnyne to eliminate Phoenix, Shadowcat and Meggan Puceanu were captured and Kurt went to Captain Britain, who was in a drunken state after the loss of his sister, Psylocke. After leaving Captain Britain, Kurt tracked Rachel to London, where the Technets were fighting the Warwolves over Rachel. The combined efforts of Kurt, Shadowcat, Phoenix, Meggan, and Captain Britain resulted in the defeat of the Technet and the Warwolves. At the urging of Rachel to continue Professor Xavier's dream, Nightcrawler and Shadowcat became founding members of the British-based team Excalibur. (Excalibur Special Edition v1 #1) After inspecting their new headquarters, at the Braddock Lighthouse, Kurt briefly witnessed Queen Ai'Sha of another reality, but, when he returned with Meggan, they scene had vanished. Kurt found himself attracted to Meggan, but unable to act, due to her relationship as Captain Britain's girlfriend. Later, Kurt attempted to rescue Shadowcat, who was posing as Rachel, from her plan to find the remaining Warwolves, but Kitty was captured. After saving people from a subway train, Kurt followed a mysterious police officer to the Warwolves' hideout and Excalibur rescued Shadowcat, who's intangibility saved her life, then placed the Warwolves on display at the zoo. (Excalibur v1 #2)

Overview

Personality and attributes

At the circus, he was known as the Magnificent Monsters, the Sinister Blue Devil, and as the Daredevil Demon. (X-Men Origins: Nightcrawler v1 #1)

Notes

• Nightcrawler was created by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum where he made his first appearance in Giant-Size X-Men v1 #1 (May, 1975).

Alternate Versions

• In X-Men: Alpha v1 #1 (1995), an alternate version of the character appeared in the setting of the Age of Apocalypse on Earth-295. This version took the name of Kurt Darkholme and came to have a good relationship with his mother Mystique.

Appearances

• Giant-Size X-Men v1: (1975)
• Uncanny X-Men v1:
• Excalibur v1:
• X-Men Origins: Nightcrawler v1:
• Amazing X-Men:
• Extraordinary X-Men v1:
• X-Men: Gold:
• X-Men: Red:
• Extermination v1:
• X-Men v5:
• Way of X v1:

External Links

• Marvel Database Entry
• Wikipedia Entry

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