Nightcrawler (comics)

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Character biography

A native of Germany, Nightcrawler is a mutant, born with blue fur covering his body, 2 fingers plus a thumb on each hand, and only two toes on each foot, as well as long canine teeth, yellow eyes, pointed ears, and a prehensile pointed tail. Abandoned as a child, he was taken in by the gypsy witch Margali Szardos and raised as one of them. As a teenager, his mutant nature also bestowed on him superhuman agility and reflexes, the ability to see in the dark and to become near-invisible in the dark, and the power to teleport short distances, leaving behind the smell of brimstone. This ability is known informally as "bamfing". When he teleports in the comics, he leaves behind a cloud of smoke which is usually lettered with the sound effect *bamf*, the noise of air rushing in to fill the space he has just vacated. Nightcrawler only teleports to places he can see or has been to before, so that he does not risk appearing inside a wall or other solid object. He can, apparently, displace liquids and gases when he teleports. He appears to be able to cling to surfaces in a manner similar to Spider-Man, although this ability has been infrequently used by writers in recent years. Nightcrawler is an accomplished martial artist and fighter (he can even fence with his prehensile tail).

Related Topics:
Germany - Mutant - Fur - Canine teeth - Gypsy - Witch - Invisible - Teleport - Brimstone - Spider-Man - Fence - Prehensile tail

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As a young man, 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.

Related Topics:
Munich - Circus - Professor Charles Xavier

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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.

Related Topics:
Errol Flynn - Wolverine

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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.

Related Topics:
UK - Excalibur

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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 almost become a Catholic priest, though he later removed himself from the position, as he felt too tempted by romance.

Related Topics:
Catholic - Demon - Catholic priest

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Wagner has, at various points, used a personal holographic device (known as an image-inducer) to appear as a normal human, though this device is rarely used unless absolutely necessary.

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It was recently revealed that his biological mother, previously unknown, is the mutant terrorist Mystique (as has been hinted at to varying degrees, since they first appeared together). 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.

Related Topics:
Mystique - Azazel - Biblical - Angel

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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 an alternative origin was developed.

Related Topics:
Chris Claremont - Destiny

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Nightcrawler currently serves as a member of the Uncanny X-Men alongside Storm, Bishop, Psylocke, X-23, and Marvel Girl.

Related Topics:
Storm - Bishop - Psylocke - X-23 - Marvel Girl

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The Ultimate Universe version of Nightcrawler reveals a much more militant young mutant, who leaves a burst of yellow smoke and flame when he teleports. His Weapon X origins link him more closely with Ultimate Wolverine and Rogue than with his other teammates. He possesses a far more rebellious attitude than in the original comics, but also shows hints of a softer, extremely caring side.

Related Topics:
Ultimate Universe - Weapon X

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