X-Men ’97 justifies a major change to the character of Nightcrawler from the comics with a glorious payoff. Despite being one of the most popular X-Men in the comics, Kurt Wagner barely figured into the original X-Men cartoon from 1992. However, the sequel series has moved beyond expanding the acrobatic hero’s role to supporting how much he was changed for X-Men: The Animated Series.
Nightcrawler first appeared in 1975’s Giant Size X-Men #1. Originally presented as a devil-may-care prankster, later stories developed Kurt Wagner into a devout Catholic who prayed in Latin. This set up an ironic dichotomy, with the Mutant hero with a demonic appearance having the most enduring sense of faith. It also led to a strong friendship with Wolverine, who lacked Kurt’s religious nature but did hold faith in his friends.
The 1992 X-Men animated series attempted to speed-run this relationship with its third season episode, “Nightcrawler.” Kurt Wagner was introduced as a former circus performer, who settled into an abbey in the German Alps. This version of Nightcrawler lacked his usual roguish charm and was more overtly religious than in the comics. However, his quiet strength in his beliefs inspired the cynical Wolverine to start exploring his faith again.
Kurt Wagner had only two more appearances in the show. One was a flashback in the fourth season, where Wolverine recalled his words of comfort. The other was in the fifth season episode “Bloodlines,” which affirmed Nightcrawler as the half-brother of anti-Mutant activist Graydon Creed.
How X-Men ’97 finally pays off the original cartoon’s biggest Nightcrawler change
X-Men ’97 Season 1 moved forward with the original series’ portrayal of Nightcrawler as a more religious character. He was introduced as part of the ruling council of Genosha and the liaison to “Genosha’s various communities of faith.” He was also confirmed to be an ordained priest, officiating Gambit’s funeral in a Catholic priest’s robe and collar.
This was a notable yet strange change from the comics. After X-Men: The Animated Series came to a close, Nightcrawler briefly became a Catholic priest in the comics. This was revealed following a time-skip in 2000’s X-Men #100. However, this revolutionary change was retconned in 2003 and it turned out Nightcrawler was gaslit into thinking he’d become a priest as part of an anti-Mutant plot.
By contrast, X-Men ’97 ran with the idea of Nightcrawler with a man of faith. Indeed, his uniform features a prominent priest’s collar. However, the show also took steps to make its take on Nightcrawler truer to the comics’ vision of a showboating swashbuckler. Chief among these was his coming to Wolverine’s aid in a fight, fencing with three swords – two in his hands and one gripped by his tail.
The X-Men ’97 Season 2 episode “Strange Land, Savage Heart” further reconciled the two sides of Kurt Wagner, as he defended Graydon Creed in his trial before the Mutant terrorists known as the Acolytes. Sadly, Nightcrawler failed to turn the heart of his half-brother from hatred. However, he did win over the judge of the trial, Colossus, who left the Acolytes to join the X-Men. The episode ended with the promise of a friendship akin to what Colossus and Nightcrawler share in the comics. Moreover, it did more with the idea of Nightcrawler as a priest than the comics ever did.
