This article contains spoilers for X-Men #7.
Marvel’s X-Men relaunch has forgotten who Nightcrawler really is. Introduced as part of the X-Men’s Second Genesis team back in 1975, Kurt Wagner has always been the spiritual center of Xavier’s Dream. Although, for all that’s the case, Kurt seems to have had something of a muted presence in the X-Men relaunch. He serves on the Quiet Council, but appears to be largely inactive, and hasn’t been seen participating in any field missions since House of X.
Jonathan Hickman’s X-Men #7 revealed the reason for this; Kurt is wrestling with questions of faith prompted by the X-Men’s new status quo. According to this book, he’s particularly shaken by the resurrection protocols, which have essentially seen the X-Men conquer death. In conversation with Cyclops, Nightcrawler admits the resurrections have broken his faith. “Every day, there’s some new, amazing thing to believe in,” he observes, “and all it costs is the suspension of everything I used to believe.” By the end of X-Men #7, having watched the shocking Crucible deathmatch, Nightcrawler has made up his mind; he has to start a new mutant religion.
Jonathan Hickman’s X-Men relaunch has, in general, been superb. But, this issue gets Nightcrawler badly wrong. For one thing, it fundamentally misreads Nightcrawler, simplifying him to the point where he’s defined purely by faith. In reality, there has always been a lot more to Nightcrawler than his Catholicism; he’s a joyous adventurer who revels in the excitement of discovery, and would frankly be best-suited serving as a pirate on Kate Pryde’s Marauders team. Nightcrawler embraces life with zeal, and would be in the thick of Krakoan life, rather than simply watching it.
Furthermore, the very idea Nightcrawler would find his own religion is absolutely shocking. Nightcrawler is a Catholic, which means he has a pronounced belief in the importance of historical tradition. He would consider the idea of founding a religion to be nothing short of hubris. Meanwhile, in truth, Nightcrawler should not be threatened by the questions he is asking; he has long since learned to appreciate the importance of mystery in his faith. It’s important to remember Nightcrawler is no stranger to death and resurrection; he sacrificed himself during the “Second Coming” event but returned from Heaven to save the X-Men from a demonic threat. That should really mean Nightcrawler’s faith is very different from any other Catholic because it is based on a lot more first-hand experience.
The interesting question, however, is whether or not Nightcrawler’s portrayal is intentionally problematic. X-Men #7 includes a scene in which Nightcrawler notes Krakoa has already constructed a building specifically for him - one that is just what he would have dreamed of when he was younger. This implicitly confirms an idea in Fallen Angels #1, which hinted the living island of Krakoa is reading the minds of its mutant inhabitants. X-Men #7 also sees the X-Men allow a pretty barbaric ceremony called Crucible, and it’s possible all of them are out of character because of the same kind of Krakoan influence.
X-Men #7 is on sale now from Marvel Comics.
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