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Though he just unleashed his teleportation powers in a graphic attack more typical of Wolverine, Nightcrawler may be the X-Men's cherished "Fuzzy Elf." In a shockingly violent action in the Krakoan Era conclusion, Nightcrawler teleports Apocalypse's eyeballs out of his head. Furious over the younger generation of mutants's peaceful orientation, this act follows Apocalypse and launches an attack on the X-Men. Although Nightcrawler is typically among the more subdued members of the X-Men, this scene highlights a darker, more forceful aspect to his abilities.
Nightcrawler has always been able to cause major damage with his teleportation powers, even though this is the most graphic exhibition of them. He has been known to teleport objects into enemies, pieces of his foes away, and even limb tears. In Way of X #5, he also demonstrated the highest potential of his abilities when he teleported one of Mars' moons following power enhancement. Although Nightcrawler's attack does not totally stop Apocalypse, it serves to highlight a fresh degree of aggressiveness that has been building within him over the past few years.
Although Nightcrawler's attack on Apocalypse is undoubtedly graphic, the force and cruelty of his children much outweigh this. The parallel world offspring of Nightcrawler, Salamander, can access a domain of scorching plasma he uses for weaponry against his adversaries. This is a far more deadly form of Nightcrawler's teleporting to the Brimstone Dimension. Nightcrawler's daughter from another dimension, Talia Wagner, has bodies of others and can fire energy bolts from the Brimstone Dimension. Talia killed the Cyclops from her timeline using her powers, then seized over Wolverine's body. Certainly a startling and strong illustration of the possibility for both good and evil that exists inside the mutant, this darker aspect of Nightcrawler's abilities is quite striking.
Not only are Nightcrawler's biological offspring using his abilities to the utmost. In possible future times, John Sublime and Mister Sinister developed savage Nightcrawler clones. With causality bending enough that she always hits her target, Auntie Fortune, a combination of Nightcrawler and Domino whose combined skills let her to fire bullets through small Teleportation gates, seems maybe the deadliest of them. Nightcrawler might have some wrath to help him battle against Apocalypse given his original parents, adopted mother, and surrogate father figure in Xavier betraying him.
While Kurt Wagner has gone through hell over the past five years, Nightcrawler is the last X-Men hero fans could expect to employ such a graphic approach. This covers a crisis of faith following the X-Men's "cure" from mutant resurrection, the knowledge that he was misled all his life regarding his parentage, and the treachery of his family. The events of the Krakoan Era have left him in a state of flux and caused him to develop in ways some would find hideous. He also spent some time acting as the new Uncanny Spider-Man.
Kurt confronts Mystique in X-Men #35 on the ways he was used as a chess piece in more major confrontations from the moment of birth. With Nightcrawler and the X-Men facing Apocalypse once more, this confrontation is essential to the last arc of the Krakoan Era. Kurt has obviously changed over the previous five years based on his experiences. This highlights the several ways in which this long-time X-Men hero may still surprise readers 49 years after his debut appearance.
While Kurt Wagner has been through hell over the past five years, Nightcrawler is the last X-Men hero fans could expect to use such a graphic approach. First, Nightcrawler struggled with faith when the X-Men "cured" death by mutant resurrection, searching for meaning in a world of limitless life. Nightcrawler started turning into a monster and was compelled to carry out a sequence of brutal murders just as he started to create a new philosophy to handle this situation. It turned out that this was a scheme devised by his adopted mother Margali Szardos, a magician seeking to undermine Nightcrawler's optimism sufficient for her to steal it and shape it into the magical Hopesword.
Nightcrawl then thought his biological mother Mystique had passed away, only to encounter her and learn he had been misled about his parentage all his life. Based on Si Spurrier, Wilton Santos, and Marcus's X-Men Blue Origins, Kurt was really the son of Mystique and Destiny, who had lied about his parentage in order to thwart the demonic Azazel. Nightcrawl confronted Destiny, only to find she had no maternal affection for him at all - a side effect of Charles Xavier having taken Kurt's true origin from both Mystique and Destiny's brains at their own request.
Kurt confronts Mystique in X-Men #35 about the ways he was treated as a chess piece in more significant conflicts from the minute he was born, and once more she has little to offer him in terms of closure once he is abandoned for reasons related to Destiny's visions. Betrayed by Xavier's biological parents, adopted mother, and surrogate father figure, it makes sense that Nightcrawler could have some wrath to help in the fight against Apocalypse.
While few have seen changes as severe as Nightcrawler, the Krakoan Era ends with several of the X-Men permanently altered. Having established a mutant religion, discovered his truth of birth, and even spent some time as the new Uncanny Spider-Man, Nightcrawler has been reinterpreted by his experiences over the past five years, highlighting the several ways in which this long-time X-Men hero can still surprise readers 49 years after his first appearance.