22727 TME!1

FACTFILE REAL NAME Kurt Wagner OCCUPATION Adveoturer BASE

The Xav*r institute, Salem Center. New Yorfc State

Demonie face of the X-Men

N IG HTC RAWLER

ABwugniow.■, K_ur, Wagner is the son of Azazei . a mutant

o demon. he is actuwy h doepiy !

cathdc whoa.eted ; _who resembles a demon, and the shapeshifting

-----------------------• mutant MvsriQUt. When Kurt was bora in

HEIGHT 5 ft 9 in WEIGHT 195 tos EYES Yeltow. no visibte pupils HAJR Indtgo

FIRST APPEARANCE

Giant-Sae X-Men • / (May 1975)

Cnarios Xawer ot the X-Men amwes gist In tiroe to sav« Nłghtcrawłsr front a lynch mob.

Mutant powor lo teteport twnsetl. mis tłoUimg, and a Imted amoiMit o» oddtiorwl mass. by trave*ng through anotłw dmcnsion Wtwn»»teloports. port ol l»w atmosphore ot thot ctonension escapes onto Earth, occompanied by a *bamr aound and tho smali of bnmstone.

ESSENTIAL STORYLINES

•    X-Mon Vol. 1 Annual 04

Margot Szardos soeks wngeance on Ffcghtcrawtor lor kifcng hor son

•    Nightcrawlcr »1~4 NKjhtcrawter lOumoys through vanouS tftmanaions mi a tpiosl to return to oarth

•    X-M«n Unhmitcd Vol. 1 «4 Nightcrawler loams that MyatkjUO >s his mothor.

•    X-Mcn: Days ot Futuro Past, tpb

Turns U» spothght on Nightcruwtork ntomsting ongins.

Bavaria, Mystique poscd as an ordinary human and married a German baron, Erie Wagner. The local populace was horrified by newborn Kurt s demonie appearancc: he had pointed ears, three fingers on each hand, two toes on each foot, and a taił. Pursued by a niob, iVlystiquc threw the infant down a waterfall.

CIRCUSFREAK

Azazel saved the baby. who was raised by gypsy sorceress Margali S/ardos. Kurt grew up in a Bavarian circus whcrc Szardos was a foraineteller. The circus perfonners accepted Kurt as part of their family. 1 lis best friend was Szardoss son Stcfan.and Kurt foli in lov willi her ilaughter Jimaine.With his great agility. Wigner became the circuss star acrobat and trapeze performer. Audiences assumed tliat his inhuman appearancc was tnerely a costume.

I loweeer. when Tcxas million.ure Amos Jardine bought the circus. he insisted that Wagner be exhibitcd as a freak. Outraged, Wagner quit the circus. Two nights later he battled Szardoss son Stefan, who had becomc a serial killer,and accidentaUy killcd Inni.

Belicving Wagner was a demon .ind nspomiblc for tho murders, a niob would havc killcd Wagner, but ( harles Xavier (sec Profkssor X) arrived and immobilized tho i rowil with hi*» telcpathic powers. Xavicr reeruited Wagner imo his second team of X-Mfn. based in tho US. Wagner taking ihe tiamc “Nightcrawlcr.”

In America ho was reunited with Jiinainc. now calling her selt .Amanda Sefton. and was rcconcilcd with Margali S/ardos. w ho had blamed Inni for Stefan s death.

After serving in the X-Men for years. Nightcrawlcr bccame a fbunding member of the Bntish-based team F.X( alimjr. He returned to the X-Men brieriy, then left again to study to bccomc a priest. Howevcr. hc was ncver onliined and returned to the X-Men

Nightcrawlcr has sińce learned the identities of his parents. and discovercd that Mysticjnes toster daughter Roguh is his foster sister. I le has also met his half-brothers Nils Styger. alias Abyss. and Kiwi Black.With them.

Nightc rawler defeated Azazel, who had tried ^to use him as a pawn in conquering Earth. PS

211