Marvel Rivals has the X-Men's resident teleporter back in the spotlight. A teaser posted by the game's official account on November 9 shows Jeff the Land Shark being knocked into the air by a lightning strike, then caught by a shadowy figure who vanishes with him in a cloud of purple smoke, the same way Nightcrawler has teleported in Marvel comics since 1975. NetEase Games has not named the rescuer. Check out the official post down below:
Nightcrawler is not currently playable in Marvel Rivals, which is in Season 10, Butcher's Blasphemy, after it launched on September 11 with Gorr the God Butcher. NetEase has not yet announced Season 11 or the heroes coming with it. The roster already includes X-Men members Wolverine, Storm, Magneto, Psylocke, Rogue and Emma Frost, and the teaser leaves a starburst scorch mark on the street where the rescuer vanishes.
Kurt Wagner also returns in live action, with Alan Cumming back in the role for Avengers: Doomsday on December 18, 2026.
Nightcrawler's Creation And First Appearance
Artist Dave Cockrum designed the character before he ever worked at Marvel, pitching him as part of a group called the Outsiders for DC Comics' Legion of Super-Heroes. DC turned the character down, and Cockrum brought him to Marvel, where he and writer Len Wein introduced him as a German mutant.
Kurt debuted in Giant-Size X-Men #1, published on July 1, 1975, with colors by Glynis Oliver. The issue introduced the new international X-Men team, with Nightcrawler arriving alongside Storm, Colossus and Thunderbird, and it was also the first appearance of the living island Krakoa. Marvel lists the issue on Marvel Unlimited.
According to Marvel's character page, Kurt was born in Bavaria to the shapeshifter Mystique and was thrown over a waterfall as an infant before Azazel saved him. He was raised by the sorceress Margali Szardos in a traveling circus, where he became an acrobat. After the death of Margali's son Stefan, a mob in the German village of Winzeldorf tried to kill Kurt, and Professor X stepped in and recruited him to the X-Men.
Powers And Personality
Nightcrawler teleports by passing through another dimension, and each jump leaves behind a puff of smoke, the smell of brimstone and the "BAMF" sound effect that has followed him since his first issues. He can bring passengers with him, which is what the Marvel Rivals clip shows with Jeff. He has blue fur, yellow eyes, a pointed tail and 3 fingers on each hand, can nearly vanish in shadows and climbs walls with ease, and Marvel lists him at 5'9" and 161 pounds.
Writers have long played Kurt as a joker and a fan of swashbuckling films who compares himself to Errol Flynn. He is also a devout Catholic, a trait that grew more central over the years and later had him studying for the priesthood.
His family tree runs through several X-Men regulars. Mystique's adopted daughter Rogue is his foster sister, the mutant hater Graydon Creed was his half-brother, and the sorceress Amanda Sefton, Margali's daughter, has been his longest-running romantic partner. Marvel's character page also lists the Quiet Council of Krakoa among his affiliations.
Key Nightcrawler Comics Runs
Kurt's first solo story ran in Bizarre Adventures #27 in 1981, written by Jo Duffy with pencils by Cockrum. His first limited series, Nightcrawler #1, followed on November 1, 1985, with Cockrum writing and drawing a 4-issue run that sent Kurt and the dragon Lockheed bouncing through alternate dimensions, including one full of pirates.
On October 1, 1988, Chris Claremont and Alan Davis launched Excalibur, with Kurt as a founding member alongside Kitty Pryde, Rachel Summers, Captain Britain and Meggan. Marvel's character page notes that Kurt recovered from losing his powers during the series with help from Doctor Doom, and he later took over as the team's leader.
Chris Kipiniak's 2002 limited series focused on Kurt's decision to become a priest, and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa wrote his first ongoing series in 2004, which ran 12 issues. Kurt died protecting Hope Summers from Bastion in the 2010 "Second Coming" crossover. Jason Aaron's Amazing X-Men brought him back from the afterlife in 2013, and Claremont returned for a 12-issue Nightcrawler ongoing in 2014 with art by Todd Nauck.
The Krakoa era put him at the center of 3 series. Si Spurrier wrote Way of X in April 2021, with Kurt searching for a faith that could unite the mutant nation, and followed it with Legion of X in May 2022. Spurrier and Lee Garbett then made him the hero of the 5-issue Uncanny Spider-Man in 2023, and that November's X-Men Blue: Origins revealed that Kurt's parents are Mystique and her wife Destiny, reversing Uncanny X-Men's 2003 storyline "The Draco," which had named the demonic mutant Azazel as his father.
Nightcrawler On Screen
Cumming first played Kurt in 2003's X2, opening the film with the attack on the White House. Kodi Smit-McPhee took over in X-Men: Apocalypse and Dark Phoenix, and a version of the character also turned up for a quick cameo in Deadpool 2.
In animation, Adrian Hough voiced Kurt in X-Men: The Animated Series and returned for X-Men '97, while Brad Swaile voiced him in X-Men: Evolution and Liam O'Brien took the role in Wolverine and the X-Men. He has been playable in games including X-Men Legends, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order and Marvel Contest of Champions.
Marvel's Avengers: Doomsday page lists Cumming as Nightcrawler and Rebecca Romijn as Mystique, reuniting the 2 actors who shared the screen in X2 23 years ago, and Avengers: Secret Wars follows on December 17, 2027. Here is the official trailer:
The first clear look at Cumming's return came in promotional art, covered in Avengers: Doomsday Promo Art Reveals Best Look Yet At Nightcrawler And Beast.
Which Nightcrawler run is your favorite: Cockrum's swashbuckling 1985 series, Claremont and Davis' Excalibur or Spurrier's Krakoa-era books? Personally I really liked X-Men 97's Series take on him, with his sacrifice being one of my favorite scenes.
Leave your thoughts on the article in the comments below.