The Panel Biter is still riding that 100th post hype train, so lets kick it into overdrive with Favorites Week! This week I'll be talking about some of my favorite comic book characters and exactly why they're so special to me. It may seem lazy, but I think a week commending some inspiring fictional characters could be fun! So to start Favorites Week off right, I'll be introducing you to my favorite mutant, Nightcrawler of The X-Men!
Debuting in "Giant-Sized X-Men #1, 1975), Kurt Wagner was a German mutant who was taken in by a gypsy and raised in the Bavarian circus. There he mastered his acrobatic abilities and became known as the stage performer, Nightcrawler. Kurt was held captive with others mutants at another circus for a short time, but after gaining control of his powers he helped these hostages escape the enslaving freak show. When he returned home, he found his adopted brother had gone mad and slaughtered several children. Forced to kill his own brother for these acts, Kurt became the target of the parents who's children were killed, as the villagers assumed Kurt to be a demon. These villagers would've continued to hunt Kurt if he were not rescued by Professor Charles Xavier and recruited into the X-Men.
Ironically, Kurt is a devout Catholic. Not only does his appearance make him struggle with being Catholic, but the circumstances of his birth also haunt him. Kurt's mother is the shapeshifting mutant named Mystique. Kurt's father is Azazel, a member of an ancient mutant group called The Neyaphem who were banished to another dimension by angelic mutants back in biblical times. The problem Kurt has with his parents doesn't so much come from his demonic heritage, but rather it comes from both his parents being enemies of the X-Men, his adoptive family. As for his appearance, Kurt used to use a hologram device to appear human. But after losing a bet with Wolverine, Kurt agreed to take a walk in public without his human disguise. After seeing that most people weren't much afraid of how he looked, in fact being more interested in him, Kurt decided not use his disguise anymore.
Kurt's signature ability is his power of teleportation, which is usually shown as him disappearing in a cloud of smoke with a "bamf" sound. His limit is usually two miles, but Kurt's learned how to teleport repeatedly across vast distances without any fatigue. If he's given exact coordinates, Kurt can also instantly travel to the specified location as well. When he teleports, Kurt is briefly brought into the dimension in which The Neyaphem were sealed in, meaning he and whoever he teleports with him may feel strain after each trip. There was a time when Kurt was dead and sent to Heaven, during that time in the afterlife Kurt had met a legion of imp-like creatures resembling his father known as Bamfs (clever naming, I know). These creatures were the many spawn of Azazel and a Hell maggot, after feeding the Bamfs his blood Azazel forged them into his army. Luckily, Kurt convinced a large sum of the Bamfs to join him in fighting Azazel, changing there appearances to look like Kurt.
The reason why I put Nightcrawler above all other mutants is because of his resilience. While mutants like Wolverine and Cyclops look mostly human, Nightcrawler looks like he crawled right out of Hell. Despite his looks, his parentage, and his heritage, Kurt is not only a religious man, but often a friendly man. He is often the jokester of any X-Men team, but is also very empathetic. Plus, with guys like Thor flying around, I imagine it must be hard to be strictly Catholic in the Marvel Universe. Despite the cards he was dealt, Nightcrawler has kept his noble humanity close to him. Danke furs lesen!
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Kurt's signature ability is his power of teleportation, which is usually shown as him disappearing in a cloud of smoke with a "bamf" sound. His limit is usually two miles, but Kurt's learned how to teleport repeatedly across vast distances without any fatigue. If he's given exact coordinates, Kurt can also instantly travel to the specified location as well. When he teleports, Kurt is briefly brought into the dimension in which The Neyaphem were sealed in, meaning he and whoever he teleports with him may feel strain after each trip. There was a time when Kurt was dead and sent to Heaven, during that time in the afterlife Kurt had met a legion of imp-like creatures resembling his father known as Bamfs (clever naming, I know). These creatures were the many spawn of Azazel and a Hell maggot, after feeding the Bamfs his blood Azazel forged them into his army. Luckily, Kurt convinced a large sum of the Bamfs to join him in fighting Azazel, changing there appearances to look like Kurt.
The reason why I put Nightcrawler above all other mutants is because of his resilience. While mutants like Wolverine and Cyclops look mostly human, Nightcrawler looks like he crawled right out of Hell. Despite his looks, his parentage, and his heritage, Kurt is not only a religious man, but often a friendly man. He is often the jokester of any X-Men team, but is also very empathetic. Plus, with guys like Thor flying around, I imagine it must be hard to be strictly Catholic in the Marvel Universe. Despite the cards he was dealt, Nightcrawler has kept his noble humanity close to him. Danke furs lesen!
Facebook: The Panel Biter
Twitter: @ThePanelBiter
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