Since debuting in 1975’s Giant-Size X-Men #1, Nightcrawler has become an X-Men favorite and features in many iconic comic arcs. He has also appeared in the live-action movies. Alan Cumming portrayed Nightcrawler (alias: Kurt Wagner) first in X2: X-Men United. Kodi Smit-McPhee took over the role for X-Men: Apocalypse and Dark Phoenix.
While the movies range from amazing to atrocious, Nightcrawler came out alright. That is not to say that they were true to the character, however. Fox took notable liberties with Nightcrawler, deviating from the source material. Here are 10 things about Nightcrawler that the X-Men movies got completely wrong.
10 MYSTIQUE IS HIS MOTHER
It’s no secret among X-Men fans that the blue shape-shifting mutant Mystique is Nightcrawler’s mother. This familial connection between a leading X-Man and one of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants’ most iconic members is not easily disregarded, yet their relationship isn’t addressed in the movies. This is odd because Nightcrawler and Mystique appear side-by-side in three X-Men films, so there was ample opportunity to be faithful to the source material. Not only did Fox sidestep this opportunity, but during the two characters’ first encounter in X2, Nightcrawler was directed to signal romantic attraction toward Mystique, wagging his tail.
9 ROGUE IS HIS ADOPTIVE SISTER
In keeping with the Mystique-isn’t-Kurt’s-mother scenario, the films got another key family relationship wrong: Rogue. Appearing together in just one film, X2, Anna Paquin’s Rogue and Alan Cumming’s Nightcrawler shared little screen time together and the fact that she is his adoptive sister is dismissed.
Rogue was adopted by Mystique, presenting another relationship that went completely ignored in the movies. Basically, X2 has three mutant family members together in leading roles and you would never know it because despite how important these relationships are in informing the characters, Fox seemed to think they were loose suggestions.
8 HE HAS ROMANTIC INTERESTS
Anyone who saw Nightcraweler in the movies wouldn’t guess that he is actually very romantically inclined. Fox reworked him into a brooding, semi-isolated character at the expense of his romantic side (unless you count that creepy Mystique scene). In the comics, Kurt dates humans and mutants alike. One of his creepier relationships, which Fox is forgiven for ignoring, was with his foster sister, Jimaine Szardos/Amanda Sefton. More recently in the comics, Kurt was involved with Rachel Summers. The point: Kurt is a lover (and a fighter, but more on the later). The films stripped him of this.
7 WOLVERINE IS HIS BEST BUD
In the films, Wolverine and Nightcrawler cross paths in X2 and, to a much lesser extent, Apocalypse. Their first encounter proved a wasted opportunity to enhance both characters by tapping into the amazing friendship they share in the comics. You’d never know it from watching the films, but Logan and Kurt have a total opposites-attract bromance!
Even if they wouldn’t have been able to expand on it due to Nightcrawler’s inexplicable disappearance in X3, Fox missed a golden opportunity. In lieu of this friendship, the films see the two meet on the Blackbird where Logan immediately, rudely shuts Kurt down.
6 HE USES AN IMAGE INDUCER
Something else the movies got wrong, especially with the younger Nightcrawler, is his image inducer. Kurt is known to have previously relied heavily on this holographic device to appear “normal,” particularly when he was younger and struggled with his demonic look. This was excellently done in X-Men: Evolution but the films couldn’t even handle blue fur. Going back to Kurt and Logan’s friendship, in “Divided We Stand,” the two had a prank war and Logan hacked Kurt's image inducer, causing him to look like Angelina Jolie. He ended up in the tabloids with Colossus! What a missed opportunity indeed.
5 NIGHTCRAWLER IS FURRY
For whatever reason, both cinematic iterations of Nightcrawler took creative liberties (read: were unfaithful to the comics) regarding one of his most iconic features: his fuzzy blue fur. In the comics, Kurt is coated in velvety blue fur. In the movies, he has blue skin that is decorated with angelic symbols.
While the symbols do put a focus on Nightcrawler’s religious side, the blue skin should have been left to Mystique. While logistics may have understandably forced X2 to go this route, the very next film features Beast in all his blue fur glory, leaving fans scratching their heads.
4 HE IS A LIGHTHEARTED SWASHBUCKLER
Nightcrawler’s cinematic personality doesn’t reflect his inner-swashbuckler. In X2, he was serious. In Apocalypse, he was more lighthearted if not still subdued. Dark Phoenix saw Kurt get closest to his comic book counterpart, though a bit darker, but the character just wasn’t written to be the swashbuckler he truly is. Kurt wants to be Errol Flynn, an actor associated with romantic, action-oriented, lighthearted swashbuckler characters. Nightcrawler employs many swashbuckler hallmarks in the comics, including using a sword and being acrobatic and chivalrous. In the films, not so much.
3 HE ALSO LOVES TO FIGHT
Nightcrawler loves fighting, something the movies got completely wrong. The films show him fighting, but he doesn’t enjoy it. In X2, he only attacked the White House because Stryker was controlling him. The X2 video game later explained that Nightcrawler left the X-Men before X3 because they were too violent for him.
In Apocalypse, he fought out of necessity. In Dark Phoenix, he goes berserk due to uncontrolled rage and sorrow. Yet, comic writer Chris Claremont told SYFY WIRE, “[Kurt] wants to kick the living daylights out of bad guys with a sword. Actually with three swords, using his tail as well.”
2 AZAZEL IS HIS FATHER
As mentioned earlier, the X-Men movies chose to bypass the Mystique-Nightcrawler relationship, so it isn’t surprising that they also neglected to mention that Azazel is his father. Despite including Azazel in X-Men: First Class and ending the film with him and Mystique running off together with the new Brotherhood, Fox let this would-be Nightcrawler introduction set up go unused. Just like his son, Azazel looks demonic, has a tail, and can teleport, leaving even non-comic book fans of the movies wondering about a connection. Jennifer Lawrence did mention Nightcrawler was Mystique and Azazel’s son, but the outtake isn’t canon.
1 XAVIER RECRUITED HIM
While the X-Men films made more-or-less accurate references to Nightcrawler’s past in X2, when he was reintroduced in Apocalypse, the films decidedly got his X-Men recruitment wrong. In the comics, an angry German mob was about to kill Kurt when Xavier showed up, mentally froze the mob, and invited him to join the X-Men. At least in X2, Xavier was the one to “find him.” In Apocalypse, Mystique, the would-be assassin-turned-mutant-liberator, rescued Kurt in Berlin but had no particular interest in him. When she rushed off to find Xavier, she arbitrarily brought Kurt along and he sorta fell into the team.