The following contains spoilers for Legion of X #10 and Sins of Sinister #1, now on sale from Marvel Comics.
The humanity of the X-Men's Nightcrawler (aka Kurt Wagner) has always been central to his character, despite his somewhat devilish appearance. He's the ultimate example of the X-Men's inherent message that all people are more than they appear to be and being different does not make someone evil. Since becoming an X-Man, Nightcrawler has reaffirmed his place in the world time and time again and has proven himself to be a hero repeatedly. But those days may be over, all thanks to someone he once saw as a maternal figure.
Nightcrawler's foster mother, Margali Szardos, reveals her true plans for him in Legion of X #10 (by Si Spurrier, Netho Diaz, Sean Parsons, Álvaro López, Java Tartaglia, Ruth Redmond, and VC's Clayton Cowles), and it's a doozy. By seemingly stripping him of his humanity, Margali is able to draw the powerful Hopesword from his body. But on top of potentially setting up his next monstrous transformation, she also ensures that Nightcrawler can't claim the blade for himself.
Nightcrawler's Humanity is Turned into a Weapon
Nightcrawler's humanity has long made him one of the moral centers of the X-Men, but it's become an increasingly important attribute of the character in recent years. As a member of the Quiet Council, Nightcrawler's voice carries considerable weight in the mutant nation -- but his firm morality has been challenged by the frequently dark paths forced upon him. His empathy and heroism became a central element of his role in Judgment Day. His passion for others has helped him prevent Onslaught's full return, helped establish the Spark, and set the stage for Legion of X. It also makes him a threat to Orchis, who hired Margali to go after certain mutants and mutate them further through mystical means. For Orchis, it's an easy PR win to turn mutants into "monsters".
Using her magic, Margali reveals that Kurt's supernatural encounters and bizarre life has left him shaken. More than anything, his faith is being challenged in a way it never has before, forcing Nightcrawler to confront the sinking suspicion that his hope was more or less wasted, in a world where every discovery seems to peel back another layer of the impossible. Kurt's joy and optimism have kept him from ever giving in, and the attempts to confront the void these questions cause led him to create the philosophy known as the Spark. But doing so also means that a powerful enough mystic could manipulate that raw emotion into something else. Given an opening, Margali is able to conjure all of Nightcrawler's positivity and goodwill, fusing it into a mystical weapon -- the Hopesword. Content with her prize, Margali abandons Kurt to his fate with Orchis -- leaving him to increasingly mutate into a monstrous form as the Mephisto-like Mother Righteous arrives to offer him a deal.
Nightcrawler's Hopesword Could Set Up His Fate in Sins of Sinister
Nightcrawler's fate in Legion of X #10 is a dark one for the long-time X-Man, as his most potent tool has been stripped from him and fashioned into a new weapon. Szardos openly compares the glowing blue blade to Magik's Soul Sword, a weapon that helped her conquer an entire hellish dimension -- hinting at the dangerous potential of the blade. If Nightcrawler were to recover the weapon, it could become a useful addition to his repertoire, especially given his experience and skill with a blade. It could allow him to take part in stories like X of Swords. It could also be an exciting addition to his standard tactics, highlighting how someone like Nightcrawler could generate such a powerful weapon and only use it for good.
The problem is that Nightcrawler doesn't have the weapon at the end of the issue and is left in a vulnerable state as a result. There's the immediate question of where Szardos is going with the Hopesword and what she intends to use it for. There's also the very real concern that Nightcrawler's transformation will leave him open to further manipulation. Sins of Sinister #1 (by Kieron Gillen, Lucas Werneck, Geoffrey Shaw, Marco Checchetto, Juan Jose Ryp, David Baldeon, Travel Foreman, Carlos Gomez, Federico Vicentini, David Lopez, Joshua Cassara, Stefano Caselli, Bryan Valenza, and VC's Clayton Cowles) revealed that within five years of Sinister's subversion of Krakoa, Nightcrawler will have reached a truly beast-like state, lacking the humanity that was stolen from him. This makes the final panel of Legion of X #10 more worrisome, as Mother Righteous revealing a stylistic heart across her forehead suggests she may be the fourth and final missing Sinister -- and that her deal with a now emotionally compromised Nightcrawler could set up his dark fate.