In the cosmology of Marvel Comics, there are few powers quite at the same level as the Phoenix Force. A cosmic element of fiery rebirth, the Phoenix Force has bonded with multiple heroes over the years, imbuing people like Jean Grey and Echo with phenomenal power and potential. Across the history of the Marvel Universe, there's been plenty of different Phoenix hosts, with one even having a close tie to the origins of Thor.
This expands even further throughout the multiverse, where plenty of other, unlikely hosts have been revealed, for better or for worse. But one of the most surprising is a variant of Nightcrawler (Kurt Wagner), who -- after never joining his world's X-Men -- briefly became a host of the cosmic force. Although his experience as the Phoenix cost him his life, Nightcrawler's brief tenure as the Phoenix ended up saving his timeline's version of Earth.
Marvel's Nightcrawler Bonded With the Phoenix Force
What If...? #23 (by Kurt Busiek, Rodney Ramos, Doug Hazlewood, Tom Vincent, and Janice Chiang) introduced Earth-913, which played out similarly to Earth-616 until the original X-Men first encountered Krakoa. In most timelines, the living island captured the team, requiring Professor X to assemble a new roster of mutants to save them. This event had different results across the multiverse including one particularly tragic reality where the heroes all died. But on Earth-913, a secondary team was never needed, instead, the original roster was able to escape Krakoa on their own. This impacted the lives of many mutants, such as Jean Grey, who was never connected to the Phoenix Force in this timeline thanks to Polaris being capable of safely carrying them to safety during the story that would have otherwise exposed Jean to the cosmic force. However, the biggest change in this world involved Nightcrawler.
In many Marvel timelines, Kurt was taken in by the X-Men and retained his sense of hope and optimism. However, being left alone in this timeline, Nightcrawler was constantly hunted to the point of exhaustion. This left him far more bitter, leading him to become an ally of the villainous Erik the Red. After Erik's defeat, Nightcrawler was quick to swear vengeance -- following the X-Men and awaiting his chance to strike. But after monitoring them for months and realizing they were heroes, Nightcrawler recanted his hatred. When the untethered Phoenix Force became a threat to the universe, the X-Men determined a host would be needed to bond with the Phoenix, sacrificing them to at least temporarily put the Phoenix Force to rest. While Cyclops volunteered, Nightcrawler took his place, stating that his life was far less valuable than that of the X-Men's beloved leader.
The Phoenix Nightcrawler Saved His Entire World
The Earth-913 version of Nightcrawler ends his life briefly becoming the host for his timeline's Phoenix Force, giving the Shi'Ar the chance to destroy his shuttle containing the cosmic force. It's a tragic ending for this timeline's Nightcrawler, but it's also a notable example of a unique X-Man becoming a host to the Phoenix Force. Across the Marvel Multiverse, the Phoenix Force has typically been drawn to specific people like Jean Grey -- although it does shift hosts somewhat frequently.
Nightcrawler stands out from all the versions of the Phoenix. His choice to become the Phoenix comes with an explicit expectation of his pending demise. While this Nightcrawler may have been unique in the multiverse for many things, his ultimately heroic nature -- and willingness to sacrifice himself for the greater good is something that can be found in most versions of the hero.