Nightcrawler
Nightcrawler (Holo-watch Activated)Nightcrawler (Costume)

Real Name: Kurt Wagner

Mutant Power: Prehensile tail; cat-like reflexives and agility; ability to teleport

Voice Actor: Brad Swaile (who also does the voice of Kicker in Energon)

First Appearance: "Strategy X"

Back Story: Mystique gave birth to Kurt (his father is unknown/not revealed), of all people, although Kurt did not find out this fact until much later. Apparently, Mystique was still in cahoots with Magneto way back then, and, either by personal choice or force, Mystique had her infant son "experimented" a bit on by Magneto. Apparently, this changed Kurt's body a bit (the tail, two toes, three fingers, etc.). Mystique, horrified by what Magneto had done to her child, tried to escape from the man, only to accidentally drop her son off a bridge after a pack of wolves attacked her. Kurt was dropped into the river, but he survived, as soon afterwards he was found by a young couple who lived a little downstream. Kurt's "foster parents" raised him as their own, despite his odd appearance. Through the years, Kurt obviously had very little experience with the outside world, due to his almost demonic appearance. Wanting him to be with other Mutants, his foster parents eventually transferred Nightcrawler from Germany (where he had lived for his entire life up until then) to the Xavier Institute during his sophomore year, and he's been an X-Man ever since. Soon after he joined, Xavier gave him a watch to wear that emitted a hologram to make Kurt appear normal whenever he went out into public. Nightcrawler will also continue to be an X-Man for a long time to come, if Xavier's "future visions" at the end of the series are correct.

Personality: Nightcrawler is inwardly ashamed of his physical appearance, and tries to hide it via his holowatch as much as possible. He's also devastated that one of the people he hates most, Mystique, is his mother. A fellow X-Man, Rogue, was revealed to be Mystique's adopted daughter as well, and since then Kurt and Rogue have made a special connection in that area (in Kurt's case more than Rogue's though). Outwardly, though, he's a practical joker, and seems to be able to make a joke out of almost anything. A lot of the times, they're a bit corny, but he knows that anyway. He just does it to lighten up the mood a little during tough times. Sometimes, he doesn't know when to get serious, though. He's gotten a bit better at it during the last season of the series, however. Nightcrawler is pretty good buddies with Cyclops. I suppose it's because their personalities complement each other- Nightcrawler helps Cyke lighten up a bit, but Scott helps Kurt get serious when need be. Nightcrawler is also good friends with Spyke, because they both seem to be interested in similar things, and they both goof off quite a bit. He and Shadowcat get along pretty well too, although it hasn't developed into anything more than a good friendship. Nightcrawler does have a unique girlfriend, however- Amanda, a "regular" girl who likes him a lot even though she knows his Mutant secret. Kurt's lucky to have a girl who can look past outside appearances that much, and he knows it. Oh, and Kurt also likes fast food. A LOT. Heheh.

Final Reflections: I really liked Evo Kurt a lot better than the "classic" Kurt. The old Kurt, as well as the Wolverine and the X-Men version, were both a bit less delightfully goofy, and more reserved. They also weren't as ashamed of their appearance as you'd think they'd be. The new Kurt definitely has a bit more of a...flawed...personality, but that's what makes his character all the more interesting. He's a teenager, after all- there's no way he's accepted just who he is at this point. And, oh yeah, I hated the old Kurt's hair, even though I'm rarely one to fuss over such trivial matters as that.. A curly mess that didn't go with his overall look. Even though I think Evo Kurt got too much focus when compared to some of the other X-Men, he was a great character, and I'll miss him.

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