Nightcrawler deserves to shine, and it’s unfortunate that he hasn’t gotten the recognition that he deserves. Always a supporting character, there have been many moments in the X-men series when he carried the series on his back. All the mutants have different stories that are interesting but one that definitely needs to be explored further is Nightcrawler’s. His character has been sidelined too often for someone who has saved the X-men on multiple occasions. He’s also one of the reasons that X2 was such a huge hit and for him to be an understated character still, seems quite unfair. Here’s why we think Nightcrawler deserves his own solo movie-
Eventful Past
According to the comics, Nightcrawler was raised by a circus in Germany after being adopted by his mother. Kurt Wagner learned to be an acrobat there, which is how he gained his nickname Nightcrawler. There are some references to his past in the films. Kurt refers to himself as part of the circus during “X2: X-Men United”, and it is revealed during the mutant fighting ring scene in “X-Men: Apocalypse” that he was either sold or stolen, from the Munich circus.
Saved by Professor X from an unfortunate fate when he unintentionally kills his brother upon returning and is accused of killing the people who were in fact killed by his brother, his past is something that can be explored in the movie to give the audience a chance at understanding this character better.
He is Mystique’s son
Nightcrawler was the offspring of Mystique and Azazel, a demonic figure. After being abandoned by Mystique, he was raised in a circus.
“He’s always been really interesting and cool to me. I just recently found out he’s Mystique’s son, which blew my mind. Would like to see that backstory,” said user BevsHeadonFire on Reddit. As Mystique was heavily featured in the recent X-Men films, this would be a good way to use the character for a more supporting role too and the revelation of and about Nightcrawler’s birth parents would probably be the biggest setup for a movie.
His ability to teleport
The teleportation superpower hasn’t been uncommon in the sci-fi genre. But with Nightcrawler, there’s one thing that makes it unique. In order to teleport, Nightcrawler travels fast through a plane filled with demons, which is why when he reappears, it’s in a cloud of smoke that smells like brimstone.
In a scene from “Dark Phoenix“, Nightcrawler tries to reach Professor X but is stuck. When he finally reappears, he’s stunned and probably still processing what happened. There’s a possibility that he was trapped in another dimension. This concept of Nightcrawler being trapped in a realm with demons would make for a good movie setup too. We can get to know more about Nightcrawler and his adventures as well as misadventures and how well he handles them.
Understated character
As we already mentioned earlier, his character is very understated. The reason could be that he’s usually considered someone who provides valuable assistance but isn’t as assertive as his teammates. There has been so much emphasis placed on Kurt being kind and gentle that he’s come across as a weepy, softhearted individual who doesn’t like fighting but will engage if the people he cares about are in trouble.
And while it is true that he’s fiercely loyal and values all his bonds, a personality of his own; that isn’t based on other people’s needs, has to be well established. After all, he was a part of the same program that tormented Wolverine for so long and was used as a weapon that must’ve affected his psyche most certainly. It could be interesting to see Kurt in this capacity. Besides, Kurt’s life after having met Professor X, has been full of adventure and could easily be adapted to the MCU. He even served as the leader of the team known as Excalibur.
So there isn’t one but several reasons why Nightcrawler deserves his own solo movie.
