X-Men: Marvel Confirms Huge Change for Nightcrawler

Spoilers for Hellions #7 ahead!

Marvel just confirmed a huge change to the status quo for Nightcrawler, one of the X-Men’s most beloved members: he has lost his faith. The culmination of a larger story arc for the character, the complete loss of his Catholic faith was confirmed in Hellions #7, by writer Zeb Well, artist Stephen Segovia and colorist David Curiel. The issue is in stores now.

Since his introduction in 1975, Nightcrawler’s Catholicism has been part of the character, and it was even hinted at in the X-Men movie series. So deep was Nightcrawler’s faith that at one point he was studying to be a priest, but recent events have forced him to reexamine his faith. The first was his death and resurrection. After dying to save the mutant messiah Hope, Nightcrawler went to Heaven, but later returned to life, and informed the X-Men heaven no longer wanted him. Next was the establishment of the mutant nation of Krakoa, as well as the creation of the Resurrection Protocols, which essentially allow the X-Men to cheat death. This particular development shook his faith greatly and lead him to the conclusion that a new mutant religion was needed. It looked as if Kurt had abandoned his faith.

And as seen in a quote in Hellions #7, it would seem that is exactly what happened. The quote reads: “We must heal ourselves! The peace promised in death is no more.” It is pretty easy to unpack what this quote means: The Resurrection Protocols, which can revive dead mutants, defies everything Nightcrawler believed about the afterlife, namely that it is not a one-way trip. Remember, Nightcrawler was actually in Heaven at one point, and he loved it, so he has a frame of reference when talking about the “peace promised in death.” It is the line about healing themselves that shows readers Nightcrawler is seemingly no longer a Catholic and is now trying to create a mutant-centric religion.

Beyond showing Nightcrawler’s loss of faith, and despite his relatively small presence in this issue, it relates to the story in a thematic way. The whole issue is about Mister Sinister and the Resurrection Protocols, so Nightcrawler’s quote fits.

While Nightcrawler has not been defined solely by his former faith, it is still a huge part of his identity, and for him to lose it is heartbreaking. Nightcrawler’s faith helped shape him into a good person; will the new mutant religion give him a similar moral compass? What would such a compass be like? Will it keep him on the side of good? Or could we see a darker, angrier Nightcrawler? Hopefully these ideas will be explored in upcoming issues.

About The Author

Shaun Corley
(1378 Articles Published)

Shaun Corley is a pop culture enthusiast living in the Pacific Northwest. After stints in both customer service and academia, he’s turned his attention to writing about comic books–his lifelong passion. He is a graduate of Radford University, with a degree in English. When not reading comics, he enjoys spending time with his fiance and their dog.

More From Shaun Corley