X-Men: 10 Best Nightcrawler Moments That Prove He's Their Most Underrated Fighter (2024)

Nightcrawler is one of the most iconic members of the X-Men, not just because he’s been a major part of the team practically since the beginning, but because he’s a truly inspirational hero who upholds the belief of Xavier’s dream for mutantkind arguably better than any other member of the X-Men. Plus, Nightcrawler is also a true, unadulterated badass.

Kurt Wagner might have the reputation as a pacifistic voice of reason and peaceful resolutions on the X-Men, and while that’s certainly the case in a number of situations where violence can and should be avoided, Nightcrawler is by no means afraid to get his hands dirty. In fact, Nightcrawler’s controlled brutality is an aspect of him that transcends interdimensional and multi-universal barriers, giving Marvel Comics fans ample evidence of his utter badassery. Here are 10 Nightcrawler moments that proves he’s the X-Men’s most underrated fighter!

10 Nightcrawler was Integral to Saving the Original X-Men Upon His Debut

Giant-Size X-Men #1 by Len Wein and Dave co*ckrum

When the original five X-Men (minus Cyclops) were captured by the living mutant island of Krakoa, Professor X scoured the globe, looking to recruit the best mutants he could find to save them - and the first one Charles approached was Nightcrawler. Once Kurt joined the X-Men alongside other newcomers, including Colossus, Storm, and Wolverine, he quickly proved how wise Professor X was to recruit him.

With Nightcrawler’s help, this new team was victorious in defeating Krakoa and saving the classic X-Men. While given little time to shine on his own, the fact that Nightcrawler was a member of this elite squad of mutants hand-picked by Professor X himself confirms how good of a fighter Nightcrawler is.

9 Nightcrawler Survived a Trip to Hell in an Epic Homage to Dante’s Inferno

Uncanny X-Men Annual #4 by Chris Claremont and John Romita Jr.

The aptly named Nightcrawler’s Inferno saw Kurt Wagner’s soul ripped from his body and sent to hell. The X-Men quickly followed with the help of Dr. Strange, and while they successfully traversed through the many circles of perdition just as Nightcrawler did, Kurt had to do so alone, and with no preparation for what was happening to him. That aspect of this storyline by itself confirms his fortitude in the face of utter peril, though it was what he had to face while in hell that really makes Nightcrawler’s Inferno a standout storyline for the character.

Nightcrawler has to face the sins of his past before he can escape the pit, which is exactly why he was spirited away to hell in the first place. The greatest among them is the role Nightcrawler played in the death of his adoptive brother. While it wasn’t his fault, the guilt from that moment had been eating away at Kurt, and only in hell did he find the strength to face those demons and conquer them once and for all.

8 Nightcrawler Jumps Through Dimensions, Being a Hero Wherever He Lands

Nightcrawler #1-4 by Dave co*ckrum

When Nightcrawler gets sucked through an interdimensional wormhole, he finds himself embarking on an adventure that sees the classic X-Men hero traveling to different realities. In each one he lands in, Nightcrawler commits himself to being a hero, even if he has no real stakes in these worlds. In fact, this storyline is one of the first to show Nightcrawler wielding swords, something that’s become a mainstay for the character ever since - and he does so as a swashbuckling pirate.

Nightcrawler #1-4 is the first time Kurt is given a solo outing in Marvel Comics, and while the events of the series holds little to no lasting significance (aside from Nightcrawler proving himself a badass swordsman), the series itself is a lot of fun, filled to the brim with heroic violence that Nightcrawler carried with him into all his subsequent adventures.

7 Nightcrawler Once Defeated a Whole Team of X-Men Clones (Before Becoming a God)

Excalibur #31 by Scott Lobdell and Dave Ross

Excalibur #31 is the ultimate callback to Nightcrawler’s origin in Giant-Size X-Men #1, as Kurt finds himself crash-landed on an island inhabited by primitive people who worship a seemingly eldritch horror they don’t fully understand: the Son of Krakoa. After Krakoa was launched into space in Giant-Size X-Men #1, it dropped seeds of itself that gave life to the entity Kurt meets in this issue. The Son of Krakoa required human sacrifice in order to gain energy, which is exactly what it manipulated these people to do.

When Nightcrawler came across the Son of Krakoa, it had enough strength to not only fight Kurt, but produce clones of the X-Men its father encountered some years earlier. Krakoa stored the DNA of the X-Men it fought, and then passed that information down to its son, resulting in the X-Men clones Nightcrawler fights in this issue. While the situation seemed hopeless, Nightcrawler proved strong enough to beat the X-Men clones as well as the Son of Krakoa before effectively taking its place as the god of these people.

6 Nightcrawler Takes Down Cyclops Like It’s Nothing

Ultimate X-Men #8 by Mark Millar and Adam Kubert

In the Ultimate Universe, Nightcrawler’s origin is a bit different from his Earth-616 debut, as instead of saving the X-Men, he’s part of an organization attacking them. Nightcrawler was a mutant in the Weapon X Program who was a part of the strike team that took down the X-Men and kidnapped the mutant heroes. While other members of this Ultimate Team-X handled their own X-Men, Nightcrawler was responsible for taking down Cyclops - which he did with shocking ease.

Nightcrawler beating Cyclops so easily is especially impressive given Cyclops’ most recent feat, as it was just revealed that Scott Summers is practically the only mutant on Earth strong enough to hurt the Ultimate Sentinel, Nimrod. Not even Apocalypse or Legion can make a dent in Nimrod’s armor, but Cyclops can. Cyclops can beat a villain not even Omega-Level mutants can touch, and Nightcrawler defeated Cyclops like it was nothing.

5 Nightcrawler Saved Hope Summers’ Life, Even After Bastion Delivered a Killing Blow

X-Force Vol. 3 #26 by Craig Kyle, Chris Yost, and Mike Choi

Hope Summers was the first mutant born after M-Day, and therefore represented hope for the future of all mutantkind. Cable sought to protect Hope by time-jumping to different points in history, and his desire to keep Hope safe was shared by the X-Men. However, there were those who wanted to see mutantkind driven to extinction, and believed killing Hope was the sure-fire way to ensure that abysmal future - and one of them was the Super-Sentinel, Bastion.

Bastion is trying to kill Hope in X-Force #26, and the X-Men are fighting to stop him - most notably, Nightcrawler. However, as Nightcrawler is teleporting around Bastion, the Super-Sentinel timed and predicted his movements to the point where Bastion was able to stick his arm through Nightcrawler’s chest the moment he appeared at a certain position. Hope’s fate was as good as sealed, but with his dying breath, Nightcrawler grabbed hold of Hope and teleported her to safety, dying moments later.

4 Nightcrawler Killed an Omega-Level X-Men Teammate, Iceman

Uncanny X-Force #24 by Rick Remender and Phil Noto

In the Age of Apocalypse timeline, Nightcrawler is still fighting for peace between humans and mutants, though given the circ*mstances of his world, he’s doing so in a much more violent way. In Uncanny X-Force, the militant mutants of Earth-616 visit the AoA reality in search of Apocalypse’s Life Seed. They arrive in this timeline following the events of the ‘90s Age of Apocalypse storyline, and since then, a few disturbing truths have come to light about some members of the X-Men in this universe - including and especially Iceman.

The original AoA storyline showed Iceman as a devoted member of Magneto’s X-Men, though in Uncanny X-Force, it’s revealed that Iceman was an undercover agent of Apocalypse the whole time, and the help he gave En Sabah Nur resulted in the deaths of a number of Nightcrawler’s friends. So, with the Earth-616 X-Force’s help, Nightcrawler kills Iceman by burning him alive in a furnace, which is not only extremely hardcore, but also immensely impressive given the fact that Iceman is Omega-Level.

3 Nightcrawler Defeated Deadpool with One Brutal Move

X-Calibre #3 by Warren Ellis and Ken Lashley

Before killing Iceman with the help of an X-Force team from another universe, the Age of Apocalypse version of Nightcrawler once fought Deadpool, and defeated him with one brutal move. After traveling to Avalon, perhaps the only safe haven on the planet following Apocalypse’s rise to power, Nightcrawler and his mutant allies finally have a chance to find peace.

That is, until Deadpool (known as Dead Man Wade in this timeline) discovers Avalon and begins burning it to the ground. Nightcrawler teleports behind Deadpool, grabs hold of his head, and then teleports his head far from his body. Deadpool may recover, but he won’t be able to reattach his head to his body, he’ll have to grow a new head (or a new body (or both)), meaning he’s effectively down for the count, and Nightcrawler beat Deadpool with one brutal move.

2 Nightcrawler Literally Kept Heaven from Burning to the Ground (After Endangering It)

Amazing X-Men #1-5 by Jason Aaron and Ed McGuinness

After Nightcrawler sacrifices himself protecting Hope Summers from Bastion, he goes to Heaven, where he’s meant to live out the rest of eternity in peace. However, due to his connection with his supposed father, Azazel, Nightcrawler unwittingly opened the doors to Heaven for his demonic family. Azazel traveled through the Brimstone Dimension using Nightcrawler as a beacon that led him directly to Heaven, and once he got there, Azazel wasted no time trying to conquer paradise.

However, Nightcrawler wasn’t going to let Azazel ruin Heaven without a fight. So, with the help of the X-Men (who found a way to travel to Heaven), Nightcrawler led the charge against Azazel, and literally kept Heaven from burning to the ground.

1 Nightcrawler Becomes Spider-Man (Without Having Any Spider-Powers)

Uncanny Spider-Man #1 by Si Spurrier and Lee Garbett

After Orchis attacked all mutantkind, causing the downfall of Krakoa, the X-Men scattered around the world, each doing their part to make a difference while fighting the greater evil the Sentinels represented. In Nightcrawler’s case, he decided to take a break from the X-Men and become a modest street-level hero. In that effort, Nightcrawler asked Spider-Man for a spare costume and permission to borrow his superhero identity to become the Uncanny Spider-Man (also known as Hellcrawler).

While there have been a number of alternate Spider-Heroes in Marvel Comics, they’ve all had spider-powers in one form or another. However, Nightcrawler’s time as a ‘Spider-Man’ didn’t include that seemingly required prerequisite. Though Nightcrawler proves he didn’t need spider-powers to be a ‘Spider-Man’, which is something almost no one else can say, proving that Nightcrawler is easily one of X-Men's greatest fighters.