Profile

Name: Kurt Wagner
Alias: Nightcrawler
Nicknames: Elf, Fuzzy Elf, Fuzzy Blue Elf, Blueberry Muffin (special lady friends only)
Species: Homo superior
Age: 31
Height: 5’9”
Weight: 161
Physical Appearance: Covered in very short velvety indigo fur; yellow pupil-less eyes that glow in low light similar to a cat’s; three fingers on each hand, scaled to be the same size as a ‘normal’ human hand; two prehensile digitigrade toes with a third at the heel; prehensile tail; pointed ears
Citizenship: German
Spoken Languages: German (native tongue), Romani, English, Swedish, French
Occupation: Circus acrobat (formerly), X-Man (currently)
Powers: Can teleport by instantaneously opening and traveling through a portal into another dimension, but is limited by distance (no more than two miles) and sight—he has to have seen where he will emerge or else runs the risk of materializing within a solid object; able to cling to solid surfaces; can render himself invisible in shadows by manipulating the portal to the dimension he teleports through to bend light around himself
Abilities: Olympic-class acrobat thanks to a highly flexible spine; skilled hand-to-hand combatant and a master at fencing; able to triple-wield thanks to his tail
Weapons: Twin swords
Backstory: Kurt was born to the shape-shifting mutant Raven Darkholme (Mystique) in Bavaria, who had been masquerading as the wife of a Baron. The trauma of the birth forced Raven to reveal her true form to a shocked village that instantly turned against her and her ‘demon’ son. Fleeing the mob, Mystique transformed herself to appear as an average villager—she claimed that the mother had thrown herself over the edge of a cliff and proceeded to do the same with her newborn son. Kurt’s biological father rescued the boy at the last minute, leaving him on the river bed for a wandering fortune teller to find—his motives for doing so would later be revealed to be less than paternal.

The fortune teller, Margali Szardos, was actually a sorceress of the Wandering Way who had seen in a dream where baby Kurt could be found. Upon finding him she unofficially adopted him as a son to raise alongside her four-year old son, Stephan, and one-year old daughter, Jimaine. Kurt grew up as a part of the traveling circus Der Jahrmarkt, where he was accepted and loved despite his appearance. After showing an aptitude for the trapeze at a very young age, he was trained by the head acrobat Sabu who also passed on his love for classic swashbuckling literature and movies to Kurt. Impressing the ringmaster with his skills, Kurt was soon given a place in the big top where he performed as the Amazing Nightcrawler; audiences, who assumed he was an actor in costume, flocked to see him. Kurt’s showmanship and love of theatrics were born during this time. He discovered his latent abilities to teleport after Jimaine fell during one of her acts—in his leap to save her, Kurt teleported mid-air to catch her before she hit the ground.

At the tender age of thirteen, Kurt gave in to curiosity about the world outside of the circus despite his foster mother’s warnings. In the town of Winzeldorf he was spotted by a group of children who quickly roused a mob to go after the ‘demon’. Unable to get away, Kurt nearly had a stake driven through his heart before he teleported blindly towards the local church out of desperation. When he rematerialized, he did so with a post through his left leg which would leave a permanent reminder of why he should always look before he leaped. Distraught, terrified, and in agony, Kurt crawled towards the alter where he was found a short time later by Father Wagner. Despite the boy’s demonic appearance, the priest didn’t hesitate to offer him sanctuary and aid. Developing a bad infection from his wound, Kurt drifted in and out of consciousness as Father Wagner cared for him. During this period Kurt developed his deep religious faith, converting to Catholicism. This would later end up causing problems with the pagan practices of his adopted family.

Once he was healthy, Kurt returned to Der Jahrmarkt where he continued to flourish as an acrobat and a man of faith. When Kurt was seventeen an American millionaire named Amos Jardine bought out the circus, planning to transfer their top acts to his own venue in Florida. Despite Kurt’s acrobatic talents, Jardine refused to allow a mutant to be a star act; instead, he attempted to put Kurt in his freak show. Kurt firmly declined, but the Texan wouldn’t take no for an answer. Heavily drugged, the German mutant was put on display for several weeks until he and his fellow “freaks” were rescued by the X-Men. Reprising his role as the Incredible Nightcrawler, Kurt joined Xavier’s school as a student where he quickly became a core member of the X-Men team. The friendships he made there saved him from falling apart completely when Kurt was forced to kill his stepbrother after Stephan went mad and began to slaughter children who he perceived as demons.

After an incident on his twenty-second birthday where his biological father, an ancient mutant named Azazel, attempted to use Kurt to conquer Earth and various other adventures, Kurt has devoted his life to teaching younger mutants at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters and working as a full time X-Man.
Canon Point: Technically from an AU (think somewhere around Uncanny X-Men #444)
Relationships:
Raven Darkholme: Biological mother; on semi-talking terms sometimes when he isn’t having to arrest her.
Margali Szardos: Foster mother; on slightly better talking terms with.
Amanda Stephon: Foster sister, formerly Jimaine Szardos; first crush and still close with, although not romantically.
Stephan Szardos: Foster brother, deceased; Kurt loved his older brother dearly and continues to carry the guilt of his death buried deep within.
Father Wagner: Adopted father; the man who led Kurt to a better understanding of himself and Christ. Kurt is still in close contact with him.
Azazel: Biological father; currently imprisoned on Earth but at large, though laying low.
Charles Xavier: Mentor; continues to serve as Kurt’s sounding board and father figure.
Logan: Best friend; despite their surface differences, both men greatly respect one another. Kurt is one of the few people brave enough to play pranks on Wolverine.
Piotr Rasputin: Friend; Pitor enjoys teaching Kurt art and Kurt enjoys teasing Pitor about his crush on Kitty.
Kitty Pryde: Friend; affectionately known as “Katzchen” and seen as a younger sister.
Ororo Munroe: Friend; one of Kurt’s longest running crushes and closest friends.
Rogue: Adopted sister; shares his frustrations about Mystique as a mother.
Favorite Music Genre: Classical
Favorite Movies: Captain Blood, The Crimson Pirate, The Mark of Zorro, Princess Bride, Pirates of the Caribbean
Favorite Books: The Three Musketeers, A Tale of Two Cities
Fun Facts:
*Kurt is mildly nocturnal; as a child he was almost exclusively so. When Margali found him playing on the ceiling one night during a bout of insomnia, she began to call him her “Little Nightcrawler”. The “Little” dropped, but the “Nightcrawler” stuck.
*After growing up in a small van or camper with his family, Kurt is most comfortable sleeping in small spaces. He’s also a lover of cat naps during the day, which leads to his friends and students finding him passed out in the oddest places.
*Kurt’s favorite actor (and arguably one of his greatest sources of inspiration) is Errol Flynn.
*Kurt, being a healthy German man, is able to drink most people under the table. When he does get drunk, however, he is a very loud, very happy, very snuggly drunk. Many a drinking contest has ended with Kurt wrapped around one of his teammates while belting out songs in a broken mix of German and English.
*While not opposed to violence when it is needed, Kurt will attempt to diffuse a situation with humor or logic rather than going straight for a fight. While he can be a deadly opponent, Kurt refuses to take anyone's life and will go out of his way to save even his worst enemies. He was forced to kill exactly once in his life and he's sworn to never do so again.