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Kurt Wagner
Kurt Wagner

Kurt Wagner

1,549 appearances · Bronze Age · 1972–2026 · 85 key issues
Who is Kurt Wagner?

Born with blue fur, yellow eyes, and a prehensile tail, Kurt Wagner was chased by a terrified mob in Bavaria before Charles Xavier recruited him as one of the "All-New, All-Different" X-Men. He uses his teleportation ability — announced by a thunderous BAMF — to fight for human-mutant coexistence.

Few Marvel characters have woven themselves as deeply into the fabric of the X-Men universe as Kurt Wagner, the acrobatic, blue-furred mutant who first leapt onto the Bronze Age scene in The Defenders #1 back in 1972, courtesy of Steve Englehart and Sal Buscema. Over more than five decades — stretching an astonishing 1,251 catalogued appearances across Uncanny X-Men, The X-Men, and beyond — he's proven himself one of Marvel's most enduring figures, sharing countless adventures alongside legends like Wolverine, Storm, and Colossus. A proud X-Men stalwart, Kurt brings a singular presence to every page he graces, and with 85 key-issue appearances to his name, serious collectors know his runs are essential reading. If you're building a definitive Marvel collection, this Bronze Age original is absolutely worth your attention.

Identity

Real name. Kurt Wagner

Powers. Teleportation (BAMF), wall-crawling/adhesion, prehensile tail, enhanced agility and reflexes, near-invisibility in shadow

Teams & affiliations
X-Men
★ First appearance
Giant-Size X-Men #1
May 1975

Trivia

  • Nightcrawler was originally conceived as a DC Comics villain before Marvel editor Roy Thomas stepped in and suggested recasting him as a mutant, ultimately folding him into the X-Men roster.marvel.com
  • His instantly recognizable silhouette was deliberately engineered around a demon aesthetic — pointed tail, fangs, and fur included — so he would read as a nightmare figure on the page even though the character himself was written as deeply sympathetic.marvel.com
  • Nightcrawler went on to become one of Marvel's best-known openly devout Catholics, a rare distinction in mainstream superhero comics and a cornerstone of his long-term identity that extends well beyond his powers.marvel.com
  • Chris Claremont has written more of Kurt Wagner's comics than any other writer in our catalog — 275 issues.

Top series

Covers through the years — 1972–2023

The Defenders #1 1972
The Defenders #1
The X-Men #97 1976
The X-Men #97
X-Men Annual #4 1980
X-Men Annual #4
Marvel Fanfare #12 1984
Marvel Fanfare #12
X-Men Annual #14 1990
X-Men Annual #14
Marvel Super-Heroes #10 1992
Marvel Super-Heroes #10
X-Man #12 1996
X-Man #12
X-Men #94 1999
X-Men #94
New X-Men #134 2003
New X-Men #134
New Avengers: Illuminati #3 2007
New Avengers: Illuminati #3
Ultimate Comics Spider-Man: Death of Spider-Man Fallout #[nn] 2011
Ultimate Comics Spider-Man: Death of Spider-Man Fallout #[nn]
Wolverines #6 2015
Wolverines #6
Marauders #1 2019
Marauders #1
Legion of X #7 2023
Legion of X #7

Appearances (901–1,050 of 1,549, oldest first)

ClanDestine (2008)
Astonishing X-Men (2004)
#4
X-Men Origins: Colossus (2008)
#1
Genext (2008)
#1
Wolverine: First Class (2008)
Ultimate X-Men (2002)
Mini Marvels: Rock, Paper, Scissors (2008)
Ultimate Spider-Man (2001)
X-Men: Divided We Stand (2008)
Spider-Man: Brand New Day - Extra (2008)
#1
Amazing Spider-Man: Extra! (2008)
#1
X-Men vs. Apocalypse (2008)
#2
The Uncanny X-Men (1981)
X-Men: Odd Men Out (2008)
Secret Invasion: X-Men (2008)
Young X-Men (2008)
#6
X-Men Extra (1997)
#71
X-Men: Manifest Destiny (2008)
Wolverine and the X-Men Magazine (2009)
Weapon X: First Class (2009)
Spider-Man & the Secret Wars (2009)
X-Men: Mutant Massacre (2009)
Secret Invasion (2009)
Marvel Zombies: Dead Days (2009)
Uncanny X-Men: Manifest Destiny (2009)
X-Men vs. Hulk (2009)
#1
Cable (2008)
#10
Thor [Taco Bell] (2009)
#1
X-Men / Spider-Man [X-Men and Spider-Man] (2009)
#4
X-Men: Legacy (2008)
X-Men: Proteus (2009)
Ultimatum (2009)
#3
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z (2008)
#8
Ultimatum: X-Men / Fantastic Four (2009)
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
#1
Wolverine Magazine (2009)
Excalibur Visionaries: Alan Davis (2009)
#1
X-Men: First Class Finals (2009)
Spider-Man: Election Day (2009)
Captain Britain and MI13 Annual (2009)
#1
Dark Avengers / Uncanny X-Men: Utopia (2009)
#1
Ultimate X-Men Ultimate Collection (2006)
Ultimate Fantastic Four (2005)
#6
Marvel Universe (2007)
#16
X-Men: Legacy - Salvage (2009)
X-Men Forever (2009)
Ultimatum: X-Men Requiem (2009)
#1
Dark Avengers (2009)
#8
Avengers / X-Men: Utopia (2009)
#1
X-Men Legacy Annual (2009)
#1
Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men (2009)
Dark Avengers / Uncanny X-Men: Exodus (2009)
#1
X-Men vs. Agents of Atlas (2009)
Uncanny X-Men: First Class (2009)
#4
X-Infernus (2009)
Uncanny X-Men: First Class - Hated and Feared (2009)
Mini Marvels Ultimate Collection (2009)
Spider-Man: The Gauntlet (2010)
#4
Ultimatum: Requiem (2010)
X-Men Legacy: Emplate (2010)
New Mutants (2009)
X-Men: Pixie Strikes Back (2010)
Marvel Adventures Spider-Man (2005)
#15
Hasbro / Uncanny X-Men [Marvel Legends Reprint] (2010)
Uncanny X-Men: First Class - Knights of Hykon (2010)
X-Men Origins: Nightcrawler (2010)
#1
Essential X-Men (1996)
The Amazing Spider-Man (1999)
New Mutants: Necrosha (2010)
New Avengers Finale (2010)
#1
X-Men Forever Annual (2010)
#1
Excalibur Visionaries: Warren Ellis (2010)
X-Necrosha (2010)
X-Campus (2010)
X-Men Origins: Emma Frost (2010)
#1
Wolverine (2010)
X-Men: We Are the X-Men (2010)
X-Men: Dark Phoenix Saga (2010)
X-Men: Inferno Crossovers (2010)
Spider-Man: The Complete Clone Saga Epic (2010)
#3
Toyfare: The Toy Magazine (1997)
X-Men: Second Coming (2010)
X-Men: Second Coming - Revelations (2010)
Doomwar (2010)
Origins of Marvel Comics: X-Men (2010)
#1
Ultimate Comics Spider-Man: Death of Spider-Man Fallout (2011)
X-Men Forever 2 (2010)
#15
Wolverine: Wolverine Goes to Hell (2011)
X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills (2011)
Spider-Man: The Next Chapter (2011)
#1
X-Men: Schism (2011)
#1
Ultimate Fallout (2011)
#2
Uncanny X-Force (2010)
#12
New X-Men by Grant Morrison (2011)
#6
Fantastic Four by John Byrne Omnibus (2011)
#1
Ultimate Comics Spider-Man (2010)
#3
Wolverine and Jubilee: Curse of the Mutants (2011)