comicbooks.com Join Free
Home › Kurt Wagner
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 (1,051–1,200 of 1,549, oldest first)

[Marvel Super Heroes] Secret Wars (2011)
Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men (2009)
Marvel Série II (2012)
X-Men: Age of Apocalypse Omnibus (2012)
Astonishing X-Men: Children of the Brood (2012)
Astonishing X-Men by Joss Whedon & John Cassaday Ultimate Collection (2012)
#2
Deadpool (2008)
X-Men: Fatal Attractions (2012)
Avengers vs. X-Men: It's Coming (2012)
X-Men Select (2012)
#2
Uncanny X-Force: Otherworld (2012)
Avengers: The Contest (2012)
X-Men Classic (2012)
#2
X-Man: The Man Who Fell to Earth (2012)
X-Treme X-Men (2012)
Marvel Série I (2012)
X-Men: The Wedding of Cyclops & Phoenix (2012)
Uncanny X-Force: Final Execution (2012)
X-Men: Mutant Massacre (2013)
X-Force Omnibus (2013)
#1
Uncanny Avengers (2013)
#1
X-Termination (2013)
#2
Uncanny X-Men by Matt Fraction: The Complete Collection (2013)
#3
Wolverine: First Cuts (2013)
Wolverine by Claremont & Miller (2013)
X-Men: X-Termination (2013)
X-Men Extra (1997)
X-Force: Phalanx Covenant (2013)
X-Men: X-Corps (2013)
Wolverine by Jason Aaron: The Complete Collection (2013)
#1
X-Men: The Road to Onslaught (2014)
#1
X-Men: Gold (2014)
X-Men: Age of Apocalypse Omnibus Companion (2014)
X-Men vs. Hulk (2014)
X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
Amazing X-Men (2014)
Marvel Comics - La collection (2014)
#8
Guardians of the Galaxy by Jim Valentino (2014)
#2
Avengers (2013)
#5
Nightcrawler (2014)
#5
Marvel 75th Anniversary Celebration (2014)
#1
Avengers & X-Men: Axis (2014)
#2
Wolverine & the X-Men (2014)
#10
Death of Wolverine: The Logan Legacy (2015)
Wolverines (2015)
Skrulls Must Die! - The Complete Skrull Kill Krew (2015)
Uncanny X-Men (2013)
Storm (2015)
#2
S.H.I.E.L.D. (2015)
X-Men: The Hunt for Professor X (2015)
Groot (2015)
#6
X-Men: Age of Apocalypse - Dawn (2016)
Punisher vs. the Marvel Universe (2016)
Extraordinary X-Men (2016)
Deadpool & Cable: Split Second (2016)
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl & the Great Lakes Avengers (2016)
Drax: Guardian of the Galaxy (2016)
Civil War II (2017)
#1
Deadpool: Beginnings Omnibus (2017)
Ghost Rider / Wolverine / Punisher: Hearts of Darkness (2017)
Deadpool & the Mercs for Money (2016)
Jean Grey (2017)
#1
America (2017)
#3
Uncanny Avengers: Unity (2016)
#4
Weapons of Mutant Destruction: Alpha (2017)
#1
Jessica Jones (2016)
#9
Machine Man le robot vivant (2017)
X-Men: Blue (2017)
Black Panther by Reginald Hudlin: The Complete Collection (2017)
#1
Extermination (2018)
Phoenix Resurrection: The Return of Jean Grey (2018)
#2
Astonishing X-Men (2017)
#7
Silver Surfer Epic Collection (2014)
#6
Avengers Hors Série (2018)
#1
X-Men: Red (2018)
#3
Runaways (2017)
#9
Multiple Man (2018)
#1
X-Men: Mutant Massacre Omnibus (2018)
Return of Wolverine (2018)
#3
Season's Beatings (2019)
#1
Punisher Epic Collection (2018)
#3
Age of X-Man: The Amazing Nightcrawler (2019)
X-Men : Grand Design (2018)
#2
Marvel Comics Presents (2019)
House of X / Powers of X Free Previews (2019)
#1
House of X (2019)
#1
Marvel Comics (2019)
Major X (2019)
X-Factor Epic Collection (2017)
#8
Marauders (2019)
#1
X-Force (2020)
#4
Marvel Tales: Wolverine (2020)
House of X / Powers of X (2019)
Marvel Comics 1000 (2020)
Nous sommes les Nouveaux Mutants (2020)
Savage Avengers (2019)
#0