Nightcrawler is the codename of Kurt Wagner, a mutant with amazing acrobatic abilities, a prehensile tail, and the ability to teleport. The character was introduced as part of the "new" X-Men in Giant-Size X-Men #1 (May 1975), in a story written by Len Wein and illustrated by Dave Cockrum. Since her introduction, Nightcrawler has remained one of the mainstays of the various X-Men comic book series and has been depicted in movies and animated television shows.

"Jesus died for our salvation": Kurt Wagner (the X-Man known as Nightcrawler) expresses his faith openly.

Nightcrawler has long been depicted as a devout Catholic, although he was apparently not written as such at the time of his introduction. Nightcrawler's deep religious devotion and gentle personality has stood in contrast to his physical appearance: He looks like a demon. Nightcrawler was born with pointed ears, a tail, and cloven-like feet, all of which recall images of demons.

Over the years, his Catholic faith has deepened to the point that he studied for the priesthood and was even a Catholic priest for a brief time. Later writers decided to take the character in a different direction, however, and explained away this ultimate act of religious devotion as having been caused by some form of external mind control. In contemporary X-Men comics, Nightcrawler remains a devout Catholic, but he is not planning to full-time religious life as a vocation.

An odd and religious-oriented aspect of Nightcrawler's character that was introduced decades after the character had been in existence is the fact that his father is actually a poweful demon named Azazel. Although the Marvel Universe character Azazel is not really depicted as the Devil, he is clearly depicted as a being who could have inspired imagery of the devil and Satan. In some ancient Judeo-Christian religious texts, Azazel is a name of Satan, the supreme evil being.

Nightcrawler was also portrayed as a devout Catholic in the 2003 feature film X2 (or X-Men 2), in which he made his big screen debut. In that movie, Nightcrawler frequently spoke of God and religious faith, and had covered his body with mystical Christian tatoos - one for each of his sins, as he explained to Storm.

Ever prayerful: Nightcrawler tells Professor Xavier that he will keep his fellow X-Men (away on a dangerous mission) in his prayers. He also expresses compassion for their enemies. [Source: Uncanny X-Men #487, published by Marvel Comics (August 2007); written by Ed Brubaker, art by Salvador Larroca; page 8.] Text from scene above: Nightcrawler: We're X-Men, we know the risks. I have little fear for our friends . . . they've made their decision, and until we see them again, I will keep then in my prayers. But I fear more for those who would stand against them.

Nightcrawler's adoptive mother - the woman who raised him - is Margali Szardos, a member of the cultural/ethnic group the Roma (also known as Gypsies), as well as a powerful sorceress. Nightcrawler was raised in the circus that Margali Szardos, using her skills as a fortune teller, travelled with while Kurt was growing up. Jimaine Szardos (also known as "Amanda Sefton") is the biological daughter of Margali. Jimaine/Amanda is also Roma (Gypsy) and also a sorceress. Jimaine/Amanda is Kurt Wagner's step-sister and has also been his girlfriend at various times. As "Daytripper," Jimaine/Amanda was even briefly a superheroine member of Nightcrawler's British-based superhero team "Excalibur." Despite being raised raised in a Roma/Gypsy home, Kurt is not known to have ever vocalized any particular identification with Roma/Gypsy culture. Wagner has more commonly identified himself with and expressed strong cultural connections to Germans, Catholics, the circus and mutants.

In both his circus background and his rarely mentioned Roma/gypsy upbringing, Nightcrawler is similar to famed DC comics superhero Dick Grayson (a.k.a. "Robin" or "Nightwing"). Nightcrawler's lack of openly expressed identification with Roma/Gypsy culture distinguishes him from some other Marvel characters who regularly identify with this background, including Quicksilver, the Scarlet Witch, Meggan (Nightcrawler's former Excalibur teammate), Doctor Doom and occasionally Magneto.

See also:
- The Nightcrawler as a Roman Catholic Superhero FAQ
- Nightcrawler [as a Catholic] Timeline
- So... Was he a priest or wasn't he?
- Religion/Spirituality of Nightcrawler forum discussion

Above: Nightcrawler (Kurt Wagner) meets Logan (Wolverine) using his image inducer to appear as a normal human Catholic priest, masking Kurt's regular furry blue, clearly mutant appearance. [Source: Wolverine, volume 3, issue #6, page 6. Written by Greg Rucka. Pencils by Drick Robertson. Inks by Tom Palmer. Reprinted in Wolverine: The Brotherhood trade paperback, Marvel Entertainment Group: New York (2003).]

From: "Nightcrawler" article on Wikipedia.com website (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightcrawler_(comics); viewed 28 October 2005):

Among his more interesting character traits, Wagner is an extremely religious man. A devout Catholic, his demonic appearance obviously makes it very difficult to attend church services. Despite this, as mutants in the Marvel Universe become more mainstream, he even managed to... become a Catholic priest, unfortunately, his studies were interrupted by a villain known as "The Neo."

In the motion picture X2: X-Men United, Nightcrawler is played by Alan Cumming. This version shares much of the same history (circus, Catholicism, native to Germany) with the comic book inspiration...

Another episode of X-Men: The Animated Series TV series, (episode #68, titled "Bloodlines", Season 5, 26 October 1996) also focused on Nightcrawler and his faith in God. Synopsis from: "X-Men" section of Nabou.com "Entertianment Everywhere" website (http://www.nabou.com/x-men/x-men_animated_series/animated_series_season_5.html; viewed 30 November 2005):

Nightcrawler gets a mysterious message. He is informed that his birth mother (whom he never knew) is in trouble. He turns to the X-Men for assistance. Jubilee is baffled that Nightcrawler wants to help the mother who abandoned him -- she has never known her birth parents and feels pretty hostile toward them, whoever they are. Nightcrawler admits there has been pain, but his faith in God has helped him overcome her rejection. The plot thickens when one of the team members recognizes Nightcrawler's mother's voice... There are more 'bloodlines' here than anyone imagined, including the Friends of Humanity who arranged this 'reunion' in the first place.

"Anyone who knows where to look can find plenty of examples of faith in the comics and the culture that surrounds them," [Leo Partible, an independent movie producer, graphic artist and writer] said. "There is darkness there, but lots of light, too."

...The mutant X-Man Nightcrawler quotes scripture and talks openly about sin, penance and righteousness.

Other established Catholics in comics include... the X-Men's Kurt (Nightcrawler) Wagner...

Above: Although Logan (Wolverine) is not a Catholic, and Nightcrawler (Kurt Wagner) is no longer a priest, Logan nevertheless was so troubled by his recent actions that he informally sought absolution from his old friend. [Source: Wolverine, volume 3, issue #6, page 18. Written by Greg Rucka. Pencils by Darick Robertson. Inks by Tom Palmer. Reprinted in Wolverine: The Brotherhood trade paperback, Marvel Entertainment Group: New York (2003).]

Below are some excerpts of the dialogue from this story, written by Greg Rucka and penciled by Darick Robertson. This discussion between Nightcrawler and Wolverine takes place in a New York City bar, where Wolverine has invited Nightcrawler to meet him after Wolverine's latest particularly soul-wrenching adventure:

Nightcrawler walks into the bar, where Wolverine is already sitting. Nightcrawler is using his image inducer to appear as a Catholic priest, complete with white collar and black shirt.

BARTENDER: Can I help you, father?

KURT WAGNER: A beer, please

LOGAN: Make it a pitcher and three glasses. Put it on my tab.

KURT WAGNER: Thank you, my son.

LOGAN: Knock it off.

[Kurt moves to place his hand on Logan's shoulder in either a consoling or greeting gesture.]

LOGAN: And don't think about touching me unless you're gonna look like you when you do it, Elf.

KURT WAGNER: I'm not certain that's the best idea, my friend. You know how people reat to my appearance.

LOGAN: Jo!

BARTENDER: Show the "Father" your right hand.

LOGAN: Your hand, Jo.

BARTENDER: Always wanted to play show and tell with a priest.

KURT WAGNER: Ah, you don't--

BARTENDER: It's all right, Father . . . I won't lead you into temptation. [The bartender shows her right hand, which is clearly the hand of a mutant. She has a squid-like or octopus-like suction surface on the palm of her right hand, and her fingers are shaped somewhat like tentacles.] I'll have Brady get you boys some peanuts. [She walks away, to give Kurt and Logan some privacy.]

LOGAN: There you go, Elf. No more excuses. [Logan is letting Kurt know that he does not need to use his image inducer to mask his mutant appearance.]

[Kurt touches a device concealed in his belt, and drops the hologram mask that made him look like a normal human priest. Now he appears as his regular furry blue self. He is not wearing a priest's vestments, but is wearing simply a regular shirt and blue jeans.]

KURT WAGNER: Better?

LOGAN: Better is you not having to hide yourself. But it's a start.

KURT WAGNER: You're in a mood.

LOGAN: Has nothing to do with it.

KURT WAGNER: No. Of course not.

[After some small talk, not excerpted here...]

KURT WAGNER: What happened?

LOGAN: Nothing happened.

KURT WAGNER: Certainly something did. You're even more unpleasant than normal. And you could use a shower, I might add.

LOGAN: You think I don't know how I smell? You think I don't know?

KURT WAGNER: Self-loathinig does not become you, Logan.

LOGAN: This from a guy who hides his face?

BARTENDER: You want me to just run a tube from the keg for you?

LOGAN: Can you do that?

BARTENDER: I'll look into it.

LOGAN: What?

KURT WAGNER: She likes you.

LOGAN: That's her mistake.

KURT WAGNER: [Long pause.] What was her name?

LOGAN: What?

KURT WAGNER: The girl who died. The one you couldn't save. What was her name?

LOGAN: Lucy. Lucy Braddock. She was seventeen, Kurt.

KURT WAGNER: Is it working? The beer? Must be hard to punish yourself when your healing factor fights you every inch of the way.

LOGAN: You have no idea.

KURT WAGNER: Yet here you are, doing your best impression of a fish. We have both seen innocents suffer before, my friend. We have both seen the inhumanity of man to his fellow man. Why is Lucy Braddock so different that you drive across the country for three days without rest to meet me here, and to engage in this vain attempt to torture your liver?

[Logan says nothing.]

KURT WAGNER: Seventeen is too young, I agree. Seventy, some would say, is too young as well. We have both seen too much death, lost too many we have cared for. But as trite as it is to say, Logan, death is part of life. Even unnatural death, even, perhaps, murder.

LOGAN: Not murder.

KURT WAGNER: You think? I do not advocate it, of course, but I would point out that every Judeo-Christian religion has murder in the basic text. Cain slew Abel, and thus the world knew murder. One could argue that murder is as natural as dying of old age.

LOGAN: You don't really believe that.

KURT WAGNER: I am no longer sure what I believe, my friend. My grasp of ethical and theological theory is slipping, to say the least. As a result, I am forced more often than not to rely on the facts as I know them. Actions always speak louder than words. You know this better than anyone. Your actions have always mrked you, to me, as a good man. As an honorable man.

[Long pause.]

LOGAN: Three days ago I killed twenty-seven men.

[Kurt stares, speechless.]

LOGAN: Not much to say to that, huh, Elf?

KURT WAGNER: You were enraged?

LOGAN: All the way to the bone.

KURT WAGNER: And these men, they had earned this rage?

LOGAN: You're looking for an excuse.

KURT WAGNER: No, my friend, I'm straining to understand. Because if you tell me that these twenty-seven men were innocents all, then you are everything you have always feared yourself to be. And you would have to be stopped.

LOGAN: And you'd stop me?

KURT WAGNER: No. But I would die trying.

[A long pause as they stare at each other grimly.]

LOGAN: They were a cult. They'd broken a town. Made it afraid. They kidnapped women. Girls. And they used them up.

KURT WAGNER: Then you are describing evil, my friend. And evil begets evil.

LOGAN: Me.

KURT WAGNER: Ah, I see. If that is your question, Logan, I cannot help you.

LOGAN: You were a priest. Absolve me.

KURT WAGNER: Oh, it would be wonderful if it worked like that, wouldn't I? What a world we would have . . . legions of sinners, all committing their crimes with abandon! Safe in the knowledge that absolution was just one quick trip to the church away! They tried it once, you know. During the Middles Ages [sic]. Enough gold, you could be forgiven anything. Would you like that? Such a hollow forgiveness?

LOGAN: Do I need forgiveness?

KURT WAGNER: Isn't that what you're after? Were those men evil? Without question? By killing them in your rage, are you evil? You are unique, Logan. And I do not speak of what has been done to you. Is the wolf evil when it culls the sickness from the herd?

[The bartender flips a sign on the door to show the bar is closed. Logan puts cash on the bar to pay his tab. Kurt and Logan walk out of the bar and stand in pouring rain.]

LOGAN: That thing about wolves . . . I'm not an animal. I'm not.

KURT WAGNER: I know, my friend. I know you aren't.

LOGAN: . . . I'm not . . .

[End of this issue]

Logan: "What's doin', bub?"

Kurt: "What does it look like?"

Logan: "Incongruous. I guess I never figured you for the religious type."

Kurt: "Why, don't I look the part? I admit I'm rarely seen in a church - but I draw comfort from my beliefs and from prayer. Such comfort is dearly needed now - by us all. You should try it, Logan. Who knows, you might like it."

Logan: "I did, in the army. A mistake. I believe in nothin' - never have, never will. What matters is what I can see, hear, smell, taste, thouch - tangible things, physical things. Reality. The rest is imagination."

Nightcrawler: "And you have no use for that?"

Wolverine: "Nope."

Nightcrawler: "I am sorry, my friend. I never realized how utterly, inescapably alone you must be - with nothing to hold onto but yourself. More alone than I - despite my outre appearance - could ever be."

Wolverine: "I ain't alone, bub - I got you. C'mon, lessee if they got any brew on this bucket."

...Perhaps the most interesting characteristic about Nightcrawler is that he is a mutant of faith - a devout Christian. Out of all the myriad of cartoon superheroes created in the last fifty years, very few have articulated or been indentified with a specific religious faith...

To their credit, the screenwriters, director, and producers of X2 allowed Nightcrawler to retain his purity of faith and hope. They skipped the subtle, read-between-the-lines type of allusions to his Christianity and let him express full-metal devotion. Nightcrawler takes refuge in an abandoned cathedral in Boston, festooned with statues of Jesus. When he is nervous, he holds a crucifix and prays the rosary in German. When he needs to summon inner strength, he prays the Lord's Prayer. When the group is confronted with tragedy, he pastorally quotes Psalm 23.

Quite simply, Nightcrawler is the most intriguing, devout, and unique Christian character that has ever been portrayed on the big screen. He talks righteously about sin and the power of faith, without the slightest hint of holier-than-thouism. Although he has every right to be angry at humans for their bigotry, he chooses to help them. He has fears, but he acts with courage through the power of prayer. He quotes the Scripture to find strength that his genetically mutated special powers cannot give him.

In the movie version, Nightcrawler's faith is further highlighted in that his body is covered in tattoos, one for each of his sins. He calls them his "angel marks." In a form of penance, they are self-inflicted ancient Enochian symbols considered to be an angelic alphabet.

When Nightcrawler first began with the X-Men, he was not conceived as a religious superhero. He was a swashbuckling adventurer with a good sense of humor and a special charisma with the ladies. He even became the leader of the British superhero group Excalibur.

His unique look always made him appear to be something that he was not--namely a demon. The creators used his image to further press their point that prejudice and bigotry brutally cloud our judgment in being able to truly judge a person. This was only heightened when Nightcrawler began quoting Scripture, praying, and hanging out in abandoned cathedrals. He began to be mentored by a priest at Church of Michael the Archangel in Brooklyn and studying for the priesthood.

For a period of time in the X-Men comics, Nightcrawler has been shown wearing a clerical collar and even presides over the funeral of a friend. In the midst of his theological studies, he also struggles with his faith, the tremendous injustice that he sees all around him, and what it would mean to become a priest.

Staring at a life-size crucifix in St. Patrick's Cathedral, he says, "Your death was intended to show us a shining example of how we should live in loving union with you and those around us. Yet even thouse of us who hold you deepest on out hearts -- fail -- in keeping true to your divine word."

In continuing his confession, he says: "Clergy, parishioners, priests -- me. I have such thoughts--feelings I cannot escape--the desires for the touch of a woman." While the temptations of the flesh weigh heavy on his conscience, Nightcrawler's vastly more threatening challenge is against the racist and religious humans of the Church of Humanity, a Ku-Klux-Klan type of anti-mutant organization.

With the gritty and heart-torn anxiety of the Psalmist, his poignant monologue continues by unleashing his frustration on a seemingly standoffish God. "And now another Holy War is brewing -- more fools take up weapons of murder in Your name. And You allow it. Perhaps even encourage it. If we take You into our hearts, does that mean fighting and killing in Your name -- or not fighting and being killed in your name? Which is the right answer? And what purpose does it serve to torment your most faithful when the goal is maybe one day sitting beside you -- alone -- possibly forever apart from the ones we love and desire -- who chose wrongly or failed your uncertain tests?"

The scene concludes with Nightcrawler looking at his crucified Jesus and saying, "When next we meet, I expect answers."

With the heightened popularity of the X-Men movies, a DVD collection of animated TV episodes from the early 1990s has been released entitled X-Men: The Legend of Wolverine (Buena Vista). It includes an entire episode devoted to the origin and theological disposition of Nightcrawler.

The story takes place within a monastery in a small Bavarian village in Germany. Three of the X-Men (Wolverine, Gambit, and Rogue) find themselves being aided by monks in the aftermath of an avalanche. Having been mistaken for a demon by the townspeople because of his looks, Nightcrawler explains to Wolverine and his friends that his genetic mutations were evident from birth and that the villagers chased he and his mother of out of town.

His mom (Mystique) also abandoned him as a child (in the comics, she throws him over a waterfall) and a family of travelling performers took him in. When he was young he was able to work in the circus, but he was still treated as an outcast, "shunned and hated." In talking with Wolverine, Nightcrawler says, "Though all people are flawed and struggle with the capacity for sin, none likes to be reminded of our shared human weakness. My appearance does not make it easy."

"Don't it make you crazy?" Wolverine asks with incredulity.

"It did once, but then I found peace by devoting my life to God," said Nightcrawler. "He directed me to this place [the monastery] where they value the character of my heart, not my appearance."

This only sends Wolverine further into a rage. "What are you talking about? God gave up on us long ago!" Nightcrawler counters, "No, my friend, God does not give up on his children-human or mutant. He is there for us in our times of joy and to help us when we are in pain--if we let Him."

Later, Nightcrawler tells Wolverine, "We are alike, you and I--angry at the world. My pain drives me to seek God, yours drove you away." Wolverine is further infuriated when he asks why God would have allowed him to be treated so badly. "Our ability to understand God's purposes are limited," says Nightcrawler, "but take comfort in the fact that his love is limitless."

Amazingly, the episode concludes with Wolverine kneeling in a French cathedral reading the Bible and saying, "I will give thanks to you O Lord. Though you are angry with me, your anger is turned away and you have comforted me. I will trust you. I will not be afraid."

Not a bad message -- especially coming from a superhero.

Hey!
...Did you know that Daredevil was Catholic? ...Are there any other Catholic superheroes?
--John

...Another Marvel comic's superhero, Nightcrawler/Kurt Wagner has been an X-Man since the 1970s and - coincidentally - made his screen debut this year in X2, the sequel to X-Men, in the same year that Daredevil hit the big screen.

While he looks like a demon, (tail and all!) Nightcrawler has always been a deeply spiritual character and avowed Catholic. In the X2 movie, Nightcrawler is seen praying the rosary and he discusses faith with another X-Man, Storm.

In the 1980s, Nightcrawler struggled with his faith, especially with the question of how God can be good if there is pain and suffering in the world. (It's a difficult question to answer, but Christians remember that even Jesus suffered pain - and Jesus showed us that good can come from suffering.)

In the late 1990s Marvel Comics went a step further with the character's faith and Nightcrawler became a priest - complete with clerical collar! Some pretty odd storylines followed after that point, including a weird anti-mutant "pope" of sorts. (I'm not too sure on the details, because that's when I stopped reading comics.)

There have been a few characters over the years whose faith has been made explicit. Daredevil, the blind superhero who will be played by Ben Affleck, is Catholic. Nightcrawler, a member of the X-Men who may make it into the next movie, is considering becoming a Catholic priest.

But their religion will not be a part of the upcoming movies. Neither is Ben [Grimm]'s faith a part of the plan for the FF movie, or the Punisher's for that character's movie, Marvel officials said. Marvel Studios CEO Avi Arad declined to explain why faith wasn't woven into the scripts. But comics industry experts said it was for the same reason religion hasn't been a big part of the books: Not offending is safer.

Superman as Methodist? Batman a lapsed Catholic? A Web site, www.adherents.com/lit/comics/comic_book_religion.html, provides a lengthy list of comicbook superheroes and indications of their religious beliefs. Some are firmly established in the comics, such as the X-Men's Nightcrawler as Catholic. Others, such as the belief that Superman was raised as a Methodist, are up for debate.

Delve more deeply into comic book metaphysics, and you can explore the actual or surmised religious affiliations of dozens of superheroes by clicking on the "Comic Book Characters" link at www.adherents.com. Or visit its image-packed companion page, www.ComicBookReligion.com.

Superman is a Methodist and Jimmy Olsen is Lutheran? The Thing is Jewish? Elektra is Greek Orthodox? The X-Men's Nightcrawler is a devout Catholic who once wanted to be a priest? Batman is either a mostly lapsed Catholic or a mostly lapsed Episcopalian?

Yes . . . or more often, maybe.

There have been reverent comic books about Pope John Paul II and Mother Teresa, but secular publishers - especially the two dominant ones, Marvel Entertainment and DC Comics - have often avoided or only hinted at their superheroes' faith lives.

Over the years, the writers told readers all kinds of things about the habits and foibles of the characters. We knew about their taste in clothing, their troubles with relationships, their sense of humor. But we rarely discovered whether they followed any particular religion.

That seems odd in one way. Back in the dawn of the modern comic book, more than 90 percent of Americans self-identified with a particular religion, mostly some kind of Christianity. Why wouldn't reality-linked superheroes have a particular religion?

Explicitly Religious Comics Characters
[list of 20 characters features 8 characters under the "Christian" subheading, including:]
Nightcrawler, Kurt Wagner, is a member of the X-Men and is planning to become a Catholic priest.

So, there's no shortage of characters based on religion in comics, but what about actual religion? ...I'm not really aware of any other religions [other than Judaism] that have been shown in quite this [positive] way, at least not in Western comics. It seems that every time a see an overtly Muslim character in a comic they're either a fanatic or a terrorist, or both and Christians seem to be portrayed as utterly boring, dull people. (With the rather obvious exceptions of Nightcrawler, and the wonderful Pastor from Kingdom Come.)

Controversy regarding writer Chuck Austen's handling of Nightcrawler

Chuck Austen's run on Uncanny X-Men #410-443, and subsequently X-Men (v2) #155-164, started out with good reviews but drew heavy fire from long time fans as the run continued. Despite a few exceptions (such as his characterization of the Juggernaut, and the villain's redemption), his work on of the series was condemned as being poorly written. The fans' harsh criticism centered especially (but not solely) on his treatment of Nightcrawler, Kurt Wagner, a long-established character who had the ability to teleport himself and who bore a physical resemblance to a demon, in the arcs Holy War and The Draco.

In Holy War, Austen revealed that Kurt's previous ordaining as a Catholic priest was a plot by the "Church of Humanity" to one day install him as the Pope disguised as an ordinary human, then reveal his true appearance, thereby destroying the faith of all Catholics worldwide, at which point they would stage a "rapture" using communion wafers that would, when ingested, incinerate the eater (this despite the fact that the Rapture is not a Catholic concept).

In The Draco, Austen reveals that Kurt's unknown father is a powerful mutant called "Azazel", whom the devil in the bible is patterned after, who has been banished to an alternate dimension (later called "Hell") by a subspecies of mutants with wings (the origin of angels) and needs to open a dimensional portal to return to Earth. To do this, Azazel breeds with human women, so they can bear mutant teleporters which he can control (how this is possible if Azazel is trapped in the alternate dimension, and unable to return to Earth, is not explained).

In Sacred Vows, Polaris and Havok are getting married. Polaris is depicted as a ruthless, cold character who makes cruel jokes about him at her bachelorette's night and is strongly hinted to have betrayed him with a male stripper afterwards. Why then Lorna wanted to marry Alex in the first place does not become clear. The next day, more than hundred superpowered guests are present at the wedding, but when Alex refuses to marry Lorna, Polaris single-handedly incapacitates the crowd to go on a deadly rampage. That Lorna is able to take out a crowd full of superheroes with Professor X, Hulk, Phoenix, Northstar, Jubilee, Husk, Scarlet Witch, Dani Moonstar, Emma Frost, Shadowcat, Cyclops, Beast, Nightcrawler, Archangel, Wolverine, Quicksilver, Juggernaut, several Starjammers and many others, is extremely far-fetched (in fact, probably most of the named characters could take out Polaris single-handedly, not the other way around). The comic states that Polaris "reversed the blood-flow in anyone with powers", knocking them out, but given the guest's superpowers, this is arguably a weak-footed explanation.

These arcs were met with the criticism that not only was Austen a poor writer, in terms of arch-construction and proper character treatment, but he had an agenda against Christianity and likely religion in general. Adding to this accusations of misogynistic portrayals of regular female characters, the negative feelings expressed towards Austen's work throughout Internet comic forums were widespread and almost violently critical.

Another point of controversy was Archangel's romantic relationship with Husk, who had been a young teenager in previous appearances while Archangel himself was most likely in his mid-20s, though many fans seem to believe the character is in his early to mid-30s. It should however be kept in mind that not long ago in continuity, Angel was a student at Xavier's School for the Gifted, and despite Marvel establishing a 7-10 year rule, ages remain an unclear issue within Marvel continuity.

During the majority of his tenure on Uncanny X-Men, Austen chose to disregard the criticism he received from readers, which eventually spilled over into him being verbally abused at comic book conventions by irate fans. Austen stopped doing interviews in October 2003 as a result and did not do another interview until May of 2004, which he granted to Silver Bullet Comic Books, where he restated his dissatisfaction and indifference as to the fan reaction...

Inexplicably, Chuck Austen is one of Marvel Comics' go-to writers. Last week alone, Marvel released three Austen-scripted books: "Uncanny X-Men," "The Eternal" and "Captain America."

That's too much Austen even for me, so I'll forego the current issue of "Captain America" and look only at the other two titles.

First with writer Joe Casey and now with Austen, "Uncanny X-Men" has played a poor second to Grant Morrison's reliably clever "New X-Men." In terms of quality, if not sales, "Uncanny' even has slipped behind Chris Claremont's old-school "X-treme X-Men," which has showed signs of improvement of late.

You can't totally blame Austen. He inherited numerous mishandled storylines and character developments. Still, his attempts to clear the decks have been less than thrilling.

The most egregious examples are "Uncanny X-Men" issues 423 and 424, which comprise the two-part "Holy War" arc.

Here the X-Men face the Church of Humanity, a cult that seeks to wipe out all mutants, believing them to be an abomination in the sight of God. That's fine as far as it goes, but Austen's main goal with the story is to undo Nightcrawler's ordination as a Catholic priest, one of those incidents of bad character development I was talking about.

While Nightcrawler's faith has been an important part of his character since at least the early '80s, no one seems to have thought through the difficulties of having Nightcrawler enter the priesthood while remaining an active member of the X-Men. But rather than deal with the problem head on, Austen tries to wish it away. As we learn in "Holy War," Nightcrawler was never a priest at all. Rather, he was duped by the Church of Humanity, which sought to infiltrate and destroy the Catholic Church as part of a scheme so convoluted I won't attempt to explain it here.

It doesn't help that Austen has some particularly screwy ideas about Catholic theology. He seems to think Catholics believe in the same literalist interpretation of Revelation as do premillennialist evangelicals, complete with the Rapture.

But if Catholics have reason to be offended by Austen's stories, so too do homosexuals - to say nothing, I suppose, of Catholic homosexuals.

His take on the X-Men's resident homosexual, Northstar, has been nothing short of insulting. Northstar once was a well-rounded character (in the '80s, during John Byrne's run on "Alpha Flight"), but now he is just the guy who has the hots for every cute, male resident of Professor Xavier's mansion.

Austen fares no better with his mature-readers book, "The Eternal" No. 1.

The series is set millions of years ago. A race called the Celestials has dispatched another race, the Eternals, to prehistoric Earth to collect raw materials. The Eternals are all males, the Celestials having killed off the female half of the species. So, when the Eternals accelerate the evolutionary development of the primitive humans they find, they are delighted to see that evolved human females are physically compatible with them, if you know what I mean.

While I suppose Austen must have some grand design for "The Eternal," it reads like the love child of "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "Planet of the Apes." The first issue seems simply an excuse for an adolescent male sex/power fantasy. There is lots of sex, bondage and bare breasts, and none of the female characters is smart enough to talk. Nevertheless, our hero, an Eternal named Ikaeden, whose attitude is reminiscent of Charlton Heston's world-weary Taylor in the "Apes" films, falls for his smarter-than-the-rest love slave.

How romantic.

After all of this, it's no wonder I didn't take my chances with "Captain America."

Bamfette explains it all [link to other blog]. No, Kurt Wagner was never a priest. It was all just delusions planted in his head by mind control. For at least fifty issues or more. *bangs head against desk [in frustration and disbelief at such idiocy]*

And people ask me why I gave up on X-Men, or used to be so glad that Excalibur took place in England, far from the Mutant Shenanigans of the Month. It sounds as if the distortions of Catholic practice and the lack of clue on how to use Kurt's priesthood in the storyline were already so great that many readers are just glad to get shed of the plotline by any means, however idiotic.

(In case you were wondering about Bamfette's issue references, there is a comic book every week in the month which chronicles the X-Men's adventures. Uncanny X-Men is the original book and has been running since the late seventies. X-Men only started in the early nineties. The other books are The New X-Men, which is apparently Chris Claremont's return, and Ultimate X-Men, which doesn't take place in the normal Marvel universe and can be ignored for this purpose. Also bear in mind that each issue costs four or five bucks. Gee, I wonder why kids and teenagers aren't picking up the comics hobby...)

I'm glad that most of the apparent anti-Catholicism is not the result of malice, but stupidity. See, the plot only gets stupider. Mr. Austen has the schismatic Church of Humanity planting nanodevices in the communion wafers, wine and holy water in every church in America, Catholic or no, to get rid of "the religious right". (Now I start to believe that he was raised Catholic, because he apparently thinks that every Christian church uses these things.) The sheer logistics is laughable. Communion wafers and wine do not all come from one centralized factory. Holy water is made on the premises of a church. There would have to be huge numbers of Church of Humanity agents or members, something I don't think likely. And where did the nanotech come from, and how much did it cost? Even assuming help from mind control, the scope of the thing is just ridiculous -- and that's if it's just being done in the US.

But anybody who crucifies Jean Gray and Jubilee on the front lawn of Xavier's mansion (yes, that was what Austen wrote into Uncanny X-Men #243), in a 25 cent issue intended to attract kids and new readers, has obviously got an awful lot of malice and stupidity in him. Unless Marvel's comics division wants to go back to the Land of No Profit, he should go.

For many people. December is a month which contains celebrations of religious, spiritual or cultural significance. For many people. December is a month which contains celebrations of religious, spiritual or cultural significance. In recognition of that, this month the Tarts pick out what they consider to be the best representations of spirituality in comic books...

Susan: I think the most touching thing I saw, that has stayed in my memory for years now, is a page in -- let me see if I can recall correctly -- an X-Men issue from the 1980s. They're out in Shi'ar space, desperate straits, et cetera. Wolverine walks by Nightcrawler's cabin and sees him on his knees, praying. There is a small discussion of his faith. That little scene has stuck with me more than Jean Grey sacrificing herself on the moon. My point was, they didn't dwell on it, didn't seem to try to make it all moralizing and hokey. It was very, well, matter-of-fact. And all the more touching for that. Especially considering the two characters involved. Wolverine would be the last person you would expect to respect someone's faith. Kurt's calm avowal of faith is not preachy, he's just saying what he believes. It illustrated that there's always things we don't know about people, even those we are close to. And that not all religious people are fanatics.

From: Matt Yocum, "Interview: Greg Garrett" about his book Holy Superheroes! Exploring Faith & Spirituality in Comic Books (http://www.comiccritique.com/interviews/ginterviewSt10.html; viewed 15 May 2007):

I recently finished a book by Greg Garrett entitled Holy Superheroes! Exploring Faith & Spirituality in Comic Books. Mr. Garrett weaves his way through the tapestry of comics, threading through the concepts of power, responsibility, truth, justice, evil, and vigilantism...

Mr. Garrett has published the novels Free Bird (2002) and Cycling (2003) as well as nonfiction works such as The Gospel Reloaded: Exploring Spirituality and Faith in The Matrix along with Chris Seay. In addition he's written short fiction, articles, personal essays, film, music, book reviews, and worked as a sports writer. Mr. Garrett is a Professor of English at Baylor University and is currently studying to be a priest in the Episcopal Church. I had the opportunity to interview Mr. Garrett while he was in the deserts of New Mexico working on a book on religion and film...

MY: As the book clearly shows, spiritual lessons can be learned from the archetypal heroes in comics. Are you aware of any religious characters in comics? How much does this play, do you feel, into who they are as a character?

Greg Garrett: A few overtly religious characters in comics - that is to say, a primary part of their identity is that they are people of faith - would be Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler from the X-Men, Peregrine and The Maid in Alan Moore's Top 10 mythos, and some writers' versions of Matt Murdock/Daredevil. There are other characters who profess a belief in God or a supreme being - in Holy Superheroes I mention a scene from one of the Superman books where Superman tells Lois that he is no different from anyone else using the abilities God gave him - but these four are characters for whom faith actually seems to make a difference in how they live their lives and in how and why they do the work they do. There's a difference between surface religiosity that many people profess - "I believe in God" or "I go to synagogue every week" - and religion that transforms a person's life, and I'd have to say that these characters seem to embody that transformation. The true work of religious people is the work of bringing peace and justice into the world. It's a gospel message, it's in the Hebrew Torah and the Koran, and we see it played out in the lives of these characters.

Discussion

From: "What religion do superhero's belong to? [sic]" forum discussion started 18 July 2002 on "Toon Zone" website (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=41332; viewed 21 May 2007):

07-18-2002, 01:02 PM
wonderfly

What religion do superhero's [sic] belong to?

I'd like to discuss what religious beliefs are favorite costumed hero's belong to. Everyone knows Daredevil is Catholic. But beyond that, what do we know of superhero's beliefs? I'm thinking of mostly the Marvel Universe, but you DC fans feel free to contribute as well...

---

07-18-2002, 01:52 PM
Daredevil_2003

Isn't Nightcrawler Catholic?

From: "Christian comic book characters" forum discussion, started 27 December 2003 on "Christian Guitar Resources" website (http://www.christianguitar.org/forums/archive/index.php/t-67487.html; viewed 12 July 2007):

Jeffrey
12-27-2003, 06:02 PM

Where have you seen Christianity professed by comic characters?

...Over in Marvel, Kurt Wagner, the X-Men member Nightcrawler, is a Catholic and once studied for the priesthood. If you pick up the Holy War trade paperback he quotes a great deal of Scripture.

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God's Jedi
12-29-2003, 01:51 AM

All of Nightcrawler's tattoos (in the movie at least) were real Angelic symbols. And he made a great deal of references to faith, God, and scripture. He's the only I can think of off the top of my head.

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Danny
01-10-2004, 02:13 AM

Yeah, that's one thing that immediately intrigued me about him in X2 (the movie). I love the irony. A mutant bearing the appearance of a demon, being so deeply religious.

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Jeffrey
01-10-2004, 02:21 AM

You'd love exploring Nightcrawler in the comics then! I'd recommend checking out the Holy War trade paperback. It'll intrigue you. The message Kurt offers can be a tad dubious (some may see the intro to one chapter of the story as advocating universalism at first glance, and he does help procure a stripper for Havok's bachelor party), but it's interesting to be sure.

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Ted Logan
01-10-2004, 09:49 PM

My brother wanted to point out that some writer named Chuck Austen ruined Nightcrawler when he decided to write him as having only studied for the priesthood because he was under mind control by a crazed Roman Catholic bishop, who wanted Kurt to become pope and then expose him as a demon. Apparently, the same writer also wanted to introduce poisoned communion wafers that would disintegrate people, to make people believe The Rapture had started...

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Jeffrey
01-11-2004, 12:06 AM

That's the Holy War series [storyline].

A nun who had been raped by a priest and experienced a cover-up sought to crush the Roman Catholic Church. Nightcrawler's faith is strengthened by the ordeal.

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Dr. Doom
01-10-2004, 10:04 PM

Yes, but i think all it will do is present a period of struggle for Nightcrawler for a while. He had his faith long before he ever showed interest in being a priest. Some writer later will fix it, since it is part of the character as a whole.

From: "'X-men' comic books and movie tackle Christianity" forum discussion started 11 April 2003 on IIDB Secular Community Forums website (http://www.iidb.org/vbb/archive/index.php/t-50750.html; viewed 12 July 2007):

Bobzammel
April 11, 2003, 05:36 PM

Anybody been reading recent issues of this comic? The character Nightcrawler-the blue demonesque X-man with the teleportation ability-recently talked to a Jesus statue about Jesus's "uncertain tests" (Which I BTW struggled with while I was a Christian) and also tackled desire, evolution and other things the church has had issues with. "Wolverine" likewise had the title character battle crooked priests last summer.

It looks like the movie might also deal with this--a quick glance at the trailer will show the characters in a church.

Any thoughts on this?

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Ab_Normal
April 11, 2003, 05:48 PM

I gather from reading over my boss's shoulder that Kurt (Nightcrawler) is now a Catholic priest!

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Brahma's atheist
April 12, 2003, 04:24 AM

I remember from the cartoon The X-men were in Europe being attacked by good Christian peasants. In the end X-men win. Wolverine got the worst of it but at the end he went to the church and prayed. I found that really annoying.

My impression, which may be wrong, is that because these things are really aimed at kids the powers that be are going to push the 'Christianity is ultimately good' line.

From: "Catholic Clix - Comic info needed!" forum discussion started 3 May 2003 on HCRealms website (http://www.hcrealms.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-40338.html; viewed 24 May 2007):

thornnspear
05/03/2003, 21:04

Ok, so in recent films it's been apparent that Daredevil and Nightcrawler are Catholic - Daredevil's confessor is also his confidant, and Nightcrawler allegedly is a former priest and is seen reciting the rosary (in German) in X2.

So, who else out there could be fielded in a "Catholic" Heroclix team?

So far divine providence might help w/ the tons of supersenses rolls one would make w/ Daredevil and Nightcrawler on your team... *grin*

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weezer_10
05/04/2003, 01:12

Yeah Nightcrawler apparently is trying to become a priest, he was in the circus before he became an X-Man (referring to comic history, not the movie)...

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PantherPriest
05/04/2003, 05:48

Nightcrawler is in fact ordained at this point, he has the collar and all. Well that was before Chuck Austen, I stopped reading after that.

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Psylockeslover
05/04/2003, 18:26

Not sure if NC [Nightcrawler] is Catholic, but he is very religious. He spent many years (comic time) in a monistary and became a monk. Didn't know he became an ordained priest...

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Gargantua
05/04/2003, 18:38

Nightcrawler, Daredevil, Aurora and Huntress definitely [are Catholic]...

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Wilz 05/04/2003, 18:46

[The following are Catholic characters:]
Nightcrawler
Vision
Daredevil
Hawkeye
Huntress
Kingpin

Great characters and although the press has been bad lately - Great Religion.

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boneyard
05/05/2003, 01:42

...IIRC [If I recall correctly], here's the Catholic Clix you can play:

Daredevil
Huntress
Nightcrawler

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hulkamania85
08/17/2003, 12:33

There was an article in the San Diego Union Tribune a while back that was titled "Superheroes reveal secret IDs-faiths". It was mostly about Thing revealing that he was Jewish. At the end of the article it lists religious comic book characters. According to the list, Wolfsbane is a Scottish Presbyterian, Nightcrawler is Catholic (he was trying to become a priest), Daredevil is Catholic, and The Punisher is a former Catholic seminary student.

From: "Up, up, and oy, vey!", posted 5 February 2006 on MetaFilter.com website (http://www.metafilter.com/39326/Up-up-and-oy-vey; viewed 19 June 2007):

...By the way, Marvel apparently recognized early on that its original books had been too whitebread. All five of the original X-Men [Cyclops, Iceman, the Beast, Angel and Jean Grey/Marvel Girl] were WASPs ["White Anglo-Saxon Protestants"], but when they revived the book in the 1970's, the new team members (Havok, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Storm, Wolverine, Thunderbird, Banshee and Sunfire) were WASP, German Catholic, African Pagan, Canadian, Native American, Irish Catholic, and Japanese, respectively...

posted by Asparagirl at 8:14 PM on February 5

---

...Also, no one's yet mentioned Nightcrawler's ordination as a Catholic priest.

posted by hifiparasol at 11:32 PM on February 5

From: "The Nightcrawler as a Roman Catholic Superhero FAQ" message board started 18 December 2005 on "Nightscrawlers" website (http://www.nightscrawlers.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=5447; viewed 3 June 2006):

Saint Kurt
posted on 18/12/05 at 16:33

The Nightcrawler as a Roman Catholic Superhero FAQ

This is a new area of the FAQ I've been thinking about for a while.

Marvel's writers have chosen to make Nightcrawler a Catholic character, but to me it seems that the representation of his faith is somewhat limited. If you are to take the artwork and often his own words at face value, he's more of a lapsed Protestant. Yet the stories told clearly indicate that he's meant to be a devout Roman Catholic.

I've discovered that much of society in general doesn't understand what Catholicism is about and what Catholics really believe. That means, given how much of an emphasis is made on him as a religious character, there is a whole side to who he is - that is missing for many readers.

So I decided that a great resource to have here, along would everything else we have about Nightcrawler, would be a FAQ about Catholicism - and specifically how it might apply to a certain blue mutant superhero. I'm hoping it could be useful to comic book readers as well as artists and writers of fanfiction...

So, that's what the Nightcrawler Catholicism FAQ is all about. Now that the ground rules are laid down I will try to keep it interesting, related to Nightcrawler, and fun to read...

The first topic I'm working on will be about confession, since it figures so prominently in the last arc of the Nightcrawler Solo Series.

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Angelique
posted on 22/12/05 at 23:22

I think it may be worth noting that of all those mentioned, Nightcrawler is by far the most likely to be Catholic by choice rather than by culture, even though he was brought up in predominantly-Catholic Bavaria.

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Saint Kurt
posted on 23/12/05 at 01:45

Kurt and Confession
Like every Catholic Kurt would be obligated to attend confession at least once a year. However I could imagine that in the course of his X-Men duties he may find himself in a state of sin a little more often than comfortable to be happy with a once a year visit.

Now a days, the tradition of separating the priest and penitant by a screen has fallen by the way side. In many churches Confession is preformed face to face, however it is not the case everywhere. If Kurt were uncomfortable showing his face in a church, he would still find it fairly easy and anonymous to confess in an old fashioned screened booth.

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Nandireya
posted on 23/12/05 at 03:14

Kurt has been shown in confessional many times... but he has had a close bond with a few priests... Michael Bowen (Uncanny X-Men #196) and Father Whitney (Nightcrawler mini... Uncanny X-Men #423), both of whom accepted him (more or less) for who he is...

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Saint Kurt
posted on 23/12/05 at 06:44

Cool. I was thinking of adding some various comic references to the above but I ran out of time, and there's no way I can think of all of them. Nor was I implying that Kurt couldn't attend a face to face confession, just that like many, if he felt uncomfortable, the other option was available.

Two other comic book instances of Kurt giving confession I can remember are:

Nightcrawler #7 (of course)
"And the Devil Went to Church on Tuesday" - it was a little extra story that was in the back of an Excalibur comic. I can't remember the number.

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Nandireya
posted on 23/12/05 at 10:01

Excalibur #75 [contains the story in which Nightcrawler goes to confession]

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Saint Kurt
posted on 18/1/06 at 02:54

Though I have seen Kurt attend Church in the comics (most recently in the last issue of the solo book) I don't think I've ever seen it referred to him participating in communion... It seems that Kurt would have really been missing something in his life.

Then again, they're just comic books and they can't show everything. It's just something I wonder about now and again given the number of years the comics showed him as "in hiding".

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Angelique
posted on 18/1/06 at 03:22

You might also want to address clerical garb, vestments, and such, as NC has been shown (quite inaccurately, too) wearing them.

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BAMFCentral
posted on 18/1/06 at 19:56

I have a meager listing of a few Religious instances of Kurt in the books.

http://bamfcentral.com/nc_timeline.asp?TL_GrpID=12

...Its mainly just Uncanny [X-Men] and Excalibur. Haven't added in the Icon NC [X-Men Icons: Nightcrawler] mini yet.

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Saint Kurt
posted on 21/1/06 at 01:54

I moved the discussion about Kurt's choice of vestments and their appropriatness to his priestly office to a more appropriate thread "so... Was he a priest or wasn't he?" [http://www.nightscrawlers.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=1710]

...I also plan on writing at length about the process of discernment and formation of seminarians and their journey to the priesthood because this may be one of the most confusing things ever to happen to Nightcrawler. Ever.

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Garble
posted on 14/3/06 at 04:57

Today I found The Religious Affiliation of Comic Book Characters

Here is Nightcrawler's entry. [Link.]

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HoodedMan
posted on 14/3/06 at 16:55

Wow, that really is a very good article. Very well-documented and thorough.

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chicory
posted on 14/3/06 at 21:25

Thanks for the article Garble!

I love what Nightcrawler's spirituality and religion give to the character - and those moments, like the conversation with the Logan after the brood encounter and the power that the cross and the star of david had when wielded by a person of faith were high moments.

The animated episode though really got on my nerves when I saw it recently. (It was nice being able to catch X-men at the convenient 11:30pm time slot whenever I remembered too - which I now think wasn't often enough since they replaced it with Power Rangers )

But, I preferred the subtle message offered in the comics to the heavy-handed way they did the animated story. Like on the brood ship Logan, who's lived a long time and seen a lot and possibly lost his faith a long time ago is allowed to keep his own religious beliefs. (That was a great exchange where Kurt tells Logan he can't imagine how lonely he must be and then Logan just replies that he has Kurt and then suggests they go and find some beer . Very subtle.

I didn't like how in the cartoon it's all presented as though there's only one correct way to think and one place to be in that way of thinking. With Jubilee and then the end where Rogue finds Wolverine in the church playing.

I'm not sure why that bothered me so much. I thought that Nightcrawler's place worked for him in the monastery - I just didn't like how the other characters reacted to his "message" I guess...

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Saint Kurt
posted on 15/3/06 at 13:02

That is a good article Garble. And it's kind of the opposite of what I'm doing here with this FAQ (saying "okay, so they made Kurt Catholic - now what does that mean") so it fits together really well.

The author actually went to the comics to look at Kurt's faith... but he used the best examples and did a really nice job with it. I especially like how much he quotes the Greg Rucka issue of Wolverine, because I think that really gets to the core of it. When he gets to the "Chuck Austen Controversy" he's a little obvious in his bias, but then that wasn't exactly one of Austen's shining moments as a writer. Leave out the anti-Austen bias and I'll agree with him on nearly all points: Making Kurt a priest wasn't well thought out at all, writing him out of the priesthood was clumsy too. It all could have been done better and it's not just one guy's fault.

Though he doesn't come out and say it directly, I think we're both in agreement that the original intention was to simply make Kurt "Christian" and he slowly became Catholic due to the large number of obvious visual clues Catholicism has. It was easiest for the writers and artists to include his faith in the story by sticking a rosary in his hand etc. rather than use up valuable spoken plotspace. In many ways though this has been poorly researched and often contradictory. (Such as showing Kurt walking into a church but not genuflecting, or having him quote from various Protestant versions of the Bible...)

Still, it is a comic book and Nightcrawler isn't real so if you want to take interest in that side of his character - it's there for you.

---

Angeliqu
posted on 15/3/06 at 19:04

Actually, it occurred to me that there may be two very good reasons why Kurt would quote the KJV [King James Version of the Bible]. One is recognizeability. The other is that the KJV is public domain.

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Kevin Bennett
14 May 2004 at 5:28 am
I enjoy it when a character's faith (or lack of it) is explored. Done properly, it can enrich characterization and be a powerful dramatic tool. I recall a long ago scene in X-Men when they were fighting the Brood where the atheist Wolverine and the Christian Nightcrawler had a brief discussion about faith, and I really liked the issue from around the same period in which the X-Men were battling Dracula. Wolverine attempts to make the sign of the Cross, but it has no effect on the vampire because he isn't a believer. However, Nightcrawler's cross works, and Dracula also burns his hand on Kitty's Star of David necklace when he grabs her.

P_Mac
Feb 5, 2004, 01:54 pm
Let me ask a dumb question that may raise much ire but has there been any good, by good I mean quality, comics with anything at all Christian in them? Or maybe even a character in a book... I have seen a few but the art was rough and the plot little more than okay. If so just let me know.

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omegastorm
Feb 5, 2004, 02:08 pm
If that is what you think will raise ire (I dont believe I wrote) in this thread then feel free to ask them. Christians in comics, the Magdalena, Uncanny X-men (Nightcrawler), the Avengers (a latin woman was Christian in it, forgot her name though), then there was the mediocre Archangels series. More can answer as I think those are the only ones off of the top of my head that I can remember completely.

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Eric Travis
Feb 5, 2004, 02:49 pm
Mutants and religion can go hand in hand... Nightcrawler is an excellent example (or used to be... that's another rant altogether)... strong religious characters include (of the X-Men variety): Dani Moonstar (Cheyenne/Norwegian beliefs), Kitty Pryde (Jewish), ...Kurt (Catholic)...

When handled respectfully and appropriately, religion (of any flavor) can add a whole new level of impact and insight to comic book stories. When badly or sloppily handled, it can very easily turn into mockery of whatever point it was trying to make.

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Magic Rabbit
Feb 6, 2004, 03:09 pm
I'm always amazed when people bring up Nightcrawler: he was never a good Catholic to begin with and the recent religious themes surround Nightcrawler were poorly researched and very incorrect. While I give that he has had a spiritual side that was touched upon, he was never 'good Catholic material'. If writers had kept to writing about Nightcrawler's spiritual search, then it would have had a real truefulness to it.

Wolfsbane is a much, much better example because Wolfsbane's religious beliefs were written as being a very strong part of the character - always.

Kitty, Shan [Xi'an], and Amara are the only others that I would include... Kurt was never a practicing Catholic (or maybe just a bad one - who once admitted that he never went to church)...

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Eric Travis
Feb 6, 2004, 04:52 pm
I agree that Kurt's faith has been both poorly handled and recently beaten into an unrecognizable morass of silliness, but way back when, Kurt was much more 'in tune' with his faith. Prayer, confessional, deep talks with his pals, and the like... His faith (not necessarily a specific church) was another facet of his character.

Dizzy D
03-11-2006, 01:59 AM

Now I find it odd that Nightwing is listed under Roma, while Nightcrawler isn't. Both were raised by Roma and have been confirmed as Christians later in their life.

ChastMastr
Posted 21 March, 2006 18:26

Kurt was actually one of my own pre-Christian exposures to Christianity. (Please ignore the references to the rather dreadfully-conceived and badly-written retcon of Kurt's father being Azrael. Technically that specifically contradicts some pretty dramatic "Kurt only looks like a demon; he is in his essence a mutant but wholly human and not supernatural" claims, like Dr. Strange's examination of him using the Eye of Agamatto in X-Men Annual #4, 1980.

But absolutely, Kurt's been one of my role models from the beginning and one of my first exposures to the Christian faith also.

David

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Sophie Bell
Posted 22 March, 2006 06:58

I fell in love with the Daredevil comics because it was the first one I read that felt like I was reading about a "whole" person. Matt Murdock just felt so much more fleshed out as a character because of his religious beliefs.

When Nightcrawler is well-written, then Kurt is the same. But occasionally his Catholicism feels like a "shtick". (And no, Chastmastr we will never speak of the abomination that was that ret-conned %&$*ing backstory.)

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ChastMastr
Posted 23 March, 2006 20:31

Nor the nanotech-laced Communion wafer plotline (yes, really) Austen also dragged in.

Though if anyone cares, here's one blogger's take on it, scroll down... [link to: "You Aren't a Priest Forever: Nightcrawler vs. the Writer, Part 3" at http://suburbanbanshee.blogspot.com/2003_06_29_suburbanbanshee_archive.html]

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Virginia Woolf
Posted 22 March, 2006 20:33

I haven't read comics in many a long year, but a quick look at the devout Catholics makes me a third vote for Nightcrawler. Who can resist a Catholic who looks like a demon and whose father was a demon, in a possible parody of Chick Comics?

Straylight
January 26th 2006, 06:02 AM

While I don't think it matters whether Batman is a Catholic or Episcopalian, some characters are defined by their religious beliefs. Nightcrawler and Daredevil, for example, are fairly devout, and not merely religious. Their whole schtick is based on religion. It makes for interesting reading (and the strangest thing about them is that they both have a demon-esque appearance/persona).

Mutt
01-29-2006, 05:05 PM

Holy crap, Nightcrawler's dad's a demon? When did Mystique ever get it on with Azazel?

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peregrine
01-29-2006, 05:10 PM

About nine months before Kurt was born, give or take.

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blackjack
01-29-2006, 05:32 PM

Someone's been lucky enough to avoid the Austen ret-cons.

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Mutt
01-29-2006, 05:39 PM

Haven't kept up with Marvel in years. I'm mostly a DC geek.

So what was re-written in terms of Nightcrawler's parentage? *sigh* I just wish Marvel would just do a Crisis on Infinite Earths type thing to keep their stuff from getting so convoluted.

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Archangel3d
01-29-2006, 05:48 PM

After reading about what Chuck Austen did to Nightcrawler, I am very, very disapointed.

I would have actually liked to read a series/arc about Nightcrawler joining the priesthood, balancing his X-Men duties and his theological studies, etc. Instead we get a story of faith-because-of-mind-control, a "Church of Humanity" evil Christian plot to destroy the Catholic Church and an attempted mass murder using Communion Wafers.

Austen, no :disgust:

jimjacksonjim
Posted: Apr 25, 2006 7:13 AM

I believe Nightcrawler is openly Catholic.

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deepgreen
Posted: Apr 25, 2006 9:01 PM

Doc Mid-Nite is Catholic. Kevin Smith turned Connor Hawk into a sorda kinda Catholic... Somebody has prob already mentioned Nightcrawler's Christian creed (think he's Catholic). An interesting question: are these creeds written into cannon, or are writers free to do what they will with characters and religion?

relmurmot
Posted: Apr 20, 2006 9:30 AM

...What is the religion of the heroes we read about?... Don't get me wrong, not picking on anyone, just wonder what everyone thinks what our heroes believe. ...Other threads touch on the subject in passing, time to discuss it!

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ebonyleopard
Posted: May 6, 2006 10:48 AM

Nightcrawler - Christian.

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aristagoras
Posted: May 6, 2006 3:28 PM

Specificially, Roman Catholicism. There's no one in this world who's just a "Christian," since to say you're a baseline Christian would offend folks of widely different beliefs (say, Trinitarian Catholics to Mormons [members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]) who claim the same term. That's why adjectives aren't bad, it lets me know what sort of "Christian" I'm talking to.

spinifex
posted on 10/11/04 at 20:05

My wish list? Keep his spirituality, but don't go overboard with it. It's obviously very important to him. And definitely keep it distinctly Roman Catholic, it's heartning to us Catholics out there to see a Catholic superhero.

And please - no Communion wafers as throwing stars. It's the Body of Christ, not the Weaponry of Christ.

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Diablo
posted on 12/11/04 at 22:39

I'm not comfortable with the Roman Catholic thing. There are too many religious heroes for me.

Besides, it's not the way he was created by Dave [Cockrum]. In the beginning, Kurt was an atheist, just like Dave.

Delicate topic, I know.

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The Drastic Spastic
posted on 12/11/04 at 23:59

One problem I have with it is that since Catholicism is hardly a minority religion that whole point of a Catholic superhero is...? It's like not like there aren't millions of Catholics they can look up to anyway.

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Blue_Demon94
posted on 13/11/04 at 01:32

What other Catholic superheroes are there? The Caped Crucifix?!

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Diablo
posted on 13/11/04 at 14:23

Daredevil, Cap America,... even the Hulk sometimes! Not kidding!

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Blue_Demon94
posted on 13/11/04 at 15:27

Daredevil's religious??...

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Diablo
posted on 13/11/04 at 18:19

Oh yes he is. Read Frank Miller's classic issues.

So I find the Catholic devil thing a little redundant with Kurt.

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spinifex
posted on 17/11/04 at 04:47

I don't think there's a whole lot of Catholic superheroes out there in mainstream comics, where the Catholicism is as overt as Nightcrawler's. While there's millions of Catholics to look up to, and it's not a minority religion, I still find it kind of cool to see it in a comic book. His devotion to the Rosary especially.

And he's a lot cuter than my parish priest.

BTW, not offended at all, so don't worry about me.

Crimson
10-24-2004, 04:42 AM

Has Kurt left the church?

In the Domaniant Species arc Kurt is questioning God and is kicked out of the church when he makes a comment about priests and boys. What kicked off him questioning his faith was Stacy X coming on to him, which he turned down even though he was attracted too her.

Now... in Uncanny [X-Men] sparks are flying between him and Rachel and him and Storm. I know nothing has happened but its a slippery slope.

So is he still a priest, etc.?

Thanks for taking the time to answer

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venuscameback
10-24-2004, 05:03 AM

Kicked out the Church should mean his Priesthood was removed, or at the least the authority to practice it. I don't know exactly how Catholic ex-communication works, but given Kurt was kicked out the Church that should mean he was excommunicated.

My suspicion is that his comment on Priests and boys was a cover for the church to get rid of the Priest that looks like a demon. I never saw the contemporary Catholic Church being relaxed enough to allow Kurt to minister in the first place, and there would probably be a significant backlash after his ordination. So maybe the Church used his comments as an excuse to disrobe him.

As for where that leaves Nightcrawler's faith now, I have no idea. He might be excommunicated, he might no longer be a Priest... but that doesn't necessarily mean he has lost his faith or no longer believes in the Catholic creed.

Not that I ever understood why Nightcrawler became a Catholic in the first place... I respect him as a spiritual guy but struggle to see how he would square his faith and belief in God with the Catholic - and many other Churches - positions on homosexuality etc, and those positions with his understanding of the x-creed. There are enough churches he could have joined that don't have issues with homosexuality and so on... so what led Kurt to join the Catholic faith and Catholic Priesthood to start with?

But really I have no idea if Kurt has now lost his faith completely, or if he's a spiritual guy who no longer participates in Catholicism, or if he sees himself as a less-active Catholicv, i.e., a believer who does not attend or participate in church.

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Crimson
10-24-2004, 05:03 AM

What happened was the Priest said too leave... I don't think he meant leave the whole but the actual church they were in at the time.

It's just with him questioning it so much he was willing too make a comment like that has he chosen to leave.

Thanks for the help.

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cosmicspidey
10-24-2004, 05:17 PM

I don't remember Nightcrawler being kicked out of the Church. I always thought he left of his own free will, becuase he realized that over time he had changed, and being a priest didn't exactly gel with his other beliefs. I'm pretty sure he's still a practicing Catholic, though.

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Ryan Kirk
10-24-2004, 07:47 PM

I thought it was revealed in the "Holy War" arc in Uncanny X-men that Kurt never really was a priest. The whole thing was a ploy to try and set Kurt up as the next Pope by the Church of Humanity. The plan as to have Kurt use an image inducer, but then reveal him as a "demon" thus setting some other events the Church wanted to happen into play. Kurt thought he had been ordained but none of his friends had been to the cermony like he thought.

Or did I just completely read that whole arc wrong? Completely possible.

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Brian Cronin
10-24-2004, 08:01 PM

Nah, that's right, Ryan.

In said arc, Kurt went on and on about how bad religion was, but, at the end, for no real reason (at least in the comic) he decided to continue being religious.

So no, Kurt has not left the Church.

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TCJohnson
10-25-2004, 05:43 AM

I hope that Kurt does stay with his religion. It is nice to have at least one religious character in comics who is not a complete bastard or a cook (and I say this as a non-Christian.)

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ibrakeforchinwe
10-25-2004, 07:23 AM

Kurt was brainwashed into thinking he became a priest but it wasn't true. He is still religious but he is no longer pursuing becoming a priest.

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SUPERECWFAN1
10-25-2004, 09:27 AM

In the Issues leading up to "Holy War", Kurt started to lose his faith as a Priest. He still was religious and everything. But he didn't see himself as a Priest anymore.

He told the guy who was supposed to be helping him. The guy worked for "The Church of Humanity" and realized that their plans were gonna go to hell In a handbasket. They were gonna take out the Pope and others and help promote Kurt to Pope.

Then they were gonna have him get accidently revealed. And mutants would be hunted down as ungodly demons. Because having a demon become Pope would be the excuse. The female leader wanted to bring down the Church and mutants... (I liked the arc... a lot didn't. But hell It actually made more sense than the stretched out "God Loves Man Kills II" In X-treme [X-Men])

Kurt walked away. He's still religious... but he's out for the babes!

Posted by: Michael at February 2, 2006 02:36 PM

I have a Bachelor's Degree in Religious Studies, so this page was VERY interesting for me. thanks to Toga for the heads up.

One article was especially interesting to me -- the Nightcrawler article describing his religious past and Chuck Austen.

Having been out of the comic loop for a bit, and out of the Marvel loop for even longer, I must ask a few questions to X-Fans.

Nightcrawler a priest? Huh? I mean, he's German. A Lutheran priest, I can see. But Catholic?

[Webmaster: One has to wonder where Michael's "Bachelor's Degree in Religious Studies" came from. Anybody familiar with the history of Europe or the history of Christianity is aware of the fact that about half of Germany's Christians are Protestant and about half are Lutheran. Even the current pope, Joseph Ratzinger, i.e., Pope Benedict XVI, is German. There is nothing at all surprising about Nightcrawler, a native of Germany, being Catholic.]

Was the portrayal of Chuck Austen fair in that article? If so, what's the deal? I was listening to an interview with Paul Jenkins, who does not describe himself as a Christian, yet has a book by Dark Horse, Revelations, that - he says - will bring the character to some sort of place where he may not be just another skeptical cynic. The point it, he's not a Christian, yet he portrays Christians realistically - using the whole spectrum, from fanatics to normal folk (sourced form some of his other work).

And, for everyone, whether you are religious or not, what do you think about discussing and portraying religion in mainstream books?

[from original blog post:] Atheists identified as America's most distrusted minority, according to new U of M study: News Releases: UMNnews: U of M.: "From a telephone sampling of more than 2,000 households, university researchers found that Americans rate atheists below Muslims, recent immigrants, gays and lesbians and other minority groups in 'sharing their vision of American society.' Atheists are also the minority group most Americans are least willing to allow their children to marry."

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This is my take on it: When most Americans hear the word "Atheist" they think of someone who is against the values they grew up with. They think of Madalyn O'Hair, a woman who knew how to hate. On the other hand, when people think of Christ, they think of a man who knew how to love. So they would rather have the label Christian than atheist.

Posted by: Jay KTX | March 24, 2006 at 06:12 PM

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Great post.

Perhaps one explanation is the negative depiction of atheists in comic books. Most superheroes [believe in God], with a majority being Christians: Superman is a Methodist, Spiderman is a Protestant, X-Man Rogue is a Southern Baptist, X-Man Nightcrawler is a Catholic. Even the Punisher is Catholic. But when it comes to villians, atheism seems to be the rule. The Joker, The Kingpin, The Green Goblin, Sabertooth, and Lex Luthor are all atheists.

Posted by: Layman | March 24, 2006 at 06:55 PM

Growing up, some comic book characters' religions were obvious: Kitty Pryde was very vocal about being Jewish; Nightcrawler was a devout Catholic. But if you've ever wondered about the faith of some less obviously religious caped and cowled vigilantes, look here.

Fae
05-21-2003, 02:10 PM

I enjoy Religion in comics most when it's explored through the personal experience/development of a character... I liked that they kept Nightcrawler having his strong Christian roots/influence for the movie... Anything that makes it personal, that respectfully approaches and explores the human experience of how the individual relates to the Divine through the traditions of their own Religion is always interesting to me!

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vahajarki
05-29-2003, 02:26 PM

It seems to me that religious themes are hot right now. Examples are Matrix Reloaded, the recent stuff on Angel and Buffy, and even religious themes in the X-books. I'm an atheist and generally very allergic to religious stuff, but I think we've seen more actual treatment of religious themes as opposed to just having underlying religious assumptions. I've found the religious Nightcrawler interesting, as well as the stuff on Buffy and Angel. In both series there was some at least passably intelligent, if un-original critique of religion.

BTW ["By The Way"]
[Jonah Goldberg]
Posted 12:03 PM

Comic book geeks have been writing me in regard to the news that the Thing is Jewish... While religion is rare in Marvel comics, it's not unheard of... Nightcrawler is definitely Christian...

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ARRRRGGHH!!!!
[Jonah Goldberg]
Posted 2:08 PM

Email box ...filling with...comic geeknesssss...losing...consciousness. A few quick points... I'm told, as I suspected, that Nightcrawler is a devout Catholic (I could only remember that he was Christian)...

kissmyringagain
Posted: May 6, 2005 3:09 AM

I am a Christian... There is a reason there is no Christian superhero. Same reason as there is no real Jewish [superhero]... that flaunt their religion or fight for religious belief specific notions. It's because they would be offensive to many, if not most, of the readership.

Besides -- Zauriel, Bloodwynd, Wonder Woman, the Spectre, the Quintet, etc., etc., are all based on or are slaves to religious beliefs, but none actively flaunt it, or debate which is correct, so a hard-line Christian super hero would probably not sit too well.

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hellstone1
Posted: May 6, 2005 3:50 AM

Well, I'm gonna hit you. Nightcrawler, Daredevil, Nightwing, Huntress, Doctor Mid-Nite, and the Flash are all Christians... Many of them have debated their beliefs in the comics - as you say, not the hardline way, but that is definitely not the same as saying that they are not Christian superheroes, or that they are not devoted.

As far as I know, none of them are fundamentalists, against other religions or...

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angrybeaner
Posted: May 6, 2005 5:28 AM

...As mentioned, there's Zauriel and Nightcrawler. These are aspects of the character that make them interesting... Nothing wrong with that. It's all in the name of telling stories, not pushing some... agenda.

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glomadbeefnickle
Posted: May 6, 2005 9:11 AM

I, too, would like to see Christianity depicted in a hero but done well. That seems to be one of the final challenges left to writers today. But how does the writer portray a theme as diverse as the Christian faith so that it sticks? There is more to Christians than intolerant fundamentalists. But how interesting are moderates? Nightcrawler and Daredevil seeking Christ for sanctuary... are character designs that meet the Christian core I identify with... I appreciate any writer willing to take up the challenge.

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superbuddy
Posted: May 12, 2005 7:32 AM

...I'm an atheist.

That said, I have no problem with a religious character, like Daredevil or Nightcrawler...

Pyewackett
Posted: Fri Mar 03, 2006 12:23 am

[In the context of a discussion about atheist super-heroes, this message poster is citing some counter-examples, listing overtly religious super-heroes who are clearly not atheists.]

Daredevil's Catholic.

Nightcrawler's a Catholic priest. Lived in a German monastery before he was discovered... [etc.]

It doesn't seem to come up much, but religion gets mentioned from time to time.

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evilsp0ck
Posted: Fri Mar 03, 2006 8:54 am

Nightcrawler was raised in a monastery; he wasn't a monk. They changed that for the cartoon. I guess they forgot about his witch girlfriend as well.

He had a real crisis of faith after the Secret Wars. The Beyonder was a little too much like god for him.

Wolverine is an atheist. He argues with Kurt all the time while they're drinking.

Hitman Tommy Monaghan
1/30/06 5:51 am

...Seriously though there are a few heroes out there that have been id'ed [identified] as one religion or another but I kinda fall on the line of "none specified" as best. Not because I'm anti-religion, but because it makes these icons just that, ICONS and universally acceptable regardless of religion...

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Abaddon8780
1/30/06 8:09 am

I agree with Tommy, though there are those characters whose religion is a part of what defines them and can get away with it (Kitty Pryde and Kurt Wagner for two). But I think by not saying anything, it's left up to the reader to assume who is what and I think that's more or less the best way to approach it.

Stravo
Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2005 6:38 pm

Post subject: Religious Inclinations of heroes

What about other heroes? I notice religion rarely plays a part in mainstream superhero comics (absent things like the Vertigo line) but have you ever picked up on hints or outright admissions by some heroes as to their religious inclinations?

Seems that atheistic heroes are as rare in comics as in real life. If they are religious it's a sort Judaeo-Christian wishy washy sort of religion... Any other examples of guesses?

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2000AD
Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2005 7:42 pm

Most obvious is Nightcrawler who became a priest.

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Patrick Degan
Posted: Sun Mar 20, 2005 1:18 am

Kurt Wagner a.k.a. Nightcrawler of the X-Men is definitely Roman Catholic.

Date: 20 Oct 2004 21:55:56
From: OSinner1

Subject: Religious beliefs of Marvel characters?

Does anybody know the religious beliefs of various characters?

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Date: 20 Oct 2004 21:33:58
From: Richard

Nightcrawler is the only major Marvel character who I have ever seen professing his faith during the course of an actual story.

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Date: 21 Oct 2004 01:45:45
From: JWMeritt

Trick question! There ARE Gods that are Marvel characters. One blatantly obvious: A vampire is repelled by religious symbols...

...The few times it [religion] has played a role is when Wolvie made a cross in front of Dracula, who was suprised by its non-effect (it was wielded by a nonbeliever), and Nightcrawler took the cross away from Wolvie and seared Drac big time. And then Drac was burned on Kittie's Star of David. And of course the Vamp that sputtered out on Thor's hammer...

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Date: 22 Oct 2004 14:06:41
From: Del

Out of interest, are there any comic characters, mainstream or otherwise, that are unbelievers? And if so, how do they tend to be depicted?

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Date: 23 Oct 2004 10:08:27
From: Matt Deres

The one that comes to mind first is Wolverine, since he explicitly stated his position in UXM [Uncanny X-Men] 166 (I think) during the Brood wars. He has a brief discussion with Nightcrawler, whom he had found praying. Kurt said he felt sorry for Logan, since he (Kurt) is never truly alone since he has God.

bcbdla
Posted: Jan 29, 2006 12:14 PM

...DC and Marvel staff are unlikely to have characters who simply happen to be Muslim. I think the closest is Dust and even her costume is a huge flag waving a constant reminder of her religion - unlike other members of the X-Men. I mean, Nightcrawler doesn't wear a huge cross on his costume nor does Shadowcat dislay her Star of David...

Post by Ing on Jun 2nd, 2006, 11:17am

Catholic Superheroes:
Daredevil: one of his motivations is "Catholic" guilt, this was played up in the movie.
Nightcrawler: Is VEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERY Catholic. Was once in the seminary but concluded that it wasn't God's path for him after some soul searching.
Bruce Wayne: non-practicing Catholic or Anglican.

1) Nightcrawlers parentage.
INTENDED: Destiny is his mother, impregnated by Mystique in male form. Note that his Catholic beliefs might cause some hellofa good drama if this were revealed just to add to the delightful chaos.

WHAT WE GOT: His father's an immortal demon-like mutant (supposedly the Devil is based on this mutant) who was banished to another realm by Angel's descendants. This brings several problems... 1) Azreal the demon guy, has been shown leaving the plane to impregnate women... Why does he keep going back? 2) Marvel Universe already established that there are REAL demonic forces. Mephistopheles, for example, had previously been stated as being many culture's inspiration for their Devil characters. There was no reason to rewrite the demonic origins into a mutant POV when you already acknowledge there are Real freaking demons...

Please don't let this tripe happen to your favorite comic book.

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Post by Ing on Jun 6th, 2006, 11:50pm

...What [about] Fundamentalist? They [mainstream comics] have Christians. They have practicing Christians. What more can you ask for? They can't really have an ultra-consesrvative Christian hero who goes around... What makes one a fundamentalist? Do they have to be "born again" Protestants? Can they be Catholics, or even Jewish? Wouldn't anyone who takes their faith seriously, instead of as a cultural identity, be a fundamentalist?

Nightcrawler is pretty fundamental in his faith and is one of my favorites, as is Daredevil. How much are you expecting it to be part of the character and what do you mean by fundamentalist?

From: Leor Blumenthal
Date: Thurs, Apr 30 1998 12:00 am

Characters with strong religious beliefs are depicted as old-fashioned, intolerant, or out of touch.

[This was one of about two dozen "CC trademarks" listed by this poster. These are plot devices that readers are suggesting Chris Claremont uses over and over again. Subsequent posters disagreed that Claremont is antagonistic to religious characters, and cited examples of positive portrayals. The upshot seems to be that Claremont's stories feature a relatively balanced portrayal of religion and religious characters, with some positive and others negative.]

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From: AGr3691541
Date: Fri, May 1 1998 12:00 am

What, you mean like Nightcrawler or that preacher [William Conover] in the X-men/Brood confrontation just before Inferno?

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From: Leor Blumenthal
Date: Fri, May 1 1998 12:00 am

No, like Reverend Craig, or the televangelist villain from "God Loves Man Kills". And despite Nightcrawler being Catholic and Kitty Jewish, when did Kurt go to confession, or Kitty light Sabbath candles? He never shows them practice any rituals, except generic ones like singing Christmas carols.

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From: AGr3691541
Date: Sat, May 2 1998 12:00 am

Well, the point is he hasn't portrayed all religious people as intolerant, just some of them - and this just seems like an accurate reflection of society. Also he obviously doesn't show a lot of the characters religious life because 'Nightcrawler Goes To Church' would make a crap issue. But he has made their beliefs part of the story, as in Nightcrawlers soul-searching after meeting the Beyonder or Kitty's anger at the Lightning Squad in Excalibur. Do you want all religious characters to be tolerant, trendy and with-it? Now that would be soooo realistic wouldn't it?

- Lazy Line Painter Al
-who's folks come from Northern Ireland, so I could write you an encyclopedia on Religion and It's Intolerance.

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From: Joshua Newhouse
Date: Sat, May 2 1998 12:00 am

re: He never shows them practice any rituals, except generic ones..."

I think this fact is a good thing... fine if you want to have someone Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Christian etc. But there is no need to shove in a ton of different references... comic books and religion need not intersect to that extent in my humble opinion... otherwise things in my opinion tend to get preachy...

I remember the episode of X-Men:TAS X-Men: The Animated Series] with Nightcrawler preaching to the X-men about faith and g-d etc. The one in the monastery... This episode had Nightcrawler, this was cool, but Nightcrawler was a priest which I found inappropriate... I have no problems with people's beliefs except when they are shoved in my face.

Tolerance of all, including agnostics and atheists I say.

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From: Ken Arromdee
Date: Tues, May 5 1998 12:00 am

What about the time Nightcrawler goes to see a preacher because he's having a crisis of faith when he meets the Beyonder, who seems to be as powerful as God?

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From: Samy Merchi
Date: Tues, May 5 1998 12:00 am

Kurt also went to confession in Excalibur #75's back-up story...

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From: Leor Blumenthal
Date: Tues, May 5 1998 12:00 am

re: Excalibur 75

That wasn't a Claremont story. As for the Beyonder bit, Nightcrawler encountered the Beyonder in the original Secret Wars, without any problems. He also had no problems coping with Phoenix, Dark Phoenix, or any of the ridiculously powerful nuts that are a Claremont trademark. Why should Kurt's faith only matter when it is called into question? Why should religious people be constantly portrayed as backwards, primitive, or naive?

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From: Samy Merchi
Date: Tues, May 5 1998 12:00 am

He [Nightcrawler] had very severe problems dealing with Beyonder when written by Claremont, whose writing seems to be questioned here. Insisting on ignoring that very touching scene to brace your argument is not very productive.

re: "Why should Kurt's faith only matter when it is called into question?"

Why does Arnold Schwarzenegger's fighting prowess (well, the characters' that he plays, anyway) only matter when it is called into question. The simple answer to your question is: A lot of things only come out in fiction when they make for a good story. I know I wouldn't buy stories full of Kurt going repeatedly to church to no effect. I -would- buy stories about him having to fight for his faith instead of just -having- his faith and being all happy go-lucky yay Catholic with no problems. Who wants to read stories with no problems? Not me.

re: "Why should religious people be constantly portrayed as backwards, primitive, or naive?"

I don't understand how you can see Kurt as backwards, primitive or naive.

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From: AGr3691541
Date: Wed, May 6 1998 12:00 am

re: "Why should Kurt's faith only matter when it is called into question?"

Because it's an interesting development. Nightcrawler reading the Bible for half an hour would make a crap comic (although no worse than the current X-men/Doctor Doom Annual).

re: "Why should religious people be constantly portrayed as backwards, primitive, or naive?"

Erm... except for the fact that they're not. The preacher in God Loves, Man Kills is an attack on TV evangelist style religion. It plays on peoples' fears, promotes intolerance and is led by sanctimonous nutters. They exist in this world. I've seen TV Evangelists promote hatred thru self-righteousness. Some religious people ARE backwards, primitive and naive.

While Nightcrawler, Kitty Pryde and the preacher in the Brood storyline [William Conover] all show religious characters that are none of the above...

Like you I'd like to know more about Kurt's religion, especially in relation to Wolverine's lack of faith (Claremont wrote some cracking dialogue between the two on this very matter).

re: "Instead we get stereotypes that are as inaccurate as any of the Anti-Mutant propaganda of Graydon Creed."

Not from Claremont. There have been intolerant 'Christians' and tolerant Christians, which is a reflection on society.

You're argument that Claremont portrayed every Christian as intolerant doesn't stand up to moment people can point to tolerant Christian characters.

I agree that Nightcrawler's faith should be explored more - but to say that if it isn't explored that's an example of Anti-Christian propaganda worthy of Graydon Creed then I stop agreeing with you and start running the other way...

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From: Leor Blumenthal
Date: Fri, May 8 1998 12:00 am

I'm not asking for a comic where Nightcrawler reads the Bible for the whole issue and nothing happens. But what about having him sitting and reading the Bible before an enemy attacks, or going to church and wondering whether wearing an image inducer is proper in a place of worship.

re: "...Some religious people ARE backwards, primitive and naive."

I never said they were not. But they are far more prevalent in the X-books than the tolerant, open-minded ones.

re: "While Nightcrawler, Kitty Pryde and the preacher in the Brood storyline all show religious characters that are none of the above."

Unfortunately they are exceptions, not the rule.

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From: Samy Merchi
Date: Sat, May 9 1998 12:00 am

re: "Why should religious people [in Chris Claremont stories] be constantly portrayed as backwards, primitive, or naive?"

Let's see.

Tolerant, un-backwards, un-primitive, un-naive: Kurt, Reverend Conover, Hank..., Ororo, Kitty, Dani, Forge, Amara..., Lilandra.

Total: 9.

Intolerant, backwards, primitive, or naive: Rahne, Reverend Stryker.

Total: 2.

Additions? You'll have to add eight backwards people to validate your point, or invalidate eight of the people I gave.

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From: AGr3691541
Date: Sat, May 9 1998 12:00 am

...Claremont was subtle. Nightcrawler is a character with very strong principles who has learnt to live in a World were he is seen as a monster. We also know he's a Christian and that his beliefs are the foundation for his character. But if he said stuff like "As a Christian..." or "Well, X-men, according to the Bible we should..." that would be unsubtle (and cringe-inducing).

But again, if Claremont did not make an issue of their religion every issue does not make his portrayel of religious characters inaccurate or offensive.

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From: Eric L Bailey
Date: Mon, May 11 1998 12:00 am

re: "Does anyone have any other instances of positive (or negative) portrayals of religion in comics?"

Also, it was Kurt's faith that turned the tide against Dracula.

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From: Richard Patton
Date: Sat, May 16 1998 12:00 am

Nightcrawler and Kitty Pride of this [newsgroup's] fandom were fairly religious...

From: Terry McCombs
Date: Sat, Feb 10 2001 6:35 pm

For the most part you don't get much of an idea as to the private lives of most comic book characters. Marvelish soap opera not withstanding.

What I mean is you don't get much of an idea what their politics or religion might be. This is sensible enough I guess as they don't want to offend any of their customers... for the most part you just can't really say just what, if any religion or personal philosophy that or that comic character might follow.

What do you think?

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From: Menshevik
Date: Sun, Feb 11 2001 6:05 am

...As far as Marvel is concerned, there are a few characters where you do: ...Religious issues did show up quite a bit in the X-Men, with Catholics Nightcrawler and Gambit...

Huk-L (handsomishbo...), November 30th, 2005

The simple fact is, for the vast majority of people on this planet, God is an accepted reality.

To me, to have every hero in the Marvel/DC universe, even those with religious origins (such as Ragman) to not be affected, motivated, or even visibly belive in those beliefs, lessens the characters...

In addition I think that the inclusion of a character's religion and the issues it brings up, can definitely enrich a character. As an example Nightcrawler's Catholicism (I think its Catholic) has IMO [in my opinion] at least given him more of a personality.

In addition there are many characters who in fact are religious, its just none of them are mainstream religious. We get Wiccans, Druids, Pagans, etc. But very few Christians, Jews or Muslims. Even the Buddhists are better represented in comics than the big three.

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Chris F. (nieman...), December 1st, 2005

re: "As an example Nightcrawler's Catholicism has given him more of a personality."

Eh, more like it destroyed his original characterization! He was a lot more fun as a happy-go-lucky freak than as an angsty troubled soul always running off to talk to his priest about the religious implications of fighting the Beyonder.

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Ray (raycu...), December 1st, 2005

Making comics characters religious is a bad idea anyway. Different universes I know, but what happens if Nightcrawler, the staunch Catholic, bumps into Zauriel, an actual angel? The problem of superheroes (and superhero inventors) transforming society out of recognition is hard enough to paper over, but how are traditional religions supposed to remain unchanged when angels, demons, and apocalyptic visitations are everywhere?

Emerald Ghost
05-15-2005, 05:56 PM

Do you ever wonder what religion an X-Man is? I know they are just characters, but still, just for the fun of it.

I am wondering if you could guess their religion by their character, or what they've said, etc.

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Archer
05-15-2005, 06:02 PM

Nightcrawler is obviously Roman Catholic. Rahne is Presbyterian. Magma and Sunspot, are they Catholic too? Danielle Moonstar follows some kind of traditional Native American beliefs. Dust is Muslim. Kitty is Jewish, Magneto was Jewish but is now probably agnostic. I vaguely remember reading that Colossus is Russian Orthodox, but I'm not sure. Banshee and Siryn are probably Catholic.

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The Lucky One
05-15-2005, 07:38 PM

...As for [other] characters...
Nightcrawler - Catholic, devout...

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The Fury
05-16-2005, 02:11 AM

The problem is that whether they are strongly religious or not.

While some like Nightcrawler, Storm and Sabra are obvious to their beliefs and faith, there are many that I don't think I've ever seen mention their beliefs or gone to church...

From: Alan D. Earhart
Date: Tues, Jul 21 1998 12:00 am

Some of the recent discussion got me thinking about this once again.

When has religion been used as a plot device in an xbook? [i.e., a comic book series related to the X-Men]

I got to thinking about the UX-Men [Uncanny X-Men] Dracula arc oh-so-long-ago in which, if memory serves me, Kitty is able to have some power over Dracula using a Jewish symbol. This being the power of belief and conviction has over the undead...

And, there was the Nightcrawler scene in the cartoon.

Others?

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From: Ed Hebert
Date: Tues, Jul 21 1998 12:00 am

There was a back-up story of Nightcrawler going to confessional around the mid #70's of Excalibur. Its last moment was Nightcrawler looking at the X's on the tie he was wearing and turning it to find a cross...

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From: Harlaquin1
Date: Wed, Jul 22 1998 12:00 am

Yes and also Nightcrawler was scene going to church way back in Uncanny [X-Men] meeting with his priest, I believe it was a discussion about the Beyonder and if a being like that exists , how does God fit in. Anyway that's one thing I can remember!

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From: Gfnoonan
Date: Wed, Jul 22 1998 12:00 am

...Kurt is a practicing Catholic...

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From: AGr3691541
Date: Wed, Jul 22 1998 12:00 am

Well there's a really early annual where Nightcrawlers adopted mother tries to get revenge on him, and ends up sending the X-men to Hell. There's a scene where, looking at all the tortured souls Colossus points out that he is glad that he is an atheist, he couldn't believe in any religion htat would sanction such cruelty. Nightcrawler replies that there is an opposite Heaven and that those in Hell deserve their fate.

Nightcrawler is discovered praying by Wolverine in the Brood storyline circa [Uncanny X-Men] 160-something, and Wolverine is shocked, saying he can only believe what his senses tell him.

Nightcrawler is later seen visiting a Catholic priest (who obviously knows him) and fretting that meeting the Beyonder has caused him to question his fate. I don't remember it ever being used in Excalibur.

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From: David R. Henry
Date: Wed, Jul 22 1998 12:00 am

re: "When has religion been used as a plot device in an xbook?"

Plot device or plot component?

Nightcrawler had a major crisis of faith after meeting the Beyonder that was quite well done...

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From: mrfixit
Date: Mon, Jul 27 1998 12:00 am

...Nightcrawler also used a cross in the Dracula issue to help defeat Dracula. He has also been seen in churches and praying. He is one of the most religious X-men.

From: "(OFFTOPIC) Sleepwalker and a RANT!" thread started 9 April 1996 on rec.arts.comics.marvel.xbooks newsgroup (http://groups.google.com/group/rec.arts.comics.marvel.xbooks/browse_thread/thread/530027d02cbeb884/7c688dd20f2f433c; viewed 13 June 2006):

From: Brian
Date: Wed, Apr 10 1996 12:00 am

Say, this [religious affiliations of the X-Men] would be a neat thread. My memory doesn't really remember a lot of the X-Men having stated a religion. Kitty's Jewish...

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From: Ryan W. Fitzpatrick
Date: Wed, Apr 10 1996 12:00 am

I think Kurt Wagner was also Jewish...

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From: Katharine Weizel
Date: Wed, Apr 10 1996 12:00 am

Nope! Kurt is most definitely Catholic. He's been seen in a confessional with a priest at least once in an annual, and again in some other issue of Uncanny [X-Men] that I can't remember the name of. (Possibly around the time of the Beyonder in the early 200's).

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From: The Man with the Golden Gun
Date: Thurs, Apr 11 1996 12:00 am

[Nightcrawler is] Roman Catholic, I think. He's been shown going to confession and such.

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From: Brian
Date: Thurs, Apr 11 1996 12:00 am

And now that people mention it . . . I'm remembering a back-up story in an issue of EXCALIBUR (post-Ashford, I think) with Kurt in a confessional. Great art, if I remember. Pretty okay writing, too. For shame of me to forget.

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From: Sarah Anne Yost
Date: Fri, Apr 12 1996 12:00 am

...Nightcrawler is Christian of some sort.

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From: Katharine Martin
Date: Fri, Apr 12 1996 12:00 am

Yes, there was one with him [Nightcrawlewr] there, post-Ashford. There's also a scene of him in a confessional in UXM [Uncanny X-Men] 196, and quite a few others. Quite established.

From: "X-Men religious affiliations" thread started 1 June 2002 on rec.arts.comics.marvel.xbooks newsgroup (http://groups.google.com/group/rec.arts.comics.marvel.xbooks/browse_thread/thread/78e6830d00083d2f/102a03cd2dab9fda; viewed 13 June 2006):

From: Chris Dodson
Date: Sat, Jun 1 2002 9:38 pm

I'm looking for information on the religious beliefs of all the current X-Men for a story I'm submitting to Marvel. The only one I know for sure is Nightcrawler (Catholic)...

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From: Brian Doyle
Date: Sun, Jun 2 2002 8:28 am

Nightcrawler - Catholic...

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From: Kenneth
Date: Sun, Jun 2 2002 11:59 am

...Nightcrawler is a Catholic...

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From: Jim Longo
Date: Mon, Jun 3 2002 10:09 am

When the X-Men were kidnapped by the Brood, Wolverine came upon Nightcrawler praying. During the resultant conversation, Wolvie asserted that tried religion once, that it was a mistake, and that he now believes only in what his senses tell him.

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From: Prestorjon
Date: Tues, Jun 4 2002 6:57 pm

Nightcrawler is Catholic...

From: "Religion in comic books", posted 14 June 2006 on "Get Religion" blog website (http://www.getreligion.org/?p=1679; viewed 14 June 2006):

[Comments section for this page]

Posted by Jason S. Evans at 1:28 pm on June 14, 2006

I really appreciated the portrayal of Nightcrawler in X-Men 2 [X-Men: United]. He was never shown as being hypocritical or evil, but instead, he was penitential and devout.

I don't care for movies that are overtly "Christian" but it is nice when directors "Get Religion."

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Posted by Avram at 1:41 pm on June 14, 2006:

...what of Nightcrawler (of the X-Men), who is not only Roman Catholic but studied to become a priest?

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Posted by Katie Q at 1:53 pm on June 14, 2006:

Avram,

Yeah, I get your point, and like I said above, I agree; comics do, at times, Get Religion. But whenever it is present, it's in metaphor or part of some cosmic scheme. The original post was about the denominational beliefs of heroes, and that's more my issue. Few heroes have them, or at least have them as a notable aspect of their character, and that's just darn unlikely and (to me) unrelatable.

Nightcrawler (and, to use a far less popular character in the same family, Wolfsbane of the New Mutants) is an exception. The X-Men books in general are the series that have characters with prominent religion, due to the practical nature of the series (team books need characters with a variety of backgrounds) and the themes of the series (prejudice, the preeminence of ideology above the self, etc.). Of course, in the comics, Nightcrawler's Catholicism has been revealed to be a super-villain's brain-wash plot and evil scheme to trick Catholics into think the Rapture has come (nevermine the Rapture isn't Catholic doctrine anyway. . .). So, yeah, there you go.

From: Mirtika, "Is Superman a Methodist?", posted 15 June 2006 on "Mirathon" blog website (http://mirathon.blogspot.com/2006/06/is-superman-methodist.html; viewed 15 June 2006):

Is Superman Jewish, Methodist, or a Christ figure? Newsweek is examining the matter...

So, I offer this nifty assemblage of charts and lists and links on comic book religion found at Adherents.com.

...Ben "The Thing" Grimm is Jewish. You already know about Nightcrawler and Catholicism. But... Rogue is Southern Baptist?

From: Michael, "No Sunday School In Smallville", posted 12 June 2006 on "Tales to Mildly Astonish" blog website (http://talestomildlyastonish.blogspot.com/2006/06/no-sunday-school-in-smallville.html; viewed 15 June 2006):

...There are precious few heroes of faith in comics, mainstream or alternative, and the more I think about that, the less I like it. Most heroes' religion is used as a type of shorthand characterization, something to fill space in the Handbook... Nightcrawler is a devout Catholic, but stories using his faith rarely treat it with the weight and respect it deserves (Chuck Austen, I'm looking in your direction). Ironically, it took not a comics professional, but director Bryan Singer and actor Alan Cumming to add some genuine text to the Catholic subtext of the character.

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[reader comments]

David said...
There's only a few defenses I could give for the obscurity of genuine religious practice in comic books... because religious values are so dearly held, I do wonder if it wouldn't alienate a Jewish reader if Superman was a Christian or a Christian reader if he was an atheist...

The way to get around this difficulty is to avoid the specific faith of the real icons like Superman... But I see no reason why you wouldn't empahsize the Catholocism of Nightcrawler or the Jewish faith of Kitty. It didn't repel fans of X2 in the first example.

From: "Superheroes and religion", posted 14 June 2006 on "On Christopher Street" blog website (http://somacandra.livejournal.com/410090.html; viewed 16 June 2006):

[reader comments:]

From: mysanal
Date: June 16th, 2006 11:31 pm (UTC)

...Religion was often touched on in comics, but when Chris Claremont took over the X-Men in the 1980's, he made the characters regiously diverse as well as ethnically diverse. I think Shadowcat and Nightcrawler were the first characters to have specific religious affiliations...

From: "Any Christian Superheroes?" thread began 22 April 2004 on rec.arts.comics.dc.universe newsgroup (http://groups.google.com/group/rec.arts.comics.dc.universe/browse_thread/thread/4e5839f075fecf76/8821b5db671e7ce1; viewed 20 June 2006):

From: Gustavo Wombat
Date: Thurs, Apr 22 2004 12:03 pm

I can't think of any major superheroes that strongly believe in any real faith, and that surprises me. Certainly not in the DC Universe. I think there are more minority superheroes than religious ones...

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From: Brian Doyle
Date: Thurs, Apr 22 2004 12:36 pm

Nightcrawler is devoutly Catholic and Kitty Pryde is Jewish...

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From: Peter Bruells
Date: Thurs, Apr 22 2004 11:49 pm

Err.. Did you forget about Nightcrawler, a devout Catholic who at some times was even a priest?

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From: Daibhid Ceannaideach
Date: Sat, Apr 24 2004 6:21 am

The impression I get of Superman (most notably in the Kismet story following the Blaze/Satanus War) is that he is motivated at least partly by religious faith (at least inasmuch as that's part of being "raised right" in Kansas), he just doesn't talk about it much.

But yeah, it is odd that out of the three most noticably Christian superheroes (Nightcrawler, Daredevil and Huntress) one is motivated largely by circumstance (being a mutant) and the other two began their careers seeking revenge.

From: "Christian Superheroes" thread started 30 August 1992 on rec.arts.comics newsgroup (http://groups.google.com/group/rec.arts.comics/browse_thread/thread/d4f9b151adf6039c/bca0d7673c1ff593; viewed 21 June 2006):

From: rich.bellacera
Date: Sun, Aug 30 1992 5:14 pm

...I submit that there are characters who hold to certain Christian faiths, but none but two who stand out as having their faith as the source of their power.

For example, Kurt Wagner (a.k.a. Nightcrawler) is a good example of a superhero who just happens to be a Christian, but his powers of teleportation are derived from his mutant genes...

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07-18-2002, 02:03 PM
Joe Wagner

Yep - Nightcrawler was indeed Catholic and for a while was studying to be a priest (he has since dropped this quest).

Nightwing is a Catholic as well - during the earlier issues of his book crosses and the like could be depicted in the background.