The new season of X-Men ’97 might be all about Apocalypse, but the superhero series also (rightly) elevates a fan favorite in a major way. Across nine episodes, Nightcrawler might be the X-Man who gets the most to do. His bonds with his half-siblings — like Rogue and the far less altruistic Graydon Creed — became a surprising throughline whenever the series took a breather from its bigger time-travel plot. It made a lot of sense for a character who’s always played a supporting role but rarely gets the spotlight.
The teleporting mutant, otherwise known as Kurt Wagner, is a fascinating dichotomy: he takes the form of a blue devil, yet few X-Men are as kind-hearted as he is. For X-Men ’97 producer Jake Castorena, that’s what makes him a perfect symbol for the titular team. “It’s the juxtaposition of ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover,’” Castorena tells Inverse. “You have this literal demon-looking thing who is a devout Catholic of devout faith... but Kurt’s faith is not necessarily a crutch, nor is it preaching. And that’s what I like about it.”
