Marvel Reveals Shocking Secrets About Nightcrawler's Origin

The truth behind Nightcrawler's parentage is finally revealed inside the pages of X-Men Blue: Origins. The special one-shot springs out of Uncanny Spider-Man, which stars Nightcrawler in a Fall of X series following the disastrous events of the Hellfire Gala. Nightcrawler and his mother Mystique have always had a complicated relationship, with many of the details shrouded in mystery. However, all of that changes in X-Men Blue: Origins #1 as Si Spurrier, the writer who has charted Nightcrawler's journey through the X-Men's Krakoan age in titles such as Way of X, Legion of X, and Nightcrawlers, introduces another major development that rocks Kurt Wagner to his core.

*WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for X-Men Blue: Origins #1. Continue reading at your own risk!

X-Men Blue: Origins #1 comes from the creative team of Si Spurrier, Wilton Santos, Oren Junior, Marcus To, Ceci De La Cruz, VC's Joe Caramagna, Tom Muller, and Jay Bowen. The issue focuses on Nightcrawler (in his Uncanny Spider-Man disguise) and Mystique, who is experiencing psychic backlash after Professor X commanded all mutants leave Earth during the chaos that was the Hellfire Gala. Mystique's psychic defenses kicked in, but also triggered something of a mental breakdown where she's reliving experiences from her past. Those experiences involve all of the mysteries and secrets regarding Nightcrawler's birth.

We had always been led to believe that Nightcrawler is Mystique and Azazel's son, which is partly true. However, Destiny played a major role in Mystique getting involved with Azazel to begin with. Destiny manipulated events so Azazel would believe he had an heir, after one of her visions showed Azazel becoming too powerful. Another discovering is Mystique was never pregnant, but changed her body to look like it. Destiny was also pregnant at this same time, and she is the woman who actually gave birth to Nightcrawler, after being impregnated by Mystique.

Nightcrawler's reaction to learning who his parents are

In true Nightcrawler fashion, he takes the revelation of his true parentage in stride. He's understandably shocked, but still caring and sympathetic towards Mystique. Nightcrawler was ultimately a pawn in Destiny's games of fate, used as a weapon against Azazel. "She said you had to be raised, just so. Battered and burned by a world that despised you... and yet? Better with every blow. Rising above each loss and lash...," Mystique told Nightcrawler.

Surprisingly, Charles Xavier had a hand to play in all of these events as well. Mystique and Destiny turned to Professor X to purge their memories surrounding Nighcrawler's birth. Destiny wanted to forget the sacrifice they made as a couple, while Mystique only wanted to be free from the loss and hate. One caveat is she still wanted to remember that she is Nighcrawler's "mother." Xavier did warn them that when memories are perforated instead of removed, the mind oftentimes creates its own stories around it, which explains the inconsistencies we've seen in various X-Men comics over the years.

This was an X-Men story decades in the making, and X-Men Blue: Origins #1 did a wonderful job tying up these loose ends into a coherent, touching tale. Let us know your thoughts on these big revelations for Nightcrawler and Mystique in the comments!