X-Men: The 20 best characters of the last decade
By Mark Lynch
16. Nightcrawler
Nightcrawler epitomizes everything it means to be an X-Man. He believes with all his heart that humans and mutants can peacefully coexist. Considering he looks like a demon, it’s admirable that he’s maintained an optimistic outlook on life.
He’s been called “Satan’s spawn”, “less than human”, and “a monster”, yet he continues to smile and turn the other cheek. As an X-Man, he’s always been willing to give up his body for the cause. He gave up his life in 2010 to keep Hope alive (X-Men: Second Coming). A sacrifice that paid off. Had he not done this, Bastion would have killed Hope and destroyed the future of all mutants.
Since Nightcrawler came back in Amazing X-Men, he’s been the same character he’s always been. Giving up literal Heaven couldn’t have been easy. But Nightcrawler couldn’t leave his family when they needed him most. He may not have had an abundance of memorable moments, but he’s a staple of the X-Men. Wolverine and Beast may leave to do Avengers work and such, but he never does. Nightcrawler’s home will always be with the X-Men. His outlook on life and undying love for his family are all reasons he’s on the Quiet Council of Krakoa. He’ll always be one of the all-time greats.