Going to the mountains to find a demon.
Last time on X-Man: The Animated
Series, Scott had a western adventure. He traveled out to Skull Mesa, a Mutant
sanctuary built by his and Charles’ friend Dr. Taylor Prescott. He was going
there to both drop off a statue made for him by two of Prescott’s former
students and to check up on him as the man suddenly disappeared two weeks ago.
He’s shot down by a man named Watchdog working for Braddock, a crime boss that
had taken over Skull Mesa. Scott survived but discovered that his powers weren’t
working. He made it to town with the help of Dr. Darelle Tanaka. Once there he
finds Skull Mesa to be a very inhospitable place and seems to be stalked by
Braddock and his henchmen Chet and Toad. He asks one too many questions and is
kidnapped by them, where Braddock reveals he's the one that took Prescott in
order to take over the town and it’s goldmine. Scott escapes mostly because Braddock,
or Solarr as he goes by from then on, doesn’t consider him a threat. Scott
tries to get the townies to help him but they’re all too scared to move against
Solarr and his people. He’s eventually caught again and taken to be execute at noon
by Solarr. During the preamble to the execution, Scott finally gets the people
to rally against Solarr, several of them free and defend him long enough for
Darelle to use his power to make Scott immune to Watchdog’s, who’s power was
blocking Scotts. With his optic blasts back, Scott makes quick work of Solarr
and Watchdog changes teams and frees Prescott. Scott offers to see Solarr and
his cronies taken to jail but Prescott insists that they be tried locally, and
that Scott get some ice cream with him while they wait for the X-Men to pick
him up. Enough recapping. Let’s get to it, shall we?
We open on a small German village
during a thunderstorm. The townsfolk are whipping up a mob so they can track
down and kill this ‘horrible monster’ with fangs and claws. We see a creature
bamf onto the local Abbey building and crawl around in the dark of night to get
a better look. A woman sees him and screams, causing everyone to try to attack
this… crawler of the night. … Ya, it’s Kurt Wager, the incredible Nightcrawler.
Kurt get’s knocked from the building as they shoot at him, but easily evades
the mob, leaping and tumbling through the air just out of their reach. They almost
catch him in an alley but then he teleports away to hide on a roof. Despite the
fact he wasn’t in any real danger, he seems shaken up by the experience and
quotes that bible verse about not judging people for they know not what they
do.
The next day we cut to a ski resort
where Gambit is complaining to Rogue about the trip. Not that they’re on it,
exactly, but because he was under the impression this was going to be a more…
romantic outing, but Rogue invited Logan around too. He claims not to be happy
about it either as he likes skiing, not sitting in a hotel drinking
coco and getting funny looks from rich people. Rogue storms off, saying that
they can plan their own vacations next time and Gambit goes to soothe her, telling
Logan that he hopes he’s happy. Logan mutters that he doesn’t know the meaning
of the word when he hears some other guests talking about a ‘demon’ being
sighted in town. The guests don’t believe it, but Logan is drawn over and asks
to hear more. Meanwhile, Gambit tries to convince Rogue to run away with him to
Monte Carlo so he can make it up to her about being a grump earlier. Logan
interrupts, dropping some cash at the bar. Rogue asks where he’s going, and he
says ‘Demon Hunting, wanna come?’
That evening we see Rogue and Logan
skiing across the snow, Rogue eventually asking how far “Neuherzl” is. Logan says
it’s only a few more miles. Rogue suggests maybe she should fly them, but Logan
snorts and asks if she really wants to ruin Gumbo’s fun. Gambit then skis over,
stumbling the whole way before landing at their feet and saying that they didn’t
do much skiing on the bayou. Rogue offers to help him up, but Gambit says he’s
got this, right before sliding down the hill backwards. Rogue and Logan try to
follow him, but Gambit hits a tree and then accidentally charges it and blows
it up. The explosion knocks Logan and Rogue to the ground. Rogue flies over to
help him as Logan trudges through the snow, muttering how ludicrous it is that
Gambit can face off against Magneto or Apocalypse but not a damn pine tree. And
then he notices the wall of snow hurtling towards them because of course this
caused an avalanche. Rogue flies over and grabs him but can’t get clear before
the snow hits and buries them. Thankfully she got them high enough that Logan
could just dig them out. He sees a Abbey in the distance.
Sometime later, Rogue wakes up to a
Catholic monk telling her not to worry. They’re in the Neuherzl Abbey, which is
home to 20 monks, and the monk is Brother Michael. He says they minister to
lots of ski accident victims. Logan arrives and Rogue asks how Remy is. Logan
says he’ll be hurting a while but he’ll be fine. He sniffs out someone spying
on them and calls the guy out, Michael saying this is Brother Reinhard. He asks
Reinhard to take them to the visiting rooms. Reinhard asks if it’s a ‘good time’
to have guests, but Michael insists they help those in need. Rogue points out
that as this is a Abbey, she’s likely the only woman here. Michael confirms
this and asks if she’d be alright trading her shredding ski suit for something
a little… less eye catching, to which she agrees. As they’re led off, we see
Kurt watching from the rafters.
After Rogue changes into some monk’s
robes, we cut into the dining hall where Michael warns his guests to be careful
of which doors they open as some of the upper-level ones open onto thin air, a
side effect of it being damaged during the war. Rogue asks another Monk, Johann
what monks do besides praying and ministering. Johann says that this Abbey is
focused on doing good works and give shelter and comfort for travelers. Michael
says that they also provide a place for folks to renew their faith with the
Lord. Logan is a little less interested in spiritual enlightenment and asks
about the demon he’s heard rumors of, causing Reinhard to drop several plates
he'd been carrying. Michael claims that it’s just a rumor from the town below
and he’s personally never seen a demon. Rogue says she needs to check on
Gambit.
We find Gambit asleep when a monk
comes in and grabs some kind of chemical from a closet and prepares to use it
on Gambit. Rogue comes in and interrupts him. The monk, throws the jar at her,
causing a smokescreen and runs. Rogue chases after him, throwing off her robe
and flying when it’s clear she can’t keep up. She follows the monk into the
dangerous section of the Abbey, Reinhard seeing and saying that she must be in
league with the demon. She opens the door and nearly stumbles into the open
air. Dangerous for most people but only a minor inconvenience for her. The monk
doesn’t know this and grabs her, causing them both to fall over the side. The
monk teleports them, disappearing in a cloud of smoke in a bamf. They reappear on
the roof and Rogue sees his face. She gasps at his blue furry mug, but he tells
her not to panic. Logan attacks the monk, slashing at him despite Kurt not wanting
to fight and saying as much. After Logan nearly skewers him, Kurt asks if they
can just talk. Logan takes his proffered hand and throws him against a wall, knocking
him out. He goes to finish the demon, but Michael steps in and asks him not to
hurt Kurt, who is his brother.
We return to Gambit’s room where Michael
explains that Kurt is a monk and thus is Michael’s Ecclesiastical brother.
Also, they refer to him exclusively as “Brother Nightcrawler” but… come on, it’s
Kurt Wagner. I did 50 episodes of X-Men: Evolution referring to him by
his name, I’m not switching to his codename now. Kurt apologizes for startling Rogue,
she accepts the apology. After some comments about Monte Carlo from an awakened
Gambit, and confirming that Kurt wasn’t the monk from the start of the altercation
in Gambit’s room, Logan demands to know if Kurt is the demon. Kurt says yes…
technically. Reinhard, who was listening from the hall, gasps at that admission.
He is the creature the townsfolk are spreading rumors about, but he isn’t a
demon, he’s a Mutant. But unlike most Mutants, his condition was obvious from
his birth. We flashback to when he was born, his father and a maid gasping at
his blue skin and three fingered hands. He says that the villagers drove his mother
away for bearing a freak. He never knew her name, but the show lets us see his
red haired otherwise normal looking mother shapeshift back into Mystique’s
iconic blue look. Mystique took him into the wilderness and Mosesed him down a
river. He was found by the Wagner Family Circus and adopted, becoming
Nightcrawler. He was their star attraction, as his demonic look and natural
agility made him a born acrobat. He had his fun, but his looks kept people at
bay when the shows were over. While he’s sad that so many people can’t look
beyond his appearance, he found peace with his lot in life upon opening his heart
to God and being led to the monastery. He says the monks care about the
character of his heart not his appearances. This seems to infuriate Logan, who,
ya know, has some justifiable anger towards the big man upstairs. He says that as
Mutants, God gave up on them a long time ago. Kurt tries to tell him that God
doesn’t give up on His children regardless of their birth, but Logan angrily
says to not give him that easy answer garbage. He says that he doesn’t need a
sermon and storms off. Kurt apologizes and says he didn’t mean to upset anyone.
Gambit then asks the big question, if Kurt wasn’t the one that tried to kill
him, who was?
We cut to the village where
Reinhard, obviously, sells out Kurt, telling the townsfolk the monster they
seek is in the Abbey and that he can no longer hide their sacrilege. The villagers
don’t believe him at first but he insists that the ‘evil one’ must be
destroyed.
Logan wanders into the chapel and
Kurt finds him there, asking if Logan was looking for him. Logan says he was
just trying to find a place to think alone. Kurt says that they’re a lot alike,
as they’re both angry at the world and themselves for how they’re treated. Kurt
says that his anger ultimately drove him to the church, while Logan’s drove him
away. Logan snarls at him to not talk to him about God, as what sort of God
would let people experiment on him like the Weapon X project did. Kurt gives
the standard ‘the lord works in mysterious ways’ speech but adding that they
need to take comfort in the limitlessness of God’s love. Logan admits that he
used to believe that, but he’s suffered too much and done too much harm to
believe that now. Kurt tries to comfort him, saying that hardship is universal,
they both know that better than most, but despite that pain, people of every
faith believe in a loving God and how could so many people be wrong? He asks Logan
to try to open his heart and see the world with different eyes. Their theological
discussion is interrupted by a monk running in to warn Kurt about the approaching
mob. Logan asks what’s God’s plan for sending a mob to rip him to pieces. Kurt suggests
that as Neuzherl is an isolated community, maybe he was sent there to teach
them about Mutants. He thinks that maybe he should leave to keep anyone from
being hurt, and Logan scoffs and asks the preacher if he’s gonna run. Left
alone in the chapel, Kurt does fall to his knees and asks God why people must
always hate him. The wind blows and we see a bible page turn.
Later, Rogue and Logan are
preparing to deal with the townsfolk. Rogue tries to get Logan to agree to not
hurt anyone, as they’re not evil just scared, but Logan scoffs and asks how two
people can handle fifty. Gambit says three, as he’s ready to scrap. Rogue is
worried about him but he insists he’s fine, despite clearly still having a
concussion. The Monks pray in the chapel while the X-Men ty to defend Kurt. The
villages use a battering ram to break into the abbey, Reinhard encouraging them
and saying God is with them. They break in but are held off by Logan slashing
through their weapons and Rogue tying a bunch of them up in a tapestry. Unfortunately,
a pair of the villagers grab her bare arms with their bare hands. They get
knocked out, but the memories of their anger and fear cause her to pass out as
well. Logan tries to tell them to just stop as he’s trying very hard to
not turn them into hamburgers. He escapes by swinging on a chandelier and
running off. The monks get cornered by villagers who insist they are in league
with the ‘evil one’ and ask where their master is hiding. Kurt reveals himself,
saying he’s not hiding and teleporting his brothers to the monastery library. They
help Gambit find a place to lay down as his strength is ebbing. Kurt says he’ll
surrender to protect the others. He looks into the courtyard and sees Logan
fighting alone. Reinhard sneaks up on him and tries to shoot him, but Kurt teleports
around him. Reinhard’s wild shots with a blaster cause the abbey to start
burning. Kurt tries to turn himself over but they’re not listening to him,
Reinhard insists he must purify the place. Another villager shoots at them,
breaking the railing and Reinhard almost falling to his death. Kurt grabs him. Reinhard
tells him to just drop him and then asks why he’s pausing when he doesn’t. Kurt
says it’s not his place to judge others and helps him up, asking how God will judge
him. Kurt gestures at the burning library and says that this is the fruit of
his labor, not Kurts. Reinhard drops to his knees and sobs about how he was wrong.
The next morning, the local fire
department gets the blaze under control and Kurt thanks his friends for being a
blessing to him. An angry Logan asks how any of this is a blessing, saying that
they obviously failed. Kurt looks on the bright side. The villagers now know
about him and no longer actively fear him, Reinhard has repented for his
actions, and no one died, so it’s overall a good day. Rogue asks about the monastery,
and Kurt says it was a tragedy that it was damage but it’s only stone and
mortar. The foundation of faith they carry in their hearts. Logan just shakes
his head and says he doesn’t get Kurt. Kurt gives him a bible, saying he marked
passages that Logan might find enlightening. And asks him to look with
different eyes.
We cut to the trio finishing their
vacation in Paris. Rogue and Gambit enjoy some desert. Gambit likes being in civilization
again, but Rogue admits that the monks were starting to grow on her. Gambit shakes
his head and says that the monks were nice but delusional, saying that they’re
on their own without a greater force guiding them. Rogue shakes her head and
leaves him to his food. She walks around town and asks what if Gambit is right about
there being nothing else when a newspaper hits her in the face. The front page
is about the local church being renovated, the one right in front of her. She
goes inside and finds Logan kneeling before the altar and reading verse. This
quite moment of her friend opening himself up to God causes a tear to come to
Rogue’s eye and she leaves him to it.
As a non-practicing Catholic (I’ve
really been agnostic since I was about 15 despite being Confirmed), I
appreciate a character like Kurt ‘The Incredible Nightcrawler’ Wager. He, to
me, represents the best of the faith I grew up in. He’s a man of the cloth, yes,
and is a deeply spiritual man, but he isn’t preachy about it, which is weird to
say. Like… if you went to Kurt for advice, he’d give it. It would most likely be
in the form of scripture, but that’s just because that’s where his life
experience is. He doesn’t care what anyone’s faith is, he just wants people to
know that from his view, there is a kind and loving God looking out for them. He’s
a man that has suffered greatly because of his appearance but chooses to try to
put more good in the world than bad regardless of that. Which is why I love him.
And I like that the episode included that moment where Kurt fell to his knees
and cried about being persecuted yet again for his looks. Because, ya know,
living life as Kurt does, choosing to try to see the good and God in all
things, that is hard. It’s hard to talk about the good of man, or God’s divine
love when everywhere you go people scream or throw things at you. It makes him
seem more real than if he just effortlessly preached kindness throughout the episode.
And even though he had that self-pitying cry, he at no point went against his
convictions. He protected his fellow monks and did no harm to people that were
just scared and angry. He forgave his brother monk and did his best to show him
back to the right path. He did his best to give Logan spiritual advice because
he knew Logan wanted it despite his words to the contrary and never pushed
harder than he felt necessary. While I think he’d be pleased to know Logan did
start reading the passages he marked, he would have just been content that Logan
had kept the bible. Or, to put it another way, if you told him about the ‘sin
of empathy’ he’d gasp and ask who hurt you so badly to think that. And I like that
he forms attachments to Rogue, Wolverine and Gambit fairly quickly, three
characters I know he’s very close with in other media and in later seasons of
the show. I just like seeing friends find each other. It’s a shame we only get
one more episode of him in this classic, but I’m happy he plays a larger role
in X-Men: 97. And that’s all I have to say about that. Have a good
night!
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/127872888/
Bluesky: @basicssuperhero.bsky.social
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