Nightcrawler (Earth-2301, Mangaverse character)

NIGHTCRAWLER
Earth-2301

Real Name: Unrevealed

Identity/Class: Alternate reality (Earth-2301), human mutant

Occupation: Mercenary

Group Membership: the Azure (Beast, Mystique)

Affiliations: Master Toad, Magnus, Amanda Sefton

Enemies: Yoshida's police force, X-Men (Cyclops/Scott Summers, Marvel Girl/Jean Grey, Danielle Moonstar, Storm/Ororo Munroe, Wolverine/Logan)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations:

First Appearance: Marvel Mangaverse: X-Men (March, 2002)

Powers/Abilities: Nightcrawler had the mutant ability to teleport by shifting through another dimension, reappearing in a puff of brimstone-scented smoke. His superhuman agility, reflexes, and coordination enabled acrobatic feats, and his mutation gave him blue fur and a prehensile tail. Though skilled in unarmed combat, he preferred using a blade, combining swordplay with teleportation to outmaneuver foes.

Height: Unrevealed (presumably 5'9" like his Earth-616 counterpart)
Weight: Unrevealed (presumably 161 lbs. like his Earth-616 counterpart)
Eyes: Yellow
Hair: Blue, formerly a smoke-like substance

History:

(Marvel Mangaverse: X-Men - BTS) - The teleporting mutant Nightcrawler was a member of the Azure, an elite group of blue-skinned mutant mercenaries who pledged their loyalty to the mutant sorceress Amanda Sefton.

(Marvel Mangaverse: X-Men) - The foul Nightcrawler was enjoying himself at a local bar when Wolverine and Moonstar of the X-Men arrived in search of their missing friend Rogue. Enjoying the X-Men's misfortune, Nightcrawler challenged them leading to a bar fight. But when Cyclops appeared to help, Nightcrawler realized he was outmatched and tried to teleport away but not before Wolverine cut his blue tail off. With the enemy gone Wolverine noticed Rogue's smell and threatened the bartender into revealing she was with Sefton.

(Marvel Mangaverse: X-Men - BTS) - Wanting to use Rogue to destroy her archenemy the electromagnetic demon Magnus, Sefton ordered the Azure to stand guard while she performed the magical ritual.

(Marvel Mangaverse: X-Men) - As expected the X-Men soon arrived to save Rogue. After Mystique blasted Cyclops in the face to signal the start of the skirmish, Nightcrawler jumped Wolverine and used a blade to hit the mutant in the back. During the fray, Nightcrawler seemingly gained the upper hand but once both Mystique and Beast were killed, Wolverine drove his claws through Nightcrawler's head as the mutant tried to teleport away. The Azure's deaths cleared the way for the X-Men's final battle against Sefton.

(X-Men: Ronin#5 - BTS) - Nightcrawler and Beast somehow survived their interaction with the X-Men. Visibly changed the duo stuck together.

(X-Men: Ronin#5 (fb) - BTS) - New York was seized by anti-mutant hysteria after Emma Frost manipulated the local police into believing the X-Men were a band of marauding monsters. This deception gave Police Chief Shiro Yoshida the justification he needed to escalate his campaign against mutantkind, deploying scanners throughout the city to identify anyone carrying the mutant gene. Although the arrests were framed as routine questioning, in reality, mutants were being hunted, captured, and incarcerated en masse.

(X-Men: Ronin#5) - Nightcrawler and Beast were among the mutants targeted by Yoshida's police force. Though both were skilled and battle-hardened, allowing them to fend off the attackers with ease, many other mutants across the city weren't as fortunate.

(X-Men: Ronin#5 (fb) - BTS) - Many mutants, including Nightcrawler and Beast sought refuge, and descended into the sewers and joined Master Toad's resistance, a haven not just for survival, but for those who still believed in Xavier's dream, even in a world that had rejected it.

(X-Men: Ronin#5) - When Wolverine and Jean returned to Toad's underground they were shocked at the amount of mutants rescued. Nightcrawler was present when Wolverine made a powerful speach, telling the mutants that they would offer sanctuary but that at one point they had to strike back as one joined force, he continued they were a masterless clan, freedom fighter, rebels, RONIN!

Comments: Created by C.B. Cebulski, Jeff Matsuda, A.J. Jothikumar, and Andy Owens.

Due to the Asian specific nature of the Mangaverse reality, it goes without saying that while characters might look similar to their 616 counterparts, they most likely will have distinctly different names, codenames or powers. Therefore we will only list the names when they have been used in the comics.

Nightcrawler also appeared on the cover of Marvel Mangaverse: Eternity Twilight (March, 2002).

Profile by MarvellousLuke

CLARIFICATIONS:
Nightcrawler has some connections to

Nightcrawler, the original that this character was based on--Giant-Size X-Men#1
Nightcrawler, of Earth-904--What If? II#12
Nightcrawler, of Earth-905--What If? II#13
Nightcrawler, of Earth-913--What If? II#23
Nightcrawler, of Earth-987--What If? II#110
Nightcrawler, of Earth-1031--X-Men Millennial Visions 2001 - "X-Men: Reborn"
Nightcrawler, of Earth-1033--X-Men Millennial Visions 2001 - "X-Men: War to Come"
Nightcrawler, of Earth-1034--X-Men Millennial Visions 2001 - "X-Men X"
Nightcrawler, of Earth-2182--X-Men Millennial Visions 2001 - "Professor W's X-Men"
Nightcrawler, of Earth-8107--Spider-Man & His Amazing Friends cartoon episode "The Education of a Superhero"
Nightcrawler, of Earth-8280--Uncanny X-Men I#160
Nightcrawler, of Earth-8545--Exiles I#20
Nightcrawler, of Earth-9112--What If? II#32
Nightcrawler, of Earth-21993--What If? II#46
Nightcrawler, of Earth-29449--Excalibur I#49
Nightcrawler, of Earth-81727--What If? I#27
Nightcrawler, of Earth-89121--What If? II#7
Nightstrutter, of Earth-99476--Excalibur I#51
Nightcrawler, of Earth-105709--What If? II#9
Nightcrawler, of Earth-92800--What If? II#40
Nightcrawler, of Earth-94042--What If? II#60/3
Nightcrawler, of Earth-95120--Marvel Riot I#1
Nightcrawler, of Earth-652975--Pryde of the X-Men cartoon special
or any other alternate "Nightcrawler"

images: (without ads)
Marvel Mangaverse: X-Men, p3, pan1 (main image)
Marvel Mangaverse: X-Men, p16, pan1 (fighting Wolverine)
Marvel Mangaverse: X-Men, p16, pan5 (killed)

Appearances:
Marvel Mangaverse: X-Men (March, 2002) - C.B. Cebulski (writer), Jeff Matsuda, A.J. Jothikumar (pencillers), Andy Owens (inks), Brian Smith (editor)
X-Men: Ronin#5 (July, 2003) - J. Torres (writer), Makoto Nakatsuka (pencils, inks), C.B. Cebulski, Stephanie Moore (editors)

First Posted: 05/25/2025
Last Updated: 05/25/2025

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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