Nightcrawler (Kurt Wagner) is a fictional comic book superhero, and a member of the X-Men, appearing in books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Len Wein and artist Dave Cockrum, he first appeared in Giant-Size X-Men #1 (May 1975). Dave Cockrum designed Nightcrawler to be used in DC Comics' Legion of Super-Heroes series. Cockrum was working on the series just before he went to Marvel, and Nightcrawler's costume design (and overall unusual look) fit well into the Legion's design scheme.
A German mutant, Nightcrawler possesses superhuman agility and the ability to teleport. His physical mutations include blue skin, yellow eyes, and a prehensile tail. This demonic appearance belies his heroic swashbuckling nature and devout Catholicism.
Since joining the team, Nightcrawler has been a constant presence in X-Men-related comic books and video games. He has featured in a few episodes of the 1990s X-Men animated series and was a regular on its successor X-Men: Evolution. Alan Cumming played him in the 2003 film X2, his sole appearance in the X-Men film series.
Nightcrawler's origin is located in the German state of Bavaria, in a small village called Winzeldorf (in the X-Men animated series, it is Neuherzl, and in the movie X2, he makes repeated references to his time in the Munich circus, though it is never specified where he originated).