Warning: contains spoilers for Ultimate Wolverine #1The world of Marvel's new Ultimate Universe is dark, brutal, and filled with tragedy... but perhaps none worse than the recent death of Nightcrawler at the hands of his best friend Wolverine in the debut issue of Ultimate Wolverine. In nearly every universe the kind-souled Kurt Wagner is best friends with the gruff Logan, and the Ultimate Universe is no different, with Nightcrawler's sudden death highlighting why Kurt will always be the heart of the X-Men.
This is the first, and potentially last, time Marvel's "fluffy elf" Nightcrawler has been seen in the Ultimate Universe, a shocking introduction and loss of one of Earth-616s most beloved members of the X-Men team.
Ultimate Wolverine #1, from writer Chris Condon and artist Alessandro Cappuccio, sees the origin of the Eurasia Republic's dangerous Winter Soldier revealed, as Logan is transformed into a brainwashed weapon of fascism, eventually slaughtering his best friend with no hesitation and seemingly no remorse.
Wolverine has lived many lives and loved many loves, but the love he shares for [SPOILER] overpowers the love he has had for anyone else.
Nightcrawler Will Always Be The Heart Of The X-Men
Kurt's friendship with Logan is beloved by fans
Just like on Earth-616, the teleporting Nightcrawler and berserker Wolverine were best friends on Earth-6160, Marvel's epic new Ultimate Universe. And just like on Earth-616, the Ultimate Nightcrawler is a devout, faithful man of God who wears his heart on his sleeve and prides himself on his morals and values. In Marvel's main reality, both Kurt and Logan joined the X-Men at the same time, as Xavier's "Second Genesis" team, and while it took a while for their friendship to develop, they are now and always will be best friends, with Kurt one of the only people Logan is ever physically affectionate with. Nightcrawler is endlessly hopeful and at times compassionate to a fault, while Wolverine is harsh, brash, and hard to get along with... yet, in a weird way, their friendship also makes perfect sense.
"If you're in there, my friend, I pray you have the strength... I'm sorry we weren't quick enough... Nn. We came back..."
In the Ultimate reality, Kurt Wagner is a member of the mutant Opposition, a group opposing the monstrous leadership of Colossus, Magik, and Omega Red, who are experimenting freely on mutants they capture. Just like on Earth-616, this Kurt is clearly a voice for his people, and willing to put his life on the line to protect those he loves. While the background of Kurt and Logan's friendship is not explicitly shown, it is clear that they met as resistance fighters, acting as mutant heroes on Earth-6160 just like they are on Earth-616. Sadly, Wolverine was captured by the Eurasia Republic and subjected to horrific brainwashing, seemingly turning him into a cold-blooded sociopath. Yet, even at death's door, the compassionate Nightcrawler maintained his love for his best friend, proving how pure of a hero he is in any universe.
Wolverine Killed Nightcrawler Before We Could Ever Truly Know Him
It is obvious though that he was a hero, and a remarkable man
Tragically, the violent new "Winter Soldier" brutally murders his best friend Nightcrawler, as well as the Ultimate variant of Mystique, after forcing Kurt to fight for his life. It is a hard scene to read, because fans know that Logan would never hurt Kurt on Earth-616, and it's all the more heartbreaking as a fan, because readers barely have any time with Ultimate Nightcrawler.
The world of the Ultimate Universe is dark and twisted, ruined by the disgusting machinations of the Maker, but even in this nightmare reality, Nightcrawler expresses his deep love and commitment to his best friend Logan. The Ultimate Nightcrawler is a hero because of his tireless fight against the tyranny and abuse from the Eurasian Republic, but his reaction to Logan's brainwashing, and his death, cements in place why Kurt will always be the beating heart of the X-Men.
In Wolverine #6 (2003), Esad Ribic drew a cover depicting a scandalous interaction between Logan and Kurt, slipping the cover past Marvel editors.
With the new Ultimate Universe only recently turning one year old, there is still much readers don't know about how the alternate reality works... while Ultimate Nightcrawler was tragically killed by Wolverine after a single issue appearance, that doesn't mean he won't appear again. Kurt, and Mystique for that matter, are two of the most iconic X-Men of all time, meaning no one should 100% believe that they are permanently dead and gone.
The human mutant Wolverine (a.k.a. Logan) was born James Howlett, blessed with a superhuman healing factor, senses, and physiology. Subjecting himself to experimentation to augment his skeleton and claws with adamantium, Logan is as deadly as he is reckless, impulsive, and short-tempered. Making him the X-Men's wildest and deadliest member, and one of Marvel Comics' biggest stars. He's played in Fox and Marvel's movie franchises by Hugh Jackman.
Ultimate Wolverine #1 from Marvel Comics is available now in stores.
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