ineffable mess

melody suspended in starlight

He was awesome in both seasons, don't get me wrong, but he isn't actually given any real depth. His character is not explored. He's there to dispense wisdom and serve as a moral anchor and occasionally kick ass and that's kind of it.

Which, honestly, I get. There was not enough time in this season to do a deep dive on every single character. I just think that this duality that Nightcrawler represents is such a vital part of his character, and I hate to see it not only ignored by the show, but dismissed by the fans who literally try to say that Catholicism IS his entire thing. It's not. If you go back to the 80s Uncanny X-Men run, or even Excalibur, it comes up FAR less often than the show. The other parts of his character get to shine as well.

Not the mention the fact that, despite how often he references religion, the show never actually explores his relationship with his faith. It's pretty much his one defining character trait and they don't even get into what it means for someone who looks like a devil to be so pious other than a few taunts from Exodus of all people who really should not be talking. (No offense though, king. Your character design is sick asf.)

I must add something important everyone seems to forget nowadays: Nightcrawler is a ladies man, a flirt, he likes sex.

Yes, he wants to be loved but if things are just casual, he’s fine with it too.

He’s not just “Rogue’s brother” or “Wolverine’s bestie,” he is important and essential for the X-Men lore.

He is a character with a lot of history, background and layers.

60+ years of history to be exact and, the first mutant with a visible mutation to join the team. With an obscure origin and belongs to a minority so difficult to portray than the writers either do it with racist stereotypes or not to address it at all.

He’s beautiful, but not because he looks different, but because him, as a whole, he is:

A man, that wants to belong, to be loved, an X-Man, a pirate, a swashbuckler, a friend, a lover, a boyfriend, a sex fiend, a man of faith, a Romani, a Gadje, a German, a Circus artist, a teacher, an actor, a confident, an outcast, he is family, he is a son, and a father, an icon of hope, a person that teaches you acceptance and positivity despite his own flaws and inner struggles…

Love triangles work best when they’re a vessel to reveal the values of the character at its center. Suzanne Collins laid it out masterfully at the end of her Hunger Games trilogy: “That what I need to survive is not Gale's fire, kindled with rage and hatred. I have plenty of fire myself. What I need is the dandelion in the spring. The bright yellow that means rebirth instead of destruction. The promise that life can go on, no matter how bad our losses. That it can be good again. And only Peeta can give me that.” Rogue goes through a similar journey in this storyline.

Gambit, through no fault of his own, represents her inadequacy. A relationship with him means gloves and restraint for the rest of her life. Magneto, in contrast, offered her freedom. Being with him was her only chance to live and love like a normal woman. It wasn’t until after she chose Magneto and then witnessed Gambit’s death that Rogue realized that there’s another side to her conundrum; love is more than touch. Magneto can have sex with her, but would he ever put her needs before his? Would he be patient with her? Would he even consult her before declaring her as his queen? And that’s why the triangle ends in tragedy. Rogue already had what she needed, but she got distrated by the prospect of having even more, and had to lose the one thing that truly mattered to her to realize the error of her ways.

Though their relationship was presented more as a nebulous, friends-with-benefits type thing at the beginning, Rogue claims him as “[her] man” after his death — which reminded me a little bit of Rose claiming Jack as her husband after his death in Titanic, but I digress.

They just couldn’t stand to give us a happy ending could they 😭 Kurt didn’t even hesitate to step in and pay the ultimate price for Rogue, as soon as he saw the look on her face, he knew she’d done something crazy and he’d do anything to protect his sister. Genuinely one of the most underappreciated comic book characters ever. As a Christian, I can also say he’s certainly a true follower of the word and I believe his faith will be rewarded 🥹

Surprise, surprise, my theory that Mystique was cooper ended up being right. No way they’d go two seasons without bringing my goat back. RIP(presumably) to the original Cooper. I need season 3 now and hopefully it’s a bit better paced than this one.