Marvel Officially Kills A Major X-Men Character 4 Months Before Their MCU Debut

Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for X-Men ’97 season 2 episode 9

If you thought Gambit was bad, Marvel Studios just gave audiences one of the most tragic X-Men ’97 deaths. Likewise, this is happening mere months before the character’s debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Avengers: Doomsday.

As seen in X-Men ’97 season 2, the X-Men have been grappling with En Sabah Nur’s Apocalypse in the past, future, and their present-day 90s. By the season’s end, Apocalypse’s attempt to crush the X-Men at their most vulnerable using the resurrected Gambit fails thanks to one major hero’s sacrifice…though not the one audiences were initially led to believe.

Although Rogue was ready and willing to sacrifice her own life to save Remy LeBeau’s, Kurt Wagner wasn’t willing to let his half-sister lose her life for the sake of the one she loves, leading to the surprising loss of X-Men ’97’s Nightcrawler by the episode’s end. Here’s how Nightcrawler dies in X-Men ’97 season 2’s finale, and what it means for Marvel Studios’ future and its plans for the teleporting blue elf.

In A Shocking Twist, X-Men ’97 Season 2’s Finale Just Killed Kurt Wagner’s Nightcrawler

X-Men ’97 season 2’s finale puts Rogue in an incredibly challenging scenario with Apocalypse threatening to fully possess Gambit and X-Force joining forces with X-Factor against the X-Men to kill Remy before that happens. Determined to save the man she loves no matter the cost, Rogue cuts a deal with the cosmic being Eson, the same Celestial who granted En Sabah Nur his power, transforming the First Mutant into Apocalypse 3,000 years prior in Ancient Egypt.

Agreeing to give up her own life in exchange for his, Rogue is granted Celestial power of her own to free Gambit from Apocalypse’s influence and trap the spirit of the major X-Men supervillain indefinitely. However, the rug is completely pulled out from under audiences with the major reveal in the aftermath that Nightcrawler cut his own deal with Eson after Rogue left to save Remy.

Taking Rogue’s place and offering himself up as the life that must be claimed, Nighcrawler convinces Eson of his faith that the memory of his life will encourage new life and growth in the future. That’s Kurt Wagner at his core, expressing his enduring faith, kindness, and selflessness even at the end of his life in X-Men ’97. At the same time, that’s exactly what make Nightcrawler’s death so dang painful, as he was easily the true heart and soul of the X-Men, just as he often is in the original comics.

After X-Men ’97 Season 2, Nightcrawler’s MCU Debut Just Became Way More Important

Remarkably, it feels worth nothing that X-Men ’97 Season 2 has just killed Kurt only a few months before his expected live-action MCU debut in Avengers: Doomsday, with Alan Cumming returning to play Nightcrawler alongside several other actors from Fox’s previous X-Men movies.

At the time of writing, Cumming’s Nightcrawler has yet to be featured in any of the trailers, teasers, or exclusive convention footage, save for one piece of artwork showing Doomsday’s full confirmed cast. Keeping that in mind, it’s unknown just how substantial Nightcrawler’s role will be in the major MCU crossover. However, one can hope that his role will be meaningful, especially after we just lost Marvel Studios’ other Nightcrawler.

With any luck, the live-action Kurt will make up for the animated one’s death by having a role that’s as significant as he deserves. If Avengers: Doomsday is going to re-introduce this live-action version of Nightcrawler to the MCU’s wider audience, Kurt very much deserves enough screen time that’s worthy of his status as one of the X-Men’s most important and beloved characters (regardless of the universe).

Is There Any Way To Bring Back Nightcrawler In Future Seasons of X-Men ’97?

Like most deaths in any version of the Marvel Universe, Nightcrawler’s death doesn’t necessarily have to be permanent in X-Men ’97 season 2. That said, the means to bring Kurt back isn’t as straightforward as Gambit’s resurrection was with an adaptation of Remy’s Horseman of Death storyline. Although Nightcrawler did once return to the land of the living after summoning his fellow X-Men for a battle in the afterlife against his father Azazel and a force of demons, that might be a more difficult storyline to translate into future seasons of X-Men ’97.

Overall, the best possibility to potentially bring Kurt back at some point would be if X-Men’ 97 continues long enough to get to Krakoa, mutantkind’s most recent attempt at their own island nation. During the Age of Krakoa, mutants developed resurrection protocols, ensuring that mutants could be brought back to life if they were ever to meet their demise under specific circumstances.

If Krakoa is indeed reached in future seasons, one can imagine that Nighcrawler would be one of the first characters audiences would want to see brought back. He could then act as a central figure when it comes to mutants achieving immortality, just like Nighcrawler was in the comics.

For the time being, Kurt’s sacrifice is looking pretty dang permanent. After all, it was tied to a cosmic deal with a Celestial. While it may still sting, it’s hard to imagine a better way for Nightcrawler’s story to end in X-Men ’97, willingly giving up his own life as a sacrifice with the faith that his loved one would live on to lead happy and full lives.

Kurt has made the ultimate sacrifice. As a major fan of Nightcrawler personally, it’s deeply heartbreaking and hits just as hard as losing Gambit in X-Men ’97 season 1 (if not harder). That said, it does create an interesting situation for Marvel’s next major X-Men project, with Nightcrawler’s live-action MCU debut on the horizon. My fingers are most definitely crossed that Alan Cumming’s Nightcrawler in Avengers: Doomsday will be given the time and space to have an arc even half as meaningful as this animated version’s was.

All episodes of X-Men ’97 Season 2 are now streaming on Disney+ from Marvel Studios.