Ed’s note: Fan Fix by Nathan Adler, is one man, and one major fan’s tireless efforts to fix continuity in comics, in the ultimate chronicle of character histories and fan theory into an ingenious bit of streamlining.
Claremont’s original idea for Nightcrawler’s father, proposed during his collaboration with John Byrne, was longtime Dr. Strange villain Nightmare (Claremont reasoned that the dimension through which Nightcrawler travels while teleporting is the same as the dream dimension Nightmare inhabits).
This idea was ultimate quashed before it saw print (or really, before it was hinted at in any way in print) by then X-Men editor and Dr. Strange writer Roger Stern, who commented in Back Issue #29 that he wouldn’t let Claremont reveal Nightmare as Nightcrawler’s father because he didn’t like characters being revealed as secretly related to one another, preferring mutants to be revealed as having normal parents (yet hypocritically let John Byrne do it for Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver by planting the seeds that would lead to the Magneto-as-their-Dad retcon).
His initial one stymied, Claremont’s second idea for Nightcrawler’s parentage was that he was the son of Mystique and Destiny, with Mystique playing the role of the male in their coupling.
Figure 1: A connection between Nightcrawler and Mystique is first suggested by the villainess during the seminal “Days of Future Past” story, in Uncanny X-Men #142, and hinted at a few more times during Claremont’s run, but nothing concrete was ever established.
The understanding is that when Claremont first hinted at the connection in issue #142 he fully intended to reveal the Mystique/Destiny relationship, but was continually overruled by Marvel editorial, who at the time felt a relationship of that nature wouldn’t make it past the Comics Code Authority. As result, this particular origin of Nightcrawler remains nothing more than vague hints and out-universe discussions.
However, hints Claremont has dropped during a number of interviews suggest he isn’t being entirely honest with regard to his planned intentions for Kurt’s parents. And here’s why…
In the recent Chaos War: X-Men #1, written by Claremont, Moira MacTaggert reveals that Irene Adler’s quest to protect humanity led her to hire a MAN of mystery named ERIC RAVEN.
Figure 2: Mystique’s original identity of Eric Raven from Chaos War: X-Men #1
The two of them then join forces and in the X-Men: True Friends mini-series (set in Edinburgh, Scotland in the year 1936) Mystique is portrayed working alongside Logan and Irene Adler as a MAN called “Mr. Raven” (obviously the abovementioned Eric Raven).
Figure 3: Mr. Raven working alongside Irene Adler and Logan in 1936 from X-Men: True Friends #3
In addition, Claremont has repeatedly stated in interviews that Raven was born a biological female, yet he tripped himself up on Comixfan back in 2003, stating that: “Mystique abandoned him [Nightcrawler] because she was totally freaked by this indigo-furred creature with ‘deformed’ appendages and a forked tail! At that point, he stated, Mystique had no idea (s)he was a mutant, or a metamorph; (s)he simply reacted as many normal folks would in similar circumstances.”
If Mystique was not aware that (s)he was a mutant until AFTER Kurt’s birth, as Claremont above claims, and was portrayed as a male in 1936 (obviously prior to Kurt’s birth), the implication of all this is that Raven Darkholme was born a MALE and DID NOT metamorph into a female until after he impregnated Kurt’s mother.
So if Mystique was a male (i.e. Eric Raven) to begin with and was not aware “he” was a mutant when Kurt was born, this obviously means (s)he did not transform her identity into that of a female until after his birth, and was therefore his biological father, not his mother as previously claimed.
Now given her initial male Christian name was Eric, how coincidental is it that Kurt’s supposed father Baron Wagner also had the same Christian name?!
This would suggest that since Mystique was Kurt’s biological father, (s)he had assumed the identity of Baron ERIC Wagner at the time.
So since Kurt inherited the blue skin from his father Mystique, who was using the identity Baron Eric Wagner at the time, and his mutation is his ability to teleport, this would seem to suggest he inherited his fur from his mother and that this woman is someone other than Mystique’s leman, Irene Adler!
If so, who might it be?