Pondering changes in Nightcrawler theology
Nitpicking? Not if you care about the influence of comics culture in American life
As a kid, I was never a big comic books fan — although I confess that I would have been tempted if my elementary school library had contained a shelf of Green Lantern graphic novels.
These days, it’s impossible to avoid comic-book universes in movie multiplexes, video streaming channels, video games, social-media platforms and, of course, in mainstream “bookstores.” You can, of course, add the influence of comics on the work of Hollywood titans such as George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and countless others.
If you follow the dramas and debates surrounding the X-Men world, you may know that many commentators interpret the outsider status of the mutant superheroes as a metaphor for LGBTQ+ life. Yes, there is more to these discussions than accusations against director Bryan Singer.
It doesn’t take a doctorate in film studies to see a subtext for the famous “X-Men: The Last Stand” scene in which Warren Worthington III rejects his parents’ attempts to cure him of his mutant abilities (think “conversion therapy”) and crashes through a window, spreads his wings and flies in triumph over San Francisco.
However, the X-Men world also includes Nightcrawler, who may looks like a demon but is clearly identified as a Catholic believer, rosary and all.
This brings us to a fascinating Religion Unplugged essay by critic Joseph Holmes with this complex headline: “X-Men’s Nightcrawler Reveals Modern-Day Expectations For Christians In A ‘Negative World’.”
Yes, we are talking about a long, detailed — in terms of moral theology — feature linking the evolving beliefs of an X-Men character with the writings of author and apologist Aaron M. Renn.
Many Rational Sheep readers will be familiar with Renn’s work. If not, here is an essential passage from his much-discussed First Things essay, “The Three Worlds of Evangelicalism.”
Within the story of American secularization, there have been three distinct stages:
* Positive World (Pre-1994): Society at large retains a mostly positive view of Christianity. To be known as a good, churchgoing man remains part of being an upstanding citizen. Publicly being a Christian is a status-enhancer. Christian moral norms are the basic moral norms of society and violating them can bring negative consequences.
* Neutral World (1994–2014): Society takes a neutral stance toward Christianity. Christianity no longer has privileged status but is not disfavored. Being publicly known as a Christian has neither a positive nor a negative impact on one’s social status. Christianity is a valid option within a pluralistic public square. Christian moral norms retain some residual effect.
* Negative World (2014–Present): Society has come to have a negative view of Christianity. Being known as a Christian is a social negative, particularly in the elite domains of society. Christian morality is expressly repudiated and seen as a threat to the public good and the new public moral order. Subscribing to Christian moral views or violating the secular moral order brings negative consequences.
In what secular “world,” these days, does Nightcrawler live and breathe and have his being?
Holmes offers many details and quotes from X-Men culture. But readers can start with this summary on the “old” Nightcrawler character:
Nightcrawler has always been an interesting gauge for where mainstream culture is regarding Christianity. Created by Len Wein and David Cockgrum in 1975, Nightcrawler has always been an explicitly Catholic character in the X-Men comics, and his faith is almost always integral to his portrayal (with some exceptions, like in the “X-Men: Evolution” show).
A lot of that is due to the irony of having a devilish-looking character be so religious, similar to why Daredevil is canonically Catholic. Because he is a largely positive Christian character in a mainstream secular brand, you can often see what secular people, or religious people who work in mainstream entertainment, think of faith by how Nightcrawler is portrayed.
With his rosary, his prayers and even evidence of a traditional moral worldview, Nightcrawler was clearly a Catholic believer. His beliefs were, in some way, a respected option in the X-Men universe.
What is happening now? Holmes digs into the new “X-Men ’97” television series, in which Nightcrawler has been promoted to regular character status.
In this detailed passage, Holmes ponders the role of “sin” in Nightcrawler’s pronouncements in this new canon:
Nightcrawler is introduced in the new series in the fifth episode titled “Remember It” as a council member on the new mutant Island of Genoshia. He’s there to minister to the different communities of faith from all the various mutants who choose to immigrate there from their human-dominant countries of origin. As Nightcrawler gives Rogue and Gambit a tour of the community, he talks less about God than the original ‘90s show and cracks more jokes, even giving romantic advice to Gambit, who’s feeling jealous of Rogue and Magneto’s growing chemistry.
Nightcrawler: “It doesn’t take a priest to see you and Rogue’s souls touch with every gaze. … Just marry the girl and be done.”
Gambit: “Scoundrels like me, we don’t get no white picket reward. We are too busy for love. Too busy sinning.”
Nightcrawler: “There is no love without sin. Love is best measured in what we forgive.”
When tragedy strikes at Genoshia, Nightcrawler further embraces his role of priest, presiding over the funeral of one of the X-Men who dies and giving counsel to those who are hurting. During the funeral, Nightcrawler described the person as, “haunted by the life of crime into which he was born, a sinner beyond saving. … How could he, so tuned to potential, not see that his sins made him a hero?”
Say what?
This new Nightcrawler still has his rosary and he still recites the Lord’s Prayer. That’s still acceptable and part of a “good” approach to faith. (Hang in there and keep reading — by all means, read the whole essay.)
The key is that the series implies that there is good faith and, well, out-of-bounds or even bad faith. Here is Holmes again:
… We can see the positive things mainstream culture sees and values in religious people: their ability to be wise and insightful in matters of relationships and mental health, to comfort those who are hurting and help them find their way out of it and the resources their faith has to keep them grounded and peaceful when everything around them is falling apart and to pass on that peace to others. …
We also see how our culture has moved from one with a better understanding of Christian theology to a more vague notion of it. In the original show, Nightcrawler spoke about sin the way a Christian would.
“While all people are flawed and struggle with the capacity for sin, none likes to be reminded about our shared human weakness.” …
I will end with this crucial Holmes observation, which also brings us to the Renn material:
… Unlike Nightcrawler of the original ’90s show, this one never challenges the ideological beliefs of his friends. He comes to Genoshia to minister to all faiths, not just his own. He does not challenge the X-Men to be believers themselves. And he certainly doesn’t challenge their morality based on religious beliefs. This Nightcrawler would never call them out for sleeping together before marriage, for example. And he certainly would never be able to challenge the X-Men’s Morph, who’s been retconned to be nonbinary in “X-Men ’97,” about Morph’s they/them pronouns.
This reflects changing cultural attitudes towards Christians that author and culture critic Aaron Renn notes in his book “Life in the Negative World”. According to Renn, during the ‘90s, when the original X-Men animated show aired, there was a lot more openness to Christianity and its worldview being an equal player in the marketplace of ideas (what Renn calls the “neutral world”).
A leap from “neutral” world to “negative” world?
Obviously, there are mild, loving, acceptable forms of faith in this influential niche in popular culture. Is that something religious leaders need to grasp? Might this be important in, let’s say, youth ministry?
But wait! The X-Men have been around for decades. Isn’t it rather silly, in the age of debates about the sprawling, omnipresent Marvel universe, to pretend that comic-book culture only matters in the lives of young people?
Yes, read it all.
FIRST IMAGE: Nightcrawler with his Bible and rosary, in an X-Men comic image posted to X.