As a member of the X-Males, Kurt Wagner’s Nightcrawler has lengthy been an acrobatic crime-fighter, and an important voice of optimism and religion for Marvel’s mutants. Nonetheless, after the disastrous occasions of the Mutant Bloodbath, he’s one of many few mutant heroes left in operation, now going by the codename of the Uncanny Spider-Man. In actual fact, followers who picked up the latest Uncanny Spider-Man #1 (by Si Spurrier and Lee Garbett) noticed Kurt unleash an unfamiliar energy – a glowing cutlass generally known as the Hopesword.
The Hopesword is an unbelievable new energy for the X-Males’s teleporter supreme, and one with immense potential – particularly as he begins a brand new profession as New York’s newest spider-themed hero. Buying the weapon virtually destroyed Nightcrawler, and has left him some of the needed males on Earth, however the energy additionally guarantees to raise him from an X-Males team-player to a mighty solo hero.
The Hopesword is the metaphysical manifestation of Nightcrawler’s hope, and resides inside his physique whereas not in use. Kurt can draw the Hopesword from his chest and use it as an unparalleled slicing weapon – one which was in a position to defeat Mom Righteous, whose magical capabilities are in Marvel’s A-tier. The sword is extremely sharp, and may slice via firearms with little effort (as seen in Uncanny Spider-Man #1), however may reduce via magic. The Hopesword was based mostly on the Soulsword wielded by Illyana Rasputina’s Magik, which is actually an anti-magic weapon, in a position to break spells, counteract possession, and kill spirits – it’s possible the Hopesword has the identical capabilities.
Nonetheless, as a result of Nightcrawler’s new weapon is actually his sense of hope, being separated from the weapon can depart him in a state of immense religious ache, and even alter his persona. It’s additionally potential this hyperlink works in reverse – that the sword will grow to be much less efficient if Nightcrawler loses hope. Regardless of this, his bond with the weapon transcends demise, suggesting he might be able to reclaim it magically when it’s taken (although that has but to be confirmed.)
The Hopesword was coveted by each Mom Righteous and Margali Szardos, who every possess magical powers corresponding to the Sorcerer Supreme. That is mainly as a result of Nightcrawler is among the most hopeful people in existence, and his religion in goodness has withstood limitless punishment because of the world’s prejudice and fixed assaults on his associates and allies. Nightcrawler’s religious potential is immense, and this defines the Hopesword’s energy.
Crucially, Nightcrawler is the founding father of the Spark – a philosophical system adopted by the mutants of Krakoa, who required a brand new system of morality after discovering the way to transcend demise by resurrecting fallen mutants. In Legion of X #10 (by Si Spurrier and Netho Diaz), Szardos said that the Hopesword transcends Magik’s Soulsword, saying, “you will have turned the void inside you right into a spark to gentle the world … that’s the strongest magic there may be.”
Just lately, Nightcrawler was remodeled right into a monstrous, demonic kind, and compelled to hold out a collection of assassinations to be able to destroy the X-Males’s fame. It turned out that Margali Szardos was behind Kurt’s struggling. Szardos is Nightcrawler’s adopted mom and a former Sorceress Supreme, with magical data equal to Physician Unusual (who she has fought to a stalemate previously.) Szardos was employed to remodel Nightcrawler (and different mutants) by the human supremacist group Orchis, however took the chance of his near-loss of religion to strip the hope from his physique and vogue it right into a weapon.
This weapon was later taken from Szardos by Mom Righteous, who freed Nightcrawler from Orchis management, however resolved to maintain the sword as her cost in X-Males: Earlier than the Fall – Sons of X #1 (by Si Spurrier and Phil Noto.) Nightcrawler’s allies disagreed, and attacked Mom Righteous, with Nightcrawler combating her to a standstill. Mom Righteous killed the assembled crew and escaped, however once they have been resurrected by the X-Males shortly afterwards, Nightcrawler discovered he nonetheless had the flexibility to summon the sword, exhibiting that he had really reclaimed his hope and gained a robust new weapon within the course of.