Devoutly Catholic X-Men Character’s Death Sparks Holy Outrage (& Fans Are Furious)

X-Men ’97 executive producer Eric Lewald was recently asked at MultiCon in Los Angeles whether Nightcrawler‘s death at the end of Season 2 would stick. And the former showrunner of X-Men: The Animated Series replied with a firm, “Oh yeah!” (via The Direct).

His fellow executive producer and wife, Julia Lewald, also gave the opinion that the finale felt earned. She shared, “But the finale of Season 2 is very emotional and it’s earned. It is earned because those are the characters that we’ve all spent 30 years marinating in, and thinking of and loving.” That confirmation landed differently than the producers may have expected.

Kurt Wagner is the only openly devout Christian on the team, an ordained priest in this continuity, and a section of the audience read his death as a deliberate removal of the show’s one man of faith. The frustration was sharpened by precedent.

X-Men ’97 has brought characters back before, including Professor X and Gambit. Being told that this particular death is the permanent one struck some viewers as a pointed choice rather than a storytelling one.

What Were the Negative Reactions to Nightcrawler’s Death in X-Men ’97?

Kurt Wagner’s identity is tied to his religion. In the comics, he was raised in a German abbey, prays in Latin, and has been written as a devout Catholic for most of his fifty-year publication history. The comic writers made it a point to make the man who looks like a demon the one with the deepest faith.

X-Men ’97 leaned into that harder than any previous adaptation. Season 1 introduced him on Genosha’s ruling council as the liaison to the island’s various faith communities, and he officiated Gambit’s funeral in a clerical collar.

Season 2 gave him an entire episode built around his beliefs, in which he argues for sparing the life of anti-mutant demagogue Graydon Creed (who is also his half-brother) because his faith won’t let him do otherwise.

When the character died, a portion of the fanbase reached for a religious explanation rather than a narrative one. Here are some of the fan reactions.

Killing one of the most popular characters in X-Men history because his backstory is religious certainly is a choice… should we remove Magneto next?

— ghostdesigns (@iamghostdesigns) September 6, 2026

They kill off the one Christian-based character on the show. I’m shocked.

— Ξιί Wατz (@Eli_Watz) September 6, 2026 — FireFlyPaints (@FireFlyNeverDie) September 6, 2026

Of course they killed off the only devout Christian mutant. 🙄

— LeaveMeAlonicus (@AlonicusMe) September 6, 2026

Of course they killed him off. He was a man of faith. We can't have that.

— Aquila (@VigilantAquila) September 6, 2026

While the anger of religious fans is understandable, since losing a character you connect with personally always stings. But it’s worth noting that the show never treated his faith badly in the show.

X-Men ’97 Gave This Religious X-Men Member a Fitting Send-Off

The Season 2 finale, Survival of the Fittest, ends with Rogue bargaining with the Celestial Eson the Searcher. She offers her life in exchange for the power to pull Apocalypse out of Gambit. She wins that fight and survives, only to realise someone has taken the price in her place.

Nightcrawler had gone to Eson behind her back and offered himself for his sister. His final scene is built entirely around what he believes. Hands pressed together, he tells Eson that his memory will become a seed for something better.

When the Celestial asks how he can be so certain, his answer is simply that he has faith. It is a sacrificial death, where he lays down his life so someone else can live.

There’s also room for doubt about how final this really is. Lewald’s answer at MultiCon was blunt, but supervising producer Jake Castorena took a much softer line when ScreenRant asked him the same question. He shared:

First and foremost, I will say: is anyone ever really dead in comics? Is anyone ever really dead? Make no mistake, Nightcrawler is dead, you’ll just have to watch season 3 to see how it all may play out. That’s what I can say.

That’s not a definitive answer. Between this reply and Lewald’s response, the door doesn’t look fully shut for Nightcrawler.

What do you think of this character’s death in the show? Let us know in the comments below!

X-Men ’97 is now available for streaming on Disney+.