Kurt Wagner was never your average circus performer. Born with blue skin, fangs and a tail, this young German's "devilish" appearance and uncanny acrobatic abilities often made him the target of angry and prejudiced mobs. So when Charles Xavier offered him the chance to escape this oppression and learn more about his strange mutant abilities, Kurt could not refuse. Able to teleport at will, Kurt was given the codename of "Nightcrawler" and joined the ranks of Professor X's new team of X-Men!