Timing, part fifteen.

Later today, I'll post the Wolverine fight Nightcrawler mentions.

While I often complain that Nightcrawler doesn't get as much use as, um, just about every other X-Man, I have to admit, if used improperly, he could be a huge deus ex machina. (Unlike Phoenix...or Storm...or Wolverine...I'll stop now.) Look, Nightcrawler and a good length of two-by-four could beat just about anyone in the Marvel Universe. How? Using the two-by-four as a spear, Nightcrawler teleports it into the victim's body, embedding it on the molecular level and probably killing them instantly. Actually, he could also teleport a chunk off of the victim, which would probably also do the trick.

Now, since Kurt isn't a killer, you don't see him do that very often, except to robots or non-living targets. And it's something that's failed spectacularly before: he was badly hurt when he tried that on the super-Sentinel Nimrod. And lots of villains have force-fields or whatnot to prevent just such an occurrence as well--Magneto, Dr. Doom, etc. Still, I think sometimes writers have problems with a character whose power allows him to get into or out of most any situation instantly.

Of course, like I've admitted before, I'm biased, since Nightcrawler's been a favorite since I was a kid. Like Batman or Mickey Mouse, he's instantly recognizable in silhouette; he's got his own sound-effect--I think only Spider-Man should be able to use "THWIP!" Wolverine should be the only one that gets to go "SNIKT!" And it offends me when anyone besides Nightcrawler goes "BAMF!"