A native of [[Germany]], Nightcrawler is a [[mutant (fictional)|mutant]], born with blue skin and [[fur]] covering his body, 2 fingers plus a thumb on each hand, and only two toes on each foot, as well as long [[canine teeth]], yellow eyes, pointed ears, and a prehensile pointed tail. Abandoned as a child, he was taken in by the [[Roma (people)|gypsy]] [[witch]] [[Margali Szardos]] and raised as one of them. As a teenager, his mutant nature also bestowed on him superhuman agility and reflexes, the ability to see in the dark and to become near-[[invisible]] in the dark, and the power to [[teleport]] short distances, leaving behind the smell of [[Brimstone (sulfur)|brimstone]]. This ability is known informally as "bamfing". When he teleports in the comics, he leaves behind a cloud of smoke which is usually lettered with the sound effect *bamf*, the noise of air rushing in to fill the space he has just vacated. He appears to be able to cling to surfaces in a manner similar to [[Spider-Man]].
Wagner spent some time in the [[Munich]] [[Circus (performing art)|circus]], but eventually his appearance left him persecuted and hunted. He was rescued from a mob by [[Professor Charles Xavier]], who invited him to join his second team of X-Men. There, Wagner adopted the name Nightcrawler.
