The Importance of Nightcrawler’s Romani Ties and Foster Family a thread for NC Week Day 2: Family
For those not in the know, yes Kurt Wagner, also known as the Amazing Nightcrawler is Romani. Being Romani is not necessarily an ethnicity, it’s also a culture. If one is raised by Roma people and leans their culture, traditions, and values, they are Roma. It’s called Romanipen. Kurt was raised by Margali Szardos, a roma woman, in a traveling circus, and because she raised him with her culture, traditions, and values, Kurt is Romani.
But don’t take my word for it, here’s comic examples of characters calling him Roma(sadly using the G slur) one of which is his own daughter.
So you may be thinking what does that actually mean to him as a character…well a lot actually. More than you might think, a lot of what makes Kurt is unequivocally and inarguably the man we know him as because of Margali Szardos.
For starters let’s clear up some misconceptions about Margali cause she may be one of the most disrespected characters in Marvel. Anytime someone says “Kurt had a horrible childhood” they are lying to you. Nearly every flashback we’ve seen has shown Margali raising him lovingly
All the “how did Kurt end up such a good person” jokes you may see have an actual answer. Margali, Margali found an orphan mutant, gave him food off her table, put clothes on his back, and gave him a place where even he could feel loved and safe. His appearance was never a problem to her
It’s from Margali that Kurt learnt many of his morals, he would not be the kind, accepting, and compassionate man he is today if he himself had not received that from her. Proof of that is seen in the AoA universe where Kurt is not raised by Margali and is a much crueler man
She didn’t just shape his morals though, she helped shape his personality, for she didn’t just give him any home. She gave him the circus. Think about some of your favorite Kurt traits, his flamboyance, his showmanship, how he loves to goof around and entertain others, All those traits come from his past as the star of the circus, these inherent traits of his simply can’t exist without his Roma ties. Hell even his love of adventure, ambitions as a romantic, and love of all things pirate and swashbuckler, come from Margali showing him her old Pirate films.
Margali also taught him how to be proud of himself despite how many may feel about his appearance. It would be so easy for Kurt to be bitter or wallow in his self pity about the appearance he was born with, and the treatment he receives for it. But he doesn’t, because Margali wouldn’t let him. Being a Roma woman in Europe, she knows all too well about ostracized and condemned for circumstances beyond her control feels like, and through her lessons, she taught Kurt how to hold his own head high in spite of any who may scorn him.
Thanks to her, Kurt has never given up his desire to make others see him for who he really is and many, Kitty Pryde chief among them, have a lot to thank Margali for.
As the years have passed Kurt’s romani roots and Foster family have been given less and less respect as more and more focus has been put onto his relationship with his Biological mothers. The disrespect foster families receive as opposed to Bio families couple easily be its own much longer and in depth thread, but ignoring that, it just feels wrong for characters of a marginalized community to be tossed to the wayside. Regardless of whether or not you like Mystique and Destiny (and I do) they are not even an iota as important to who Kurt is as character as Margali is. Yet they, who have and always will be murderers and criminals, get to have all their past crimes to their son retconned away, meanwhile Margali is turned into a racist and stereotypical villain bent on power at all costs…Someday I hope that Margali, Mystique, and Destiny can all coexist as figures in Kurt’s life. Cause Kurt is an amazing character who is way more rich and deep than many give him credit for. To close this long post I just hope that when some of you list off Kurt’s core identity traits “German, Blue, Catholic, etc.” you make sure to include “Romani” in there too. Cause it’s true.
Have a great Nightcrawler Week everybody!
