Warning: contains spoilers for Legion of X #1
While Juggernaut has flip-flopped between god and evil countless times, the X-Men’s Nightcrawler has retained a far more consistent role as a supporting hero. It isn’t until recently that the teleporter was promoted into more of a leading position upon taking an active role as a part of The Quiet Council of Krakoa. The Council’s job is to serve as a governing body to enforce and create laws that ensure a united mutant nation.
The founders of this Council, among them being Professor Charles Xavier, collected a group of the world’s most powerful and influential mutants in existence. Among those lucky few to be chosen were Nightcrawler. However, perhaps because he’s spent so much of his career as an X-Men serving a supporting background role, it’s easy to forget that he’s right now on the same societal power level as longtime X-Men leader Professor Xavier. Taking inspiration from his former leader, Nightcrawler has been forming his own Jedi-esque X-Men team, and its most controversial member is Juggernaut.
It isn’t until Legion of X #1 by Si Spurrier and Jan Bazaldua that Nightcrawler officially establishes himself as being on Xavier’s level. Nightcrawler has recruited Juggernaut to join the team. He mentions that upon asking the Council for Juggernaut’s inclusion despite him not being a mutant, there was a vote. Juggernaut’s step-brother, Professor X, voted against the matter and was overruled. “He lost,” Nightcrawler says, speaking of Xavier’s vote. Nightcrawler goes on to compare Xavier and Juggernaut’s powers, noting they aren’t as different as first appearances would suggest.
The entire reason why Juggernaut walks Krakoa as one of the few humans on the island is because of Nightcrawler. It’s certainly not because of Xavier himself, who has rejected Juggernaut before in the past. If there’s anyone in the Marvel universe who Professor X would not want on Krakoa, it’s Juggernaut. Though Juggernaut’s famous hatred of Professor X might have significantly lessened recently, Xavier is still warry of his brother. In any other life or decade prior to The Council forming its ranks, Professor Xavier would have overruled Nightcrawler as the leader of the X-Men, but this isn’t the X-Men. This is a Council where Nightcrawler is powerful enough to overrule his former X-Men leader.
Within The Council, Nightcrawler is of equal political ranking as Professor Xavier and perhaps even more well-liked. It could perhaps even be argued that Nightcrawler is even more powerful than Xavier if he’s capable of overruling him with such ease. Overruling Professor Xavier serves as a highlight to everyone else on the island that Nightcrawler is at the very least just as powerful and important as a leader as Xavier is. By allowing Juggernaut on the island in spite of Professor Xavier, it leaves Juggernaut as Nightcrawler’s walking, talking reminder to anyone in the know that he got his way over the longtime X-Men leader.
Legion of X #1 is available now from Marvel Comics!
