The long, winding history of Nightcrawler’s past may be coming back to haunt him, as the heroic X-Men legend struggles against the “Monsterification” that has recently afflicted him, with a new variant cover for Legion of X #9 teasing the potential return of Nightcrawler’s magical adopted mother, Margali Szardos.
Beginning in Legion of X #7, Nightcrawler has been experiencing a swift devolution into a monstrous creature, with mutant scientists like Mister Sinister and Doctor Nemesis unable to stem the progressive changes happening to the hero. With the terrifying monstrous evolution impacting the classic X-Men hero Angel as well, it is clear that this spiraling situation goes beyond Nightcrawler’s control, and just might involve the powerful magic of Margali Szardos, a tumultuous character not seen since 2014.
Margali Szardos debuted in 1980’s X-Men Annual #4, eventually established to be the adopted mother of the hero Nightcrawler, who saved him from death after his biological mother Mystique threw baby Kurt off of a waterfall in an attempt to kill him. Much of Szardos’ past has yet to be revealed, but what is known is that Margali is an incredibly powerful magician – often seen with green skin and ram-like horns sprouting from her head. She is the “Sorceress Supreme” of the Winding Way dimension, which is also where she derives her power, although her powerful magic is often in flux. Margali’s magic is so powerful that she was once able to wrestle the Eye of Agamotto away from Doctor Strange’s control, making him state that she was at least as powerful as he was, as well as hiding the Soulsword within Nightcrawler’s body without his knowledge for years after the death of Illyana Rasputina. Margali also had two biological children, Stephan and Jimaine, with Stephan being killed by Nightcrawler after he was possessed by an evil power, and Jimaine taking the name Amanda Sefton, traveling to America and joining the X-Men as “Daytripper” while engaging in an on-again off-again romantic relationship with her adopted brother Kurt.
Margali Of The Winding Way May Be Behind Krakoa’s Monster Problem
The gorgeous variant cover for Legion of X #9 – which is written by Si Spurrier with art by Netho Diaz and Federico Blee – is illustrated by the talented fantasy-focused artist Ejiwa Ebenebe, who goes by Edge. Edge’s cover highlights the demonic look of Margali as she is gleefully grasping the monsterized Nightcrawler in her fist, again teasing that Szardos may be somehow behind the transformations. Margali Szardos has not been seen since she assaulted the Jean Grey School of Higher Learning in the first arc of 2014’s Nightcrawler Vol. 4, with the powerful magic user eventually being defeated by Amanda and Kurt. Still, she was not killed, meaning the Marvel Universe has been due for her return for years now. Margali is a complicated character, often portrayed as a nuanced villain and manipulative mother obsessed with seeking more and more power within the magic of the Winding Way, and it would not be surprising at all if she were attempting to corrupt Nightcrawler and Krakoa’s mutants with monster-transforming magic. Margali Szardos is also connected to one of the X-Men’s most reviled retcons of all time, which saw the demon Azazel established as the lover of both Margali and Szardos, making Nightcrawler the literal son of a demon, instead of just a confused Catholic man with the appearance of a demon, and it would be amazing if this retcon was somehow retconned again.
The teased return of Margali Szardos – manipulative and magical mother of Nightcrawler – is not guaranteed, as comic covers often don’t directly connect to their internal plot, but it would be a true blessing if characters like Szardos and Amanda Sefton were to return to the X-Men’s new Krakoan Age.
Legion of X #9 from Marvel Comics debuts on January 11th, 2023.
