Warning: Spoilers for Uncanny Spider-Man #1!As Nightcrawler solidifies himself as the latest member of the Spider-Family, the Uncanny Spider-Man receives a unique codename in his first adventure. Following the genocide on Krakoa known as the Mutant Massacre, Nightcrawler remains one of the few mutants still roaming the streets. Since Orchis made it even more dangerous to be out in the open as a mutant, Kurt has decided to lie low under the guise of a new Spider-Man.
Kurt marks his first official Spidey adventure in Uncanny Spider-Man #1 by Si Spurrier, Lee Garbett, Matt Milla, VC’s Joe Caramagna, Tom Muller, and Jay Bowen. Using an old suit gifted to him by Peter Parker, Kurt Wagner transforms himself into the Uncanny Spider-Man. The opening pages of his self-titled debut issue see him dispose of his first handful of criminals, along with being adored by his new fanbase.
“Well, That Ain’t Gonna Stick”
The book opens with Kurt chasing a pair of organ-stealing robbers who are using Shocker tech to fend for themselves. It proves to no avail as Kurt takes them down with ease at a local park. There, Kurt is soon joined by a group of admirers. Kurt leaves them with the classic Spidey greeting, putting his own unique spinning on it when he calls himself “your friendly neighborhood Spinnenmann,” which in German, of course, translates to Spider-Man. Except the admiring fans don’t recognize the translation and, thus, are instantly confused by the name. “Well, that ain’t gonna stick,” says one of the fans. Another, though, gives Kurt a more appropriate codename: Hellcrawler.
Hellcrawler Fits Kurt Perfectly
On top of being a wicked cool nickname, Hellcrawler actually fits Kurt better than even Spider-Man does. For all intents and purposes, Hellcrawler is the name he should be going by moving forward. For one thing, the name helps him stand out among a sea of other Spider-Men in the Spider-Family. Spider-Man is an absolutely iconic name for a superhero and as a result, that name continues to be echoed across the Marvel Universe, shared among the likes of Peter Parker and Miles Morales. The problem with that is the more heroes who share the Spider-Man name, the harder it becomes to distinguish them from each other.
Hellcrawler solves that problem by instantly setting Kurt apart from his Spidey counterparts. The name encompasses his demonic appearance, along with being a more subtle way to call back to his mutant roots. Uncanny Spider-Man instantly recalls readers to the Uncanny X-Men, but in-universe, Hellcrawler is subtle enough as a secret identity without tipping civilians off to the fact that it is indeed an X-Man under the mask. Overall, the name Hellcrawler is way too cool to waste as just a throwaway line. To quote the fan who coined the name for him: “Don’t overthink it.” Start referring to Nightcrawler‘s new Spider-Man persona as Hellcrawler.
Uncanny Spider-Man #1 is availale now from Marvel Comics.
