Posted in: Disney+, Fox, Marvel, TV | Tagged: X-Men '97, X-Men: The Animated Series

X-Men '97 Star Adrian Hough on Nightcrawler's Growth During Season 2

X-Men '97 star Adrian Hough discusses how Nightcrawler/Kurt Wagner has changed since "The Animated Series" and previews Season 2.

While Fox's X-Men: The Animated Series had its original core to focus on with Cyclops, Wolverine, Storm, Jean Grey, Gambit, and new member Jubilee, the original Marvel Comics series had rational members throughout its history, and among them were Russian strongman Colossus and Nightcrawler, making the most of their time in dedicated arcs. As the original voice of Nightcrawler across three seasons and three episodes from 1995 to 1996, Adrian Hough makes his triumphant return as the fan-favorite, blue-skinned teleporting mutant in Disney+ sequel series X-Men '97, and is far more involved than he was before, appearing in five episodes of Season 1 and is part of one of the splintered teams separated by time travel in Season 2. The actor, who has no shortage of pop culture cred, including appearing in Marvel rival DC for its Arrowverse shows Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow, spoke with The Direct about what fans can expect to see from Nightcrawler in Season 2.

X-Men '97 Star Adrian Hough on Nightcrawler's Journey

When we first meet Nightcrawler in X-Men: TAS, he was initially living among monks, constantly covered in monks' robes to hide his appearance, and eventually bonds with Wolverine (voice of Cal Dodd) over faith since he's not exactly one who has been pious, given the relentless persecution of mutants from humans as a common theme in the series. His origins were also explored, as his mother was revealed to be the blue-skinned, shapeshifting Mystique (voiced by Jennifer Dale), who gave birth to him looking like a village woman.

Since becoming an X-Men, he's been part of the supporting crew in the Disney+ series. As far as what we can look forward to in Season 2, "Well, he's way off in the past. I mean, he's one of the group that ended up in the past, and you know, they had to go through quite a lot to get there. He's one who's always been very soulful, very caring, and he's approached being part of the X-Men—He's embraced it wholly… I think he's very adaptable. He does teleport, he's got his skills, he's got his sword fighting. He's super passionate about protecting the X-Men and his friends and his half-sister Rogue, and ready to fight the bad guys," Hough said.

As far as how much further Hough will get to explore Kurt Wagner, "I think by the end [he has]… Incredible [character growth]. In the old series, we only ever see him sort of morose and sad, but like hopeful, and you know, proselytizing to Wolverine in the chapel, and then finding out that Mystique is his mother, and [he starts to bond] with Rogue, but I think it comes to fruition in this season. That's all I'll say." For more, including where Nightcrawler could go in future seasons, and what he's learned playing the character, you can check out the entire interview. New episodes of X-Men '97, featuring the voices of Ray Chase, Alison Sealy-Smith, Lenore Zann, George Buza, JP Karliak, and Jennifer Hale, premiere Wednesdays on Disney+.

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