The first photo of Kodi Smit-McPhee as “X-Men: Apocalypse’s” Nightcrawler has been released!
The first pictures of Kodi Smit-McPhee as Nightcrawler in Bryan Singer‘s upcoming film X-Men: Apocalypse were released today. Following in similar Nightcrawler fashion, Bryan Singer released the pictures on social media with the caption “Catch him before he’s gone…” which foreshadowed the removal of the pictures a few hours later. Before he took them down, we managed to snag a few of the photos so that you all could witness for yourself. Take a look at the photo above and alternate below.
Bryan Singer has gone with a more modernized and youthful approach to this version of Nightcrawler. Given that it is obvious that the character would look more youthful, it’s interesting to see the long hair and resemblance to some of the more modern cartoons. In particular I immediately think of the show “X-Men: Evolution” and their version of Nightcrawler. In that particular cartoon he has a similar hairstyle and you also see him frequently in street clothing.
Another aspect of that cartoon’s character is that he is able to change his appearance to look normal via a device he carries with him. Seeing that Bryan Singer has recently introduced methods of “curing” characters of flaws, such as Professor X and his ability to walk and Beast’s appearance, I wonder if Singer will do the same with this version of Nightcrawler. If he’s adopting visual elements of the character from other media sources, maybe he will adopt other aspects as well.
With that said, this version of Nightcrawler is vastly different from the character we were introduced to in “X2.” The lack of prominent tattoos, the lighter complexion, and the more youthful appearance seem to venture off from what we’ve previously been introduced to. But even if the characters can’t be connected, Singer has already established an explanation with the events of “X-Men: Days of Future Past.” All characters have essentially got the chance at a reboot since the past has been altered. Maybe this will account for some character changes not just in Nightcrawler but others as well.