Nightcrawler (2nd series) #4

Issue Date: 
May 2002
Story Title: 
Passion Play - part 4 : Crossing

Chris Kipiniak (writer), Matthew Smith (penciler), Mark Morales and Rodney Ramos (inkers), HiFi Design (colors), Jon Babcock (letterer), Pete Franco (editor), Joe Quesada (editor in chief), Bill Jemas (president)

Brief Description: 

Having lost too much blood, Nightcrawler hallucinates about the X-Men. Xavier tells him that heroes will never give up, and when Kurt voices concern about God not being among the hallucinatory friends, but Xavier explains that God is present as Nightcrawler is not dead. He fully regains consciousness and finds Oleg and his men gone and the house empty. Only Beatta was left behind, beaten and bruised, and she wants to be left alone. Back at the church, Nightcrawler has to learn that Kim, the thai girl he rescued earlier, has run away as she was afraid of deportation. Oleg closes up business in New York and wanting to tie up loose ends he kills his thai slave broker. Nightcrawler bursts in, having pressed the location of out Kim’s former master Mrs. Emsoon, and after a brief battle manages to disarm and defeat Oleg. Yet he has won nothing. As the police arrives Oleg taunts him that the US have no law against human trafficking and he will only go to prison for a few minor crimes. Besides others will take his place and the business will continue. Later, Kurt wonders the streets of New York and tries to help another prostitute, but she too doesn’t want his help. He ponders if priesthood is really the right path for him as his mentor Father Whitney apprently thinks he is not fit for it.

Full Summary: 

While Father Whitney is asleep, Kim decides that she has to leave. Both Whitney and his young apprentice (Nightcrawler with an image inducer) have been very kind to her, but she knows that sooner or later someone will see her and call the police and she would get deported. This she can’t allow, as she doesn’t want to return to her family empty-handed when they gave their entire savings to pay for her journey to the United States. Kim runs away into the night.
Elsewhere, Nightcrawler regains consciousness and sees Wolverine over him. He tells him he has to fight the pain and get up. Once he is standing, Kurt sees some familiar faces including Cyclops, Phoenix, Professor Xavier and Captain Britain. Xavier encourages Nightcrawler and tells him heroes always beat the odds and keep fighting on with all their heart. Kurt wonders if they are communicating telepathically, but Xavier says that he is hallucinating because he has lost so much blood. Nightcrawler gets sad, he is honored that all of his friends are present but he wonder why the one being he was expecting most is not there – God. However “Xavier“ replies that God is in fact the only one who really is there, after all he answered his prayer and Nightcrawler is not dead.
Kurt fully wakes up and searches the building. It is empty and deserted, only Beatta is still there, left behind by Oleg. She reveals that Oleg is about to see a thai slave broker and that the other girls are being brought to Chicago by plane. Kurt gets angry, Beatta set him up before, why should he believe her now. He demands to know why she betrayed him, he was kind and posed no threat to her, and he even accuses her of having made up the story of her kidnapping to lure him into a false sense of security. However when she turns around, Kurt sees that she was beaten. He apologizes and promises to stop Oleg, but she doesn’t want to hear it. She tells him to leave her alone various times until Nightcrawler finally does as she asks.
Oleg is leaving New York by car. Driving along, he kind of regrets having to leave, but nothing lasts forever. He already learned this back when the USSR broke apart. At first there was much confusion with new governments trying to establish themselves. It was a pretty free market and people like Oleg can make much money in such times. Oleg is a strong person, he proved himself in several wars and he knows what it takes to survive. That's why he now leaves New York and cuts his losses.
Father Whitney finds a trail of blood in his church and assumes that Kurt has again beaten up a criminal. However Nightcrawler explains that it is his own blood this time, but he has already bandaged the wound. Kurt wants to speak with Kim, and the priest fills him in that she is gone, apparently too scared of deportation. Kurt says that he has to leave again, no matter how futile his cause might seem. Although Professor Xavier’s dream of acceptance for everyone is unrealistic and utopian, Kurt believes in it. He teleports away.
Later that day, Kurt pays another visit to Mrs. Emsoon, Kim’s former master, again using his image inducer. He asks for her help, all he needs to know is the address of the Thai travel agent where Emsoon got Kim from. She admits to not have been sleeping very well in recent weeks, but for giving away that kind of information she wants immunity from any charges. Nightcrawler turns her down, not only is he not in the position to make such deals, but more important she can’t make such a deal with God. Instead he tells her that she should give the address because it is the right thing to do and hope for forgiveness.
Oleg has gone to a travel agency which is the cover address of the thai travel broker. His arrival startles the broker, and he asks what Oleg wants. The crimelord says that he closes up shop in New York and before saying goodbye he has to tie up a few loose ends. Strangling the travel agent, Oleg says that when he goes so do his associates – that is the way of good business.
Nightcrawler bursts in and kicks Oleg into a wall. The russian gets annoyed and asks why Kurt continues to bother him. After all he is no better or worse than any other businessman, but Nightcrawler tells him that what Oleg is doing is wrong. The gangster pulls his gun and shoots at the mutant multiple times, but Kurt teleports out of the way to appear behind Oleg and knock him into a wall again, saying that he ruined those people's lives. Oleg answers that he is only giving them what they desire, but Kurt knows that enslavement was not what they hoped for. The battle continues and Nightcrawler finally disarms and defeats Oleg, though he mocks him. As there is no law against human trafficking, he will get little or no jail time, and his business will continue without him. Others will bring illegal immigrants to the United States and force girls to work as prostitutes. Nightcrawler announces that he will deal with every single one of them, but Oleg says it is pointless, he can never expect to win. The police are coming and Oleg tells Nightcrawler to stay in church as he would make a terrible businessman.
(weeks later)

Kurt is wondering the streets of New York, still hoping to spot Kim anywhere. While looking, Kurt thinks about Father Whitney, who, although he doesn’t say it directly, thinks him unfit for priesthood. A prostitute comes up to him looking for business. Kurt refuses and points to his collar, but the girl repeats her offer – it would be the first time that her customer was priest. Kurt gives her a hundred dollar bill and tells her to take it and go home. She doesn’t know what to make of it and suspecting a set-up or to be dealing with weirdo, she wants to give the money back. Kurt insists that she keeps it, but she doesn’t want it so she throws it away, saying that that there is no person who pays her without wanting something. He wanted to help for a very selfish reasons, namely to have reason to believe that no matter how bad things are, one can always change his life for the better. He believes that people only need that one last chance to get things right.
The wind carries the hundred dollar bill to a homeless man who goes to get a room for the night.

Characters Involved: 


Father Whitney

Beatta, a prostitute

Kim, a thai girl

Mrs. Emsoon


Story Notes: 

Though already foreshadowed in this issue, Wolverine #173 fully establishes that Nightcrawler no longer is a priest in training.

Issue Information: 
Written By: