BIOGRAPHY - Page 7
In the wake of M-Day, which depowered most of the world's mutants, a group of fundamentalist Christian terrorists staged a deadly attack on the X-Mansion. Nightcrawler delivered the eulogies for the fifteen murdered students whose bodies were not retrieved by their parents. [New X-Men (2nd series) #24]
Shortly after the first new mutant to appear after M-Day was born, Nightcrawler sustained a critical injury during an ambush on Mr. Sinister's Marauders when Scalphunter shot him through the chest. [Messiah Complex crossover] 
He recovered, though, and the X-Men succeeded in sending the infant mutant girl to the future with Cable for protection. The X-Men disbanded shortly thereafter and, during this period of aimlessness, Nightcrawler tracked down his fugitive assailant Scalphunter. However, he did not bring him to justice. In an attempt to halt his cycle of violence toward mutants, Nightcrawler forgave him for his past — and future — transgressions against the X-Men and mutantkind. [X-Men: Divided We Stand #1]
Shortly after the X-Men reconvened in San Francisco, a group of Skrulls assaulted the city, prompting the X-Men to fight back in its defense. During this struggle, Nightcrawler encountered a Skrull relic
that essentially functioned as a telepathic version of the Skrull religion's sacred text. This holy orb attempted to convert Kurt to the Skrull religion, promising him power and victory over his enemies if he and his fellow mutants "embraced change." It even went as far as to interrogate him about his dead step-brother, Stefan Szardos. Kurt proved steadfast and rejected the orb's offerings, turning it over to Beast, who used it to defeat the Skrull army. [Secret Invasion: X-Men #1-4]
With very few mutants left in the world in need of training, Nightcrawler began mentoring the team's newest teleporter, Pixie. However, Kurt's self-worth began to suffer when it became apparent that Pixie's magic-based teleportation abilities far surpassed his own. Later, when discussing with Pixie her recent traumatic encounter with Magik, Pixie went berserk and stabbed Kurt with her Soul Dagger, drawing out the long-dormant Soulsword in the process. Its removal from Kurt's body alerted Magik to its presence, and she traveled from Limbo to Earth to claim it. Upon seeing Magik again, the X-Men decided to rescue her from Limbo, and appointed Nightcrawler as leader of this mission. While there, Kurt proved instrumental in saving his teammates, preventing a coup on Limbo and coaxing Magik into returning to the X-Men. [X-Infernus #1-4]
The incident did little to temper Nightcrawler's feelings of uselessness, however, and, since the X-Men were no longer teaching classes, he decided to take a leave of absence so he could better assess his future. Upon receiving an invitation to a museum devoted to his legacy in his hometown of Winzeldorf, Germany, Nightcrawler returned home. He was awestruck by the museum's level of detail and devotion to his career, and he grew fond of the establishment's fawning curator, Mara. The purpose of his trip quickly changed from leisure to business, however, when he learned an alleged demon was apparently terrorizing the town, hence his summons. Nightcrawler tracked down the demon and learned he was actually a young boy named Henrik suffering from a monstrous Gypsy curse. Before Kurt could dispel the situation between the boy and a mob of angry townspeople, Henrik massacred the mob and committed suicide. 
To make matters worse, Mephisto once again appeared, claimed Henrik's soul and foretold a similar fate for Kurt. Nightcrawler rejected Mephisto's taunts and temptations for the second time, insisting he was proud of what he had accomplished and the choices he had made. After returning to the museum and thanking Mara for her admiration, Nightcrawler returned to the X-Men, as invigorated as ever about its cause. [X-Men: Manifest Destiny Nightcrawler]
Back at home, Kurt settled in with the X-Men, his self-doubts quelled. However, he began having concerns about the current direction of the X-Men under Cyclops’s leadership—namely, that they were becoming a militant squad of isolationist mutants more akin to Magneto's vision than Xavier’s. Wolverine of all people reminded him that the world had changed and the dream had failed, and implored him to have faith in Cyclops and his plan. [Nation X #1]
Nightcrawler took Wolverine's words to heart. When Hope, the alleged mutant messiah, returned from the future with Cable, Cyclops diverted all of the X-Men's resources into protecting her and getting her home safely. Nightcrawler supported his leader's decisions because he could relate to the faith Cyclops placed in the girl. [X-Men: Second Coming #1]
Despite his trust in Cyclops, Nightcrawler was shocked when he learned during the extraction mission that Cyclops had created a top-secret kill squad dedicated to eliminating the X-Men's enemies through lethal force—and that his best friend Wolverine was complicit in this group. Kurt promised Cyclops they would have a conversation about this decision when he returned home.
When the X-Men finally caught up with Hope and Cable in the Midwest, they concocted a plan to get the girl home safely. Already down two teleporters, Cyclops tasked Kurt with transporting the girl across the country, rather than entrust the task to the team's less-experienced or less-trustworthy teleporters. 
While teleporting across the country piecemeal with both Hope and Rogue in tow—a task that tremendously taxed Nightcrawler's abilities—Nightcrawler and crew were ambushed by Bastion, the amalgamated robot of Nimrod and Master Mold bent on Hope's destruction. Bastion dispatched Nightcrawler and Rogue and was about to execute Hope when Nightcrawler intervened to save her life. However, Bastion's familiarity with his energy signature allowed him to implement lethal counter-measures, and Kurt re-appeared in-between Hope and Bastion... with the robot's arm protruding from his chest. Although mortally wounded, Nightcrawler summoned up enough energy to teleport one last time, and transported himself and Hope all the way to the X-Men's base off the coast of San Francisco. With his dying breath atop the rocky outcrop, Kurt told Hope he believed in her. [Second Coming crossover]