In the last Sins of Sinister issue before Sins of Sinister: Dominion, Simon Spurrier, Phillip Sevy, and Lorenzo Tammetta bring Nightcrawlers #3 into the future. 900 years after Nightcrawlers #2, everything is finally coming to a head for Mother Righteous’ quest to reset the universe. With a thorough exploration into a religion in decline, Nightcrawlers #3 answers many of the run’s questions while it raises new ones.
SPOILERS AHEAD for Nightcrawlers #3!
Mother Righteous didn’t need to gather all the magic in the universe. She didn’t need to send her legions out as scavengers. She didn’t even need to create her own religion out of Nightcrawler’s Spark. She did it anyway, just because she’s evil, and that’s the best kind of villain.
After an introductory monologue where Mother Righteous explains her true intentions, she speaks with a mutated version of Doctor Nemesis, who has linked himself with all the fungus in the universe. Mother Righteous uses him to get insight into the Moira lab, then instructs her Nightcrawlers to charge into the force field.
There’s a data page that really feels incomprehensible until later in the book, teasing the arrival of a “lonely bullet”. It’s easy to forget, as a gigantic Galactus, consumed by the Spirits of Vengeance, charges for the lab. Vox Ignis has been running from it for 56 years, but Mother Righteous assures him it was all for a good distraction.
Marvel Comics
Meanwhile, Destiny’s prophecy finally comes into fruition as a perfectly-timed bullet strikes Galactus in the skull and breaks open the lab. The lonely bullet is actually Juggernaut. He doesn’t stay long. To Vox Ignis’ horror, Mother Righteous convinces her last Nightcrawler to sacrifice herself.
But it all appears to be for a good cause. They find the Moira clones, alive and well in stasis. Mother Righteous reveals her intent to kill the clone and save the universe — a plan that Vox Ignis despises. She has crafted a magic heart that will send her all the information she needs once the timeline has been reset.
She steals the magic from Vox Ignis, rendering him Banshee once more. After a millennium, he is once again himself, and he is stuck in horror. It doesn’t matter though. She puts together the final ingredient — the baby Mother Righteous stole from Wagnerine.
Yet, out of nowhere, Wagnerine charges for Mother Righteous, screaming for her child. She’s quickly trapped by her own soul, which she swore to her captor. Mother Righteous offers a typical evil speech before she’s caught by a knife to her foot. It’s Banshee, finally redeeming himself! As Mother Righteous lashes out at him in fury, Wagnerine’s tail buries itself in her chest.
Wagnerine has her baby back. Banshee is himself again. The villain is vanquished. All is won.
Leaving Banshee to his own devices, Wagnerine disappears with her baby. Banshee sits on the base of the ship, finally redeemed.
And the original Moira takes the magic heart and shoots him in the head.
Marvel Comics
There’s a lot to love in Nightcrawlers #3. Mother Righteous continues to be the highlight of the book. Her charming nature is only undercut by her ruthlessness, and it remains a delightful part of Nightcrawlers. Banshee’s face is also as macabre as is intriguing. He finally redeems himself, only to see that redemption fall to the wayside as his former lover arrives to use his work for evil. Poor man.
Not every character shines in the spotlight, however. Wagnerine’s revenge is fairly predictable and doesn’t offer anything particularly original. Her motivations also remain thin. With so little time devoted to her, it’s hard to care when she gets her baby back, and it’s even harder to care about her sense of betrayal. At a certain point, it’s easy to wonder how she knew exactly what time to lunge at Mother Righteous and where to do it.
The issue also fails to really display how much time has gone by. While Immoral X-Men #3 does a great job of establishing the changes to the universe, Nightcrawlers #3 feels like barely a day has gone by. The characters are all the same, the setting only changes slightly, and Mother Righteous even acknowledges that her plans haven’t changed since the second century. Si Spurrier does a great job of establishing a time jump in Nightcrawlers #2, but the gimmick wears thin here.
It might have been able to fit in more new concepts without reiterating Destiny’s plan, which was already explained in Immoral X-Men #2. While the Juggernaut part was a nice addition, the issue devotes too many panels to Destiny’s motivations. Considering that they were always clear, it feels like a recap page from early X-Men issues in the ’80s, only they at least progressed the story.
Nightcrawlers #3 is worth a read, if only for Mother Righteous’ monologues alone. While it suffers from timeline issues, a confusing data page, and thin characterization, it’s a great setup for Sins of Sinister: Dominion. Once it’s read in context with Dominion, it will probably read a little better, if only because there can be a more adequate and satisfying conclusion.
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