That is absolutely right. THAT IS WHAT KURT STOOD FOR. He was the essence of ANYONE'S struggle for equality, looking/acting different, but on the inside STILL THE SAME HUMAN THAT ALL THE REST OF US ARE! It's one of the reasons why I hate the idea of "homo superior" -- scientifically speaking, they're not a seperate species and metaphorically speaking, it labels them as REALLY different from us. And the whole point is that they AREN'T-- mutants are exactly the same as any other human on this planet, once you get past the fur/fangs/claws/tails/strange superpowers. Kurt is a HUMAN. To make him anything else is to make his entire struggle, his whole life's goal, a struggle in vain. THAT is why Kurt needs to have this whole Azazel thing gotten completely rid of.I think it cheapens the writers/writing....but I agree with you. Nightcrawler's appearance was to me a symbol of the entire mutant struggle---he looked like the epitome of the worst kind of monster, but inside he was nothing like that. Human beings all over the world treat each other like crap based on race, religion, gender, etc. Xmen is a metaphor for reality. It's also a metaphor for doing good in the face of evil even if that evil is directed at you...ie: I choose to keep my civilized humanity even when others are dismissing it or trying to take it away from me.
Then to take a fully human man and say because he looks like a demon, he must be related to one....or have something to do with the supernatural....it kills the metaphor. IMO, it flies in the face of the whole idea of the Xmen. It justifies the ignorant mobs who refuse to accept the mutants' humanity regardless of how they may look.
Plus, Kurt was a unique character. He was the only person in the world who looked like him! He was a mutant: individual, different. And while it's obvious that he got some traits from his mother, the point of a mutant is mutation, a change from what was before into something different. Essentially, mutation means an accident in the DNA replicating. Thus, Kurt was different from anyone else in the world, with his own unique genes.
Then enter Azazel. Suddenly, Kurt has half a million half-brothers and sisters who all look exactly like him. Kurt is no longer different and unique: his coloring, eyes, and probably his flexible spine come from his mom. His tail, ears, teleportation, ability to disappear into shadows, and wall-crawling all came from his dad! The only thing at this point that appears to be a true mutation is his fur, and as far as we know either Mystique or Azazel could have fur as well! Kurt is no longer unique-- he's just borrowing his genes from his parents... and all his half-brothers and sisters have half his genes.
That's the other reason to get rid of Azazel.
But please, writers... please do it well!
[Edited on 8/30/09 by Dedicatedfollower467]