Margali Szardos was hired by Orchis to cast a hex that caused mutants around the world to transform into monsters. When Kurt Wagner and his Legionaries confronted her, Margali attacked them with the hex, transforming Kurt. Margali mused that Kurt had always held onto a bright spark of hope that he had clung to even as his faith was in jeopardy. However, with his mind addled by the mutation hex, she was able to rip it out of him, fashioning it into the Hopesword.^[2]

Under Orchis' control, Nightcrawler was forced to publicly assassinate three anti-Krakoan chiefs of state to damage mutant reputation. Legion contacted Mother Righteous to have him rescued. She agreed and helped the Legionaries retrieve Nightcrawler from the Orchis Forge, where she sacrificed Margali Szardos and took the Hopesword for herself. After the corrupting spell was broken, Mother Righteous was asked to return the Hopesword but refused to do so. Legion tricked her by evacuating the Altar, empowering Nightcrawler with the Hopesword and moving to a place where she could no longer sense him. In anger, Mother Righteous obliterated Nightcrawler and the Legionaries, who were resurrected with no memories of their confrontation with her.^[3]

With Hopesword now belonging to him, Kurt left Krakoa to atone for the murders he performed while under Orchis control.^[3] He went to New York City, asked Spider-Man for a spare suit and began operating as a street-level hero.^[1] Kurt later used to Hopesword to restore Mystique's addled memory of her time in Bavaria^[4] and free the Vulture of the Techno-Organic Virus.^[5]