The inspector didn't/hasn't said anything yet. It is the wall on the right-hand side of this photo...you can kind of see it at the bottom of the photo. Would it be a simple fix like just replacing the individual bricks (which is what my dad says). I know dad knows best but...

This looks like a result of a modern too-hard mortar being used to point an old soft brick. Mortar is not glue and must be softer that the bricks its between. Find some original mortar, have it analyzed, and reproduce it on matching brick for a proper repair.

In a masonry wall the building microshifts continually over time, and the creates a grinding action between bricks. The idea in wall construction is that the mortar is softer than the wall so as this occurs the mortar between the bricks will turn to dust and protect the structural bricks. It really looks like that wall was repointed at some point, and that they used the wrong mortar. This can happen when a building is built with lime mortar and someone comes in and repointed it with modern portland cement. The result is that the building shifts and grinds the old brickwork or fieldstones to dust because the mortar is much harder than the stone.

This is just my guess based on what I've seen happen in basements in the New England area. There could also be something chemical going on instead, especially if their is a space inside that wall and water has been getting back there. Bricks from the 1800s used different manufacturing standards that I'm not familiar with.

From your pictures it looks like that wall is almost certainly load bearing. It actually looks like it was originally an exterior wall in the house, and that the room you are standing in is an addition.

I would surely be concerned about it. Whether it prevents your closing is up to you after you consider how extensive it is and how much you are willing to spend to repair it. Masons good enough to do extensive repairs are expensive, and structural engineers are more expensive. Have to demolition the wall and retrofit another material may ruin what appealed to you about the house in the first place.

The dreaded brickworm has attacked!

I suspect that random (unsuitably soft) brick were used when they created the wider opening. They will have to be cut out and replaced.

With super-soft brick you need to use super-flexible mortar. http://www.limeworks.us/ecologic-mortar.php

You could put some wood trim around the door opening and cover at least most of it.