| Professor X | |
Professor Charles Xavier. Art by Aaron Lopresti |
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| Publication information | |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | X-Men #1 (Sep. 1963) |
| Created by | Stan Lee Jack Kirby |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Charles Francis Xavier |
| Species | Human Mutant |
| Team affiliations | X-Men Illuminati Genoshan Excalibur Cadre K Brotherhood of Mutants Shi'ar Imperium Starjammers The Twelve |
| Notable aliases | Onslaught, Consort-Royal, Founder, X, Warlord, Entity |
| Abilities | Telepathy
|
Charles Francis Xavier, also known as Professor X, is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero known as the leader and founder of the X-Men.
Throughout most of his comic book history, Xavier is paraplegic, although his body houses one of the world's most powerful mutant minds. As a high-level telepath, Xavier can read, control and influence human minds. A scientific genius, he is also a leading authority on genetics, mutation, and psionic powers. English Golden Globe nominated actor Patrick Stewart portrayed Professor X throughout the X-Men films and the X-Men Legends games.
Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby, the Professor first appeared in X-Men #1 (September 1963).
Professor Xavier's character development has been inspired by Martin Luther King, Jr.,[1] and from inspection of the name, may also be a derivative of St. Francis Xavier, Marie François Xavier Bichat, or Charles Xavier from Vladimir Nabokov's 1962 book Pale Fire. Writer Scott Lobdell established Xavier's middle name to be Francis in Uncanny X-Men #328 (January 1996).
Stan Lee has stated that the physical inspiration of Professor Xavier was from Academy Award-winning actor Yul Brynner.
Xavier’s goals are to promote the peaceful affirmation of mutant rights, to mediate the co-existence of mutants and humans and to protect society from antagonistic mutants, including his old friend, the militant Magneto. To achieve these aims, he founded Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters (later named the Xavier Institute) to teach mutants to explore and control their powers. Its first group of students was the original X-Men. Xavier's students consider him a visionary and often refer to their mission as "Xavier's dream". He is highly regarded by others in the Marvel universe, respected by various governments and trusted by several other superhero teams, including the Avengers and the Fantastic Four. However, he also has a manipulative streak which has resulted in several significant fallings-out with allies and students.
He often acts as a public advocate for mutant rights and is the authority most of the Marvel superhero community turns to for advice on mutants. Despite this, his status as a mutant himself and leader of the X-Men has only recently become public.
In the comics' history, the X-Men rarely operate without Xavier. He also appears in both X-Men animated series and in many video games, although usually as a non-playable character because he can't use his legs. Patrick Stewart plays him in the 2000s film series, as well as providing his voice in some of the X-Men videogames (including some not connected to the film series). Tracy Morgan parodied him in the 2008 film Superhero Movie.
According to BusinessWeek, Charles Xavier is listed as one of the top ten most intelligent fictional characters in American comics.[2]
In a number of comics, especially more so in recent years, Xavier is shown to have a dark side, a part of himself that he struggles to suppress. Perhaps the most notable appearance of this character element is in the Onslaught storyline, in which the crossover event's antagonist is a physical manifestation of that dark side. Also, Onslaught is created in the most violent act Xavier claims to have done: erasing the mind of Magneto. In X-Men #106 (August 1977), the new X-Men fight images of the original team, which have been created by what Xavier says is his "evil self ... who would use his powers for personal gain and conquest," which he says he is normally able to keep in check. In the 1984 four-part series titled The X-Men and the Micronauts, Xavier's dark desires manifest themselves as the Entity and threaten to destroy the Micronauts' universe.
In other instances, Xavier is shown to be secretive and manipulative. During the Onslaught storyline, the X-Men find Xavier's files, the "Xavier Protocols", which detail how to kill many of the characters, including Xavier himself, should the need ever arise, such as if they went rogue.[3] Astonishing X-Men vol. 3, #12 (August 2005) reveals that when Xavier realizes that the Danger Room has become sentient, he keeps it trapped and experiments on it for years, an act that Cyclops calls "the oppression of a new life" and equates to humanity's treatment of mutants. In X-Men: Deadly Genesis #6, a de-powered Xavier is forced to admit that he had sent a group of hastily trained young mutants to Krakoa to save the original X-Men, resulting in their deaths. Because one of the mutants is Cyclops' brother Vulcan, Xavier erased Cyclops' memory of the event. He further manipulated the rescue team of new X-Men by making them think the meaningless noises the island made were intelligible speech—evidence that the island was alive—to match the new memories he had given Cyclops.
Xavier has multiple secrets that he hides from the X-Men beyond the Krakoa and Danger incidents. Since the inception of the X-Men, he has created and maintained a network of mutant espionage agents to work in dealings that are too dubious for the public eye of the X-Men, even entrapping Mystique into helping him (even though she killed his dear friend, Moira McTaggert). The mutant Sage was recruited at the same point as the original X-Men, however, Xavier forced Tessa into a role as a spy within the Hellfire club, seeing his team as heroes and Tessa's only ability "the capacity to betray". He has also been part of the secret Illuminati society responsible for shooting Bruce Banner into space.
In the Mutant X comic book series, set outside the Marvel Universe continuity, Xavier travels the world capturing telepaths for the purpose of stealing their mental energy. Xavier takes control of S.H.I.E.L.D., captures Gambit's daughter, and attempts to kill the X-Men with a nuclear strike. An alternate-reality version of Xavier is the enemy in the first story arc of the Exiles series. In Ultimate X-Men, Xavier frequently lies to other characters, including the X-Men, or even manipulates them when he feels it is necessary. Xavier tells the American president that he has killed Magneto, but instead he has blocked Magneto's memories and created a new personality and memories for him, along with a new life working with mentally challenged children. In issue #65, unbeknownst to the rest of the team, he directs Angel to become his mole in Emma Frost's Academy of Tomorrow in the guise of expelling the student. In Ultimate X-Men #58, he defuses a hostage situation by hiring the mutant bank robbers for a mission in which the X-Men cannot be implicated, and making the police believe they have killed them.
In the film X-Men: The Last Stand, Wolverine questions Xavier's ethics when he discovers that the professor instituted mental blocks in the mind of Jean Grey to subdue her uncontrollable powers, thus creating her alternate personality, the Phoenix. Xavier states that he does not have to answer to him and that he chose the lesser of two evils, as the Phoenix persona is dangerous.
A brilliant student intent on undertaking graduate studies, Xavier enters England's Oxford University, where he meets and falls in love with a young Scotswoman named Moira Kinross with a brilliant mind that matches his own. Their passionate discussions on genetic mutation give way to an equally passionate romance. They plan to be married, but after finishing his work at Oxford, Xavier is drafted and sent to Asia. It has a been hinted that Mister Sinister interferes with Moira's and Xavier's relationship as he is posing as a professor at Oxford at the time. Deeply depressed when Moira breaks off their engagement without explanation, Xavier begins traveling abroad after leaving the army. He later discovers that Moira married her old boyfriend Joseph MacTaggert, who abuses her. He eventually renews his friendship with Moira MacTaggert, who is now a renowned geneticist, and they begin discussing the idea of founding a school for mutants. Charles' ex-fiancée turns up as a lifetime friend who interacts with the X-Men often. He nearly follows her to death to be with her when she is fatally injured.
Xavier goes to Haifa, Israel, where he falls in love with Gabrielle Haller, a catatonic Holocaust victim he forces back to awareness. Xavier and Haller are unaware when he leaves Israel that she is pregnant with his son, who would become the autistic mutant known as Legion. They separate on good terms.
American nurse Amelia Voght helps him recover from his debilitating injuries from his assault by Lucifer in India. She makes cheering him up in the hospital her pet project. They live together both in Bombay and Westchester, but she then leaves as Xavier gathers students. Xavier feels he failed her, and in a passing "maddened panic" tries to force her to stay, with her feeling betrayed. He encounters her again as an Acolyte of Magneto, and eventually she saves his life.
Charles becomes romantically interested in Teri Martin, the mother of a young mutant girl he is trying to help, after the Z'Nox incident, but he decides that he has no room for romance at the time.[4]
Shi'ar Princess-Majestrix Lilandra forms an intense psychic bond with Xavier across the vast distance that separates their two planets, which leads her to him after she flees her Empire, in search of help against her villainous brother. Xavier has dreamt of her and Lilandra has known they were soul mates. They fall in love at first sight. Later, he helps overthrow her sister as well to return the throne to Lilandra. They are wed until the Shi'ar Counsel annuls their marriage on the grounds that involvement with Xavier has caused trouble for the Empire. However, as seen in the recent Rise and Fall of the Shi'ar Empire storyline, Lilandra still loves him, despite their troubles. No child has resulted from the union in the canon universe (he and Lilandra do have a child together in X-Men: The End).
In one instance in the start of Uncanny X-Men (issue #3), Professor X privately reflects upon his love for Jean Grey, but does not pursue it due to his feeling inadequate about being in a wheelchair, and the age difference and sacredness of the teacher-student relationship.[5] Although Xavier never again displays a romantic interest in Jean, the idea that he once entertained this thought becomes one of his "dark secrets" and is revisited when the Professor's dark side manifests in the form of Onslaught and reveals it to Jean. There is debate, however, that it is more of a loving father-figure relationship, as Professor X has known Jean from the age of 11. He also loves her in Ultimate X-Men as it is said in the Phoenix arc and in the Cable arc.
Charles Francis Xavier was born in New York City to the wealthy Brian Xavier, a well-respected nuclear scientist, and Sharon Xavier. After Brian dies in an accident, his science partner Kurt Marko comforts and marries the grieving Sharon. When Xavier's telepathic mutant powers emerge, he discovers Kurt cares only about his mother's money.
After the wedding, Kurt moves in with the Xaviers, bringing with him his son Cain. Kurt quickly grows neglectful of Sharon, driving her to alcoholism, and abuses both Sharon and Cain. Cain takes out his frustrations and insecurities on his stepbrother. Charles uses his telepathic powers to read Cain's mind and explore the extent of his psychological damage, which only leads to Cain becoming more aggressive toward him and the young Xavier feeling Cain's pain firsthand.
Sharon dies soon after, and a fight erupts between Cain and Charles that causes some of Kurt's lab equipment to explode. Mortally wounded, Kurt drags the two children out before dying.[6][7]
With help from his powers and his natural genius, Xavier becomes an excellent student and athlete, though he gives up the latter, believing his powers give him an unfair advantage. He graduates with honors at the age of 16 from Harvard University.[8] As a college freshman, Xavier resides in Wigglesworth Hall H-11. In graduate studies he receives Ph.D.s in Genetics, Biophysics, and Psychology[9] with a two year residence at Oxford University.[10] He is later appointed Adjunct Professor at Columbia University.[11]
At graduate school, he meets a Scottish girl named Moira Kinross, a fellow genetics student with whom he falls in love. The two agree to get married, but soon, Xavier is drafted into the Korean War. He carves himself a niche as a soldier in search and rescue missions alongside Shadowcat's father, Carmen Pryde,[12] and witnesses Cain's transformation into Juggernaut. During the war, he receives a letter from Moira telling him that she is breaking up with him. He later discovers that Moira married her old boyfriend Joseph MacTaggert, who abuses her.[6][10][13]
Deeply depressed when Moira broke off their engagement without explanation, Xavier began traveling around the world as an adventurer after leaving the army. In Cairo, he meets a young girl named Ororo Munroe (later known as Storm), who is a pickpocket, and the Shadow King, a powerful mutant who is posing as Egyptian crime lord Amahl Farouk. Xavier defeats the Shadow King, barely escaping with his life. This encounter leads to Xavier's decision to devote his life to protecting humanity from evil mutants and safeguarding innocent mutants from human oppression.[10]
Xavier visits his friend Daniel Shomron, who runs a clinic for traumatized Holocaust victims in Haifa, Israel. There, he meets Erik Lehnsherr (who would later become Magneto), a Holocaust survivor who works as a volunteer in the clinic, and Gabrielle Haller, a woman driven into a catatonic coma by the trauma she experienced. Xavier uses his mental powers to break her out of her catatonia and the two fall in love. Xavier and Magneto become good friends, although neither immediately reveals to the other that he is a mutant. The two hold lengthy debates hypothesizing what will happen if humanity is faced with a new super-powered race of humans. While Xavier is optimistic, Magneto's experiences in the Holocaust lead him to believe that humanity will ultimately oppress the new race of humans as they have done with other minorities. The two friends reveal their powers to each other when they fight Nazi Baron Wolfgang von Strucker and his HYDRA agents, who kidnap Gabrielle because she knows the location of their secret cache of gold. Magneto attempts to kill Strucker but Xavier stops him. Realizing that his and Xavier's views on mutant-human relations are incompatible, Magneto leaves with the gold. Charles stays in Israel for some time, but he and Gabrielle separate on good terms, neither knowing that she is pregnant with his son, who grows up to become the mutant Legion.[14]
In a strange town near the Himalayas, Xavier encounters an alien calling himself Lucifer, the advance scout for an invasion by his race, and foils his plans. In retaliation, Lucifer drops a huge stone block on Xavier, crippling his legs.[15] After Lucifer leaves, a young woman named Sage hears Xavier's telepathic cries for help and rescues him, bringing him to safety, beginning a long alliance between the two.[16]
In a hospital in India he is brought to an American nurse, Amelia Voght, who looks after him and, as she sees to his recovery, they fall in love. When he is released from the hospital the two move into an apartment in Bombay together. Amelia is troubled to find Charles studying mutation, as she is a mutant and unsettled by it, though she calms when he reveals himself to be a mutant as well. They eventually move to the United States, living on Xavier's family estate. But the night Scott Summers moves into Xavier's mansion, Amelia leaves him, believing Charles would have changed his view and that mutants should lay low. Yet he is recruiting them to what she believes is a lost cause. Charles tries to force her to stay with his mental powers, but immediately ashamed by this, lets her go. She later becomes a disciple of Magneto.[17][18][19]
Over the years, Charles makes a name for himself as geneticist and psychologist, apparently renowned enough that the Greys were referred to him when no other expert could help their catatonic daughter, Jean. Xavier trains her in the use of her telekinesis, while inhibiting her telepathic abilities until she matures.[20] Around this time, he also starts working with fellow mutation expert, Karl Lykos, as well as Moira MacTaggert again, who built a mutant research station on Muir Island. Apparently, Charles had gotten over Moira in his travels to the Greek island of Kirinos.[10] Xavier discusses his candidates for recruitment to his personal strike force, the X-Men, with Moira, including those he passes over, which are Kurt Wagner, Piotr Rasputin, Pietro and Wanda Maximoff, and Ororo Munroe. Xavier also trains Tessa in order to spy on Sebastian Shaw.[21][22][23]
Xavier founds Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, which provides a safe haven for mutants and teaches them to master their abilities. In addition, he seeks to foster mutant-human relations by providing his superhero team, the X-Men, as an example of mutants acting in good faith, as he told FBI agent Fred Duncan.[24] With his inherited fortune, he uses his ancestral mansion at 1407 Graymalkin Lane in Salem Center, Westchester County, New York as a base of operations with technologically advanced facilities, including the Danger Room - later, Fantomex mentions that Xavier is a billionaire with a net worth of 3.5 billion dollars.[25] Presenting the image of a stern teacher, Xavier makes his students endure a rigorous training regime.[26]
Xavier's first five students are Marvel Girl, Cyclops, Beast, Iceman, and Angel, who become the original X-Men.[27] After he completes recruiting the original team of X-Men, he sends them into battle with Magneto.[28]
Throughout most of his time with the team, Xavier uses his telepathic powers to keep in constant contact with his students and provides instructions and advice when needed. In addition, he uses a special machine called Cerebro, which enhances his ability to detect mutants and to allow the team to find new students in need of the school.[29]
Among the obstacles Xavier faces is his old friend, Magneto, who has grown into an advocate of mutant superiority since their last encounter and who believes the only solution to mutant persecution is domination over humanity.[30]
When anthropologist Bolivar Trask resurfaces the "mutant problem", Xavier counters him in a televised debate, however, he appears arrogant and Trask sends his mutant-hunting robot Sentinels to terrorize mutants. The X-Men dispatch them, but Trask sees the error in his ways too late as he is killed by his creations.[31]
At one point, Xavier seemingly dies during the X-Men's battle with the sub-human Grotesk, but it is later revealed that Xavier arranged for a reformed former villain named Changeling to impersonate him while he went into hiding to plan a defense against an invasion by the extraterrestrial Z'Nox, imparting a portion of his telepathic abilities to the Changeling to complete the disguise.[32]
When the X-Men are captured by the sentient island Krakoa, Xavier assembles a new team to rescue them, including Banshee, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Storm, and Wolverine. After the mission, the older team of X-Men, except for Cyclops, leave the school, believing they no longer belong there, and Xavier mentors the new X-Men.[33][34]
Xavier forms a psychic bond across galaxies with Princess Lilandra from the Shi'ar Empire. When they finally meet, it is love at first sight. She implores the professor to stop her mad brother, Shi'ar Emperor D'Ken, and he instantly aids her by deploying his X-Men. When Jean Grey returns from the Savage Land to tell him that all the X-Men are dead, he shuts down the school and travels with Lilandra to her kingdom, where she is crowned Empress and he is treated like a child or a trophy husband.[35][36]
Xavier senses the changes taking place in Jean Grey, and returns to Earth to help and resume leadership of the X-Men.[37] Shortly thereafter he battles his pupil after she becomes Dark Phoenix and destroys a populated planet in the Shi'ar Empire. It hurts Xavier to be on the opposite side of Lilandra, but he has no other choice but to challenge the Shi'ar Imperial Guard to a duel over the fate of the Phoenix. Xavier would have lost against the greater power of the Dark Phoenix, but thanks to the help Jean Grey gives him (fighting her Phoenix persona), Xavier emerges victorious; she later commits suicide in order to prevent herself from endangering more innocent lives.[38]
When the X-Men fight members of the extraterrestrial race known as the Brood, Xavier is captured by them, and implanted with a Brood egg, which places Xavier under the Brood's control. During this time, Xavier assembles a team of younger mutants called the New Mutants, secretly intended to be prime hosts for reproduction of the aliens. The X-Men discover this and return to free Xavier, but they are too late to prevent his body from being destroyed with a Brood Queen in its place, however, his soul remains intact. The X-Men and Starjammers subdue this monstrous creature containing Xavier's essence, but the only way to restore him is to clone a new body using tissue samples he donated to the Starjammers and transfer his consciousness into the clone body. This new body possesses functional legs, though the psychosomatic pain Xavier experienced after living so long as a paraplegic takes some time to subside. Subsequently, he even joins the X-Men in the field, but later decides not to continue this practice after realizing that his place is at the school, as the teacher of the New Mutants.[39][40][41][42]
After taking a teaching position at Columbia University in Uncanny X-Men #192, Xavier is severely injured and left for dead as the victim of a hate crime. Callisto and her Morlocks, a group of underground-dwelling mutants, get him to safety. One of the Morlocks partially restores Xavier's health, but Callisto warns Xavier that he isn't fully healed and that he must spend more time recuperating and restrain himself from exerting his full strength or powers, or his health might fail again. Xavier hides his injuries from the others and resumes his life.[11]
Charles meets with former lover Gabrielle Haller on Muir Isle and discovers that they had a child. The boy, David, is autistic and suffers from multiple personality disorder and has vast psionic powers like his father. After helping him and his team to escape from David's mind, Xavier promises he will always be there for him.[43]
A reformed Magneto is arrested and put on trial. Xavier attends the trial to defend his friend. Andrea and Andreas Strucker, the children of presumed dead Baron von Strucker, crash the courtroom to attack Magneto and Xavier. Xavier is seriously injured. Dying, he asks a shocked Magneto to look after the X-Men for him. Lilandra, who has a psychic bond with Xavier, feels that he is in great danger and heads to Earth. There, she and Corsair take Xavier with them so Shi'ar advanced technology can heal him.[44]
Xavier leaves Magneto in charge of the school, but some of the X-Men are unwilling to forgive their former enemy. Cyclops loses a duel for the leadership of the X-Men against Storm, then leaves them and joins the original five X-Men to form a new team called X-Factor.
In the meantime, Charles becomes stranded in space with the Starjammers, but he is reunited with his lover Lilandra and relishes his carefree lifestyle. He serves as a member of the Starjammers aboard the starship Starjammer, mobile in the Shi'ar Galaxy. He becomes consort to the Princess-Magestrix Lilandra while in exile, and when she later resumes her throne he takes up residence with her in the Imperial palace on the Shi'ar homeworld. Xavier joins Lilandra in her cause to overthrow her sister Deathbird, taking on the powers of Phoenix temporarily wherein he is named Bald Phoenix, but sees that he must return to help the X-Men.[45][46][47]
Xavier eventually becomes imprisoned by the Skrulls during their attempted invasion of the Shi'ar Empire. Xavier breaks free from imprisonment by Warskrull Prime, and is reunited with the X-Men.[48] A healthy Xavier returns from the Shi'ar Empire and is reunited with both the current and original X-Men teams. He resumes his leadership responsibilities of the united teams. In a battle with his old foe, the Shadow King, in the "Muir Island Saga", Xavier's spine is shattered, returning him to his former paraplegic state, while his son David is seemingly killed. In the following months, Xavier rebuilds the mansion, which previously was rebuilt with Shi'ar technology, and restructures the X-Men into two teams.[49][50][51]
While holding a mutant rights speech, Xavier is nearly assassinated by Stryfe in the guise of Cable, being infected with a fatal techno-organic virus. For reasons of his own, the villain Apocalypse saves him. As a temporary side-effect he gains full use of his legs and devotes his precious time to the youngest recruit on his team, Jubilee.[52][53]
With all his students now highly trained adults, Professor Xavier renames his school the Xavier Institute For Higher Learning. Also, he assumes control of a private institution, the Massachusetts Academy, making it a new School for Gifted Youngsters. Another group of young mutants is trained here, Generation X, with Banshee and Emma Frost as headmaster and headmistress, respectively.[54]
Professor X is for a time the unknowing host of the evil psionic entity Onslaught, the result of a previous battle with Magneto. In that battle, Magneto uses his powers to rip out the adamantium bonded to Wolverine's skeleton, and a furious Xavier wipes Magneto's mind, leaving him in a coma.[55][19][56] From the psychic trauma of Xavier using his powers so violently and the mixing of Magneto's and Xavier's repressed anger, Onslaught is born. Onslaught wreaks havoc, destroying much of Manhattan, until many of Marvel's superheroes—including the Avengers, the Fantastic Four and the Hulk—destroy him.[57] Xavier is left without his telepathy and, overcome with guilt, leaves the X-Men and is incarcerated for his actions.[58][59][60] He later returns to the X-Men after Operation: Zero Tolerance, in which he is shocked by the cruel act of being turned over to the mutant-hating Bastion, following a clash with the sentient Cerebro and a team of impostor X-Men.[61][62][63]
Xavier questions his dream again and Magneto shortly thereafter is confronted by the X-Men. After the battle, the UN concedes Genosha to Magnus, and Wolverine is angered by Xavier stopping him from getting his revenge on Magneto. Charles and Logan are later trapped in a dimension with different laws of physics, wherein they have to coordinate their moves together and, in the process, gain a better understanding of the other's views.[64][65]
Apocalypse kidnaps the fabled "Twelve" special mutants (Xavier included) whose combined energies would grant him omnipotence. After Apocalypse's defeat with the help of Skrull mutants, Xavier goes with the young Skrulls known as Cadre K to train them and free them from their oppressors, and eventually returns to aid in Legacy Virus research.[66][67][68][69]
Mystique and her Brotherhood start a deadly assault on Muir Isle by releasing an altered form of the Legacy Virus, all in retaliation against the election campaign of Robert Kelly, a seeming mutant-hater. Mystique blows up Moira MacTaggert's laboratory complex, fatally wounding her. Charles goes to the astral plane to meet with her and retrieve information on the cure to the Legacy Virus, but after gathering the information does not want to leave her alone. If not for Jean pulling him back, the professor would have died with his first love, who states she has no regrets.[69]
As the Legacy Virus is cured, many infected Genoshan mutants recover overnight, providing Magneto, current ruler of Genosha, with an army to start the third World War. He demands Earth's governments to accept him as their leader, and abducts and crucifies Xavier in Magda Square for all to see. Though a loyal member of Magneto's Acolytes, Amelia Voght can't stand to see her former lover punished in such a manner and sets him free. Jean Grey and rather untrained newcomers, as most of the team are elsewhere, distract Magneto and Wolverine guts him. Xavier is too late to intervene.[70]
Xavier's evil twin Cassandra Nova, whom Xavier attempted to kill while they were both in their mother's womb, orders a group of rogue Sentinels to destroy the independent mutant nation of Genosha. Magneto, who is Genosha's leader, appears to die along with the vast majority of the nation's inhabitants. Nova then takes over Xavier's body. Posing as Xavier, she reveals his mutation to the world, something he needed to do but did not want to sully his reputation over,[71] before going into space and crippling the Shi'ar Empire. The X-Men restore Xavier, but Lilandra, believing that too much disaster has come from the Shi'ar's involvement with the X-Men, annuls her marriage to Xavier. Lilandra previously had gone insane and tried to assassinate Charles on a trip to Mumbai. During this period, a mutant named Xorn joins the X-Men. Xorn uses his healing power to restore Xavier's use of his legs.[72]
When the X-Men receive a distress call from a Scottish island, they are surprised to find Juggernaut with nowhere to go, as the island was destroyed by his further-mutated partner in crime, Black Tom Cassidy, who died. Xavier reaches out to his stepbrother and offers him a place in his mansion, with Cain reluctantly accepting. The Juggernaut redeems himself over the next few weeks and joins the X-Men. Xavier finds out that Cain's father preferred him to his own flesh and blood and that they both thought they deserved the abuse they incurred by Kurt; Cain believed this because his father loved someone else's child more than him, and Charles felt guilty about getting in the way. That it is why neither of them stopped Kurt Marko with their powers.[73]
Now outed as a mutant, Xavier makes speeches to the public about mutant tolerance. He also founds the X-Corporation, or X-Corp (not to be confused with the X-Corps), with offices all over the world. The purpose of the X-Corp is to watch over mutant rights and help mutants in need. As a result of being outed, the school no longer hides the fact that it is a school for mutants and it opens its doors for more mutant (and even human) students to come in. A student named Quentin Quire and members of his gang start a riot at the Xavier Institute during an open house at the school. As a result, Quire and two other students are killed. Uncertain about his dream's validity, Xavier announces that he will step down as headmaster and be succeeded by Jean Grey. Afterwards, Xorn reveals himself to be Magneto, having apparently not died in the Sentinel raid on Genosha. "Magneto" re-paralyzes Xavier, kidnaps him, and destroys the X-Mansion (killing several of the students). Then Xorn/Magneto assaults New York, where Cyclops, Fantomex and a few students confront him. After the rest of the X-Men arrive, Wolverine decapitates Xorn/Magneto, who shortly before killed Jean with an electromagnetically induced stroke. With Jean dead, Xavier leaves the school to Cyclops and Emma Frost, to bury Xorn/Magneto in Genosha. There he meets the real Magneto, who mysteriously survived Cassandra Nova's assault. The two resolve their differences and attempt to restore their friendship, leading a team of mutants, "The Genoshan Excalibur," to rebuild and restore order to the destroyed island nation.[74][75]
At the mansion, the Danger Room, the X-Men’s simulated reality training chamber, gains sentience, christens itself "Danger", assumes a humanoid form, and attacks the X-Men before leaving to kill Xavier. With Magneto's help, Xavier holds off Danger until the X-Men arrive. Danger flees, but not before revealing to Colossus that Xavier has known it to be sentient ever since he upgraded it. Colossus is especially offended by this because he had been held captive and experimented upon by Danger's ally, Ord of the Breakworld. Ashamed, Xavier tries to explain to them that by the time he realized what was happening, he could see no other course. The disgusted X-Men leave.[76][77][78]
Magneto's daughter, the Scarlet Witch, suffers a mental breakdown and causes the death of several Avengers. Magneto brings her to Xavier and asks him to use his mental powers to help her. Although aided by Dr. Strange and the appearance of Cassandra Nova, Xavier is unsuccessful. Xavier orders a meeting of the X-Men and Avengers to decide Wanda's fate.[79] Her brother Quicksilver, believing the heroes plan to kill her, speeds off to Genosha and convinces Wanda that she could right the wrongs she inflicted by using her powers to alter reality.
Wanda somehow forces a tearful Xavier to reveal to her the heart's desires of Magneto, the assembled New Avengers, and the X-Men, and then uses her powers to make them all real. Thanks to Magneto, though, this re-imagined world is a place where a much more numerous mutant-kind are the dominant species, humans a disenfranchised and oppressed 'silent majority', and Magneto himself rules supreme. In this reality, the only proof that Charles Xavier ever existed is a secret monument in Magneto's palace garden.
After mutant Layla Miller restores the memories of some of the X-Men and Avengers, they head to Genosha where they discover that Magneto has erected a memorial garden for Xavier commemorating his death. They are horrified until Cloak fades into the grave and discovers there is no body inside. After a battle, Scarlet Witch again uses her powers to restore reality and, as a slight against her father, causes 91.4 percent of mutants to lose their powers, leaving the mutant race on the brink of extinction and causing the lost powers to become an energy mass, the Collective. With reality restored, Xavier is still missing and the X-Men are unable to detect him with Cerebro[80].
It is revealed that prior to sending the new team of X-Men to rescue the others on Krakoa, he had sent another team composed of Moira's students, one of whom was Cyclops' and Havok's long-lost brother Vulcan.[81] After the team freed Cyclops and Vulcan revealed their connection, the team was killed. Cyclops escaped, but when he made it back to Xavier, Xavier wiped the traumatizing knowledge that his newfound brother had died saving him from Cyclops' brain. He then assembled another new team of X-Men to rescue the others on Krakoa, and no one else knew anything about Moira's students.
Later, when the Collective energy mass revives Vulcan, the enraged youth attacks the X-Men, causing Xavier to come out of hiding. He has had the use of his legs restored to him after the "House of M" reality was undone, presumably by Wanda, although he is no longer a mutant and has lost his mental powers. Vulcan gets Xavier to tell the X-Men what he had done. After Vulcan is defeated and flies off into space, Cyclops tells Xavier that he is no longer wanted at the X-Mansion for what he did, though some of the other students are more forgiving.
In spite of Cyclops' feelings, Xavier nevertheless forms a new team consisting of Havok, Nightcrawler, Marvel Girl III, Polaris, Warpath and Darwin[82] to confront Vulcan before he can enact his vengeance against the Shi'ar empire. While en route to the Shi'ar home world, he is abducted by agents of the Shi'ar Vice Chancellor K'Tor. He is later thrown into the M'Kraan Crystal by Vulcan after Vulcan's marriage to Deathbird on the World With No Name. Darwin follows Charles into the crystal and pulls him out. This somehow restores his lost telepathy, and then he, Nightcrawler, Warpath, Darwin and Hepzibah escape to Earth, with help from his lover, Lilandra. This leaves Havok, Polaris and Rachel behind but they form a new Starjammers with Ch'od, Raza and Korvus.[83][84]
Upon returning, he begins a search for his missing associate Magneto, hoping to find him before the US government does. He is still team leader and his team now consists of Nightcrawler, Warpath, Storm, Hepzibah and Caliban.
Xavier talks to Val Cooper about what has happened to Caliban and how the O*N*E wants him. Later while the rest of the team begin looking for the Morlocks, who have been taken control of by Masque, who is also looking for Magneto, Charles and Nightcrawler leave in a X-Jet to find Magneto.[85] They are unnoticed by the Sentinels as Xavier places some sort of cloaking device on the plane. Charles and Kurt travel to where someone claimed to see Erik. They arrive at a graveyard in Germany and they find out that Erik was looking at the headstone of one of his former loyal henchmen who had died since M-Day. Their search is cut short once they find out the Morlocks plan to blow up a church. The team stops the Morlocks and returns to the mansion.
Charles' search for more mutants is interrupted by the Hulk, who wishes to see him. Those who need it are re-directed to the subbasement for protection. The X-Men on hand are defeated. Before a back-up team arrives, Xavier confronts the Hulk. He looks into Hulk's mind and sees what happened to him and is shocked. The Hulk asks him what would he have said if he had been there, referring to the Illuminati's decision on his own fate during a clandestine meeting.
The Professor then admits to the Hulk and to the X-Men that he would have banished the Hulk for some extended time for the Illuminati to find a cure, but would not have agreed to permanent exile. He confesses to them that he made some mistakes that harmed his students, so he is willing to give himself up. However the X-Men, now seeing their mentor conceding his mistake, are not willing to give up the Professor without a fight. While the Hulk is winning, the escaping students telepathically call for X-Factor, Uncanny X-Men, and Excalibur. Excalibur member Cain Marko—the former Juggernaut—teleports into battle. He and Wolverine are swiftly defeated.[86]
The Hulk tries to fight off the extended X-family, as Jamie Madrox and his duplicates gather up the X-Men. Various attempts are made to slow the Hulk down, from implanting him with knives to crashing the Blackbird into him. Cain makes a last plea with the Cyttorak gem to re-power him, but it is unable to do so until Cain embraces his former identity. After he does so the Juggernaut returns to full power and both entities stall each other. The Juggernaut is momentarily distracted by Xavier and since the Hulk is short on time before the countdown, the latter simply decides to use the Juggernaut's nearly unstoppable momentum against him by stepping out of the way in combination with an additional push, letting him walk deep into the nearby lake.
With his opponent temporarily disposed of, the Hulk heads towards Xavier, who once again surrenders. The X-Men rally again. The New X-Men member Mercury attacks, and the brief battle leads them towards the graveyard housing all mutants passed away since M-day.
With Mercury's words The Hulk reaches the conclusion that both Xavier and the X-Men have suffered enough, and leaves the mansion in peace. During the aftermath, the Juggernaut warns Xavier not to follow him, as he isn't going to like what he sees. The mini-series ends with Cyclops overseeing the care of the wounded, dealing with the injuries without Xavier's help. However, Cyclops is also seen reaching out to comfort Xavier as well.
Professor X was at the meeting of the Illuminati when it came to the discussion about the Skrulls planning an invasion by taking out Earth's heroes and posing as them. He claims he was unable to distinguish that Black Bolt had been replaced by a Skrull.
While using Cerebro and talking to Beast, Charles detects a new mutant so powerful it fries Cerebro's system. He asks Cyclops to send out a team to find out about the mutant. Once the team have come back empty handed, he argues with Scott for not telling him about the team he deployed to find former Acolytes. Scott tells him outright that he doesn't need him to run the X-Men anymore. This upsets Charles and annoys him later on when he overhears Cyclops briefing X-Factor on the situation. He also approaches the New X-Men in an attempt to help them figure out a non-violent way to help against the Purifiers, but is quickly rebuked by Surge, who questions where he was when they were getting attacked the first time, and that they didn't need to learn from him. Charles questions Cyclops' decision to send X-Force to hunt down his own son, Cable, in front of the students. Cyclops then tells Xavier that he is a distraction that will keep getting in the way and that he must leave the mansion. Xavier is contacted by Cable, who lost the mutant newborn to the traitorous actions of Bishop, who in turn lost the child to the Marauders, and tells him that he is the only one who can help Cable save the future.[87] In the final fight, Xavier is accidentally shot in the head by Bishop. Immediately afterward Xavier's body disappears and Cyclops declares that there are no more X-Men.
It is revealed that Professor Xavier survived the gunshot inflicted by Bishop but he is in a coma.[88] He is kidnapped by Exodus with the help of Tempo and a now un-possessed Karima Shapandar. Exodus tries to heal Xavier but while in the coma, Xavier fights Exodus. In the end, Exodus approaches Magneto himself, who is apparently still depowered.
Magneto and Karima Shapandar are able to stir out Xavier's memories, coaxing him out of his coma, but slightly confused and partly amnesiac. Later, as Exodus confronts Magneto about Joanna Cargill's fate (previously Magneto was forced to fire a surgical laser beam in her eye, brain damaging her, to thwart her attempted killing of Xavier), and he is about to kill him, Xavier drags him on the Astral Plane, putting his own restored mind at stake. After a harrowing psionic battle between the two, Xavier defeats Exodus, who reveals to him that the reason he abducted and restored his mind is that he wanted Xavier to lead the Acolytes and find the mutant messiah child (now under the guardianship of Cable) in order to indoctrinate her into their cause. Xavier, disgusted with Exodus' words, calls him a fool and refuses to help him. During the battle between him and Exodus, Emma's telepathy picks up on the fight, she realizes that Xavier is alive and tells Cyclops. After Xavier, Magneto and Karima depart from the Acolytes' base, he leaves them both in order to try and regain his lost memories by visiting people from his past.[89]
The first person Charles visits is Carter Ryking, who had gone insane after losing his powers. Charles reads Carter's memories and discovers that when the two were children they were used as test subjects by one Nathan Milbury, with the approval of Charles' father, Doctor Brian Xavier, also a member of the Black Womb Project. During Carter's memory, Mister Sinister's energy diamond is seen on Milbury's forehead which, along with the name, indicates that Milbury is Mister Sinister and he has been manipulating Charles' life as well. Afterwards, he discovers he's been targeted by assassins.[90]
Charles eventually discovers Mister Sinister had set up Charles, Sebastian Shaw, Juggernaut, and Ryking as potential new hosts for Sinister's mind.[91] Bleeding slowly to death, he apparently gives in to Sinister becoming the new Mister Sinister. But in reality, Xavier is still battling Sinister for control of his body. As Sebastian Shaw and Gambit destroy Sinister's Cronus Machine, the device that he used to transfer his consciousness into new hosts, Xavier drives Sinister out of his body permanently. Xavier thanks Shaw and Gambit for their help and declares he must go and see Cyclops immediately.[92] Professor X returns to the X-Mansion to find it destroyed after recent events. Afterwards, Xavier leaves the ruins of the X-Mansion to secretly meet up Cyclops by psychically coercing his former student for the visit. Xavier explains to Cyclops about the recent events with Mr. Sinister and tries to explain to Cyclops how Sinister has been manipulating Scott's and Jean's lives since when they were children. Xavier attempts to have Scott give him permission to scan Scott's mind for traces of Sinister's influences, but instead Scott turns the tables on Xavier by revealing that he has secretly invited Emma Frost into their entire meeting and also into Xavier's mind.[93] While in his mind, Emma forces Xavier to relive each of his morally ambiguous decisions under altruistic pretenses. As the issue continues, Charles realizes his human arrogance and that while some of his decisions were morally wrong, he must move forward with his life and deal with the consequences. Emma ends her incursion into Xavier's mind by reminding him of Moira MacTaggert's last words. As he reflects on Moira's words, Xavier gives Cyclops his blessing to lead the X-Men and leaves to find his own path.[94] After his bruising encounter with Cyclops and Emma Frost, Professor X is forced to revisit the biggest challenge and the biggest failure of his career, Wolverine, when the feral mutant asks for Charles' help in freeing his son from the clutches of the Hellfire Club. As the two search for Draken, Wolverine reveals that when he first joined the X-Men he attempted to assassinate Xavier due to some unknown programming. In response, the Professor broke Logan's mind and rebuilt it so that any and all programming he received was forgotten. Logan also revealed that the real reason Xavier asked him to join the X-Men was that Charles "needed a weapon." The story ends with the Professor and Logan preparing to launch an attack on Sebastian Shaw. [95] Eventually Professor Xavier and Wolverine locate Sebastian Shaw's mansion and attack his minions, just as they are about to enter a bomb explodes from within catching them both off guard. From the wreckage emerges an angry Sebastian who immobilizes Wolverine. Meanwhile Miss Sinister knocks Draken unconscious and has him taken to the medlab in the mansion's basement. As Shaw prepares to deliver a killing blow to Xavier, Wolverine recovers and stops him telling Xavier to rescue his son. Professor Xavier locates the medlab and after a quick psychic battle with Miss Sinister enters Draken's fractured mind. While in Draken's mind Xavier discover Romulous psychic tampering and comments that Draken's mind is even more broken than Wolverine's was. Before Xavier can heal Draken a psychic bomb explodes causing Xavier to become comatose and Draken to wake up. Miss Sinister arrives and attempts to manipulate Draken who reveals that the psychic bomb in his head restored his memories and stabs Miss Sinister in the chest. Meanwhile Wolverine defeats Shaw and enters the mansion to find Draken standing over an unconcious Xavier preparing to kill him [96]. Wolverine tells Draken that he won't let him hurt Xavier and the two fight, overcome with guilt over what happened to Draken and Itsu Wolverine allows himself to be beaten. Just as Draken appears to have won Xavier pulls both of them onto the Astral plain revealing that the psychic bomb had little effect on him because his psyche was already shattered. Xavier then explains to Wolverine and Draken that Romulus is solely responsible for Itsu's death and that he lied to Draken about everything because he wanted Wolverine to become his weapon. As the three converse Draken returns to the physical plain and prevents Shaw from killing Xavier. With the truth revealed Wolverine and Draken decide to kill Romulus. As the two depart Wolverine tells Xavier that he forgives him for all of the dark moments in their history and tells the Professor that he allowed Wolverine to become a hero. Wolverine then tells the Professor that he hopes he will one day be able to forgive him for choosing to kill Romulus.[97]
Professor X is a mutant who possesses vast telepathic powers, and is among the most powerful telepaths in the Marvel Universe.
Professor X is able to perceive the thoughts of others or project his own thoughts within a radius of approximately 250 miles (402 km). With extreme effort, he can greatly extend the range of his telepathy. He can learn foreign languages by reading the language centers of the brain of someone adept, and alternately "teach" languages to others in the same manner; Xavier once trained a new group of mutants mentally, subjectively making them experience months of training together, while only hours passed in the real world.[98]
Xavier's vast psionic powers enable him to manipulate the minds of others, warp perceptions to make himself seem invisible, project mental illusions, cause loss of particular memories, and induce pain or temporary mental and/or physical paralysis in others. Within close range, he can manipulate almost any number of minds for such simple feats. However, he can only take full possession of one other mind at a time, and must strictly be within that person's physical presence. He has displayed telepathic prowess sufficient to confront Ego the Living Planet, while aided by Cadre K[99] as well as confront and narrowly defeat Exodus.[100]
He can cause the loss of specific memories or even total amnesia. He can also project powerful mental 'bolts,' enabling him to stun the mind of another person into unconsciousness or even cause death. These 'bolts' inflict damage only upon other minds, having a negligible effect on non-mental beings, if any. The manner in which Xavier's powers function indicates that his telepathy is physical in some way, as it can be enhanced by physical means (e.g., Cerebro) and can be disrupted by physical means (e.g., Magneto's alteration of the Earth's magnetic field).
Xavier can perceive the distinct mental presence/brain waves of other superhuman mutants within a small radius of himself. To detect mutants to a wider area beyond this radius, he must amplify his powers through Cerebro and subsequently Cerebra, computer devices of his own design which are sensitive to the psychic/physical energies produced by the mind. Professor X also possesses low-level telekinetic abilities, though these seem to no longer exist. They seem to be part of his genes however, as Cassandra Nova has telekinetic abilities and is basically a clone of Xavier.
Professor X can project his 'astral form' into a psychic 'dimension' known as the 'astral plane.' There, he can use his powers to create objects, control his surroundings, and even control and destroy the astral forms of others. He cannot project this form over long distances.
Uncanny X-Men writer Ed Brubaker has claimed that, after being de-powered by the Scarlet Witch,[101][102] and then re-powered by the M'Kraan Crystal, Charles' telepathy is more powerful than was previously known. However, the extent of this enhancement is unknown.[103]
Charles is a genius with multiple doctorates. He is a world-renowned geneticist, an expert in mutation, possesses considerable knowledge of life sciences, and is the inventor of Cerebro.[9] He is the leading authority on genetics, mutation, and psionic powers, and possesses considerable expertise in other life sciences. He possesses a Ph.D. in genetics, biophysics, and psychology. He is highly talented in devising equipment for utilizing and enhancing psionic powers.
During his travels in Asia, Xavier learned martial arts, acquiring "refined combat skills" according to Magneto. When these skills are coordinated in tandem with his telepathic abilities, Xavier is a dangerous unarmed combatant, capable of sensing the intentions of others and countering them with superhuman efficiency. He also has extensive knowledge of pressure points.[104]
Professor X has been released as a figure by Toybiz a total of five times, once in 1993, three times with the movie release including two variants, and once in the Marvel Legends series 9.
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