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Charles Xavier

Charles Xavier actor X-Men


Published 2023-01-01, by ,

Charles Xavier Tven Serie

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Character history

The most famous character in the Marvel Universe is Charles Xavier, who created a school for gifted children. The protagonist of The X-Men comic book sought the welfare of his charges and people and, unlike Magneto, acted exclusively by non-violent means.

History of the character's creation

The genius mutant first appeared in 1963 in the pilot issue of The X-Men comic book. The author of the story and the characters involved in it was Stan Lee. Jack Kirby put the screenwriter's idea on paper.

In an interview, Stan Lee talked about how difficult this story was for him. By the time the audience was already familiar with the Fantastic Four, and come up with something new was difficult. And then he came up with the idea of a new origin for mutants who were given superpowers not because of some accident, but because they were born.

And then things began to come together in a harmonious concept. Since the heroes were already born mutants, they had to grow up with these traits and learn to coexist with humans. So the idea arose of a kind of teacher, a leader who would help teenagers on such a difficult path. Charles Xavier, or Professor X, as he was more commonly known, became that man.

The character's creator endowed him with genius, the greatest mind in the world. But, avoiding unnecessary power, Stan Lee added a weakness - putting him in a wheelchair. This, according to the screenwriter, helped the biography of the telepath achieve balance.

As for the Professor's appearance, it was copied from American actor Yul Brynner. But ideologically, the character may have reminded the audience of the fate of Martin Luther King, Jr. The social activist advocated peaceful methods of protecting civil rights with Christian beliefs.

Like the prototype, Xavier held a similar philosophy. It was no coincidence that Stan Lee introduced the antagonist Magneto into the story. Both characters have similar goals - to achieve a normal life for those with superpowers. But the methods for achieving these plans differed greatly. Professor X strove for non-violent equality between humans and mutants.

Biography and image of Charles Xavier

The future leader of the X-Men was born into a wealthy family. He was the son of a physicist who conducted nuclear research. After an accident that took his father's life, Charles had a stepfather, Kurt Marko, and a half-brother, Cain. By the way, during this period, the hero began to develop telepathic abilities, through which he became aware of the self-serving goals of the new family members.

His natural genius allowed Xavier to be an athlete and an honours student. Graduating from high school, he subsequently obtained doctorates in a number of scientific fields.

As a young man Charles fell in love with a Scottish woman, Moira MacTaggert, but his wedding plans were thwarted by the Korean War, which left him in possession of a soldier's shoulder straps. Moira did not wait for her lover and the telepath, deeply depressed, went travelling.

His adventures have led him to realise his main goal in life - to protect humanity from evil mutants, and to protect gifted teenagers from human oppression. By the way, the character's personal life also had love affairs. Thus, in an Israeli clinic, he met Gabrielle Heller, who gave birth to his son Legion.

A cornerstone of Genius' biography is the story that led to him being forced into a wheelchair. In canon, this happened during the telepath's fight with the alien Lucifer. His opponent dropped a block of stone on Charles' feet.

Powers and abilities

The character's genius is proven by his doctoral degrees. He is known as the inventor of Cerebro, a supercomputer capable of calculating the location of mutants even outside of Earth. Charles Xavier has also achieved recognition as a specialist in psychology, anthropology and psychiatry. He is the creator of equipment whose use is aimed at enhancing psionic abilities.

For all these undoubtedly important characteristics of the character, audiences perceive him as a powerful telepath. By the way, the image of a man with advanced intellectual abilities, but deprived of the ability to walk has been used repeatedly in cinema.

So Professor X's telepathic gift formed the basis of his concept. The man not only reads minds, but is also able to influence those around him. For instance, he can cause memory loss, illusion, temporary paralysis, deprivation of the senses and even take over and control the creation of his opponent completely.

Charles Xavier in films

The founder of a school for gifted children made his big screen debut in the 2000 film X-Men. Project director Bryan Singer saw Patrick Stewart exclusively in the role of the telepath. The actor had by then become famous for his role as Jean-Luc Picard and did not want to star in another major franchise. However, Singer managed to persuade the performer to join the cast.

Stewart returned to the character of Professor X in the other films of the original trilogy, X-Men 2 and X-Men: The Last Stand. But the genius mutant leader was portrayed by James McAvoy as a young man. In the prequel "X-Men: First Class" actor was the main candidate for the role and the first to sign a contract. The story told of the relationship between the telepath and Magneto (Eric Lenscher), played by Michael Fassbender.

Curiously, McAvoy was not into comic books, but as a child he enjoyed watching cartoon series about mutants. In an interview, the actor spoke of the adult Charles as a "selfless and unselfish monk". But the hero at a young age seemed to him the exact opposite person, reveling in his own ego.

James McAvoy sought to avoid imitating Stuart's acting. However, the film-makers also wanted to demonstrate the character's transformation from bully to altruist.

Professor X's appearance in the 2017 blockbuster Logan has left viewers perplexed. The fact is that in the plot of the third part of the original trilogy, Xavier died. How the telepath survived was attempted to be explained by the creators of the film franchise. Producers said that Wolverine in X-Men: Days of Future Past managed to alter future events, including Charles' death. There was another version: the mutant leader managed to move his consciousness into his twin brother's body. This scene was shown after the credits of the third part of the original trilogy.

In 2022, audiences saw an alternate version of the Professor in Doctor Strange: Into the Multiverse of Madness. Curiously, Patrick Stewart even after the release of the trailer, where inquisitive viewers heard his voice, denied involvement with the project.

Charles Xavier quotes

  • "I think the point of concentration lies between anger and appeasement."
  • "Just because someone has stumbled and lost his way doesn't mean he's lost forever."
  • "He chose not to attack again. I think it means 'thank you' in his language."
  • "There is no greater joy for a teacher than to see a student surpass the teacher."

Cartoons

  • 1966 - "Marvel Superheroes"
  • 1989 - "X-Men Pride"
  • 1981-1983 - "Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends"
  • 1992-1997 - "X-Men"
  • 2000-2003 - "X-Men: Evolution."
  • 2009 - Wolverine and the X-Men.
  • 2011 - Marvel Anime

Films

  • 2000 - "X-Men"
  • 2003 - X-Men 2.
  • 2006 - X-Men: The Last Stand
  • 2009 - X-Men Origins. Wolverine.
  • 2011 - X-Men: First Class
  • 2013 - Wolverine: The Immortal
  • 2014 - X-Men: Days of Future Past
  • 2016 - X-Men: Apocalypse
  • 2017 - Logan
  • 2018 - Deadpool 2
  • 2019 - "X-Men: Dark Phoenix."
  • 2022 - "Doctor Strange: Into the Multiverse of Madness"

Interesting Facts

  • Before Charles became disabled, he studied martial arts while travelling in Asia.
  • In the comics, Xavier inherited $4 billion after his father and mother died.
  • In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the screenwriters showed a different version of the accident that led to the hero's paralysis of his lower limbs. The scriptwriters suggested that the telepath had been hit in the spine by a bullet.