Sunday, May 24, 2009

Professor X

Real Name
Charles Francis Xavier

Occupation
Mutant rights activist, geneticist, teacher, formerly adventurer, soldier

Citizenship

U.S.A.

Place of Birth
New York City, New York

Known Relatives
Brian Xavier (father, deceased), Sharon Xavier (mother, deceased), Cassandra Nova (sister), Kurt Marko (stepfather, deceased), Cain Marko (Juggernaut, stepbrother), Lilandra (ex-wife), David Charles Haller (Legion, son, deceased)

Group Affiliation
X-Men (founder); formerly Illuminati, Cadre K (founder), the Twelve, Starjammers, New Mutants (founder), U.S. Army

Education
Ph.Ds in genetics, biophysics, psychology, and anthropology, and an M.D. in psychiatry

Height
6'0"

Weight
190 lbs.

Eyes
Blue

Hair
Bald (blond during childhood)

Powers
Professor X is a mutant who possesses vast psionic powers, making him arguably the world's most powerful telepath. He can read minds and project his own thoughts into the minds of others within a radius of approximately 250 miles. With extreme effort, he can greatly extend that radius. Professor X can also psionically manipulate the minds of others, for example to make himself seem invisible, and project illusions into them. He can also induce temporary mental and/or physical paralysis, loss of particular memories or even total amnesia. Within close range, Professor X can manipulate almost any number of minds for such simple feats. However, he can only take full possession of another being's mind one at a time, and he can only do so if he is within that being's physical presence.

Furthermore, Professor X can project powerful mental bolts of psionic energy enabling him to stun the mind of another being into unconsciousness. These bolts only apply force upon other minds; they do not inflict physical damage. Professor X can also sense the presence of other superhuman mutants within a small radius of himself by perceiving the distinct mental radiations emitted by such beings. In order to detect the presence of mutants beyond this radius, he must amplify his powers. He often does this by using first Cerebro and subsequently Cerebra, devices which are sensitive to that portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that contains mental frequencies.

Professor X can project his astral form, the sheath of his life essence, onto abstract dimensions congruent to our own known as astral planes. There, he can use his powers to create ectoplasmic objects. He cannot engage in long-range astral projection on the earthly plane.

Abilities
Professor X is a leading authority on genetics, mutation, and psionic powers, and has considerable expertise in other life sciences. He is also highly talented in devising equipment for utilizing and enhancing psionic powers.

Other Info
When Charles Xavier was a child, his father accidental died and his mother remarried her husband's colleague, Kurt Marko. Kurt's son by a previous marriage, Cain (future mutant, Juggernaut), came to live with them at the Xavier’s Westchester mansion shortly thereafter. Cain's father, as punishment, would beat Cain, and Charles was able to feel his stepbrother's pain firsthand because of his mutant telepathic powers. After their mother’s death, a fire in the family home took Kurt’s life, leaving the Charles and Cain alone. (To learn about Professor X's stepbrother and home, click on the highlighted names above.)

By the time Charles graduated high school, he was completely bald due a side effect of being a mutant. He entered College at age 16 and from there earned many different degrees (most of them are listed above in the "Education" section). At Oxford University, Charles met and fell in love with Moira Kinross. They eventually planned on getting married, but Moira's former boyfriend, Joe MacTaggert, who was a lance corporal in the Royal Marines, was a bully and in Joe's eyes, Charles was a good-for-nothing intellectual, so Charles enlisted in the military after completing his studies at Oxford to validate himself in terms his rival would understand. In the military, Xavier quickly became a legend in the area of search and rescue thanks to his mutant abilities. He also served in the same unit as his stepbrother, Cain. Later, Charles was devastated when Moira broke off their engagement without explanation and Xavier left the Army and began traveling the world. (To learn about Professor X's first love, click on her name above.)

In Cairo, Egypt, Charles encountered Amahl Farouk (Shadow King), a mutant capable of summoning forth the darkness in the souls of others. When Charles battled Amahl, he manifested a suit of "astral armor" (posted above as the fourth picture). He also wielded a large shield and a sword, composed of psionic energies (this armor often manifests when Xavier does combat on the astral plane). This confrontation led to Xavier's decision to devote his life to protecting humanity from evil mutants and saving innocent mutants from human oppression. (To learn about Xavier's first evil mutant he battled, click on his name above.)

Next, Charles traveled to Israel where he befriended a fellow drifter named Erik Magnus Lehnsherr (the future, Magneto). Xavier believed that humans and mutants could coexist, but Erik foresaw mutants as a new minority that would be persecuted and hunted because of their differences. It was here in Israel where Charles fell in love with Israeli diplomat Gabrielle Haller. At the end of his time in Israel, Erik and Charles parted ways with different goals concerning mutant/human relations. Charles left Israel unaware that Haller was pregnant with his son, David (the future, Legion). (To learn about Xavier's close relationships with the above characters, just click on their names.)

On the way to the United States, Charles encountered an alien scout in the Himalayas. To prevent Xavier from interfering in his races planned invasion of Earth, the alien dropped a massive stone block on Charles, crippling his legs. In desperation, Charles called out with his mental powers and touched the mind of a mutant named Tessa (aka Sage). She came to the rescue and was able to help Xavier get airlifted to a hospital. (Now, Xavier was confined to a wheelchair.) At the hospital, Charles met Amelia Voght, a young nurse who fell in love with him and renewed his will to live. (To learn about another mutant, and about another one of Xavier's loves, click on their names above. Note: Sage's bio picture is a little bit revealing.)

Later, Charles ended up in London and he met up, and was able to renew his friendship, with Moira, who had married her former military boyfriend, Joe MacTaggert. She was now a renowned geneticist. Charles and Moira began discussing the idea of founding a school for mutants. (I believe Moira is the lady ant the very end of the third X-Men movie, X-Men: The Last Stand where Professor X's voice is heard through the man in a coma. And if you don't know what I'm talking about, just watch the movie to the very end, past the credits.)

Charles returned to America and continued studying mutation. He worked alongside Doctor Karl Lykos (future mutant, Sauron). During this time, Professor John Grey, a friend of Charles' from college, brought his young daughter, Jean, to Charles for help (she had been traumatized when she telepathically experienced the death of a friend). Charles helped her in her recovery, and helped train her to use her mental powers. Xavier then began his plan to find young mutants and enroll them in a school using his ancestral mansion home as a base to train them to use their powers for humanity's benefit. Amelia (the nurse who fell in love with Charles) remained with Charles until the young mutant Scott Summers (Cyclops) joined the school. She left, fearing a genetic arms race was beginning between Professor X and Magneto. Within the next few months, Charles used the mutant-locating computer Cerebro to assemble his original group of students: Cyclops, Iceman, Angel, Beast, and Jean (at the time shed called herself, Marvel Girl). He called his students the "X-Men," because each of them possessed an "extra" ability that normal humans lacked. Then years later, when his original students had been captured, Charles recruited Banshee, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Storm, Sunfire, and Wolverine as a new team to rescue them. After the original team was rescued, Cyclops was the only original member to remain and help Charles train the new recruits. (If you want to learn about Cerebro, or any of the other mutants, just click on their names. Note: Jean is wearing a tight-fitting outfit on her bio page, and definitely beware of Storm's bio page for multiple risque pictures! Also, Cyclops' has Emma Frost in one picture with a revealing and tight-fitting outfit.)

Soon after this, Charles began to experience psychic nightmares from an alien world. These images were sent by Lilandra, princess of the intergalactic Shi'ar Empire, who was seeking assistance to defeat her mad brother, D'Ken. In the course of the struggle, Charles and Lilandra fell in love, and for a time he lived on Chandilar, the Shi'ar throneworld, as her husband. Some time later, Charles and Lilandra, with others, engaged into a battle where Xavier had been turned evil by some alien group. He was eventually able to pull out of it, but to do so, he had to have his body cloned and he was able to control that body. (He now had no disabilities and was able to walk again.) Now, Charles Xavier began to take his most active role ever with the X-Men by accompanying them on missions. During this time, Gabrielle (the diplomat in Israel) requested Charles’ help in treating her son David who suffered from multiple personality disorder. Charles learned that David was his child, and helped him emerge from his autistic condition. Professor X's cloned body eventually began to deteriorate, and he was forced to leave Earth with Lilandra to heal. Then later, Xavier returned to Earth and once again battled Shadow King with his X-men. During the battle, Charles’ spine was broken, leaving him crippled and confined to a wheelchair once more. (To learn about all the different alien stuff, including Xavier's ex-wife, click on their highlighted names above. Note: Lilandra's bio picture is of her in a tight-fitting outfit.)

At one time, Magento was trying to destroy the human race and Professer X had to use his mental powers to shut down Magneto's conscious mind. Unfortunately, during this desperate act, the evil portion of Magneto's psyche attached itself within Xavier's mind. Now that Charles and Magneto were combined together, they became a powerful psionic being known as Onslaught (the picture of Professor X and Magneto as Onslaught is the fifth picture posted above). Eventually, many of earth's greatest superheroes battled Onslaught and were able to bring the original Charles Xavier back. (To learn about the evil entity, Onslaught, just click on his name.)

Later, Xavier's genetic twin sister, Cassandra Nova, was able to switch bodies with Charles, trapping his mind in her own dying form. In Xavier’s body, Nova publicly announced that he was a mutant and now the whole world knew Charles Xavier was a mutant. Jean Grey was able to absorb Professor X's consciousness into her own mind, then she used the new mutant-locating Cerebra device to hide pieces of it in the minds of every mutant on Earth. Now, when Nova went to use Cerebra to kill all of Earth's mutants, she unwittingly reformed Charles’ consciousness and he forced her out of his body. Once Nova was defeated, Xorn, the X-Men’s newest member, healed Charles’ body. (This last bit is a little confusing, but if you would like to learn more Professor X or to learn more in detail about his life, just click on the following link, http://www.marvel.com/universe/Professor_X.)

6 comments:

  1. The whole alien storyline seems a little far-fetched to me. But that's just me not being able to suspend reality or whatever. What a complicated life! It was nice talking to you on Saturday night, Cory. Thanks for calling back. :)

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  2. Yeah, I agree the alien thing is weird. BUT, Professor X is a force to be reckoned with. His mind control stuff and paralysis stuff is so cool - I'm excited to see how he fares in the next battle royale.
    That, and Patrick Stewart is just the perfect bald guy to play the role in the movies. Of all the characters, I think PS really NAILED Professor X.

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  3. Wow is all I can say, I learned so much just reading this, and well, his life is...wow, crazy stuff. Neat character, and Patrick Stewart is the perfect Professor X!

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  4. Do we know when or if Magneto helped build cerebro?

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  5. Well Steve, here is what I got...in all of my research concerning Magneto helping to build Cerebro, I have found nothing that says that it's true. There was a time, where Professor X had to leave the mansion and entrusted the school into Magneto's hands and Magneto helped the X-Men for some time. Also, there has been times where Magneto has used Cerebro himself, and Magneto has built machines like Cerebro, but I haven't seen anything that says he actually helped Professor X build it. In fact, Professor X didn't build Cerebro until after he and Magento parted ways.

    So, the the X-Men movies probably just combined the future events of Magneto using Cerebro, when he was temporarily in charge of the school, and Professor X building it.

    So, in short answer...No...Magento did not help build Cerebro. If anyone else has any further information concerning this, go ahead and leave it here in the "Comments" section.

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  6. The Elektra movie just added in some powers she never had in the comics. Having Magneto build cerebro work for the movie so mystic could sabotage it and how he reconfigured Strikers version to work on normal humans.

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