20 Of Our Favorite X-Men Characters
Professor X (Image via Marvel)
1. Professor X
Okay, I will freely admit that Professor X is partially on this list thanks to Patrick Stewart. That’s not the only reason, to be fair. However, Stewart’s performance is so magnetic and commanding that it’s difficult to disassociate it from the character itself. Really, what he does is bring out some of the deepest and most interesting aspects of Professor X – his personal integrity, his moral ambiguity, the compassion underlying many of his actions.
Professor X (whose full name is Charles Francis Xavier) is also, for most of his comics run, a paraplegic. It’s sadly rare to find such a prominent character who is also clearly disabled. Moreover, he is not at all diminished by being in a wheelchair. He’s also a powerful telepath with a genius-level intellect. Thanks to his smarts, Professor X has developed Cerebro, a powerful technological tool used to find other mutants throughout the world. You don’t mess with Professor X.
With Magneto, Professor X provides one half of a morally compelling argument for mutant rights. Whereas Magneto is often militant and distrustful of humans, Professor X argues for nonviolence and cooperation. Some writers make it clear that they side with one character or another, but the best ones are able to present the two contradictory viewpoints without making an easy judgment either way.