Professor X (Professor Charles Francis Xavier)

Professor Charles Francis Xavier, also known as Professor X, is a fictional comic book superhero and founder of the X-Men in the Marvel Universe. Created by co-writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby, he first appeared in X-Men #1 (September 1963).

Throughout most of his comic book history, Xavier is paraplegic, although his body houses one of the world’s most powerful mutant minds. 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.

In the X-Men Comics, Xavier founds Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters (now called the Xavier Institute), which he designed to teach mutants to explore and control their powers. His mission is to promote the peaceful affirmation of mutant rights, to mediate the co-existence of mutants and humans, and to protect society from dangerous mutants, including his friend Magneto. Xavier’s students consider him a visionary and often refer to their mission as being dedicated to “Xavier’s dream”. However, he also has a manipulative streak which results in several significant falling-outs with allies and students.

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 due to his physical limitations. Patrick Stewart plays him in the 2000s film series.