Professor X in other media

This is a list of all non-comics media appearances of Professor X.

Television

• Xavier made his first ever animated appearance on the 1966 The Marvel Super Heroes episode of The Sub-Mariner with the original X-Men line-up (Angel, Beast, Cyclops, Iceman, and Jean Grey). In this incarnation, he and the X-Men are never referred to as the X-Men, but instead referred to as Allies for Peace.
• Xavier made guest appearances on the animated series Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends (voiced by Stan Jones).
• Xavier appeared in the 1989 pilot X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men, voiced by John Stephenson.
• Xavier appears in the X-Men animated series, which ran on Fox Kids from 1992–1997. Voiced by Cedric Smith, he appears in 20 episodes as a core member of the regular character lineup. In this series he uses a hovering wheelchair similar to that provided by Lilandra in the comics.
• Cedric Smith also voiced the role in two episodes of Spider-Man featuring the X-Men. Spider-Man tries to get help from Professor X to find out what he is mutating into only to learn that Professor X does not have the ability to know.
• He appeared as a regular cast member in the Kids WB animated series X-Men: Evolution. Here, he is voiced by David Kaye, who doubles as the voice for Apocalypse. Unlike in the previous series, Xavier uses a conventional wheelchair. During the finale of the series, Apocalypse uses his alien technology to take control of Xavier and make him one of his four horsemen, along with Magneto, Storm and Mystique. As an unintended side-effect of the technology, Xavier's consciousness was able to glimpse into the future and see the changes, good and bad, that would come.
• Professor X appears in Wolverine and the X-Men voiced by Jim Ward. An unexpected attack upon the X-Men causes Professor X and Jean Grey to disappear. Emma Frost finds him in a coma on Genosha under the care of Magneto, who found him there. After waking from his coma, Professor X reveals that he was in the future one in which much of the world is in devastation with Sentinels prevalent, and tells the X-Men not to give up defending the mutant race. During his time in the future, Professor X uses the technology of the time to regain the ability to walk, and assembles a contemporary team of X-Men. During a final confrontation with Master Mold, Professor X is rescued by the Wolverine of that time and four clones of X-23. Their efforts result in a timeline in which Earth is ruled by Apocalypse.
• Professor X appears in The Super Hero Squad Show episode "Mysterious Mayhem at Mutant Academy", voiced again by Jim Ward.
• Professor X appears in the Astonishing X-Men motion comic voiced by Dan Green.
• Professor X was a regular character in Marvel Anime: X-Men voiced by Katsunosuke Hori in the Japanese version and by Cam Clarke in the English dub.
• Professor X appears in the Iron Man: Armored Adventures episode "The X-Factor" voiced by Ron Halder (who also voiced Magneto in that episode). At the end of the episode, he approaches Jean Grey into joining his special school and reveals to her that he is also a mutant. While his name is given, Xavier's face is not actually seen in this appearance.
• Professor X appears in the Robot Chicken episode "Sausage Fest" voiced by Seth Green. After the featured X-Men were killed in battle with a Sentinel (with him asking if he can delete Real World/Road Rules Challenge off the TiVo after that), he recruits the cast of the Police Academy to his team. During that segment, Larvell Jones was making sounds that caused Professor X to think that his wheelchair is squeaking until Professor X found out and telepathically erased Larvell's brain. After that, his wheelchair still squeaked. Carey Mahoney sneaked a prostitute underneath his podium during graduation. When his new team is kicked far by a Sentinel, Professor X asks it "Same Time, Next Week."

Films

Professor Xavier, played by both James McAvoy (left) and Patrick Stewart (right) in X-Men: Days of Future Past, (2014).

Xavier has appeared in all eight live-action X-Men feature films to date: X-Men, X2: X-Men United, X-Men: The Last Stand, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, X-Men: First Class, The Wolverine, X-Men: Days of Future Past and X-Men: Apocalypse. He is played by Patrick Stewart in the first four and sixth films and by James McAvoy in First Class and Apocalypse. Both actors play him in Days of Future Past. It is implied that Xavier is one of the most powerful mutants in the world. A character with the same name appeared in Superhero Movie (2008), helping Rick and showing him through his superhero-gifted school. Although Xavier is American-born in the comics and in animation, he speaks with a British accent in the films (although First Class establishes that he lived in the United States during childhood).

X-Men: First Class

James McAvoy portrays the young Charles Xavier/Professor X in X-Men: First Class. He serves as one of the two protagonists of the film along with Erik Lensherr/Magneto.^[1] As a child, he befriends and adopts Raven/Mystique. He earns his doctorate after doing research on genetic mutation at Oxford, which brings him to the attention of CIA agent Moira MacTaggert. The Central Intelligence Agency provides with him access to Cerebro, which he uses to locate and recruit other mutants for the government. Around the same time he meets Erik Lensherr after saving him from drowning in a botched attempt to kill Sebastian Shaw. Charles and Erik become friends and together they locate mutants for the CIA. Once the team is assembled, Shaw and the Hellfire Club attack the CIA facility, kill all the human personnel and one of Charles's recruits, and persuade another to defect. Charles retreats with the survivors to his Westchester, New York mansion to train them as an independent team of operatives to prevent nuclear war between the US and USSR as a result of the Cuban missile crisis. They defeat the threat, but Charles is unable to convince Erik not to take his revenge on a helpless Shaw, with Magneto subsequently attempting to redirect a series of missiles back towards the ships that fired them after the governments decide to try and eliminate the mutant 'threat' despite Xavier's protests that most of the men on those ships don't even know why they're being asked to fire at the beach. In the film's final confrontation, it is revealed that MacTaggert causes Charles's paralysis when she fires upon Magneto, who deflects one of the bullets into his friend's lower spine. Following this, Xavier and Magneto part ways, Xavier informing his old friend that they do not share the same dream, and Xavier severs his ties with the United States government completely, changing the name of their team from "G-Men" to "X-Men," and turns his home into a school for mutant children. To do this, he must erase MacTaggert's memory so she cannot inform her superiors about the school's existence.

The circumstances of Xavier's paralysis caused continuity errors in the timeline of the X-Men saga, as he is seen walking in sequences taking place at least twenty years later, however, the sequel, X-Men: Days of Future Past, explains how Xavier is able to walk in later years, through a serum developed by Hank McCoy (which mutes his telepathy whenever he uses it).^[2]

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Professor X appears briefly at the end of X-Men Origins: Wolverine. After Wolverine frees a group of young mutants including a young Cyclops from William Stryker's lab, they try to escape from the facility but get lost. Cyclops suddenly hears a telepathic voice, which guides him out to safety along with the other mutants. Outside they are greeted by Professor X, who was communicating telepathically with Cyclops. The Professor then takes everyone into his helicopter, presumably to his mutant school. As in the opening of The Last Stand, Patrick Stewart was digitally de-aged to appear younger, and Professor X is able to walk and does not use a wheelchair. As an explanation, Xavier can be seen walking in X-Men: Days of Future Past (which chronologically takes place prior to the events of this film), by creating the illusion that he is standing in various scenes, when in reality the character is only present by telepathic projection.^[3][4]

X-Men

Xavier is first introduced in X-Men, when he sends Storm and Cyclops to rescue Wolverine and Rogue from Sabretooth. Xavier believes that the attack was caused by Magneto and that Wolverine was the intended target. He gives Wolverine and Rogue a home in the institute and promises to help Wolverine remember his past if he is also allowed forty-eight hours to discover why Magneto wants Wolverine. He is able to control both Sabretooth and Toad at the same time and speak through them, in an attempt to talk Magneto out of his plans against humans. Xavier uses Cerebro to locate Rogue when she runs away, but is poisoned when he uses it later (as Mystique had tampered with it). At the end of the film, he recovers and advises Wolverine to search Alkali Lake for answers to his past.

X2: X-Men United

Upon learning that the mutant Nightcrawler attacked the President of the United States, Xavier sends Storm and Jean to bring the mutant for questioning. He and Scott leave to visit Magneto (as he is suspected behind the attack), leaving Wolverine in charge of the school. In Magneto's cell, Xavier learns that Magneto was brainwashed by William Stryker and forced to tell Stryker all about the institute and Cerebro. Before he can escape, Xavier is sedated. He wakes up in Stryker's underground test facility, tied to a chair and fixed to a device that restricts his mental powers. He is left in the room with Jason Stryker, William's son and a powerful illusionist who Xavier previously taught. Now brainwashed by his father, Jason traps Xavier into various illusions, keeping him in one where Xavier is back in the institute (which is empty) and Jason is portrayed as a scared little girl. To comfort the "girl" and find his students, Xavier goes to use Cerebro. It is discovered that Xavier was captured to power a makeshift Cerebro Stryker created. When his powers are magnified by Cerebro, he can locate any mutant in the world. If he concentrates hard enough, he can kill all mutants or humans and possibly everyone in the world. Under Jason's illusion, Xavier is tricked into concentrating on all of the world's mutants, nearly killing them. He then switches to attacking all of the world's humans after Magneto- immune to the assault thanks to his helmet- confronts and threatens Jason. Nightcrawler and Storm rescue Xavier from the illusion and he has them all fly to Washington, to warn the president against the possibility of a mutant/human war.

X-Men: The Last Stand

Xavier first appears in a flashback, when he and Magneto pick up a young Jean Grey as their first student. He is given a more youthful appearance with digital technology.

In the present, Xavier expresses worry over Scott's grief over Jean's death and tells Storm that should anything happen to him, she was to replace him as head of the school. When Jean is discovered alive, Xavier sedates her and tells Wolverine that he had kept her powers in check with mental barriers since she was a child, resulting in her developing a second personality known as "The Phoenix". When Jean awakens as The Phoenix and escapes, Xavier tracks her down to her old home and tries to convince her to return. Rather than starting a fight outside her house, Xavier lets Magneto come with him. Xavier tries to calmly talk Jean into returning to the mansion, but Magneto turns the unstable Jean against the Professor. This causes Xavier to panic and speak to Jean in a less calm manner, now flatly telling her that she's a danger to everyone, including herself. He uses the fact that Jean killed Scott Summers to try to bring her back to herself, but it has the exact opposite effect he was hoping for, further angering the Phoenix instead of stunning her into realizing her evil potential. After much argument, the Phoenix manifests its great powers as she tries to keep Xavier from re-establishing the psychic blocks to imprison it again. Infuriated both by Xavier's meddling in her head and Magneto (who insinuates that Xavier wishes to restrain her and "give her the cure"), she uses her mind to first lift her house into the air and then cause Xavier to explode into ash. His death causes a great impact on the residents of the institute and it is nearly closed until Storm decides to honor Xavier's wishes and act as its head following the arrival of Warren.

In an after-credits scene, Xavier speaks to Moira McTaggert through the body of a comatose man, implying that his consciousness survived by transferring itself into the body (An action that Xavier had discussed at the beginning of the film as part of an ethics class, the question being if it would be ethically right for a mutant like himself to attempt such a transference, noting that the man in question was virtually brain-dead).

On the DVD Commentary, it is revealed that the body on Muir Island was a "P. Xavier". One of the writers noted that this is an original twin brother, written for the scene, who was born braindead (due to Professor X's amount of power). This brother can apparently walk but due to being in coma for a long time and braindead since birth, the brother is alluded to be in a restricted movement. This is an example of a comic book death; this scene was not in the script but was secretly added during filming.^[5] Additionally, there is nothing in the film to suggest that the Juggernaut is related to Xavier, other than perhaps a shared British nationality.

X-Men Origins: Magneto

A spin-off to the X-Men franchise entitled X-Men Origins: Magneto was announced after X-Men: The Last Stand and planned for 2009–2010. In December 2004, 20th Century Fox hired screenwriter Sheldon Turner to draft a script for Magneto that focuses on the mutant supervillain and how he became Magneto. The script includes Professor X, a soldier in the Allied Forces who helps liberate Nazi concentration camps. He meets Magneto after the war, finding a bond with their mutant powers, but their moral differences drive them apart.^[6] Instead of McKellen and Stewart, though, actors in their 20s were to be cast to portray the characters.^[7] The film has been shelved,^[8] although most of the film's plot was integrated into X-Men: First Class instead.^[9]

The Wolverine

Stewart appears in a cameo as Xavier in the post end credits scene for The Wolverine, where he appears along with Magneto to warn Wolverine of an upcoming crisis. Amazed, Wolverine asks how he is still alive: Charles reminds Logan that he once said long ago that he is not the only one with gifts. A photograph of Wolverine with Xavier also appears in Yashida's scrapbook.

X-Men: Days of Future Past

James McAvoy and Patrick Stewart reprise their roles as the younger and older Charles Xavier/Professor X respectively, in X-Men: Days of Future Past,^[10] which was released on May 23, 2014.^[11][12] In the sequences set in 1973, Xavier is seen to be older and bitter, has given up on his dream of human-mutant peaceful coexistence after the failure of his school, and leading a reclusive life as a result. Despite having been paralyzed by Magneto in X-Men: First Class, he regained his mobility from Hank McCoy's serum but at the cost of suppressing his mutation.^[13] In addition, Xavier is living under the care of McCoy, impolite to people, occasionally behave violently, and succumbs to alcoholism as a coping mechanism for his depression at his failure.

By 2023, the Sentinels have decimated the mutant race and virtually conquered Earth, forcing the X-Men to seek a new method of combatting their threat. With Kitty Pryde having developed the ability to project an individual's consciousness back into their past selves, Xavier proposes that he be sent back into his past self in 1973 so that he can prevent Raven/Mystique from killing Bolivar Trask after he proposed the Sentinel program, believing that this death is the primary catalyst for this timeline. However, Kitty explains that the process of projecting someone into the past would be too psychologically traumatic for Xavier to survive it, prompting Wolverine to volunteer to go back instead as his power would allow him to recover from the damage inflicted.

When Wolverine arrives to seek his help, the past Xavier is eventually inspired to strive for his goal again. As the serum suppressing his abilities begins to wear off, instead of taking his next dose, Xavier accepts Wolverine's encouragement to read his mind, allowing the young Xavier to not only see Logan's memories but also briefly communicate with his future self, Logan's projected mind acting as a psychic 'bridge' between the past and the future. The older Xavier convinces his younger self to maintain his faith that humanity can rise above its mistakes rather than judge it by when it stumbles despite the future he lives in, offering his young self advice on how to get past the fear of emotional pain that is hindering his powers by telling him that he can accept the pain of others by focusing on the hope for a better future. The older Xavier also allows his young counterpart to see his memories, which include the differences he had accomplished and the students his young self would have.

Free from his self-doubts from this encounter and aware of the peril of the impending crisis, Charles subsequently stops using the serum to regain his telepathy, determined to avert the dystopian future and save Raven from damnation. Although Magneto nearly triggers a mass slaughter when he takes control of the Sentinels during their demonstration in Washington D.C, Raven knocks him out in time, followed by Xavier appealing to Raven to not assassinate Bolivar Trask by encouraging her to avoid becoming a killer. As a result of the changed past and the knowledge Xavier has gained from both Wolverine and his future self, he is able to change outcomes in the next fifty years; all of the X-Men (including Cyclops and Jean Grey, who had previously died in X-Men: The Last Stand), are alive in the altered future timeline.

Deadpool

While Professor X doesn't appear in Deadpool, he is referenced a number of times by the titular character, who at one point asks if it's "McAvoy or Stewart" and jokes about how convoluted following the X-Men timelines are.

Its implied that he's away, given Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead are the only ones at the mansion, however Deadpool also remarks that these two are the only ones on screen as the studio cannot afford another X-Man.

X-Men: Apocalypse

McAvoy reprised his role as Xavier in X-Men: Apocalypse. McAvoy has stated in an interview with The Huffington Post that he will be older and will lose his hair in the film.^[14][15] During the film, it is stated that Xavier believes that humans and mutants have now achieved peace, prompting him to focus on building up the Institute as a more conventional school, intending to bring humans into the school as well as mutants, although Hank and Raven each make preparations for a future conflict to prepare for the worst even if Hank wants to hope. He has also started teaching the young Jean Grey, helping her develop a more gradual control of her powers without the telepathic blocks of the original timeline, and the storyline sees his first meeting with Scott Summers after Scott's powers emerge during an argument with a bully at school. When he hears that Eric has disappeared and learns of rumors of an ancient mutant, Xavier makes contact with new foe Apocalypse while using Cerebro, allowing Apocalypse to take remote control of Xavier's telepathy and use him to make the governments launch all their nuclear missiles, before teleporting to the mansion to abduct Xavier. Although Apocalypse forces Xavier to transmit a telepathic message to the human race by enhancing his powers, proclaiming Apocalypse's intentions to launch a plan of conquest against the world, Xavier uses the opportunity to transmit a private message to Jean with his location, and concludes the message by telling those with power to protect those without rather than to prepare for conquest. Apocalypse attempts to use his equipment to transfer his essence into Xavier's body, allowing him to gain full access to Xavier's telepathy, but although the energy shield of the transference burns off Xavier's hair as he tries to escape, he is finally rescued by Nightcrawler before the process can be completed. During the later conflict, Xavier uses the still-existing telepathic link between himself and Apocalypse to attack Apocalypse on the psychic plane while the other X-Men confront him in the real world, although in the end he is only a distraction until Jean can unleash her own full power. At the end of the film, Xavier is bald and wearing his usual suit as he sits outside the Danger Room, watching the new X-Men prepare for training under Raven as their new field leader.

Logan

Patrick Stewart has confirmed that he will reprise his role as the older Xavier in the upcoming sequel to The Wolverine titled Logan.^[16]

New Mutants

Simon Kinberg told Collider in an interview that Professor X will appear in New Mutants.^[17]

Books

In the X-Men/Star Trek crossover novel Planet X, Archangel and Beverly Crusher program a copy of Professor X into the holodeck of the Enterprise-E based on Archangel's own knowledge of the professor and information the Enterprise downloaded from the Xavier Mansion's computers during their visit to the Marvel Universe. Crusher privately reflects that Professor X and Captain Picard look surprisingly similar, with the two sharing the same thoughts when they later meet. Accepting his status as a hologram of himself, Xavier assists Doctor Crusher in developing a cure for the 'transformed' – artificially-created mutants on a planet that the Enterprise is visiting – and later invites Picard to come and speak with him in the future if his personality will remain in the holodecks after the current crisis has been resolved, Picard assuring the Professor that he would be honoured to do so as he compliments Xavier's success in bringing the X-Men together given their diverse personalities and powers.

Internet parody

In the My Way parody The Juggernaut Bitch based on the X-Men Animated Series, Professor X, referred to simply as 'Charles', is a prominent character in the parody and its two sequels. He is voiced by Xavier Nazario.

Toys

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. He has also been released as a part of the Marvel Super Hero Squad line of miniature figures produced by Hasbro.

Video games

Professor X appears in most of the X-Men video games.

• He is almost always an NPC and advises the X-Men on various missions in the role playing games.
• In the case of the fighting games, he appears in some of the characters' endings. In Marvel VS. Capcom, he is possessed by Onslaught, the game's final boss.
• He appears in the X-Men: Mutant Academy game for the Sony PlayStation, helping the player in Academy Mode.
• He appears in the X-Men: Mutant Academy 2 game for the Sony PlayStation, as an unlockable playable character.
• He appears in the training modes for Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro voiced by Daran Norris.
• Xavier is also a playable character in the game X-Men Legends, and its sequel X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse (in the first game, he is playable in one level and when all danger room discs are completed; in the second, he is playable once all the Danger Room missions are completed. He also appears as a major NPC in both games). Patrick Stewart voices Xavier in both Legends games. When playable, he is seen without his wheelchair.
• Professor X appears as an NPC in the game Marvel: Ultimate Alliance voiced by Tom Kane. He helps the heroes by using Cerebro to locate Nightcrawler and Jean Grey. He is amongst the heroes who are defeated by Doctor Doom and seen on the ground next to Magneto with his wheelchair demolished. Also in the game, if the player chooses to save Jean Grey from being dropped into the Infinity Vortex, Mystique will avenge Nightcrawler by infiltrating the X-Mansion at night to vent her frustration upon Professor X where he will die in a coma months later and his death will cause the X-Men to disband forever (Cyclops, Wolverine, and surprisingly Nightcrawler, are among the X-Men seen surrounding his grave). Professor X has special dialogue with Iceman, Wolverine, Storm, and Magneto.
• He is briefly mentioned by Lisa Simpson in The Simpsons Game concerning the families' powers.
• Professor X appears in the PlayStation 2 and version of Spider-Man: Web of Shadows. He appears as an assist character who uses his telepathy upon the enemies.
• Professor X appears in Marvel: Avengers Alliance. He appears as an non-playable character in Season 2.
• Professor X appeared as a playable character in Lego Marvel Super Heroes, voiced by James Arnold Taylor.^[18]

References