Professor X: Where Do I Start?

Professor Charles Xavier is the founder of the X-Men, and in effect the original “X” man. A gifted telepath, scientist and scholar, Xavier was one the earliest proponents for mutant rights in Marvel continuity, and founded a special school intended to foster the education and training of fellow mutants. Xavier’s inaugural class took up uniforms and code names, not for an intramural football league, but instead to become the mutant super-team the X-Men.

Xavier is best known for his bald head (sorry, Chuck) and his telepathic abilities. For a large majority of his time in comics he’s been shown bound to a wheelchair, although he’s regained the use of his legs on multiple occasions. Originally created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and based visually off 1960s movie star Yul Brenner, he’s be the patron figure for mutantkind and some scholars have compared Xavier’s role in mutant rights to Martin Luther King Jr’s role in African-American rights.

But despite his numerous achievements and rarefied role in the Marvel Universe, Professor Xavier has never had a series of his own. But throughout the near 50 years he’s existed in comics, he’s played a big role in comics and occasional had his own solo adventures. In this week’s Where Do I Start?, iFanboy spotlights this Harvard grad and gives you the quintessential stories to get to know Professor X best.

Essential Uncanny X-Men Vol. 1: This low-priced collection includes the first twenty-four issues of Uncanny X-Men, showing Xavier leading the team. Of  particular interest for Xavier fans is the story of Uncanny X-Men #12, which was the first time readers learned of the Professor’s backstory as build-up for the arrival of his half-brother, Juggernaut. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby (with surprising finishes by a young Alex Toth) delve into Xavier’s youth, giving him a much less bookish and much more adventuresome adolescence than one might expect.

X-Men Legacy, Vol. 1: Divided He Stands: As I said before, Charles Xavier has never had a solo series of his own; the closest he’s come is this handful of issues from X-Men Legacy where he’s the lead in an ensemble romp through X-men history. This book collects #208-212, in which Xavier is re-evaluating his life after a near fatal gunshot wound. Writer Mike Carey shows a rare glimpse of Xavier’s vantage point in grooming the X-Men, as well as his friendship and falling out with Magneto.

X-Men: First Class: Longtime Where Do I Start? readers know it’s a rarity for me to point out something outside of comics as a benchmark for a character, but in the absence of a substantial amount of Xavier solo stories in comics the film X-Men: First Class is the closest thing to it. James McAvoy is excellent as the young Xavier, showing him in his  youthful exurbance and absent a wheelchair or bald scalp. Although not canon to the comics continuity, it stays true to the character’s pathos and motivations in his quest to help other mutants and teach them to use their powers.

Uncanny X-Men #161: This is included in several collections, but none are Xavier-specific. This one-off by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum delves into the then-mysterious relationship between Xavier and Magneto before things went sour. Magneto serves as an excellent counterpoint to Xavier, and this story shows Xavier before he settled down and started a school. It gives also gives the first glimpse of Xavier’s relationship with Gabrielle Haller, who would later give birth to Xavier’s son Legion. If that wasn’t enough, Xavier and Magneto fight N azis. This issue is available in several collections, including Essential X-Men Vol. 3 and Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men Vol. 8.