Charles no longer in charge: Why the X-Men need to move on from Xavier

As the founder of the X-Men, Professor Charles Xavier has always been at the core of the franchise. Professor X and his dream of mutant-human coexistence have driven the Children of the Atom since X-Men #1 in 1963. 

This week, as the “X-Manhunt” crossover kicks off, Xavier is again at the center of a major mutant storyline. Xavier’s escape from Graymalkin Prison has nearly all of Marvel’s mutants racing to catch up with their old mentor. Despite Xavier’s significance to mutantkind, however, it might be time for the X-Men to move beyond him. 

That isn’t to say that the X-Men should abandon Xavier’s mission or his dream. Over the years, Professor X has set a good precedent for his students. Founding the X-Men in and of itself is a magnificent achievement for the world, not just mutantkind. In gathering a group of mutants who could stand for mutants and humans alike, Xavier created one of the greatest superhero teams in the Marvel Universe. Since their inception, the X-Men have unified around Xavier and his dream. The professor not only created a team of superheroes, he founded a school for them. At the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters, Charles mentored the original five X-Men, the All-New, All-Different team, and the original New Mutants. Just like the X-Men, the school became a powerful force for good that taught mutants to manage their powers for decades. Additionally, Xavier’s resources and public image largely kept the X-Men both safe and comfortable at his school.

While running the school, Xavier took a chance on mutants who appeared beyond redemption. Before joining the X-Men, Wolverine was a violent black-ops killer, Rogue was a member of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, and Magneto was long considered the most dangerous mutant on Earth. Even so, Xavier accepted them all into his school, and even named Magneto headmaster in Uncanny X-Men #200. Giving wayward mutants a chance at redemption has become a staple of the X-Men, mainly due to Xavier’s influence. Beyond the school, Xavier set the precedent for his X-Men by defending the world from mutants abusing their power. This goes back to Uncanny X-Men #117, when Professor X first encountered Amahl Farouk, the Shadow King. Xavier dueled and bested the Shadow King on the astral plane to protect both mutants and humans from his malevolence. 

While all of this makes Xavier sound like a saint, for every one of his positive qualities, Professor X has his flaws. Although he can be a great leader and mentor, Xavier also can be extremely controlling and even arrogant. This is especially true when the professor is side by side with leaders such as Cyclops or Storm. In Uncanny X-Men #129, for instance, Xavier returns from a stint in Shi’ar space and immediately attempts to seize control of the X-Men from Cyclops. Xavier chastises Cyclops for supposedly failing as a leader, simply because Scott led the X-Men differently than the professor. Similarly, after Xavier regained the use of his legs in Uncanny X-Men #167, he briefly attempted to act as the X-Men’s field leader, usurping Storm’s authority. 

And while Professor X has protected both mutants and humans, he has gone to questionable means to do so. Examples include keeping the sentient software program Danger imprisoned to act as the X-Men’s Danger Room, sending a team of Moira MacTaggert’s students (including Cyclops’ brother Gabriel) to their deaths and then mind-wiping Scott’s memory of the event, sending Sage undercover for years in the Hellfire Club, his entire involvement in the Illuminati, and the list goes on. The bottom line is that Xavier has acted extremely questionably, and while his intentions may have been good, the results have not always been for the better. 

Finally, while Xavier’s intentions of human-mutant coexistence are noble, he can often put the needs of humans above the needs of mutantkind. The basic premise of sending his teenage students to risk their lives for humans who hate and fear them is more than a little problematic. While the X-Men are indeed heroes, it’s often been discussed how the original class were essentially child soldiers. Professor X sent his students on life-threatening missions partially so he could show humanity that mutants aren’t all bad. Xavier’s prioritization of humans came to a head in 2023’s X-Men: The Hellfire Gala, when the gala was ambushed by Orchis. Held at gunpoint, Xavier was told to mentally force mutants at the gala to walk through Krakoan gates. Otherwise, Orchis would murder scores of humans. In a moment of duress, Xavier forced countless mutants to walk through the gates, sending them off Earth. When it came down to it, Xavier seemingly doomed mutantkind to save human lives. 

Overall, there are many positive qualities that Professor X has imprinted on his X-Men, but there are also many ways that the X-Men can be better than Xavier. This idea has been demonstrated on the multiple occasions when the X-Men have existed without Xavier. 

The first time came in 1968’s X-Men #42, when Professor X seemingly died in battle. This left the original five X-Men without the professor’s guidance for the first time. Being so young, and especially as Xavier’s first class, the X-Men were left unsure of their future. The team even briefly disbanded. Yet it wasn’t long before the X-Men were back together, possibly better than ever. The X-Men would encounter new members Havok and Polaris, and face off against the Sentinels, Magneto and Sauron. These would be the most exciting X-Men adventures yet, especially because the team had to stand on its own without Xavier (and because artist Neal Adams was bringing a fresh, dynamic style to the book). Of course, in X-Men #65, Xavier is revealed to have faked his death to investigate the alien Z’Nox. Still, it was a good trial run for an X-Men without Charles Xavier.

After the formation of the All-New, All-Different X-Men in 1975’s Giant-Size X-Men #1, the team gradually became more independent of Xavier. In 1978’s X-Men #114, the X-Men are presumed dead after a battle with Magneto. Xavier quickly flees to space with the Shi’ar princess Lilandra, and the X-Men are on their own. This is arguably the period where the All-New, All-Different team comes into its own as a group. The X-Men grow closer and learn how to be a better team during adventures in the Savage Land and Japan. Battles against Alpha Flight and Arcade also test the X-Men’s mettle. This all culminates in the X-Men’s iconic face-off with Proteus in 1979’s X-Men #126-128, cementing their place as a fully formed superhero team. Xavier would return after this, but he will become gradually less important to the team as time goes on.

Xavier is taken off the board entirely in 1985’s Uncanny X-Men #200, after nearly dying in Magneto’s arms. Only the alien technology of Lilandra and the Starjammers can save his life, taking the professor into space for several more years of the X-Men’s publication history. Xavier’s absence leads to several complications, but also exciting new storytelling possibilities. For one thing, the New Mutants are left in Magneto’s hands, changing the school drastically. Additionally, the X-Men have to deal with major events such as the “Mutant Massacre” without Xavier’s guidance. 

“Fall of the Mutants,” in 1988, is a major departure from previous stories, as the X-Men seemingly sacrifice their lives to defeat the Native American trickster deity known as the Adversary. In truth, the X-Men are saved by the omniversal guardian Roma and continue to secretly operate out of the Australian Outback. “Fall of the Mutants” also sees the death of Doug Ramsey, aka Cypher. This tragedy drives a wedge between the New Mutants and Magneto, leading the team to become superheroes separate from the Xavier school (a move that will eventually lead to the formation of X-Force). On the surface, things grow much worse for the X-Men and New Mutants in Xavier’s absence. The professor’s students leave the comfort and safety of their Westchester mansion to face the most dangerous threats of their lives. But these painful changes lead to tremendous character growth, as well as some of the X-Men’s most iconic stories, including “Inferno” and “The X-Tinction Agenda.” Roma says it best at the end of “Fall of the Mutants,” declaring that the X-Men have become legends. By the time Xavier is reunited with his students in1991’s Uncanny X-Men #276, they are all grown up. 

Professor X would next leave his students in 1996’s X-Men #57, following the events of “Onslaught.” Xavier is taken into federal custody for his inadvertent creation of Onslaught, leaving the X-Men on their own once more. By this point, however, Xavier’s pupils can stand on their own. The X-Men face off with Bastion in “Operation: Zero Tolerance” and take in new teammates such as Maggott, Marrow and Cecelia Reyes. Under Storm’s leadership, the X-Men integrate these new members and continue to operate as both a school and a family. Simultaneously, in 1998’s Uncanny X-Men #356, the original five X-Men reunite, with Cyclops suggesting they reconsider Xavier’s dream and replace it with their own. Unfortunately, this period is all too brief, with Xavier rejoining his students in X-Men #84. 

Possibly the longest and most fascinating period in which the X-Men exist without Xavier begins in 2004’s Uncanny X-Men #443. Following Jean Grey’s second death in New X-Men #150, Xavier leaves his school to rebuild Genosha, leaving Cyclops and Emma Frost in charge. This was a very natural change, with Cyclops growing from one of Xavier’s first students to the headmaster of the Xavier Institute. Given Emma’s experience as headmistress of the Massachusetts Academy, her position at Xavier’s made perfect sense as well. It was fascinating to see Cyclops and Emma grow into leaders of mutantkind, especially after the Decimation depowers most of Earth’s mutants. Cyclops, in particular, steps out of the professor’s shadow to become his own man. 

“Messiah Complex,” in 2007, highlights this change spectacularly, with Cyclops leading the race to find the first mutant born since M-Day. The event also ends with Professor X shot in the head by Bishop. A distraught Cyclops initially disbands the X-Men, but shortly thereafter reestablishes the school in San Francisco in Uncanny X-Men #500. In Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Exodus, Cyclops establishes the island nation of Utopia, uniting all remaining mutants. With Cyclops leading not just the X-Men but the surviving mutant population, Xavier is put in an interesting position. After recovering from his gunshot wound in X-Men: Legacy #209, Xavier strikes out to make amends for all the mistakes he made. In X-Men: Legacy #224, for example, Xavier finally fulfills his promise to Rogue to help her control her powers. It’s always interesting to see how the X-Men operate without Xavier, but it is even more interesting to see Xavier operate outside the X-Men. Professor X can use the occasional soul-searching to address his shortcomings.

Probably the worst time for the X-Men came following Xavier’s death in 2012’s Avengers vs. X-Men. Most of this internal strife came from the fact that Cyclops, as Dark Phoenix, was the one to kill Professor X. This story martyrs Xavier and galvanizes mutants around his dream, but it also serves to villainize Cyclops and drive a wedge between several camps of mutants. The subsequent deaths of Wolverine and Cyclops, along with events such as Inhumans vs. X-Men, make the 2010s a pretty dark time for Xavier’s dream. The X-Men can certainly move forward without Xavier, but it’s not easy when a Terrigen cloud is killing mutants and several key figures are also dead.

Looking at the current “From the Ashes” era, it’s easy to see history repeating itself in several ways. Much like the post-”Onslaught” era, Xavier has been taken into custody for his crimes. In this case, his crimes are working with Orchis and murdering the crew of a spaceship called the Agnew. In X-Men: From the Ashes Infinity Comic #6, however, it’s revealed that he actually cloned humans to make it look like he killed them. Regardless, Xavier has martyred himself for his people, sewing division between several mutant factions, much like the post-AvX era. Rogue and her X-Men are more loyal to Xavier and his dream, while Cyclops’ team is more focused on following their own path. In the “Raid on Graymalkin” storyline, for example, Cyclops was against freeing Xavier from the prison that used to be their house. 

Although under the influence of the telepathic Scurvy, Cyclops made a good point that, with Xavier out of the picture, mutants are free to follow their own dreams. Of course, leaving Krakoa and Xavier behind leaves mutants more divided than ever. Beyond the two main X-Men teams, there is also X-Force, X-Factor, Storm representing mutants on the Avengers, and countless mutants scattered across the globe, each with their own agendas. Despite these divisions, due to Xavier’s sacrifice, they at least have a chance to pursue their own paths. In surrendering himself to Graymalkin, it seems that Xavier himself wants mutantkind to grow beyond him. Seeing that Xavier will have his own agenda in “X-Manhunt,” perhaps the professor will act outside the X-Men going forward, similar to his arc in X-Men: Legacy. Given time and space, Xavier could return in an advisory capacity, much like Magneto on Cyclops’ X-Men.

With Xavier out of the picture once again, this gives other mutants a chance to grow into the roles he previously filled. Cyclops and Rogue, for example, as leaders of two different X-Men teams, can carry on the legacy of the X-Men as superheroes. Storm, as both a member of the Avengers and a public figure, can act as a public leader of mutantkind, just like Xavier. Kitty Pryde, Emma Frost and Iceman, meanwhile, can act as teachers to young mutants, carrying on the legacy of the Xavier Institute. Rogue’s X-Men team can also pass on Xavier’s teachings to their students, the Outliers. Just as Xavier has quelled mutant threats, Cyclops’ team has been managing mutant-related issues and saving mutants in need. 

The X-Men may be divided, but this division serves a purpose, demonstrating that everyone has their own strengths and potential that Xavier once cultivated. With Xavier out of the picture, these X-Men are free to live up to this potential, beyond Xavier’s shadow. 

As an educator, Professor X prepared his students for the day they would have to stand on their own. Charles Xavier and his dream will always be at the core of the X-Men, but there comes a time when the dream goes beyond the dreamer.

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Nabeel Gaber

Nabeel Gaber is a writer and longtime comic book fan based in Boston. He graduated from Emerson College with a master's degree in publishing and writing. When he's not busy trying to make rent, he is the host of The Ultimate Comics Podcast with his longtime frenemy, Josh Kang.