X-Men Film Series: Professor Charles Xavier / Characters

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Professor Charles Francis Xavier / Professor X

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"Just because someone stumbles and loses their way, it doesn't mean they're lost forever."

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"I feel a great swell of pity for the poor soul who comes to my school looking for trouble."

^{Click here to see Xavier with hair}

Birth Name: Charles Francis Xavier

Known Aliases: Professor X

Species: Human mutant

Citizenship: British-American

Affiliation(s): X-Men

Played By: Patrick Stewart; James McAvoy; Laurence Belcher

Voiced By: Pierre Dourlens (Stewart, European French), Alexis Victor (McAvoy, European French), Urike Aragón (old, X-Men), Federico Romano (old, X-Men 2-Origins), Guillermo Coria (old, The Wolverine-Days of Future Past), Armando Coria (old, Logan), Irwin Daayán (young, First Class-Apocalypse) (Latin-American Spanish); Paco Hernández (old, X-Men 1-3), Javier Franquelo (old, Origins-Logan), Juan Logar Jr. (young, First Class-Apocalypse), Juan María Herrera (kid, First Class), Christian Álvarez (kid, Days of Future Past) (European Spanish)

Film Appearances: 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 | X-Men: Apocalypse | Deadpool 2 | Dark Phoenix

"Mutants. Since the discovery of their existence, they have been regarded with fear, suspicion, often hatred. Across the planet, debate rages. Are mutants the next link in the evolutionary chain, or simply a new species of humanity fighting for their share of the world? Either way, it is a historical fact: sharing the world has never been humanity's defining attribute."

As founder of the X-Men and the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters, Charles Xavier hopes and works for peaceful coexistence between mutantkind and humankind (in stark opposition to his longtime friend and enemy, Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto), and is regarded as an authority on genetic mutation.

Although he is restricted to a wheelchair, he is a powerful mutant with vast telepathic abilities. He uses the Cerebro supercomputer (which was invented by Dr. Hank McCoy) to further amplify them.

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#-C

'70s Hair: In X-Men: Days of Future Past, his younger self still has a full head of hair, and sports a longer, hippie-style mane.
'80s Hair: He can pull off the feathered mullet look much better than a lot of the male celebrities of the era in X-Men: Apocalypse.
Abled in the Adaptation: In X-Men: Days of Future Past, Hank invents a serum that Charles can take which allows him to regain his ability to walk at the cost of his powers.
Achilles in His Tent: In X-Men: Days of Future Past, his younger self gives up on his powers and his role as the leader of mutants, and refuses to cooperate with Wolverine; without his aid, the entire venture is impossible. He's got more justified reasons than in most examples of the trope.
Adaptational Angst Upgrade: Zigzagged. The films claim that he had a much harder time dealing with his mutant powers as a child. In the comics, Xavier's abilities came easily, and he had no trouble using them (even cheating during school). It wasn't until he was a young adult that he started developing problems, due to service in Korea. Also, his home life in the movies is much more stable, with no mention of Brian Xavier's death, his mother's marriage to Kurt Marko, or Charles' antagonistic relationship with his stepbrother Cain Marko. The film incarnation gains a happier childhood in exchange for a much worse adulthood.
Adaptational Attractiveness: For the First Class trilogy; Professor X in the comics was never depicted being gorgeous like James McAvoy, and instead of being bald for his entire adulthood, the film version is blessed with luxurious locks when he's a younger man. He's aware of how good-looking he is, and is a Proud Beauty in X-Men: First Class and X-Men: Apocalypse.
Adaptational Nationality: In the comic books, he's fully American, but X-Men: First Class establishes that he's half-British through his mother, and therefore he may possess dual USA/UK citizenship. Charles speaks with a British accent, which seems to indicate that he's originally from the UK in the films.
Adaptational Nice Guy: The film series portrays him as being more noble and sympathetic than his comic book counterpart, who personifies Good Is Not Nice and is a Manipulative Bastard—one of Kitty Pryde's most famous lines is "Professor Xavier is a jerk!"◊ The movie franchise takes the opposite route because Charles is a Guile Hero, one of its nicest characters (he's The Cutie in X-Men: First Class and X-Men: Apocalypse), and even when he occasionally makes the wrong choice, it's understood that he only had the best of intentions. As a result, the cinematic interpretation is much more likable relative to the comics', and Xavier was purposefully adapted in such a way that he became Bryan Singer's favourite X-Men character (who is a big sci-fi fan and isn't a comic book reader).
Adaptational Protagonist: The main protagonist of the original Days of Future Past comic was Kitty Pryde, however, it's changed to Logan and Charles for the movie adaptation. This is because Kitty was largely Out of Focus for the X-Men film series, so the plotline wouldn't make as much sense to wider audiences if it was starring her. She is still the catalyst for Time Travel in the movie, though.
Adaptation Dye-Job: Professor X in the comics was blond before he lost his hair, but his movie counterpart is a brunet.
Addled Addict: In between 1963 and 1973, he's so far gone with his alcoholism and self-medication that he can't function without Hank's help.
Agent Peacock: Professor Peacock, to be more precise. When he still has hair, his porcelain doll-like face and nurturing personality make him the most androgynous male lead of the franchise. He's the most formidable telepath on Earth who can kill anyone with a thought, and he carries a streak of vanity which is a product of his upper-class upbringing (his mother was a haughty British Socialite). Even after Xavier becomes bald and loses his prettiness, he still adorns himself in snazzy suits. Saving the world is hard work, and he wants to look good doing it. Heck, Patrick Stewart even admits on the "Two Worlds, Two Battles" documentary of The Rogue Cut that his character "has been seen as something of a peacock over all these years."
- X-Men: First Class: Charles is a suave womanizer who is perfectly aware of how appealing he is, and he doesn't allow Hank to shave his head when he tests the Cerebro prototype ("Don't touch my hair"). He's the sole mutant who is strong enough to stop Shaw single-handedly, provided that the latter isn't wearing a telepathy-blocking helmet. (Even Erik, as mighty as he is, gets clobbered by Sebastian during their duel.)
- X-Men: Apocalypse: He's the second-most powerful mutant for most of the story, and his androgyny (in both looks and personality) is taken up a notch in comparison to First Class. He graduates from a Pretty Boy to a Long-Haired Pretty Boy, and the name of his hairdo, a feathered mullet, brings to mind a peacock's tail—he even fixes a handful of loose strands shortly before he reaches Moira's office. He's pushing 50, yet he still takes delight in being hip and attractive by following '80s fashion trends with a Miami Vice-inspired wardrobe. Xavier fully embraces being a sensitive guy, as he's more overtly "maternal" towards his students and he freely sheds Tender Tears. He was close to death after a botched Grand Theft Me procedure just a few minutes beforehand, yet Charles still has the fortitude to instigate a Battle in the Center of the Mind against the Nigh-Invulnerable Apocalypse, being one of only two mutants who dishes out multiple blows on the self-proclaimed god. Xavier is so vain that even when he's already bald, his mental projection has a head full of hair during the psychic brawl.
The Alcoholic: In X-Men: Days of Future Past, his younger self has been a drunk for the past decade by the time Logan meets him.
Allegorical Character: Across the First Class trilogy, he represents empathy, and depending on the story, he can also be a figure of peace, hope or love. For X-Men: First Class, he's emblematic of serenity, and without his participation during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the planet would've plunged into World War III (no Charles = no peace). For X-Men: Days of Future Past, his 1973 self must regain hope, otherwise by 2023, mutantkind is doomed to extinction (a hopeless past Xavier = a hopeless future for mutants). For X-Men: Apocalypse, his love is the only thing that can conquer fear (Jean Grey's trepidation over her Phoenix Force disappears when she senses the utmost trust the Professor has in her), hate and anger (the last two are felt by Magneto, but once he recalls how much he loves his old friend, he betrays Apocalypse); in this case, Charles = The Power of Love.
- Furthermore, Xavier's emotional state is a metaphor for America's mindset during the time period these movies depict. In 1962, the character's optimism is an extension of the hopeful outlook President Kennedy's administration tended to exude, whereas Charles' melancholia in 1973 is not unlike the general malaise American citizens felt while under the shadow of The Vietnam War. Xavier's descent into despair began in 1963, which is the same year Kennedy was assassinated—the end of "Camelot"^note parallels the end of Professor X's school. At least in the Alternate Timeline, Charles starts to piece himself together again shortly after the Paris Peace Accords are signed. The '80s in the USA was an era of excess and materialism (both were regarded as not just acceptable, but desirable), so Xavier's vanity is at its peak in 1983, and we get to see much more of his lavish estate and everything he owns within its boundaries. The combination of his smug demeanour, dressing like he had just stepped off the set of Miami Vice, and driving around in a gorgeous, well-maintained vintage car announces to everyone that "I'm beautiful, I'm rich, and I love it."
All-Loving Hero: He's still dedicated to protecting humans even when they try to subjugate or even commit genocide against mutantkind. Compared to a normal person, he's unusually forgiving towards Erik, who has ruined and endangered Xavier's life (and is a big threat to the X-Men) more than once. In X-Men: Apocalypse, Hank summarizes Charles' mindset as "He thinks the best of people. He has hope." Professor X welcomes Storm to his school in spite of the fact that she had tried to kill the X-Men in Cairo.
Alternate Self:
- Legion takes place in an Alternate Universe which is separate from the X-Men Film Series, so the Charles Xavier portrayed by Harry Lloyd has a different life from the Stewart-McAvoy version. He's a full-blooded Englishman instead of being half-British, half-American, he was a young adult instead of a child during World War II and fought as a British army officer, plus he got married and had a son instead of remaining a bachelor and childless. The most glaring deviation is that he never establishes the X-Men.
- After Days of Future Past, Earth-1005 is replaced with an Alternate Timeline diverging in 1973 where the younger McAvoy Xavier lives a different life from the Stewart Xavier.
- Logan features an Alternate Universe version of the Stewart Xavier who is living with a dying Logan and had accidentally killed the X-Men whe he lost control of his telepathic powers.
Backup Twin: In The Stinger for X-Men: The Last Stand, he is revealed to have transferred his consciousness to another body to survive his physical death. According to Word of God, the recipient was a brain-dead identical twin who entered a vegetative state after Xavier had first used his powers. Confirmed in The Wolverine when he shows up to meet Logan at the airport much to the latter's surprise. Whether or not this backup twin exists in the new Alternate Timeline from X-Men: Days of Future Past is unknown.
Bad Liar: When he's without his powers during X-Men: Days of Future Past he tries to bluff some security guards in the Pentagon — and fails miserably, since he clearly never learned to lie effectively.
Badass Boast: In X-Men: Apocalypse, as he lies on the ground and loses blood after being beaten to a pulp by Apocalypse during their Battle in the Center of the Mind, he still reminds Apocalypse that he is alone, and Charles is not. Cue Jean unleashing the Phoenix.
- He utters this famous line twice — both times in answer to Magneto's question as to what he would do if humans ever attacked his X-Men:
  "I feel a great swell of pity for the poor soul who comes to my school looking for trouble."
Badass Bookworm: He's an Oxford graduate as shown in X-Men: First Class, with a doctorate in genetics. Xavier single-handedly prevents the Third World War with some quick thinking and telepathy; he blows up the vessel which was commandeered by the Hellfire Club through a Soviet officer on another warship. Later, he holds a telepathic link in order to immobilize Shaw while Magneto pushes a coin through Sebastian's skull. Charles feels everything, but he doesn't let go of the connection despite the agony he experiences.
Badass Teacher: Professor Charles Xavier. Specifically, with a doctorate in genetics.
- At the end of X-Men, Magneto asks him what happens when someone finds out about his mutant school, and Xavier replies that he has a great deal of pity for anyone who comes to the school looking for trouble. He was probably referring to himself, since in X2: X-Men United, Stryker's forces only attacked when they knew that Xavier wasn't there, having incapacitated him first. Xavier also claims that if he wanted to, he could make Wolverine spend the rest of his life believing he was a "six-year-old girl with pigtails" simply for ignoring his rules about no smoking in the mansion! He was joking that time, but imagine the carnage Xavier could cause if he ever got downright furious?!^noteLook up Onslaught.
- Not to mention the times that he's demonstrated just how awesome his powers are. He can telepathically freeze entire airports full of people, co-opt the mind of anyone he can "see" and force them to be a perfect mouthpiece for himself, switch between bodies and even psychically control people if need be, despite the gravity of his puppet's own powers. And his strength has only increased with age.
Barrier Maiden: Gender-flipped in X-Men: Apocalypse. The death of his mind through Apocalypse's commandeering of his body will prompt The End of the World as We Know It where weaker individuals across the globe are swiftly eradicated, and the "lucky" few who survive lose their free will after being put under Mass Hypnosis. To drive this point further, Xavier's study is decorated with bookends of Atlas, a deity from Classical Mythology.^note Also see Rule of Symbolism.
Beard of Sorrow: His younger self has one when Wolverine first visits him in 1973; Logan finds a man broken by despair. Played with, as Charles keeps it for the entire movie even after he begins to move beyond his personal pain.
The Beautiful Elite: He was born beautiful and lives in an old-fashioned Big Fancy House on a magnificent estate. Every stick of furniture and decorative item inside of his residence are Simple, yet Opulent. Ditto for his impressive collection of vintage cars and the inside of his personal plane. Xavier is enamoured with classic three-piece suits which cost a pretty penny, and he was quite the peacock when he was younger. X-Men: First Class and X-Men: Apocalypse accentuate his delicate facial features, his vanity and the splendour of his lifestyle. While he is generous to those he cares about, and he's the most altruistic character of the film series, it's made crystal clear that he ain't no Buddha—Charles derives great pleasure from basking in the luxury that his incredible wealth provides.
Beauty Equals Goodness: As a consequence of Adaptational Heroism and Adaptational Attractiveness, his good looks are emblematic of his good heart in the First Class trilogy. Even when his younger self is a Broken Bird in X-Men: Days of Future Past, he's still an Unkempt Beauty, which means that his heroic side has merely been suppressed, not extinguished.
Became Their Own Antithesis: In X-Men: Days of Future Past, the once effervescent and idealistic Xavier we saw in X-Men: First Class has crumbled into a heap of melancholia and cynicism in between 1963 and 1973. His telepathy, which he had been at ease with since he was 12 years old, has suddenly become a heavy burden that he avoids using at all costs. Charles' social drinking has deteriorated into alcoholism, and he gives up on other activities that he used to enjoy, such as teaching, scientific research and womanizing, in favour of a self-imposed exile from everything that exists beyond his mansion. Xavier has more or less reduced himself into a Manchild who is completely dependent on Hank, when in the other movies, various mutants rely on the paternal telepath for emotional support. Even the way he dresses has changed dramatically; the impeccable suits that define Professor X's style have been replaced by a gaudy paisley shirt paired with a brown leather jacket, or if he's feeling especially lazy, just an undershirt with jeans. Charles has also neglected his grooming, which makes him look like a confused hippie or a hobo instead of a well-adjusted, upper-class academic.
Berserk Button: Let's just say, do not smoke while in Cerebro.
Professor X: Logan, my tolerance for your smoking in the mansion notwithstanding, continue smoking that in here, and you'll spend the rest of your days under the belief that you're a six-year-old girl. I'd have Jean braid your hair.
Beware the Nice Ones: In X-Men: Apocalypse, he's an All-Loving Hero who is extremely dangerous because of (and not in spite of) his magnanimity. Even when his telepathy is negated by Apocalypse's Psychic Block Defense, Charles can still use The Power of Love as a weapon and he defeats the self-proclaimed god with it. Ironically, Xavier is a conditional pacifist who has a knack for inciting others to engage in violence on his behalf. The foremost example of this is the Phoenix, who is his defender in the Alternate Timeline instead of his doom because he avoids the blunder of his original timeline's self. Instead of being motivated by fear and forcibly caging Jean's "dark power" (which brought out the worst in her), Charles is motivated by love and helps her to cope with it emotionally (which brings out the best in her). The Phoenix is the most powerful entity in the movie-verse to date, and now that Jean has gained mastery over it, by extension, it's also under Professor X's command. In the first film, Magneto belittled Xavier for being weak, but in Apocalypse's denouement, Erik recognizes his friend's strength after his love for Charles redeems him during the Final Battle ("You can convince me to do anything"). En Sabah Nur makes a fatal error in underestimating his captive because the former only measures power through brute force, and Xavier is so much more than his mutation; the latter proves to be the superior and the more lethal leader because of his empathy.
Big Brother Instinct:
- X-Men: First Class: He had this for Raven, being very concerned about hiding her mutant form in public and telling her directly that he didn't want anything to happen to her. However, his relationship with his foster sister deconstructs this phenomenon because it caused him to become overprotective to the point where he denied her the chance to embrace her true appearance and be proud of what she was, as well as caused him to ignore her very obvious crush on him. This in turn made Raven turn to Erik as a mentor/love interest and eventually joins him in his cause against humanity.
- X-Men: Days of Future Past: When his younger self sees Mystique again for the first time in 11 years, he caresses her hair and shoulder as a gesture of comfort while telling her that he will keep her safe among other soothing words. When Magneto then points a gun in her direction, Xavier stands in between the barrel and his foster sister, and Erik later has to use his power to change the bullet's trajectory so that it won't hit Charles in the head. Despite their estrangement, he is willing to die for Raven to save her life.
- X-Men: Apocalypse: When Apocalypse is asphyxiating Mystique, Charles doesn't even think twice before he expresses his willingness to surrender himself, but then Moira reminds him that he can't do this because the entire planet would then fall under Apocalypse's control. Xavier collapses in tears when he realizes that he can't exchange his life for his foster sister's.
Big Brother Mentor: Because he and Hank share a lot in common, Xavier treats McCoy more like a little brother than the other young recruits in X-Men: First Class.
Big Good: He's the wise and conscientious leader of the X-Men; his mission is to defend mutants and humans. He has embodied both variants of this trope — The Mentor in the original trilogy and both The Mentor and The Hero in the prequel series.
- X-Men: The Last Stand: It's deconstructed to some degree. Can the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters exist without Xavier himself?
- X-Men: First Class: He's the leader of the heroic team that eventually defeats the Big Bad. He brought them together, trained them and inspired them to be valiant when faced with great peril.
- X-Men: Days of Future Past: Both his future self and the elderly Magneto share the leadership role among the remaining X-Men and the Free Mutants. Wolverine's mission is to guide Xavier's younger self towards the process of growing into this by accepting both his powers and his duty to his fellow mutants.
- X-Men: Apocalypse: The good vs. evil conflict chiefly revolves around him and the Big Bad En Sabah Nur, who are each other's Foil, and the latter is also the former's Evil Counterpart and Shadow Archetype. Charles, despite being relatively feeble as an individual mutant compared to his god-like foe, is the better leader because he's the epitome of Machiavelli Was Wrong, and that's why the X-Men triumph whereas the Four Horsemen crumble as a team.
Birds of a Feather:
- X-Men: First Class: Among the young recruits, he connects more strongly with McCoy than with the others because both men are scientists with a similar temperament who believe it's important to Hide Your Otherness from human society. X-Men: Days of Future Past even goes a step further by showing us that they become Heterosexual Life-Partners.
- X-Men: Apocalypse: Jean Grey is scared of her telepathic power, and Xavier himself had struggled with his psychic abilities as a child (as mentioned in Days of Future Past), so he relates more strongly to Jean's situation than the difficulties the other young mutants have faced. They have a very profound surrogate father-daughter bond because they are the only ones who can fully understand what it's like to be a telepath and the troubles that come with their mutant gift.
  Jean: [upset] You don't know what it's like to be afraid to shut your eyes, to be trapped inside your own head.
  Charles: Oh, I think I do. It wasn't so long ago that I was plagued by voices myself. All their suffering, all their pain, their secrets.
Black Eyes of Evil: In X-Men: Apocalypse, his eyes turning completely black as he declares, "I've never felt power like this before" is the result of Apocalyse taking control of him to use Cerebro to disable all of the world's nukes simultaneously.
Blessed with Suck:
- X-Men: Days of Future Past:
  - After slipping into a deep depression, his younger self views his telepathy as a curse because he can no longer control it. He's unable to shut out the clamour of thoughts that he doesn't want to hear, and this causes a tremendous amount of agony, to the point where he becomes addicted to a serum which numbs his ability, allowing him to sleep at night.
  - At the age of nine, Xavier believed that he was mentally ill (schizophrenia, most likely) due to the voices in his head, and it took him three whole years to recognize that he was actually telepathic—as dysfunctional as he is in 1973, his childhood experience must have been downright nightmarish in comparison.
Blue Is Heroic: Blue is commonly tied to gentleness, tranquility and intelligence, which are his hallmarks as the franchise's Big Good, so naturally it's part of his Color Motif. Fittingly for a man with an androgynous disposition, blue is also linked to masculinity and femininity; his parental authority is rooted in the blend of his Team Dad and Team Mom aspects. In his very first on-screen appearance, he wears a blue suit. In X-Men: First Class, Charles is introduced as a scholarly kid in blue-and-white pajamas whose instinct is to be charitable towards a starving mutant girl, laying the foundation of his future ascent into an All-Loving Hero and a Guile Hero. As an adult, blue is routinely incorporated into his apparel, and he's the Allegorical Character for serenity. In X-Men: Days of Future Past, his past self is subjected to a Palette Swap that marks the return of his familiar blues and greys to designate that he has taken up the mantle of being a hero again. In X-Men: Apocalypse, he's only garbed in blue after he concludes his transition from a schoolteacher to a leader of mutantkind.
Brain Critical Mass: He's highly intellectual and he's the greatest psychic on the planet. So when old age made him vulnerable to losing control, things got ugly.
Brainy Brunet: When he still has hair in the First Class trilogy; he has a doctorate in genetics.
Break the Cutie:
- X-Men: First Class: When the movie starts, he's a friendly, happy-go-lucky, idealistic Oxford grad whose only interests are protecting his foster sister, studying genetics, drinking yards of beer and picking up coeds. His initial reaction to meeting other mutants is a puppyish eagerness to find others like him, as well as a gung-ho enthusiasm to work with a superhuman team to fight evil. During the climax, he gets smacked around in a variety of ways, including telepathically experiencing Shaw's gruesome death at Magneto's hands, getting shot in the spine, and having the US government, his best friend, and his sister all turn against him. By the finale, his government is trying to hunt him down, his best friend is preparing for a war against humans, and he's crippled for life in a wheelchair. We know from future installments that he never quite abandons his ideals, but he's frighteningly subdued, and obviously much more cautious about who knows his secrets.
- X-Men: Apocalypse: For the past decade, he has been very happy running his school with Hank by his side, and he's pleased by human society being more accepting of mutants. He's then kidnapped by Apocalypse (and with Magneto's assistance, no less), his home is blown to smithereens, and he's brought half-way across the world into a situation where's he's completely at the mercy of a mutant who's more powerful than he is. Apocalypse wants to cleanse the Earth of any mutant or human who isn't strong enough to survive the new world order, and he intends to exploit Xavier's telepathy to facilitate this extinction-level event by taking control of him. For Charles, this is a far more terrible hell than what he had endured in the previous two films. McAvoy sums up his character's suffering as:
  "It wasn't just the weight of the world I was feeling. It was the death of the world."
Broken Bird: Time and events have really taken their toll on his younger self in X-Men: Days of Future Past. He lost Raven and Erik, Sean had disappeared several years prior (and is later confirmed dead at the hands of Trask), then most his teachers and students were drafted to The Vietnam War, leaving him alone except for Hank. He's taking a serum designed by McCoy that suppresses his powers and restores the use of his legs just so he can sleep at night without feeling other people's pain.
The Cameo:
- An uncredited and digitally rejuvenated Patrick Stewart appears in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
- A resurrected Professor X greets Logan—much to the latter's astonishment—during the post-credits scene in The Wolverine.
- James McAvoy's Xavier is briefly seen giving a lesson while Deadpool is at the X-Mansion in Deadpool 2.
Captain Smooth and Sergeant Rough: This is his and Mystique's dynamic with the X-Men in the final scene of X-Men: Apocalypse. Xavier is A Father to His Men who looks after his protégés as individuals, while it's Raven's duty as the Sergeant Rock to discipline the team so that it functions smoothly as a unit. It suits not only their roles, but their personalities as well: Charles is very sentimental and enjoys being affectionate, whereas Mystique was influenced by Magneto and she had adopted his mindset that the successful completion of a mission is much more important than sentiment.
Care-Bear Stare: As an All-Loving Hero with mind-related superpowers, it's not surprising that this skill is part of his toolbox.
- X-Men: First Class: He uses his telepathy to help Erik recall a happy memory from long ago in order to unlock the full potential of his friend's powers.
- X-Men: Apocalypse: Dying and weakened, he enters a state of Dissonant Serenity so that he can focus his residual psychic powers to transmit to Jean his absolute faith in her that she can let loose the Phoenix without killing him. Through The Power of Love, she finally sheds her deep-seated misgivings, and she's able to direct her devastating flames solely at the intended target (namely Charles' would-be murderer Apocalypse).
Character Development:
- X-Men: Days of Future Past focuses primarily on his transition from a Broken Bird to gradually embracing the role of an All-Loving Hero. As Simon Kinberg explains in the January 2014 issue of Total Film:
  "...very early on we made the decision that it was young Charles' arc, and that really the emotional story of the movie is watching him go from the guy who's lost his legs, lost his best friend, lost his sister, and in some ways lost his mind, to a guy who will become the all-powerful, benevolent Professor Xavier. McAvoy is really about as far as one can be from the Patrick Stewart that we know from X1, and we're really watching him take the first big step towards owning that chair and being a leader."
- X-Men: Apocalypse: His idealism is ripped away from him again, but instead of breaking into pieces like he did in between First Class and Days of Future Past, his experience with Apocalypse hardens him, resulting in a slightly darker (according to Word of God), but wiser^note Professor X than Patrick Stewart's version in the original timeline.
  Simon Kinberg: 'I feel a great swell of pity for the poor soul looking for trouble.' The way that James said that line, to me, it's almost a Magneto delivery. It's a threat. And there's a response from Fassbender where he gives a little smile. And the little smile to me, that I read that smile and Michael and I talked about that smile, the smile was Magneto understanding Charles has learnt my lesson. That's a militant Charles Xavier.
The Charmer:
- X-Men: First Class: He uses his bubbly exuberance and his psychic powers to pick up women in pubs on campus. Michael Fassbender has admitted that he had portrayed Erik as being captivated by Xavier's charisma.
  Fassbender: The first thing that James [McAvoy] did was he brought a little mischief, a little bit of a rebel to Professor X. Which I think really was very clever because looking at it from where Erik is standing, there was something about that he found very endearing, and he was charmed by this man. I think that's why the fans really react to the bromance thing, there's a real sort of Butch Cassidy element that he brings to it, James, which I thought was really smart.
- X-Men: Apocalypse: When Moira informs Charles that her investigation in Cairo is classified, he wraps up his bold-faced lie about having Level 5 clearance with a twinkle in his eye and a winning smile. Since he doesn't appear to be using his telepathy, Moira completely buys what he's selling with his charm because she then gives him a summary of what she had discovered about En Sabah Nur's cult.
Chekhov's Gunman: As the most powerful telepath on Earth, he's bound to be targeted to be taken out of commission (the original trilogy, X-Men: First Class, X-Men: Apocalypse) or be otherwise handicapped (X-Men: Days of Future Past, Logan) because his mutant gift would make it too easy for him and his X-Men to resolve the plot's crisis.
Chick Magnet: In X-Men: First Class, he has the attention of Amy (the blond woman with heterochromia—she has a Funny Background Event showing her continued interest), his sister figure Raven (who has a crush on him) and Moira (there is a deleted scene where she and Charles are making out after drinking too much champagne, and at the end, they kiss).
Chivalrous Pervert:
- X-Men: First Class: He boldly hits on co-eds, but when his latest target for conquest sincerely needs help, he's all business.
- X-Men: Apocalypse: In this French interview, James McAvoy discloses Xavier's lust and adoration for Moira.
  "Definitely he has... the hots for her! (laughs) She gives new meaning to his life, undoubtedly. [...] Charles is madly in love with Moira and he will do everything to protect her."
Chrome Dome Psi: Hank recommends to Charles that he shaves his head in X-Men: First Class so that Cerebro will work more efficiently. It's strongly implied in the other films that Xavier is a more potent psychic when he's bald.
Color-Coded Characters: Although he's comfortable enough with his masculinity to confidently wear "feminine" hues such as periwinkle, pink or lilac, he's mainly associated with various shades of blue, grey and white.
Conveniently Coherent Thoughts: A justified case near the climax of X-Men: Days of Future Past. Among the cacophony of thoughts at the White House, his 1973 self can distinctly hear Mystique's inner voice speaking, "This is for you, brothers and sisters." When you are Professor Charles Xavier, it's not convenience; it's skill.
Cool Helmet: Unlike the previous models of the Cerebro helmet, the inner wiring of The '80s version lights up when activated.◊
Cool Old Guy: Has an almost grandfatherly sort of relationship with his students during his older years.
Cool Shades: In 1973, he sports fashionable '70s-style sunglasses. He updates to an '80s look in 1983. He's fond of gradient lenses because they're the most distinctive feature of both pairs.
Cool Teacher:
- X-Men: First Class: He adopts this role when he trains the young mutants; he's always friendly, supportive and caring.
- X-Men: Apocalypse: He's well-liked by his students because of his warm and pleasant disposition. He even dresses cool by '80s standards (his clothing is more casual than what he wore in the original trilogy and in X-Men: First Class), which makes it a little easier for the youngsters to relate to him because he puts in some effort in following current trends.
Cultured Badass: Comes with his educated status.
The Cutie: This is how he's characterized in X-Men: First Class and X-Men: Apocalypse. He's sweet, compassionate, naïve, peace-loving and cheerful. His Pretty Boy features highlight his childlike attributes, and he retains the puppyish enthusiasm that he had as a kid. Even the aloof and grumpy Erik melts under Xavier's charm and affectionately labels him as "adorable." Charles is given more comedic lines in Apocalypse than in previous movies to increase his dorky factor. His official temporary emoji◊ is modeled on the gleeful boyishness that James McAvoy brings to the role. The younger Professor X is often called "bae" (which is an informal term for "baby") on Tumblr because he's so endearing.

D-F

The Dandy: He relishes being flawlessly handsome. He adores his hair and his clothes—even when he loses the former, he can still indulge in the latter—and he can be quite fussy about them (such as his Nobody Touches the Hair moment in X-Men: First Class, and needlessly straightening his sleeves before he goes on a 4.5-hour-long drive from Westchester to Langley in this deleted scene from X-Men: Apocalypse). Xavier spends a lot of money on his suits, and he can be a bit overdressed at times (e.g. his outfit when he visits an incarcerated Erik in X2: X-Men United is so swanky that it can be worn at a wedding). In Apocalypse, he looks more like an '80s fashion model than a teacher, and his translucent white shirt is a little too sexy for an academic setting. Like most dandies, Charles also surrounds himself in luxury and is very fond of the finer things in life, plus he had a hedonistic streak when he was younger (specifically a penchant for sex and booze).
Dark Secret: By 1973, he had never revealed to anyone—not even Raven, Erik or Hank—that as a nine-year-old kid, he thought he was going insane after his telepathy became active, and he didn't learn until he was twelve that he could in fact read other people's minds.
Deadpan Snarker: In X-Men: Days of Future Past, 1973 Charles displays this when Wolverine states the obvious.
Logan: You can walk.
Charles: You're a perceptive one. [...] I find it slightly perplexing that you managed to miss our sign on the way in.
- And later:
  Logan: That's it, you're just gonna walk out?
  Charles: Oh, top marks, like I said, you're perceptive.
Defrosting Ice King: He has done this to both Logan and Erik.
- X-Men: The Last Stand: It's alluded to when the Phoenix (who is presumably using her telepathy) says to Wolverine, "What, you think [the Professor's] not in your head, too? Look at you, Logan. He's tamed you." Unbeknownst to both Wolverine and the audience, he has grown to love Xavier as a friend, and this finally comes to light after Logan crumbles emotionally after Charles is murdered. This is the first time in the original trilogy where Wolverine had displayed this much vulnerability towards a male character.
- X-Men: First Class: In a Power of Friendship example, the combination of Charles' sensitivity and intelligence is able to "thaw" Erik's cold heart, making him the first and only person in the original timeline^note Erik has loved since the death of the latter's family during World War II.
- X-Men: Days of Future Past: Wolverine's bond with the elderly Professor X must have grown quite strong during the Time Skip in between The Wolverine and Days of Future Past because after Logan meets the younger Charles—who is practically a stranger to him—he gradually sheds his outer "macho armour." Compared to Wolverine's normally gruff exterior (especially towards other male characters), he really is quite gentle with Xavier in a few scenes where it's just the two of them, like the plane ride to Washington D.C. and the heart-to-heart talk they share in the Alternate Timeline.
Despair Event Horizon: In X-Men: Days of Future Past, after his younger self is forced to close his school after the first semester due to The Vietnam War conscription, he gives up his ambition to be a leader and protector of mutants, and becomes a self-medicating recluse.
Desperately Craves Affection: He's by nature a very sensitive individual who wears his heart on his sleeve, and he had developed severe abandonment issues through a combination of growing up as a Lonely Rich Kid and being left behind by his best friend Erik and his foster sister Raven at the end of the Cuban Missile Crisis. This culminates in him becoming a clinically depressed, Addled Addict for a whole decade. Hank takes care of Charles 24/7, and they are frightfully codependent because McCoy enables his friend's substance abuse after he produces a serum which dulls Xavier's mutant ability. They're excessively clingy on an emotional level, being each other's Only Friend and Living Emotional Crutch. Professor X's mental state vastly improves after 1973, yet he still craves affection, and it's expressed through his doting parenting style with his students. It's not adequate for him to merely be an educator; he also wants to be their adored and revered father figure, which is why he devotes so much of his time and energy assisting with their psychological well-being.
Did You Just Flip Off Cthulhu?: In X-Men: Apocalypse, he twists En Sabah Nur's worldwide message to tell the strong to protect the weak if they can. Apocalypse's "bitch, please" expression at the sheer audacity is priceless.
Apocalypse Those with the greatest power, this Earth will be yours.
Charles: Those with the greatest power... protect those without. That's my message to the world!
- Shortly beforehand, Professor X dismisses Apocalypse's grand vision as nothing more than manipulation, and he continues his conversation with Erik as if his captor was just a nuisance who rudely interrupted them.
  Apocalypse: I've shown him a better way, a better world.
  Charles: (irritated) No, you've just tapped into his rage and pain, that's all you've done.
Disappeared Dad: He mentions a stepfather in X-Men: First Class. In the comics, his biological father died when he was young.
Disney Death: In X-Men: The Last Stand. He has a spare body just in case.
Dissonant Serenity: As Apocalypse is killing his mind, Charles is lying in a pool of his own blood and is plainly in agony. But when Jean Grey enters the astral plane, Xavier's expression suddenly becomes peaceful and he smiles at her.
Distracted by the Sexy: In X-Men: Apocalypse, he can hardly think straight when he meets Moira again, and this is Played for Laughs.
Distressed Dude:
- X2: X-Men United: The X-Men have to rescue him from Colonel Stryker's clutches.
- X-Men: Apocalypse: He's abducted by Apocalypse and his Horsemen, and the X-Men mobilize to save him.
Doesn't Like Guns: In X-Men: First Class, he is very uncomfortable while aiming a gun at Erik's forehead during a training exercise. He refuses to pull the trigger despite Erik's insistence.
Don't Call Me "Sir": In 1973, he insists that Logan not address him by his professor title. Also see That Man Is Dead.
Dork in a Sweater: He's definitely a dork of the Hidden Badass variety. Fans like to affectionately mock his "old man cardigans" in X-Men: First Class, but this endearingly geeky man can melt people's brains.
Drink-Based Characterization:
- X-Men: First Class:
  - When he's at Oxford, he orders a pint of beer and chugs down a yard of ale, which is stereotypically more "plebian" than, let's say, a martini. On the other hand, students at British universities of all levels of study and social backgrounds are renowned for being just as hard-drinking as their American counterparts (if not more so, considering the minimum drinking age is 18) and often doing so in pubs. To be honest, it would be weirder if he didn't drink in a pub, although it is unexpected (and impressive) for a young Professor X to down a yard.
  - He and Erik wish to maintain an air of sophistication when they visit Angel at the strip club, so both men are sipping champagne.
- X-Men: Days of Future Past: His 1973 self is frequently seen consuming whiskey. It is generally viewed as a "manly" drink, but it's inverted in this case because he's an extremely depressed Manchild.
Drowning My Sorrows: In X-Men: Days of Future Past, his younger self attempts to escape from his emotional torment by consuming copious amounts of alcohol.
Drunk on the Dark Side: He enters a deep trance when Apocalypse possesses his mind through Cerebro. Xavier is so overwhelmed and mesmerized by the plethora of god-like abilities that he comes into direct contact with ("I've never felt power like this before") that he initially doesn't resist the invasion, and he's temporarily corrupted by it (hence his Black Eyes of Evil). It's only when Hank tries to remove the Cerebro helmet that Charles snaps out of the daze (which results in him regaining his normal eye colour) and attempts to fight off his attacker. While under Apocalypse's control, Professor X is in a calm state (the drug-like high), but the moment he struggles to break free, he's constantly screaming in agony (the withdrawal)—Evil Feels Good, in other words, even for an All-Loving Hero like Xavier.
Earn Your Happy Ending: He's savagely victimized by Apocalypse. After his mind, body and soul are violated, and he nearly dies twice because of it—on the astral plane, Xavier is not only drenched in his own blood, but he's also lying in a pool of it—his terror and misery are rewarded with a surrogate family which is larger than what he had in the original trilogy. Raven returns home as his second-in-command, plus Quicksilver and Nightcrawler are now officially part of the X-Men, which they never were in the original timeline. Charles and Erik reconcile much earlier, even though the latter decides not to stay at the school. The Professor succeeds in preventing Jean Grey from developing a Superpowered Evil Side, and thus ensures that she, Cyclops, himself and many others won't die because of the Phoenix.
Emotional Powers: In the "X-Men Unguarded" group discussion on The Rogue Cut, James McAvoy explains why his character's distress causes his telepathy to go haywire, and more specifically, why Xavier can no longer separate everyone else's pain from his own.
"[...] Charles as I've had the opportunity to play him, is a voyeur. So he's a genius, and he's got this ability to read people's minds. But his real power is a very human thing, his real gift is empathy. He can empathize with people's problems and he can help them. But as a young man, I think, certainly the way I tried to play him, is that he was much more kind of like a posh guy fascinated with working class guys. [...] And then what happens in this movie and the end of [First Class], you give him his angst, you give him his thing that makes him just like everyone else. And therefore he can't be a voyeur inside people's minds any more. He's a passenger on the same train, and the train is going to hell."
The Empath: Although he's a full-fledged telepath, he's the personification of empathy (especially in the First Class trilogy) within the film series. He can be finely attuned to the emotions of others, feeling exactly what they feel. At its worst, he suffers from Power Incontinence, which turns his existence into a living hell because his mind is perpetually engulfed by people's pain. At its best, it's the true source of Xavier's strength because being so highly receptive to the mental state of his friends and students is his key to harnessing The Power of Love, which plays a crucial role in saving the world and his life in X-Men: Apocalypse. The elder Professor X asserts that empathy is their most precious quality when he consoles his younger self in X-Men: Days of Future Past.
"It's not their pain you're afraid of. It's yours, Charles. And as frightening as it can be, that pain will make you stronger. If you allow yourself to feel it, embrace it, it will make you more powerful than you ever imagined. It's the greatest gift we have: to bear their pain without breaking."
Establishing Character Moment:
- When we first see him as a kid in X-Men: First Class, the framed photos on his night table are of Charles Darwin and Albert Einstein. He would later grow up to be a scientist.
- He is very brave even as a child because when he suspects that a burglar has broken into his home, instead of alerting his parents or a servant, he grabs a baseball bat and approaches the intruder by himself.
- The first meeting between him and Raven showed his kindness and delight at finding other people who were different.
Even the Guys Want Him: Even though they've only known each other for a couple of days in X-Men: First Class, the oh-so serious Erik Lehnsherr feels comfortable enough around the charming Dr. Charles Xavier that he calls the telepath "adorable" when the latter tries the Cerebro machine for the first time. In the entire X-Men movie franchise, the dour Magneto never teases another male character for his cuteness, which goes to show how unique his affection for Professor X is. If you include Michael Fassbender's comments that Erik finds Charles to be "very endearing, and he was charmed by this man," then Lehnsherr considers Xavier to be a cutie pie inside and out.
Expository Hairstyle Change: James McAvoy's Professor X is finally bald in X-Men: Apocalypse, which means that his transformation into Patrick Stewart's character is complete, albeit with a few tweaks to his personality because his experience in the Alternate Timeline is quite different.
Face of an Angel, Mind of a Demon: It lasts for only a couple of minutes, but when he's briefly "seduced" by Apocalypse's immense power while connected to Cerebro, Charles makes no attempt to oppose the invader inside his mind at first, and Xavier's Black Eyes of Evil signify that he has surrendered to the dark side. Although his eyes are eerie in this state, he remains a Pretty Boy, and because the character's looks are closely tied with his personality throughout the First Class trilogy (i.e. youthfulness = naïve), Professor X at his most evil would still be beautiful because he was such a good person to begin with (he is the Christ figure of the franchise), and this evokes the image of a fallen angel.
Family Man: The only thing he treasures as much as his ideals is his Family of Choice, and his dedication to his loved ones is his most distinguishing characteristic alongside his quest for peace between mutants and humans. He has been a brother figure to Raven, Erik and Hank, and he's a surrogate father to virtually all of his students. He invests a lot of time and effort to care for them.
Family of Choice: James McAvoy repeatedly brings up in interviews that Professor X creates a surrogate family for himself to compensate for his unhappy childhood (he was a Lonely Rich Kid who believed that he was afflicted by a severe psychiatric disorder after his psychic abilities first manifested, his mother was emotionally cold, and his biological father must have died when he was young because he once had a stepfather). His students are either runaways, orphans, or even if they do have a family, their human relatives have tremendous difficulty coping with the knowledge that one of their own is a mutant, so those in the latter category still feel isolated and anxious because of their powers. Charles ingratiates himself into these youngsters' lives by treating them kindly like they are his own children, and his school becomes a second (or only) home to them. Because his parenting style is a mix of Team Dad and Team Mom, he's an ideal father figure with the best of both worlds in terms of what's stereotyped as paternal and maternal attributes. Most of his students like him because these qualities make him a Cool Teacher, and some grow to love him and join the X-Men. Xavier is especially close to his protégés on the team and dotes on them, and they offer Undying Loyalty to him in return.
Fanservice: A minor example in X-Men: Apocalypse, where he owns a white shirt with vertical strips of semi-transparent material,◊ so parts of his chest are somewhat visible. It's a deliberate attempt by the filmmakers to evoke the Hot Teacher trope. Even the V-neck of Xavier's lilac shirt and the 3/4 sleeves of his blazer expose a bit more flesh underneath his neck and around his lower arms than the conservative clothing that is archetypal to his character, so although he's not presented as outright sexy, the costume designer is nonetheless depicting Charles in a more sensual manner than in previous movies.
Fantastic Drug/G-Rated Drug: In X-Men: Days of Future Past, his younger self being dependent on his medicine, and suffering intense pain from his powers returning when he stops taking it, is about the closest a PG-13 film can come to depicting the effects of drug abuse and withdrawal.
Fatal Flaw: His arrogance. Professor X has a habit of attempting to control those who are close to him, with or without the help of his psychic abilities. He's more inclined to do this with the women in his life (e.g. his foster sister and his surrogate daughter) than with the men. This paternalistic attitude stems from him being born in the early 1930s as a privileged male (Xavier was a male chauvinist in X-Men: First Class), and as a highly skilled telepath, he thinks he can understand a person better than s/he can know him/herself, and therefore he believes that he knows best in terms of what it is they truly "need."
- X-Men: The Last Stand: Upon meeting Jean Grey, he had placed constraints upon her powers which then led to the creation of the Phoenix, a Person of Mass Destruction who ends up vaporizing a lot of people, including Charles himself. Under the circumstances, her vast raw power, disregard for the sanctity of other minds, and the fact that her parents seemed to be outright afraid of her (and not without reason—pre-teen Jean is quite different from her warm-hearted and motherly adult self), this perhaps was not unwarranted.
- X-Men: First Class:
  - Trying to control Raven's life drove her away from him, which eventually resulted in her becoming the assassin Mystique who shared Magneto's goal of mutant supremacy.
  - Instead of trusting Moira to not divulge his and his students' location to her CIA superiors, he simply erases her memories of them. To be fair, Charles was worried that the CIA would torture her for information, but it's still a symptom of him of not having faith in a woman whom he cares about (an Implied Love Interest, in this case).
- X-Men: Days of Future Past: Part of his 1973 self's Character Development revolves around realizing this and learning to trust instead of control. It pays off when he proves just how much he trusts in Raven's good nature to do the right thing, instead of attempting to manipulate her. She doesn't murder Trask, and the bad Sentinel future is averted.
- X-Men: Apocalypse:
  - Xavier "repairs" the tragic mistake he had made with Jean in the original timeline by encouraging her to embrace her Phoenix power to its fullest extent, which allows her to defeat Apocalypse, and she ends up saving the world instead of becoming a mass-murdering villainess. By doing the opposite of what he did to Jean in X-Men: The Last Stand, Charles' fate is also reversed—he is rescued by her instead of being disintegrated.
  - He restores the memories that he took away from Moira in 1962, and although the long-term consequences with her are less severe than with Raven or Jean, they still bite him in the ass in a more subtle way. Xavier remains utterly smitten with Moira 21 years later (he's even jealous when he learns that she has an ex-husband), so his decision to rob her of a chunk of her past also robbed him of a potentially meaningful romance.
A Father to His Men: The vast majority of the X-Men view Xavier as a father figure, and he in return treats them like his own children. His tendency to act as a Parental Substitute and Badass Teacher has reinforced Undying Loyalty amongst his students, starting with the boys in X-Men: First Class and extending all the way to the Bad Future of 2023 in X-Men: Days of Future Past.
Fiction500: He comes from Old Money, and his inherited fortune must be ludicrously vast because he has the financial means to operate and maintain his Superhero School, which appears to house hundreds of students (can you imagine how high the food bill alone must be?). Moreover, he can fund the necessary research and development for high-tech vehicles, equipment and facilities that his Badass Crew requires. And the guy still has cash to spare because he enjoys some of the trappings of his upper-class upbringing, such as his expensive suits, plus he owns several horses (naturally they're cared for in a well-stocked stable), has a large personal plane which is beautifully furnished (later replaced with a fighter jet used by his students), and a collection of vintage cars that are in perfect working order. In other words, money is no issue for him whatsoever.
First Friend: It's implied in X-Men: First Class he was this to Raven, the latter implied to have been alone most of her life due to her mutation and Charles being the first person to treat her with kindness.
Foil:
- X-Men: First Class:
  - To Sebastian Shaw. Both are doctors of genetics who are interested in maximizing Lehnsherr's potential, but whereas Shaw uses torture to uncover his raw power, Xavier utilizes emotional intimacy to give Erik greater control. Erik grows to love Charles as a brother, but vehemently opposes the latter's peaceful approach to human-mutant relations. Magneto wholly embraces Shaw's mutant supremacist views, but loathes the man for murdering his mother.
  - Charles and Erik are juxtaposed in their respective Oxford pub and Argentinian bar scenes. The inebriated Xavier is the life of a party when he and his fellow graduate students celebrate the successful defense of his PhD thesis, and he later tries to flirt with Agent MacTaggert. The sober Lehnsherr is all business when he's hunting down Nazis, and he murders three men (including the bartender) in cold blood after taunting his prey. Producer Bryan Singer gives a very basic summary of their differences in the "Magneto the Survivor" featurette:
    "Ultimately, they come from different places. Erik Lehnsherr is a victim of the Holocaust, he probably left the war with nothing, and is very much a solitary man, while Xavier had a life of privilege, became a professor at Oxford, was surrounded by peers, has an intimate relationship with Mystique since childhood, so he's quite loved, and therefore quite idealistic, less embittered, and just has a very different view from Lehnsherr."
- X-Men: Days of Future Past: His past self and Past Magneto were both inactive and isolated in between 1963 and 1973 (the former due to depression, the latter due to imprisonment). Erik shows signs of wanting to repair at least part of their previous friendship, but a bitter Charles isn't interested for the most part. Magneto tries to kill Mystique while Xavier tries to protect her. Hank remains unwaveringly devoted to Charles, but Erik loses Mystique's loyalty after the murder attempt. In X-Men: First Class, Erik personified "rage" while Charles embodied "serenity," but their roles are reversed in 1973. Xavier is now the one who is full of pain and anger, and therefore has great trouble wielding his telepathy, whereas Magneto is (relatively) calm and controlled, still possessing great mastery over his power despite being deprived of metal for a decade. (We even see Erik adopt a meditation pose in his prison cell, which makes him appear almost Zen-like.)
- X-Men: Apocalypse:
  - Apocalypse sees himself as a god, whereas Professor X serves as a Messianic Archetype of the movie series. They are both mentors to their respective teams, they reach out to mutants who feel lost, confused and alone, and encourage them to reach their full potential, so their dominant leadership style is Charismatic. They promote radically different ideologies: Apocalypse believes that the Earth should only belong to the strongest and the weak should be wiped out, while Charles thinks that it can be shared by everyone equally and peacefully. Both like being at the center of attention; En Sabah Nur is an ostentatious god-king who takes advantage of the Ermine Cape Effect, whereas Xavier is a Proud Beauty teacher who flaunts his wealth in a Simple, yet Opulent fashion. During the Final Battle, Apocalypse ends up alone, but Professor X is very much not. Their position on the "Defend" and "Destroy" posters◊ mark them as foils.
  - Carolina Bartczak directly compares her character Magda with Xavier—the former is Erik's wife and the latter is his Heterosexual Life-Partner—and her arc somewhat resembles Charles' from X-Men: First Class. They both love Lehnsherr in a similar way despite knowing the numerous crimes he has committed in the past. They both "start a family" with him (Magda gives birth to a daughter, while Charles and Erik "adopt" mutant teenagers with a Team Mom and a Team Dad dynamic). Both relationships end in tragedy—Magda is accidentally killed by Polish police, whereas Xavier and Lehnsherr's very close friendship ends in a "divorce," plus Charles is accidentally crippled by Magneto. Erik cradles both of them in his arms. Magda is the source of Love Redeems for Lehnsherr after Days of Future Past, and Xavier later fulfills this role during the climax of Apocalypse.
    Carolina Bartczak: She meets Erik after he has become this globally wanted criminal, and even on their first night, he tells her who he is. She sees something beautiful in him, something peaceful, something like Charles also sees in him, that he can be a good man and live a normal life. They actually fall in love and start a family.
  - Professor X and Quicksilver are Glass Cannon mutants with a Story-Breaker Power in addition to being light-hearted, charismatic Pretty Boys and Chivalrous Perverts, and they even share an attraction towards Moira.^note They have both undergone a Manchild phase and have parental issues—Charles had experienced emotional neglect from his mother, and Peter grew up fatherless. Xavier and Maximoff are Erik's brother figure and biological son, respectively (and Magneto had abandoned both of them), yet ironically, Quicksilver is more comfortable staying with the Professor (who will become his mentor and Parental Substitute) than revealing to Lehnsherr that they're related. Xavier also shows an almost fatherly concern for Peter's safety during the battle against Apocalypse because Charles anxiously utters the young mutant's name when he's able to sense through his telepathy that Maximoff has been seriously injured. They are the only two mutants who manage to land a few direct punches on Apocalypse—Quicksilver does this in the physical world, and Xavier does this on the astral plane, although Apocalypse gets the upper-hand on both of them, and they are both examples of Break the Cutie.
  - Erik and Charles each have one scene which demonstrates their father-daughter bond—one is born through blood ties and the other is forged through a shared manifestation of the X-gene. Nina is happy with her The Beastmaster mutant gift, and as Lehnsherr tucks her into bed, he sings her a song and tells Nina about her grandparents. Jean Grey, who views her telepathy as a curse, is extremely troubled by a "nightmare" about the end of the world, and Xavier tries to comfort his surrogate daughter by confiding to her that he too can be overwhelmed by the incessant thoughts of others. Nina is accidentally killed by Polish police, and because they are using non-metal weapons, Erik can't do anything to save her. When Apocalypse is about to destroy Charles' mind, the latter uses the last ounce of his strength to urge Jean to release the full force of the Phoenix, and she eventually succeeds in rescuing her father figure. Magneto's love and grief for Nina lead him to participate in the Earth's destruction, but Professor X's love and faith in Jean leads her to save it.
  - Xavier and Ms. Maximoff became alcoholics after Erik had left them, but the former is able to move on with his life after 1973 whereas the latter is still nursing her old wounds with drink. Peter's arc begins in his mother's basement, and it ends when he moves to the X-Mansion, where he trains to be an X-Man in Professor X's basement.
Forced Sleep: With his psychic powers, he puts a Soviet general and a soldier that Erik had covered in barbed wire to sleep in X-Men: First Class.
For Happiness: His modus operandi is to alleviate the suffering of his mutant students and to guide them to become happy, healthy, confident individuals who can achieve whatever goals they set their mind to. In X-Men: First Class and X-Men: Apocalypse, Charles is positively beaming with sunshine and rainbows, and he hopes that with enough education and the tender loving care he offers, everyone he takes under his wing will eventually bask in that merriment as well.
Freudian Slip: While talking to Hank in X-Men: Apocalypse, Charles' subconscious can't hide his lust for Moira when he's supposed to be concerned about an unusual energy surge in Cairo.
Xavier: I want to go check her out—check out the situation. (awkwardly clears his throat)
Friendless Background: Since Raven is explicitly stated to be his oldest and only friend in X-Men: First Class, that means prior to their meeting in 1944, he had difficulty connecting with other children despite (or because of) growing up in the lap of luxury. X-Men: Days of Future Past elaborates on this a little further by revealing that Xavier was considered to be "crazy" in between the ages of 9 and 12 due to the voices in his head, and was therefore a social pariah among his peers.
Friend to All Children: He shelters, educates and counsels young mutants, most of whom have been rejected by society. James McAvoy encapsulates his character's benevolence in the "En Sabah Nur: Setting the Stage for Apocalypse" documentary on the X-Men: Apocalypse Blu-Ray.
McAvoy: He's a teacher who takes in waifs and strays, and people that the rest of the world doesn't have a place for.

G-L

The Gadfly: He occasionally likes to give newcomers at his mansion a bit of a scare when he first meets them. Because it's done out of amusement and not malice, he's this trope instead of the Troll, but it does make one wonder why a normally Nice Guy would briefly prey on someone's fears in a mildly mean-spirited manner.
- X-Men: He telepathically guides an anxious Logan—the latter has no idea where he is or why he's there, or why he's hearing a strange male voice inside his head, and because Dr. Jean Grey wanted to take a blood sample, Wolverine assumes that he's being experimented on—from the school's infirmary to Xavier's office, where Charles greets his guest with a polite "Good morning, Logan." Professor X is aware of the traumas that Wolverine had experienced, and it's a bit disconcerting that the former took advantage of the latter's paranoia for a little bit of fun, even if it was only for a short time.
- X-Men: Apocalypse: After Scott accidentally damages Professor X's most beloved tree on the estate, the latter, strictly speaking, didn't have to say anything about the tree being planted by his grandfather (especially when Charles had already made up his mind that he'll accept Scott as a new student), yet he did so anyway just to provoke a reaction from the teen. Scott doesn't want to be at the school (and thus one would assume that he would prefer to be rejected), yet he becomes extremely apprehensive over the possibility that Xavier is furious at him for ruining a priceless family heirloom. It should be noted that Scott is blindfolded, so he can't see Charles' facial expression to judge the latter's emotional state. Alex most likely informed his brother that Xavier is a very powerful telepath, and warned Scott (who has a tendency to be rude) that he should behave himself in front of the Professor. Scott obviously failed spectacularly in that regard, and Charles then teased the young man by making him wince for a moment.
  Charles: My grandfather planted that tree when he was five years old. I used to swing from the branches of it myself. [tree finishes falling apart] I think that was probably my favourite tree.
  Scott: (worried) Does that mean I'm-I'm expelled?
  Charles: (smiles) On the contrary. You're enrolled.
Genius Cripple: His mutation gives him one of the most powerful minds in the world, and he is confined to a wheelchair after the events of X-Men: First Class.
Gentleman and a Scholar: He's well-educated and carries some characteristics of a Quintessential British Gentleman. X-Men: First Class affirms that he's half-British through his mother, and she had raised him to behave and speak like a proper upper-class English gentleman.
Gentleman Snarker: He has shades of this in X-Men: First Class. He's from an extremely wealthy family, attends Oxford and possesses an absolutely brilliant mind—but he prefers to use his mind-reading abilities and genius knowledge of genetics to seduce women, and seems more interested in drinking than helping mankind. Even when he starts the team, he still exhibits a keen wit and sense of fun (which is not to say he is in any way flippant about his beliefs). Only towards the end, when his friendship with Erik is destroyed and he is left paralyzed, does he truly become the mentor and leader we would come to know and love.
Glass Cannon: He's basically the mutant equivalent of a Squishy Wizard. His psychic abilities are unrivaled, but he's slight in stature, a Non-Action Guy, and a spinal cord injury has turned him into a paraplegic.
- X-Men: Apocalypse: Professor X is the second-most powerful mutant (third after Jean accesses her Phoenix Force), and the story even makes a point about how a "god" is incomplete without his psychic ability ("To be everywhere, to be everyone"). But because his telepathy is ineffective against Apocalypse's Psychic Block Defense, Charles is totally defenseless; as he's paralyzed from the waist down, he can't even try to run away from his captor.
Good Flaws, Bad Flaws:
- X-Men: First Class: Although the writers wanted to present him as a very different person when he was young man, they can't give him too many negative traits because the character is still the Big Good of the franchise, so one of his "good" flaws includes being a womanizer.
- X-Men: Days of Future Past: His past self is no longer a cad like we saw in First Class, but he has developed additional "good" flaws such as alcoholism, drug addiction, cynicism, and cussing. The guy is utterly messed up, but the writer was careful not to make the character too "bad" (Charles has to eventually become an All-Loving Hero, after all).
Good Samaritan: In X-Men: First Class, as a kid, he generously offers food and a place to stay to a hungry and homeless young Raven.
Go Out with a Smile:
- In X-Men: The Last Stand, he gives Wolverine one last smile before he gets disintegrated. This is made all the more emotional because the last time the two really talked, they were arguing.
Guile Hero: Due to his inability to walk, he has to rely much more on his intellect and charisma than most mutants.
- His manipulative side is hinted in X2: X-Men United and X-Men: The Last Stand, where Magneto and the Phoenix suggest that Xavier has been doing whatever he can to keep Wolverine at the school. Magneto even directly asks him this, something Charles never directly refutes, instead changing the topic.
  Professor X: I've put him on the path. Logan's mind is still fragile.
  Magneto: Is it? Or are you just afraid of losing one of your precious X-Men?
  - This is the Phoenix's observation:
    Phoenix: What, you think [the Professor's] not in your head, too? Look at you, Logan. He's tamed you.
- X-Men: Apocalypse: Xavier's psychic powers are useless against En Sabah Nur's mental shields, so the former exercises his smarts to undermine and delay the latter's Evil Plan as much as possible. Apocalypse's New Era Speech was intended to stir planet-wide panic, but Charles mitigates this somewhat by altering the last sentence with a slightly hopeful note, and it no doubt saves some lives. Meanwhile, he stealthily embeds a telepathic message for Jean so that the X-Men know where to find him. When Apocalypse imposes a Sadistic Choice on his escaped prisoner, Professor X Takes a Third Option by diverting his foe's attention with a psychic duel, and he thus avoids having to sacrifice the world or Mystique and Quicksilver. Xavier knows that he can't win the fight on the astral plane, but what ultimately secures his victory is his emotional connection to his daughter figure Jean. He learns from his mistake in the original timeline, and he understands that the only way the Phoenix can be "tamed" is for him to love Jean for all that she is—and not fear what she's capable of by locking away a part of her mind—so that she develops the confidence to accept herself and her abilities. What Charles lacks in raw power in comparison to Apocalypse, he makes up for it with his psychological insight and exploiting The Power of Love.
Handicapped Badass: Confined to a wheelchair, although as X-Men: Days of Future Past and X-Men: The Last Stand show, he is able to walk on his own, but it comes at the loss of his powers.
The Heart: He's this in X-Men: First Class and in all the team films to a lesser extent. The X-Men obey him because his warmheartedness is the glue that keeps the team unified even when there are internal disagreements, such as between Beast and Havok or Cyclops and Wolverine.
The Hedonist: As an Oxford graduate student, he had a large appetite for bedding lovely co-eds and for imbibing liquor, and the latter becomes debilitating after he falls prey to alcoholism. It's part of his psychological maturation to gradually discard his selfish pursuit of sensual gratification and replace it with a selfless For Happiness perspective.
Hell-Bent for Leather: He owns a brown leather jacket in 1973.
The Hero: Among the three main protagonists of the film series (himself, Wolverine and Magneto), Professor X is the most noble of the bunch. Logan is sometimes an Anti-Hero, and Erik is mostly a villain. The First Class trilogy explores three fundamental aspects of Charles Xavier: peace, hope and love. In X-Men: First Class, he represents serenity (which is a synonym for peace), and he averts World War III. In X-Men: Days of Future Past, his younger self is a lost soul who gradually finds hope again, and this prevents a future where mutantkind is exterminated by Sentinels. In X-Men: Apocalypse, he wields an ability which is just as powerful (if not more so) than his telepathy—The Power of Love; he vanquishes a Destroyer Deity with it.
Heroic BSoD: What he has been in since the end of X-Men: First Class. A lot has happened in the Time Skip between First Class and X-Men: Days of Future Past, resulting in the deaths of most of the characters from First Class who don't appear in Days of Future Past. It's also stated that Charles lost many of his students and teachers to conscription and The Vietnam War, effectively closing down his newly budding school.
Heroic Bystander: In X-Men: First Class, when he realizes that no one on the US Coast Guard vessel is willing to help Erik, he dives into the dark, frigid ocean without hesitation to save the life of a drowning stranger.
Heroic Resolve: He finds strength that he didn't know he had when Apocalypse threatens to suffocate Mystique if Xavier doesn't surrender. Charles had already been cruelly victimized and had nearly died from Apocalypse's Grand Theft Me attempt, yet despite his weakened condition, Xavier is able to enter his enemy's mind and attack him on the astral plane.
Heterosexual Life-Partners:
- X-Men: First Class: Considering that his and Erik's friendship only lasted a few months, it was unusually intimate on an emotional level.
- X-Men: Days of Future Past:
  - Played straight with his older self and the elderly Magneto (the moment where they're holding hands is the closest that we've seen them since First Class), but averted with their younger selves. In 1973, he never once calls Erik "friend" (although the latter uses the endearment twice), which goes to show how broken their relationship is.
  - He and Hank are each other's Only Friend for a decade, so it's inevitable that they would develop a very close bond. There are moments of non-verbal (and non-telepathic) communication between the two men, like when Xavier gently taps Beast on the chest after he mutters to Logan, "I think I'd like to wake up now." McCoy immediately understands that the gesture means, "You can calm down now, our visitor is not a threat," and he reverts back to his human form.
- X-Men: Apocalypse: He and Hank retain their close friendship from Days of Future Past, and it's a lot healthier now because McCoy is no longer Xavier's enabler, and they've ceased to be codependent. They also behave more like peers, as Hank is a teacher, and he has grown out of being needy of his former mentor's approval.
Hide Your Otherness: Fearful of humanity's negative reaction to mutants, he firmly lives by this philosophy.
- X-Men: He informs Logan that "Anonymity is a mutant's first chance against the world's hostility."
- X2: X-Men United: At the museum's food court, he admonishes Pyro for activating his fire-enhancing ability to play a prank on a rude young man.
  Professor X: The next time you feel like showing off, don't.
- X-Men: First Class: He tells Moira, "For us, anonymity will be the first line of defense."
- X-Men: Days of Future Past: 1973 Magneto invokes this as he's shouting at Xavier, "Hiding, you and Hank, pretending to be something you're not!"
Horny Scientist: Subverted in X-Men: First Class. When Agent Moira MacTaggert has to find an expert on genetic mutation (specifically one who has researched the possible manifestation of superpowers in humans), she ends up meeting Charles Xavier on the day he is awarded his PhD in genetics. Dr. Xavier is horny alright, and he uses his geeky pick-up lines on Moira the instant he sees her. But instead of being undesirable, Charles is a gorgeous, charming, well-dressed academic—he's even a womanizer to boot. Although Moira brushes off his amorous advances at first to focus on her investigation of the Hellfire Club, she does become Xavier's Implied Love Interest by the finale.
Hot Teacher: In X-Men: Apocalypse, he apparently thinks it's okay for him to wear a translucent white shirt while teaching a class filled with hormonal teenagers. It's the first time in the franchise where his character is mildly objectified.
Hypocritical Humor: In X-Men: Days of Future Past, he tells Logan that he's not very good with violence after the latter knocks out two security guards he was trying to talk down, but after reuniting with Erik a second later, Charles punches him so hard that Erik actually gets knocked down.
I Am Very British: X-Men: First Class explains why Xavier (who is American in the comics) has a Received Pronunciation accent. He is half-British, half-American,^note and his speech pattern was influenced by his posh English mother. It was later reinforced when he studied at the University of Oxford.
I Was Quite a Looker: He was boyishly beautiful during his youth with thick, wavy hair (not that he looks bad as a bald, older gentleman).
Iconic Outfit: His trademark outfit is a very distinguished three-piece suit, which is a more serious-looking variation of his tweed-preppy fashion sense in X-Men: First Class.
Icy Blue Eyes: Professor X's steely gaze when he looks directly at the camera is the very last shot of X-Men: Apocalypse. It's unique and significant for the character because James McAvoy's iteration either has Innocent Blue Eyes or expresses that he's in excruciating pain due to a Break the Cutie ordeal or being a Broken Bird. It hints that McAvoy's Xavier is tougher than Patrick Stewart's in the original timeline because the former had undergone horrific torture by Apocalypse, and is nearly murdered by him, and what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. Charles had already fallen apart at the seams once before, and he refuses to do this again even though the hell he was forced to endure in this film is much worse, so the fierce determination in his eyes is a warning that no one should mess with him or his X-Men.
Ideal Hero: Played with. On the one hand, he's an All-Loving Hero who wishes to preserve life, he practices For Happiness as part of his daily routine, he's brimming with compassion, hope and love, his Goal in Life is for mutants and humans to live together in harmony, he endeavours to induce a Heel–Face Turn in Magneto and Mystique, and he was a Wide-Eyed Idealist when he was younger. However, Xavier periodically slips into moral lapses when his dread over a likely disaster overrides his good nature, such as burying the Phoenix deep inside Jean Grey's subconscious without her awareness or permission. In between 1963 and 1973, he undergoes a Heroic BSoD which degenerates him into a junkie hermit who doesn't give a rat's ass about anything (besides alcohol and the addictive Power Nullifier serum) or anyone (besides his caregiver Hank). Charles breaches his once-sacred Thou Shalt Not Kill principle in X-Men: Apocalypse when the eponymous villain leaves him with no other solution to Save the World.
Idle Rich: In between 1963 and 1973, he hasn't done anything the least bit productive; he is a reclusive alcoholic who wallows in self-pity within his Big Fancy House.
In Love with Your Carnage: It's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment from X-Men: First Class, but his face glows with delight◊ when he witnesses Erik using the anchor of Shaw's boat as a destructive tool.
In the Blood: Although he grew up resenting his mother's Parental Neglect, Charles nevertheless shares some traits in common with her. He picked up her posh English accent, her genteel mannerisms, her vanity, and he's so proud of his English heritage that he had spent several years studying at Oxford University. His heavy drinking in X-Men: Days of Future Past is a Mythology Gag to Sharon Xavier's alcoholism in the comics.
In Touch with His Feminine Side: He scores high on androgynous personality traits because he possesses qualities from all of this trope's five broad categories: Lack of Athleticism (especially after he becomes wheelchair-bound), Lack of Aggression (he prefers negotiation over violence to resolve problems), An Open, Emotional Personality (he's the epitome of a Sensitive Guy), Typically Feminine Interests (he's a teacher, which is considered to be a "nurturing" profession), and Effeminate or Non-Masculine Appearance (he's a shorter-than-average Pretty Boy). In X-Men: First Class and X-Men: Days of Future Past, one of his button-front shirts are periwinkle and pink, respectively, plus he has a lilac sweater in X-Men: Apocalypse; they are not considered to be masculine colours, and they reflect his androgynous temperament. In the latter film, Charles' tenderness is one of his greatest strengths because it allows him to wield The Power of Love, which in turn makes him a more successful leader than the titular Big Bad.
Innocent Blue Eyes:
- X-Men: First Class: His bright blue irises represent his goodness and naïveté. After the events of the film, he is still as idealistic, but has been rather blind-sided by reality, and is much more cautious and reserved.
- X-Men: Apocalypse: Since this movie partly recycles his arc from First Class, his radiant blue eyes are once more a symbol of him being too optimistic for his own good.
Jade-Colored Glasses: For X-Men: Days of Future Past, James McAvoy observes in the "Double Take: Xavier & Magneto" featurette that his character's experience with Erik in First Class had crushed Charles' rose-coloured glasses.
"Erik challenged his world view so much, and then violently took away not just the ability to walk, but also his belief in other people a little bit."
Jedi Mind Trick: He employs this "magic trick" on the Man in Black, Soviet border guards and a security guard at the White House so that he and his allies can reach their destination without any additional hindrance.
Jerkass Ball: Between First Class and up to the beginning of the next film, Days Of Future Past, he goes into a mental breakdown after his school for mutants is closed down, and he tries to cope with it by not only drinking lots of alcohol, but also injecting a serum to keep himself abled and dampen his mutant power. He's petty and crass enough to tell Wolverine to "fuck off" (a Call-Back to the latter telling him and Erik to "go fuck yourself" 10 years ago). Logan eventually knocks some sense into him, which causes his mood to improve, with added credit to help from Erik, Hank, and the older Charles.
Large Ham:
- In X-Men: Apocalypse, he hollers in the astral plane, "UNLEASH YOUR POWER! LET GO, JEAN!! JEAN, LET GO!!!"
The Leader: He's primarily the Charismatic type. He's The Heart of the X-Men; the love, admiration and respect that his students and friends feel for him are what mainly holds the team together.
Leitmotif: Days of Future Past gives him one entitled "Hope (Xavier's Theme)."
Like Brother and Sister:
- X-Men: First Class: He and Raven grew up together as foster siblings for 18 years, and he introduces her as his sister to Amy. He later cites this when Raven, feeling insecure about her looks, asks if he would date her... although it falls a little flat coming right after he's answered the question with "of course" in reference to her human form, before she clarifies that she means in her real form.
- X-Men: Days of Future Past: Lampshaded by his older self when he mentions that Mystique was like a sister to him. It's later alluded to when a nurse wonders if the blue, scaly woman at the Paris Peace Accords has a family, and Raven replies, "Yes, she does." On the plane ride to Paris, he argues that he had raised Raven to be something better than a killer. Erik is quick to point out that Charles didn't raise Raven, they grew up together. This is what it takes for him to realize that Raven is not his to control.
Living Emotional Crutch: In X-Men: Days of Future Past, he's this to the approval-seeking Hank, who has voluntarily suppressed his individuality (i.e. he has no career, hobby, or social life) just to attend to Xavier's needs 24/7, and is thus defining himself exclusively through his dutiful service to his ex-mentor.
Long-Haired Pretty Boy: In X-Men: Apocalypse, he combines his prettiness from X-Men: First Class with his long, wavy hair from X-Men: Days of Future Past, but he now styles it into a feathered mullet. He is vain and revels in being beautiful. Apocalypse also plays up Xavier's nurturing qualities, so long hair (which is generally associated with femininity) denotes his androgynous mindset and being In Touch with His Feminine Side.
Looks Like Jesus: In X-Men: Days of Future Past, his younger self not only sports longer hair and a Beard of Sorrow, but he ultimately becomes an All-Loving Hero at the movie's climax.
Loser Protagonist: His past self is the central figure of X-Men: Days of Future Past, and he has been a totally unproductive member of society in between 1963 and 1973 because he's clinically depressed. He's a heavy drinker and substance abuser.

M-P

MacGuffin Super-Person: Several Big Bads have sought him for his incredible Psychic Powers, wishing to harness them to fulfill their Evil Plans.
- X2: X-Men United: William Stryker kidnaps Professor X in order to force the latter to commit genocide against mutants. Once Magneto gains the upper-hand, he modifies the settings of Dark Cerebro so that it targets humans instead.
- X-Men: First Class: Sebastian Shaw wants Xavier to join the Hellfire Club because the latter is a more advanced telepath than Shaw's Dragon Emma Frost.
- X-Men: Apocalypse: The titular villain desires Charles' ability for his own because it's "the answer" to Apocalypse's quest for divinity.
  Apocalypse: For the first time in a thousand lifetimes, I have you. For all my gifts, I have yet to possess the one I needed most. To be everywhere. To be everyone.
Magnetic Hero: He's exceptionally charismatic because he's gifted with the uncanny skill to influence people (without the use of his psychic ability) who hardly know him to risk their lives for him and/or uphold his philosophy against his enemies. In the time span of no more than a year (with some breaks, as Logan was digging around for his past at Alkali Lake, and later was "passing through"), Wolverine goes from mocking the Professor's paraplegia ("What do they call you, Wheels?") to being "tamed" by him. In X-Men: First Class, Charles is a very attentive and earnest coach who is able to shape the adolescent Ragtag Bunch of Misfits that he has recruited into an effective paramilitary group within a short period of time, and his new team is strong enough to withstand the more experienced Hellfire Club. In X-Men: Apocalypse, Cyclops, Quicksilver and Nightcrawler endanger themselves to rescue Xavier, whom they had only met once (or in the case of Kurt, he didn't even get the chance to talk to the Professor before the latter was captured), and they all elect to become full-fledged members of the X-Men.
Manchild: His past self in X-Men: Days of Future Past rejects all adult responsibilities after he succumbs to depression, and McCoy has to look after him.
Manly Tears: Twice in X-Men: First Class:
- Both he and Erik Lehnsherr in do this in a rather touching scene where the latter is learning to control his powers through something other than rage. By telepathically finding one of Erik's happiest childhood memories, Charles helps him to see that true focus lies between "rage and serenity." Cue the tears as they both experience a bittersweet memory of Erik's long-dead mother on welcoming in their Sabbath.
- After he gets shot, there is a particularly heartbreaking moment when he has to tell Erik that no, they do not want the same things when it comes to mutants and humans. Cue the Manly Tears on his part. It's an indicator of how the two men have grown apart that Erik's face just blanks of emotion in response.
Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: A foster siblings variation with Raven and Charles in X-Men: Apocalypse. Both are mutant activists, but they use different methods when saving the world one mutant life at a time—the sister is more "active" and the brother is more "passive." Mystique is a forthright Action Girl who travels around the globe and regularly employs violence to free mutants who are in physical danger; she tells Caliban that she doesn't care what they do with their newfound liberty. Professor Xavier, on the other hand, is a sweet Non-Action Guy who remains at his home/school and coaches his mutant students on how to master their inherently hazardous abilities so that they're no longer a threat to themselves or to others, while at the same time nurturing them as individuals. In the final scene, Raven assumes a stern, no-nonsense approach when training the X-Men for combat, whereas Charles will continue to educate their minds and provide emotional support.
Meaningful Appearance: His outward appearance is intertwined with his psyche across the First Class trilogy. His delicate, baby-face features correlate with his androgynous, starry-eyed mentality. His innate empathy is augmented by his telepathy, which makes him the ultimate Sensitive Guy—you only have to glance at him in X-Men: First Class and X-Men: Apocalypse to know that this is his most distinctive quality. As for X-Men: Days of Future Past, his past self's optimism is shattered, so his scruffiness, which conceals his boyish looks, mirrors his cynicism.
Meaningful Name: His middle name and surname form the name of a saint (Francis Xavier), so they hint at the character's "saintly" personality.
Mentor Occupational Hazard: In X-Men: The Last Stand.
Mess of Woe: In 1973, his neglect of his mansion is a reflection of how utterly forlorn he is. His bedroom and study are extremely cluttered, plus the grass on his estate is overgrown. Hank does his best to clean up some of the mess that Xavier carelessly leaves behind (at one point we see McCoy picking up empty liquor bottles). His 2029 self is an equally bad shape, even with Logan and Caliban to take care of him.
Messianic Archetype: His role in the movie-verse is reminiscent of Christ. Professor X is an All-Loving Hero who suffers greatly to be a savior of mutants and humans alike, even though the latter persecute him. He's the leader of his True Companions, who live by and defend his philosophy, and he's betrayed by one his followers.^noteMagneto is regarded as an Obvious Judas by the fandom. Charles is literally resurrected in The Stinger of X-Men: The Last Stand. This association also extends to imagery, where he takes Jesus' position in a Pietà Plagiarism (X-Men: First Class), is briefly given a Holy Backlight and a Crucified Hero Shot (X-Men: Days of Future Past). When he has a beard and lets his hair grow long, he even Looks Like Jesus. For X-Men: Apocalypse (which deals directly with religious themes), Bryan Singer has made a reference to a figurative resurrection in this snapshot by calling it "Xavier reborn." The director explicitly says that Professor X is analogous to Christ in the franchise.
"I've gotten to explore Professor X when he was an older, bald, wise man, when he's insecure, when he's defenseless, when he's powerful. He's more of a Christ figure. He chooses to be a teacher. He could go inside Cerebro and rule the world, but he chooses not to. He chooses to teach and preach and hope that people follow his message: peace and unity. And I've gotten to see him as a drug addict and a loser, and in this movie, you're going to get to see him prosperous and almost blindly optimistic, and how he changes."
- James McAvoy was asked in this interview to boil down his character to only three essential elements, and the actor answered, "Empathetic, generous, and slightly suffering from a messianic complex. [...] He thinks he's the Second Coming of Christ, he thinks he's gonna save the world."
Messy Hair: His 1973 self doesn't bother with grooming because he's too depressed to care.
A Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Read:
- X-Men: Days of Future Past: When he was in between 9 and 12 years old, Charles was Hearing Voices and wasn't aware that he was telepathic, so he had assumed that he was going mad from an acute mental illness. His past self is so broken that it's torture for him to be bombarded by the thoughts of others, and he uses a serum designed by Hank to block out the ceaseless "chatter" in his head. In order to visit his future self, Xavier has to go through Wolverine's mind, which is full of traumatic memories; it's a pretty shocking experience for him. Likewise, when he attempts to use Cerebro, all he can sense is people crying out all over the world in loneliness and pain.
- X-Men: Apocalypse: He momentarily stuns Apocalypse on the astral plane by letting his enemy hear the inner voices of hundreds of minds that are within Charles' psychic range.
Mind Control: He lampshades this in X-Men.
Professor X: When I was a boy, I discovered I had the power to control people's minds, make them think or do whatever I wanted.
- Apocalypse describes Xavier's mutation as the ability "To see inside a mind, to control it. That's your gift."
Mind over Manners: X-Men: First Class presented a much younger, less disciplined Xavier who had no problem using his powers on anyone whenever it was convenient for him. That being said, he did promise Raven that he wouldn't read her mind, and he did ask for Erik's permission before searching for the brightest corner of his friend's memory system.
Mind Rape: In X-Men: Apocalypse, he suffers this torture thrice: the first is being mind-controlled by Apocalypse through Cerebro, the second is during Apocalypse's near-successful Grand Theft Me attempt, and the third is during their mental battle. Because this trope is an analogy for sexual assault, Professor X in the Alternate Timeline is a survivor of a brutal and violent figurative rape.
Misery Builds Character: This is his journey throughout the First Class trilogy; he must suffer a great deal in order to gain the necessary experience and wisdom to become an effective leader of mutants. When his life runs smoothly for too long, he can get complacent and fail to recognize that he's being harmfully paternalistic (such as his overprotectiveness towards Raven), or he doesn't anticipate a looming threat before it's too late (despite Hank's insistence, Xavier doesn't believe that the X-Men is required after the events of 1973). Because the hardships he had to endure in the Alternate Timeline are different than in the original timeline, his Icy Blue Eyes at the end of X-Men: Apocalypse indicate that James McAvoy's Professor X will be more resilient and proactive.
Mission Control:
- X-Men: First Class: When the proto X-Men clash against the Hellfire Club, Charles stays by the wreckage of the Blackbird and orders Raven to guard him. He's the only mutant who can restrain Sebastian Shaw (psychically or otherwise), so it's imperative for the mission that Xavier survives. He also gives instructions to Erik as the latter searches for their target.
- X-Men: Days of Future Past: In The Rogue Cut, his older self telepathically guides Magneto and Iceman through the mansion's secret corridors from the relative safety of the X-Jet.
My Beloved Smother: He adores his Family of Choice with all of his heart, but he can be overbearing because he Desperately Craves Affection, and he's terrified of being abandoned (as Days of Future Past succinctly illustrates). As a child, Charles was aggrieved by his mother's aloofness, and he had made a conscious decision that he would never be like her, so he overcompensates by being meddlesome in the lives of those he loves.
- Although he's Raven's foster brother in X-Men: First Class, he tends to behave more like her Parental Substitute (this is confirmed in X-Men: Days of Future Past when he tells Erik that he had "raised" her). Xavier is so overprotective of his sister that it had stifled Raven's psychological growth as an adult, and she resents his pushiness to the point where they become estranged. Erik reminds Charles that the latter "...grew up with her. She couldn't stay a little girl forever, that's why she left." By the end of Days of Future Past, Xavier finally accepts that Raven is her own person and stops trying to influence her.
- In a more general sense, he doesn't encourage those who are closest to him to be fully independent as adults. Although most of his students eventually leave the school after graduation and assimilate into human society, those who are part of the X-Men never "leave the nest," so to speak. They stay together as a surrogate family while living under Xavier's roof, working as teachers, and Charles continues to exert his paternal authority over them even when they're roughly 57 years old (as shown with Jean Grey, Cyclops and Storm in the Alternate Timeline 2023 scene of Days of Future Past—heck, Beast would be around 80!).
- X-Men: Apocalypse: Although he's wiser in the Alternate Timeline and knows that he shouldn't "cage the beast" when it comes to the Phoenix, he still keeps his daughter figure Jean on a tight leash by the way he nurtures her. His goal is to placate as much as possible the "fire" within her before it consumes everything and everyone in its path. To borrow a theme from First Class, Charles carefully molds the emotional comfort he offers to Jean as the "serenity" which can quell to some degree the "rage" of her wild "flames." His manipulation of her is so well-crafted that he dictates when the Phoenix—a force of nature—is free to spread its wings. Jean is now a "goddess" in comparison to Professor X, yet she remains subservient to her surrogate father, and it's implied that they're closer in the new timeline than in the old one. While there's no denying that he controls her with love, it does bring about the best outcome Xavier can hope for in terms of Jean being wholly in charge of the Phoenix, and not vice-versa. In this instance, his coddling is portrayed as having a positive impact on her psychological maturation. Bryan Singer outlines in his commentary the sway Charles has over Jean:
  Singer: 'It was just a dream' [...] He lies to her. Because he knows, because he's such a powerful psychic, [...] the power of Phoenix is growing inside her, and it's going to become out of control. And she's terrified of it, but doesn't understand it. And he does understand it. And he can't let on to her that he understands it because it would be too frightening, and she would run away. So this scene is all about control. All about keeping that power, and keeping it all under control. And only at the end of the movie does he give her permission [...] to explore her power.
Named After the Injury: In X-Men, Wolverine jokingly wonders if Professor X's codename is "Wheels" because he's in a wheelchair.
Nerds Are Sexy: In X-Men: First Class, he has mastered the art of transforming his knowledge of genetics into successful flirtation methods.
Nice Guy:
- X-Men: He opens his heart and his home to mutants who feel persecuted by the outside world.
  Logan: There's not many people that will understand what you're going through, but I think this guy Xavier is one of them. He seems to genuinely want to help you, and that's a rare thing for people like us.
- X-Men: Apocalypse: When Scott unintentionally wreaks Professor X's favourite tree on the estate—an irreplaceable family heirloom because it was planted by Xavier's grandfather when he was five years old—the teen assumes that he must have pissed off Charles and is worried that he'll be kicked out. Instead, the Professor chuckles and warmly welcomes Scott to his school. Jean, who had witnessed the entire event, smiles at Xavier's benevolence and forgiveness.
Nobody Touches the Hair: In X-Men: First Class, he's about to test the Cerebro prototype for the first time, and McCoy struggles with fitting the electrodes on his head.
Hank: Are you sure we can't shave your head?
Charles: (annoyed) Don't touch my hair.
Non-Action Guy: His 1973 self invokes this trope to explain to Logan why he always tries to talk his way out of a problem (even if it results in ineffective rambling) instead using brute force. However, Xavier can still throw a mean punch if someone really pisses him off despite not being much of a fighter.
Non-Idle Rich: In X-Men: First Class, he could live off his inheritance if he wished, but he's passionate about science, and his career goal before he is approached by the CIA is to become a professor of genetics.
Obi-Wan Moment: During his encounter with the Phoenix in X-Men: The Last Stand, he briefly smiles at Wolverine before being disintegrated. In The Stinger, it turns out he's Not Quite Dead.
Oblivious to Love: He doesn't notice that Raven harbours some non-sisterly feelings towards him in X-Men: First Class.
Older Than They Look: For X-Men: Days of Future Past, Honest Trailers made the mistake of describing McAvoy's character as a "young man," a term usually reserved for males who are under 30; Xavier is in his late thirties/early forties in 1973, but it's easy to forget that because the actor appears younger than his actual age.
Old Flame: He still carries a torch for Moira in X-Men: Apocalypse 21 years after they had last met.
Old Money:
- X-Men: First Class: He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He lives in a very Big Fancy House, there are servants (a maid is mentioned), and his mother is a snobby British Socialite who thinks so highly of herself that she never enters the kitchen of her own home. Charles' taste in material goods is often expressed in classic, Simple, yet Opulent ways, in contrast to the gaudy Conspicuous Consumption that we normally associate with the Nouveau Riche.
- X-Men: Days of Future Past: His past self can afford not to work for a decade because he can simply mooch off his inherited wealth. The Xavier family crest on the tail of his personal plane, his plane's elegantly decorated interior, and even the design of the chess set he brings along for the trip are a visual cue to the audience that he is this trope, and not the tacky (or so the stereotype goes) Nouveau Riche.
- X-Men: Apocalypse: This detailed look at Xavier's mansion practically screams this trope. The narrator introduces it as, "In its near 300 years of service, this estate has been the primary residence for New York's elite society." She later adds, "...every effort has been made to preserve its historical and architectural integrity of the above-ground structure." It is estimated to be worth◊ $75,850,000 USD (2016)! Charles owns a collection of beautiful vintage cars which are in pristine working condition, and that takes a lot of coin to maintain.
Omniglot: Thanks to his mutation, he's capable of mental communication in every language in the world (as X-Men: Apocalypse affirms).
Only Friend:
- X-Men: First Class:
  - Near the beginning of the film, Raven points out to Charles that she is his only friend. Presumably an affable fellow like Xavier would have numerous acquaintances, but his sister figure is the sole person he fully trusts.
  - He becomes this to Erik because the latter has spent his life on the hunt. Lehnsherr hasn't met anyone who could empathize with him since his mother died.
- X-Men: Days of Future Past: To Hank in between 1963 and 1973. McCoy doesn't seem to have a social circle, as he has taken it upon himself to be Charles' caretaker, which appears to be something of a full-time job.
O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Before X-Men: Apocalypse, he had never condoned the slaying of a Big Bad. The worst it ever got was when he reluctantly became an accessory to murder in X-Men: First Class; he had held Sebastian Shaw motionless with his telepathy while pleading with Erik not to kill the man. When Charles is in a Battle in the Center of the Mind with Apocalypse, he isn't strong enough to subdue the god-like mutant, so he implores Jean to summon her Phoenix powers, knowing full well that she will annihilate his enemy. In the Alternate Timeline, Xavier is a touch more aggressive, and this marks a major change for his character going forwards.
Open Mouth, Insert Foot: During the climax of First Class, he desperately tries to reason with Magneto and calm him down after the combined Soviet and American fleets fire on the X-Men after seeing their power, insisting that they're all good, innocent men who are Just Following Orders. This ends up really setting Magneto off, since he's a Holocaust survivor and the Nazis Magneto had previously confronted said just that to excuse their actions.
Magneto: I've been at the mercy of men "just following orders". Never again.
Pacifist: He's a conditional pacifist. He abhors violence and avoids it as much as possible (by his own admission, he isn't very good at it), but he recognizes that there are circumstances when it must be utilized to defend people's lives and his ideals. Xavier has proactively engaged in aggressive behaviour only thrice. In X-Men: First Class, he tackles Magneto to distract the latter from slaughtering the American and Soviet fleets with their own missiles. In X-Men: Days of Future Past, Charles punches Erik in the face for betraying, abandoning and crippling him 11 years prior—note that the use of force in this case stems purely from a personal grudge, and it neither helps nor hinders Xavier's mission in any way. In X-Men: Apocalypse, he instigates a Battle in the Center of the Mind against the eponymous villain to save Mystique and Quicksilver, whom Apocalypse had threatened to murder. Earlier in the movie, Hank mentions that the Professor had turned down his request to restart the X-Men, and Raven remarks that "Charles wants students, not soldiers," but after their confrontation with Apocalypse, Xavier accepts that it's no longer sufficient for him to simply be a teacher. He retakes his position as the commander of his paramilitary group and ensures that his protégés will be combat-ready for the next big threat.
Palette Swap: X-Men: Days of Future Past costume designer Louise Mingenbach described Past Xavier's switch from his brown-and-pink casual wear to his more formal blues and greys that is typically associated with the character in the other movies.
"At the beginning of the film, Charles is medicating, and very possibly on hallucinogens, so we had that come through in his shirt. As he pulls himself together, he wears a nice blue oxford like all good, put-together men—a progression from that psychedelic Cat Stevens-wear."
Parental Favoritism: Downplayed since he never neglects any of his students whether as a teacher or as a Parental Substitute, but he is closer to those who are Birds of a Feather, like Hank McCoy in X-Men: First Class and Jean Grey in X-Men: Apocalypse. Hank and Jean do receive a bit more of his time and care.
Parental Neglect: In X-Men: First Class, his mother is hinted to be emotionally distant towards her son, which is why Raven's maternal act backfires spectacularly.
Charles: (telepathically communicates to Raven disguised as Mrs. Xavier) My mother has never set foot in this kitchen in her life, and she certainly never made me hot chocolate, unless you count ordering the maid to do it.
Parental Substitute:
- He plays this role to all of the X-Men, but it's most notable in X-Men: First Class with a young Hank and the teenaged Alex and Sean, all of whom remain loyal to him before and after Cuba. The mere mention of Sean's death in X-Men: Days of Future Past makes Charles visibly distraught, which is in direct contrast to all of the other names that Erik throws at him. Being a father figure to Jean is explored in more detail in X-Men: Apocalypse, and Quicksilver decides to stay with the Professor instead of getting to know his estranged father.
- There is one exception. In X-Men: Days of Future Past, Charles invokes this trope when he claims that he had raised Raven, but Erik corrects him—they grew up together. He is not her father. This ties into the end of the film, when he stops trying to control her and lets her make her own choice.
- Downplayed in the scene where his 1973 self interacts with Peter Maximoff before the former departs for Paris. Charles instinctively behaves in a paternal manner when he's around a young mutant, especially one who doesn't have much of a direction in his life (in Quicksilver's case, he's a juvenile delinquent who grew up without a father). Peter's smile at the end indicates that he appreciates the sentiment.
Patrick Stewart Speech: Given who plays him, not surprising. Given who he is, also not surprising. Xavier's core message requires having such a speech at hand and ready to give at a moment's notice (as true here as it was in the source material). The capacity to give such a speech is the only thing that he and Magneto are feuding over.
- In X-Men: First Class, where he is played by James McAvoy, he gives such a speech to Erik Lehnsherr. During their chess game, he attempts to convince Erik that human beings are capable of great understanding, and that mutants should be patient, as "we have it in us to be the better men." Erik skeptically replies, "We already are."
- An even more epic example occurs in X-Men: Days of Future Past, where his older self gives one to his younger self, convincing the latter to "hope again," and that despite what happens (or in 1973 Xavier's case, will happen) to mutants, humanity can still be shown "a better path."
People Puppets: Treating other minds like marionettes is part of his power set, and it's one of his favourite skills based on how frequently he uses it.
- X-Men: He briefly takes control of Toad and Sabretooth in an attempt to rescue Rogue from Magneto.
- X2: X-Men United: He freezes hundreds of people in place at a large museum.
- X-Men: First Class:
  - He immobilizes everyone except for Moira at the CIA Headquarters so that he can have a private telepathic conversation with her.
  - He mentally forces a Soviet officer to fire on the Aral Sea, thus single-handedly preventing World War III.
  - Once Erik removes Shaw's telepathy-blocking helmet, Charles keeps Sebastian motionless.
- The Wolverine: In The Stinger, Logan notices that everyone at the airport besides himself and Magneto has suddenly stopped dead in their tracks. Only one mutant in the franchise has been shown to possess this ability...
- X-Men: Days of Future Past: He possesses various people around Mystique at the airport to talk to her in a casual display of how creepy his power can be when he gets creative. He temporarily prevents Mystique's body from moving once he determines that she's pretending to be a secret service agent, although he still permits her to speak. President Nixon, his cabinet and Trask are put on "pause" when Charles tells Raven he won't push her anymore and that she's free to decide Trask's fate. After the climax, he also controls Magneto when Mystique knocks the latter's helmet off to free himself from the metal debris that fell on him earlier.
- X-Men: Apocalypse: He "insists" with his mind-control abilities that everyone at the CIA building "take a break" so that he and Havok can visit Agent MacTaggert without having to deal with security.
Perma-Stubble: In X-Men: Apocalypse, he has faint stubble instead of being clean-shaven (which is his regular look in the franchise), and at first, it seems to convey to the audience that he hasn't fully reclaimed his heroic Professor X identity. He's a relaxed, content principal, teacher, and low-key mutant activist, not a commander of a paramilitary group like in X-Men: First Class. However, once he decides that it's necessary for him to step up his role as a leader of mutants, he still keeps the extra facial hair—this illustrates that James McAvoy's character is "rougher-around-the-edges" than Patrick Stewart's in the original timeline. Xavier's stubble is also a Shout-Out to Detective James "Sonny" Crockett from Miami Vice.^note
Personality Powers: He's cerebral and emotional, and his telepathy happens to impact both of these domains in other people.
Person of Mass Destruction: As demonstrated in X2: X-Men United, he can kill everyone on the planet with Cerebro if he concentrates hard enough.
Plucky Comic Relief: Downplayed in X-Men: Apocalypse because he's predominantly a dramatic character, but writer Simon Kinberg reveals in his commentary that Charles was deliberately used to lighten up the mood of the first act.
Kinberg: I tried to get a lot of humour into the movie whenever it was appropriate, and James [McAvoy] is a really good comedic actor, so there was a lot of good Xavier moments.
Power at a Price: Inverted in X-Men: Days of Future Past. A serum that allows him to regain the use of his legs instead nullifies his powers. He behaves like a drug addict while on it, and one of the film's major themes involves Charles' accepting his paraplegia and learning how to overcome it in a non-destructive way while also retaining his mutant telepathy.
The Power of Love: If Charles has a secondary mutation in X-Men: Apocalypse, it would be this—he has the ability to "transform" the people around him into better versions of themselves. His unwavering love and support for his daughter figure Jean allows her to overcome her fears about her Phoenix power, and she fries Apocalypse with deadly efficiency, saving the world and the Professor's life in the process. Magneto pulls a Heel–Face Turn when he realizes that his love for Xavier is stronger than his hate towards human society, which has murdered his family twice over. Peter could've easily returned to his mother's basement and continue wasting his potential after the Final Battle (especially considering that he had decided to withhold from Erik that he's his son), but it's implied that Maximoff was touched by Charles' worry for his well-being when Xavier had created a telepathic link between them while Quicksilver was fighting Apocalypse. It should be noted that Charles hadn't spoken to Peter in a decade, but the former's capacity for love is so great that he had opened his mind to a young mutant whom he barely knows, and he sincerely cared about whether Maximoff got hurt or not. The self-described "total loser" Quicksilver is now a member of the X-Men who can make a positive difference in the world.
Power Perversion Potential:
- X-Men: First Class: He uses his powers to "guess" the drink orders of the women he flirts with. Executive producer Tarquin Pack lampshades this specific example in the rare "Extraordinary Abilities" featurette.
  "If I had the ability to read minds, and I was at university, and I could influence people through my mental powers, I would probably also be a bit of a Lothario. (laughs) Who wouldn't be?"
- X-Men: Apocalypse: He and Alex discuss this as they're heading towards Moira's office.
  Alex: So you really haven't see her in all these years? You never looked her up? Not even in Cerebro?
  Charles: Alex, what do you take me for, some kind of pervert? Yes, I looked her up once, twice. But not in a long time, alright?
Prematurely Bald: Averted; the First Class trilogy reveals that he doesn't lose his hair until he's around 50 years old.
Pretentious Latin Motto: If you do a Freeze-Frame Bonus on the Xavier coat of arms, located on the tail of Charles' personal plane in X-Men: Days of Future Past, the family motto reads, "Fratrem tuum adjuva," which means "Help your brother." Not only does this fit Professor X's compassionate personality to a tee, but it also suggests that his Old Money ancestors on his father's side were philanthropists. Assisting those who are less fortunate must have been regarded as a sacred duty, as those Latin words supposedly designate what the Xavier family values the most.
Pretty Boy:
- X-Men: First Class: Appearance-wise, he's strongly defined by his boyishness: he has a soft, round face, baby blue eyes, cherry-red lips (the colour is so deep at times that it almost looks like he's wearing lipstick), and is of shorter-than-average height. It's symbolic of his sensitive, nice guy qualities. Erik even calls him "adorable" when Charles tries the Cerebro machine for the first time. With his fair complexion, the young telepath resembles a living porcelain doll, and his fragility becomes evident when he "breaks" physically and emotionally during the climax.
- X-Men: Apocalypse: He's around 50 years old, yet before he loses his hair, he's still gorgeous and youthful-looking for his age (he can pass for a man in his early 30s)—in fact, he doesn't appear all that different from his graduate student days in First Class. This alludes to him embracing his former naïveté again, and it makes him look much more helpless and vulnerable when he becomes Apocalypse's prisoner. Being boyishly beautiful also emphasizes Charles' status as a victim when he's Mind Raped by Apocalypse, which is a metaphor for sexual assault. Because Beauty Equals Goodness for James McAvoy's Xavier, maintaining his dainty appearance even when he's being viciously battered, bloodied and bruised on the astral plane connotes that he's a person with a tenderhearted soul who's dying.
The Professor: He earned his "Professor of Genetics" title from the University of Oxford. Even before he became a paraplegic, he was considerably less action-oriented than the other mutants on his team, and is often protected by a combatant (e.g. Cyclops, Beast, Havok). Professor X serves as the Team Dad for the X-Men.
Progressively Prettier: Professor X in the comics is a middle-aged bald guy who is average-looking at best with no striking physical features (and considering that he's usually drawn with a severe facial expression, he could be deemed slightly below average). Patrick Stewart, who's widely renowned as being handsome for an older bald man, was in his late 50s when he was cast as the elderly version of the character in the first movie adaptation (Xavier is in his early-to-mid 70s in the original trilogy). The younger Charles became a sex symbol within the film fandom after X-Men: First Class, which starred James McAvoy, a Pretty Boy extraordinaire, and the studio had dictated that the actor conserve his thick, wavy tresses for the role. The filmmakers of X-Men: Apocalypse then surpassed this by making Professor X an extremely young-looking 50-year-old^note Long-Haired Pretty Boy who's glamorous like an '80s fashion model, plus he was lightly objectified for the first time in the movie franchise with a white shirt that had semi-transparent "stripes," and a thin lilac sweater that didn't exactly mask the contour of his pectoral muscles (or even his nipples, for that matter). The younger fangirls who weren't familiar with the comics and/or Stewart's performance genuinely became upset when McAvoy's Xavier lost all of his hair in the third act.
Prone to Tears: His past self's psychological health in X-Men: Days of Future Past is so poor that the slightest thing can upset him, and he's regularly seen with wet, reddened eyes or tears streaming down his face. Unlike most male examples of this trope, it's Played for Drama, not for laughs.
The Protagonist: When analyzing the First Class trilogy as a whole, he's the most prominent character because he receives the most Character Development, and the climax of each entry is directly connected to a significant relationship in his life. In X-Men: First Class, he and his Heterosexual Life-Partner Erik are "divorced." In X-Men: Days of Future Past, Charles makes amends with his estranged foster sister Raven. In X-Men: Apocalypse, he strengthens his bond with his surrogate daughter Jean. The Alternate Timeline turns out to be an opportunity for Professor X to rectify two grave errors that he had committed in the original timeline. By arranging the original trilogy and the First Class trilogy as one big saga, Bryan Singer designates that Charles is the most important figure (even if he doesn't necessarily have the most screen time) by having him open and close the hexalogy. In-Universe, the X-Men wouldn't exist without Xavier.
Proud Beauty: As a younger man, he was stunning, and he liked to strut his stuff.
- X-Men: First Class: He's an attractive scientist who unabashedly exploits his gorgeousness (along with his charm) to proposition coeds at Oxford. Charles is so fond of his hair that he immediately dismisses Hank's suggestion that he shave it off before he tests Cerebro. It's costume designer Sammy Sheldon's intention to make the character as stylish as possible within a conservative academic setting.
- X-Men: Apocalypse: He's a Hot Teacher who doesn't seem to be concerned in the slightest that his translucent white shirt would be deemed inappropriate in any other school with teenagers and children. His sunglasses are the most flashy of the film because of their gradient lenses, and they enhance his sex appeal while also giving him the air of a fashion model. Xavier runs his hand through his luscious locks (which is his equivalent of a peacock's tail) to tame some wayward strands before he meets Moira to ensure that he's at his most attractive. Even after he goes bald, he conjures a mental projection of himself which still proudly has a feathered mullet on its head when he faces a life-and-death struggle with Apocalypse. It's The End of the World as We Know It if the Professor fails, but even if he's doomed, he'll at least look fabulous on the astral plane (heck, he still manages to be pretty even when he's soaked in his own blood). Make no mistake, folks; Charles is vain.
Psychic Powers: Kitty Pryde describes him as "the most powerful brain in the world," and Stryker similarly calls him "the world's most powerful psychic." Sebastian Shaw is so impressed by the strength of Xavier's telepathy that he tries to recruit Charles even though Shaw already has a formidable psychic as his second-in-command. (This indicates that Shaw considers Xavier's mutation to be more potent than Emma Frost's.) Professor X's gift is why Apocalypse covets his "extraordinary" abilities—the best that he has encountered in "a thousand lifetimes"—and selects him to be his next mutant host.
Psychic Radar: He can detect people around himself, amplified greatly with Cerebro to find almost anyone in the world. In X2: X-Men United, he uses it to track a mutant who can teleport, and it's further revealed that he can use it to sense the location of every mutant or every human on the planet. Concentrating hard enough will give them all a really serious Psychic Nosebleed... followed by death.
Psychologist Teacher: In James McAvoy's words, Professor X is a social worker in addition to being a principal and a teacher. Charles cherishes everyone under his care, so he invests a substantial amount of his effort to aid his students in coping with their psychological issues (especially the ones caused—or at least exacerbated—by their mutations), and when possible, to find solutions for them. As a telepath, he can employ his empathy to ascertain what kind of nurturing works best on a particular youngster. By catering to their individual needs, Xavier steadily wins their affections, and he also becomes their paternal figure.

Q-Z

Real-Life Super Powers: Even without his psychic superpowers, he still exerts influence through his intelligence, charisma and money, and these three attributes are more vital to the formation and continuation of the X-Men than his mutation.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: In X-Men: First Class, he's more level-headed while Erik is rather hot-headed. ''Empire'' magazine even colour-coded the front covers of their May 2011 issue accordingly.◊
Refuge in Audacity: He's very confident about his ability to seduce women in X-Men: First Class.
Charles: Heterochromia was in reference to your eyes, which I have to say are stunning. One green, one blue. It's a mutation, it's a very groovy mutation. I've got news for you, Amy. You are a mutant.
Amy: First you proposition a girl, and then you call her deformed. How is that seduction technique working for you?
Charles: I'll tell you in the morning.
Restored My Faith in Humanity: As it turns out, future Charles Xavier does this for his younger self in X-Men: Days of Future Past. After the failure of the school the first semester, when most of the students and teachers were drafted into the Vietnam War, the younger Xavier had given up on his for peaceful and human coexistence, and started overdosing on Hank's serum, which allows him to walk again but makes lose his powers. However, when he has a conversation with his future self through Logan, he is convinced not give up hope.
Rule of Sexy:
- X-Men: First Class: Most (if not all) fans expected the young Professor X to be bald, but the studio wanted James McAvoy to keep his hair in order to retain the actor's sex appeal.
  McAvoy: I had showed up on the first day of X-Men: First Class, and I had shaved my head because I wanted to check what it looked like about a month before we started shooting—and it looked quite good—and they were like, "No, no, no, no, we want you to have long hair."
- X-Men: Days of Future Past: In the March 2014 issue of Empire magazine, the actor states that he was more than willing to get rid of his luxurious locks, but once again the producers nixed the idea.
  McAvoy: I wanted to go bald in this one, [...] but they didn't go for it. I was gutted.
- X-Men: Apocalypse:
  - He retains his thick, wavy mane for most of the movie instead of being bald for its entirety. Justified in this case because Xavier didn't display any signs of male-pattern baldness in Days of Future Past, so the hair loss which occurs later on is not natural. Moreover, Professor X is pushing 50 in 1983, yet the actor was not given any ageing make-up, and there is very little grey in his hair. He should appear at least 30 years older than Jean Grey and Scott Summers, but James McAvoy's youthful features make him look like he's only about 15 years their senior.
  - The semi-transparent vertical "stripes" on Charles' white shirt. It even seems out-of-character for him to put on a garment which could potentially be distracting to some of his students as he had never been overtly objectified in the franchise before. (Another way to look at it is if a female teacher had worn the same shirt, it would be considered inappropriate.) This was clearly done by the costume designer to exploit James McAvoy's desirability before his character loses his hair and becomes more serious. Xavier's lilac shirt is also mildly erotic because depending on his movements or body position, the outline of his pecs is sometimes well-defined, and there are a few blink-and-you'll-miss-it moments where the shape of his nipples is visible through the thin fabric.
Rule of Symbolism:
- X-Men: Apocalypse:
  - There are bookends in his study which are shaped like the mythological figure Atlas, and they symbolize his heavy burden of trying to save the world.
    We look around Xavier's school some more, exploring every nook and cranny of Prof. X's office. We spot a couple of Atlas-themed book-ends, with two muscular men carrying planets on their backs. It makes us flashback to that dark room, where we saw McAvoy cry. If ever there was a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders, it's James McAvoy's Professor X.
  - Charles and Erik have at least one costume which was strongly influenced by Miami Vice, and they are basically dressed as Detective Crockett and Detective Tubbs, respectively. Like Crockett and Tubbs, Xavier and Lehnsherr are Heterosexual Life-Partners.
Seeing Through Another's Eyes: His telepathy allows him to perceive an event through the eyes of another person.
- X-Men: He uses his psychic ability to experience Senator Kelly's memory of being exposed to Magneto's machine.
- X-Men: First Class: He can "eavesdrop" on a conversation that Emma Frost has with a Soviet general by telepathically inhabiting a nearby soldier.
- X-Men: Days of Future Past: His past self is able to figure out where Raven is heading because when he had temporarily "possessed" a stewardess who had bumped into his foster sister, the stewardess had picked up Raven's plane ticket from the floor, and he can read its contents from the stewardess' field of vision. In The Rogue Cut, his future self can view the mansion through Magneto's and Iceman's minds, and he gives them instructions as they walk in hidden passageways towards the Cerebro room.
- X-Men: Apocalypse: He sees Jean's visions of planet-wide destruction as if they were his own.
Sensitive Guy and Manly Man:
- X-Men: First Class: He's the Sensitive Guy to Erik Lehnsherr's Manly Man. They display this dynamic in their personalities (All-Loving Hero vs. Anti-Hero) and physique (Pretty Boy vs. Tall, Dark, and Handsome) as well as their philosophies and methods (Wide-Eyed Idealist vs. Pay Evil unto Evil).
- X-Men: Days of Future Past: His younger self in 1973 is more accurately an Overly Sensitive Guy with Wolverine in the Manly Man role. Logan has to act as the "glue" which barely holds the emotionally fragile Xavier together in order to complete their mission. Their opposite natures are most directly contrasted in the Pentagon kitchen scene, where Charles attempts to persuade the guards that he and his partner have a valid reason to be there, while Wolverine just knocks them out with a frying pan.
Sharp-Dressed Man:
- In X-Men: First Class and in his elderly years, he's always well-dressed as befitting a professor and principal. Costume designer Louise Mingenbach refers to Professor X as "Mr. Fancy Pants" in the "United Colors of X" featurette on the X2: X-Men United DVD, and Sammy Sheldon has stated in the "Suiting Up" documentary on the First Class Blu-Ray that she made Charles' attire as stylish as she could while keeping him "honest, real, studious." On the "Two Worlds, Two Battles" segment of The Rogue Cut, Patrick Stewart says that his character "has been seen as something of a peacock over all these years. Quite exotic-looking suits."
- X-Men: Days of Future Past: Averted with both his past and future selves. The former is clothed like a hippie or a vagrant, and the latter is only seen in battle gear. However, in the Alternate Timeline, his elderly self continues to don his traditional three-piece suit.
- X-Men: Apocalypse: Played with. His Miami Vice-inspired wardrobe is relatively casual compared to the more formal suits that were iconic to his character in the original trilogy (and X-Men: First Class to a lesser extent). However, he adopts his classic look after he loses his hair.
Sibling Yin-Yang:
- X-Men: Days of Future Past: Eleven years after X-Men: First Class, he and Raven have not only become estranged, but also polar opposites in almost every way, especially in regards to ideology and diplomacy. Her sparing of Trask and the president shows that she isn't quite as far gone as originally believed, though.
- X-Men: Apocalypse: Although he and Raven are on better terms than in Days of Future Past, they still strongly disagree over how humans in general treat mutants. He believes the world is gradually becoming more tolerant of their kind, but she has seen with her own eyes that there's still a lot of oppression. This article uses the metaphor of Xavier being a peaceful dove and Mystique is an aggressive hawk.
  Charles: I have plans for this place. I mean to turn it into a real campus, a university. Not just for mutants, either; for humans, too. Living and working, growing together.
  Raven: You know, I really believed that once. I really believed we can change them.
  Charles: We did.
  Raven: Just because there's not a war, doesn't mean there's peace. You wanna teach your kids something, teach them that, teach them to fight, otherwise they might as well live in this house for the rest of their lives.
- Dark Phoenix inverts the relationship somewhat, with Charles now sending the team on dangerous missions to both paint mutants positively in the public eye and boost his own ego, and Mystique clashing with him over her concerns for the team's safety on these missions.
Significant Wardrobe Shift: His attire before and after his encounter with Apocalypse is quite different, and it illustrates a major change in his worldview. He begins with laid-back, '80s-influenced apparel, and he then switches to a conservative, Simple, yet Opulent suit. Charles is naïve at first, but his optimism is later tempered by realism.
Simple, yet Opulent: His signature aesthetic (whether it's his clothing, vehicles or other material possessions) is to be immaculate and graceful. His taste is plain, yet sophisticated, and it's a measure of his old-world affluence.
Single-Power Superheroes: Telepathy is his sole mutant gift, but it's a very handy one.
Single Tear:
- X2: X-Men United: He sheds a single tear of joy when he's able to stand again on his own—but then he quickly realizes that he's in a Lotus-Eater Machine and tries to resist Jason's ability.
- X-Men: First Class :
  - He wipes a single tear from his cheek after he uncovers a happy memory from Erik's childhood involving the latter's mother with his telepathy. Despite living a much more comfortable and privileged life than his friend, the one beautiful thing that Charles never got to experience is a mother's warm affection.
  - After he gets shot, he only sheds one noticeable tear which is partly because of his injury, but mostly because he is forced to tell Erik that no, they really do not want the same thing, and knows that this realization will push his friend away for good.
Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism: Throughout the X-Men hexalogy, he's traditionally at the idealism end of this scale, but in X-Men: Apocalypse's denouement, he has taken a step towards the middle. Xavier's actions during the Final Battle are a subtle acknowledgement that in extreme circumstances, he'll do whatever it takes to Save the World, even if it means committing murder. Erik (who is typically at the opposite, cynical end of this scale) appreciates this new, hardened edge in his old friend, and his respect for Charles is even greater than in the original timeline. From Bryan Singer's commentary:
"Well, the two men [Professor X and Magneto] have never been more similar in their whole relationship as they have in this moment."
Sliding Scale of Leadership Responsibility: Previous films had established that he's typically The Hammond on this scale, but during the Final Battle in X-Men: Apocalypse, he moves up three steps and briefly becomes The Superman. When Apocalypse gives Charles a Sadistic Choice—surrender, or Mystique and Quicksilver will die—Beast and Cyclops volunteer to rescue their teammates, but Xavier stops them because he would rather sacrifice himself than see anyone he cares about get hurt. This turns out to be an unacceptable option because Charles is the Earth's Barrier Maiden (and he obviously doesn't want to put billions of lives at risk), but he then challenges Apocalypse to a mind duel, which creates a much-needed distraction. Xavier gets pummeled on the astral plane, and he only asks Jean Grey—whom he loves like a daughter and is naturally protective of her—to intervene when he knows he's dying.
Smart People Speak the Queen's English: Justified in his case because he's half-British through his mother's side, and his posh accent was further refined after living for several years in Oxford, England, where he had earned his doctorate in genetics.
Sophisticated as Hell: His younger self specifically fulfills the "A normally formal character resorting to profanity due to intense circumstances" example in X-Men: Days of Future Past. This is the first movie where the otherwise polite and erudite Charles uses coarse language such as "fuck" and "shite."
Spotlight-Stealing Squad: After Wolverine, Professor X is a close runner-up; he's an important secondary character in the original trilogy and Logan, a main character in the First Class tetralogy, and has three cameos.
Standardized Leader: Played straight in the original trilogy, where he doesn't really get to be more than The Mentor to the X-Men. It's averted with the First Class trilogy, where he's upgraded to the Hero Protagonist and becomes a Rounded Character. There's a reason why the vast majority of the entries on this page are from the second set of movies—there's just a lot more information to be gleamed about Professor X when he's permitted to be dynamic.
Staring Down Cthulhu: In X-Men: Apocalypse, immediately after he accomplishes a Did You Just Flip Off Cthulhu? by modifying the final sentence of Apocalypse's planet-wide New Era Speech, Charles brazenly glares at his captor, unflinching and undaunted by any punishment that may befall him. It proves that Professor X will oppose Apocalypse with every fiber of his being, no matter how futile it is.
Story-Breaker Power: His Telepathy is strong enough to let him take over the minds of multiple people at once to control them, and in the case of mutants, he can even tap into their powers. He can also use Cerebro to find anyone on the planet in seconds and then exert the same level of influence on them. This means that the films often either incapacitate Xavier or have the villain be immune to his abilities in some way, so as to prevent him from ending every film in five minutes.
Superpower Lottery: See Story-Breaker Power above. He's one of the most powerful fictional psychic characters, and while he's not telekinetic, his ability to rewrite minds^note and hijack any person he wants make telekinesis seem like child's play.
Super Wheelchair: In X-Men: Days of Future Past, his elderly self has a wheelchair that hovers.
Take a Third Option: Apocalypse offers him a Sadistic Choice: if Charles immediately surrenders (which would fulfill Apocalypse's plan for world domination), then the lives of the "weaklings" (Mystique and Quicksilver) will be spared, or if he continues to hide, then Apocalypse will murder both mutants, and it's only matter of time before Apocalypse finds out where Xavier is. Professor X decides to initiate a Battle in the Center of the Mind instead, which distracts Apocalypse, and thus Mystique's and Quicksilver's executions are delayed.
Team Dad:
- X-Men: The Last Stand: Best shown during his funeral, where a massive amount of his students cried during it. His tombstone reads, "Father, Teacher, Friend", and naturally "Father" is listed first because he was viewed by the youngsters (especially those who are orphans or have been disowned by their families) as primarily a paternal figure.
- X-Men: First Class: He might qualify, but he tends to act more like the nurturing Team Mom, with Erik as the "tough love" Team Dad (Sean Cassidy learned this the hard way). Insert witty commentary here.
- X-Men: Apocalypse: James McAvoy stresses in the June 2016 issue of F*** magazine that Professor X, for all of his kindness and altruism, has a profound psychological need to be the "king of the castle," so to speak. Xavier genuinely loves his friends and his students and he cares deeply about them, but it's also very important to him to hold a certain amount of authority over them.
  McAvoy: That's partly why he's building a school and he wants that family that he never really had, and he wants to be the father. He's got that slight... he's a good man, but he's got a little bit of a god complex as well. He wants to be at the head of the table. It's a good thing, but it's his flaw as well.
Team Mom: As a man with an androgynous personality, he's a father figure to his surrogate family who also has a prominent "motherly" side. Xavier had already exhibited strong nurturing tendencies in X-Men: First Class, and in X-Men: Apocalypse, he calls his students "my darlings" when he sends them off to bed, and he even uses a Mary Poppins reference (the joke being that he behaves slightly like a "governess" around the younger children). He is very gentle and caring when he soothes Jean's fears about her death-filled "nightmare" and her telepathy. After Raven becomes his Number Two within the X-Men, Charles' "maternal" approach appears more pronounced because Mystique is the drill sergeant who molds the team into soldiers, and he's the one who takes charge of their academic education and their emotional well-being.
Telepathy: His mutation grants him many psychic-related skills. He can read and communicate with other minds (in their native language, no less), access, suppress and restore memories, apply Mind Control (People Puppets are his specialty and he knows a few Jedi Mind Tricks) along with Seeing Through Another's Eyes, generate mental blocks around a mutant's subconscious to reduce the full magnitude of their ability, induce sleep, summon a projection of himself, kill someone with sufficient concentration, and he can even transfer his consciousness into another body.
Tender Tears:
- X-Men: Days of Future Past: A huge part of his younger self's character development is centered around his huge capacity for empathy, and how he needs to learn to move past his own pain for the benefit of others, so he spends a good percentage of the film either on the verge of tears or outright crying.
- X-Men: Apocalypse: There's a lot of focus in this story on his sensitivity, and he's either close to tears, shedding a few of them, or openly weeping when someone he cares about is in pain.
That Man Is Dead: When Hank tells Logan that "there's no Professor here," Xavier is still living in his estate, only he has lost his powers and the will to lead mutants, thus dissociating himself from his identity as Professor X.
They're Called "Personal Issues" for a Reason: In X-Men: First Class, there's a hint that he had an unhappy childhood, but he simply chooses not to speak of it. After Erik makes a snide remark about his friend's wealth, Charles' expression is a mixture of annoyance with a little bit of hurt, and Raven steps in between two men as if to "shield" her brother from Erik's not-so-nice comment. Although she says, "It was a hardship softened by me" in a light tone, there is no sarcasm in her voice, and Charles kisses her on the cheek as a quiet "thank you" for her support and understanding in what is a very sensitive matter to him.
Thou Shalt Not Kill: This is his hallmark for most of the X-Men hexalogy;^note he detests violence and firmly objects to the notion that deadly force is required to subdue evildoers. A grey area occurs in X-Men: First Class, where Magneto's insatiable desire for revenge corners Charles into a moral bind—if he releases Sebastian Shaw from his psychic grip, then Shaw will eliminate Erik, but if he maintains the mental hold, then Magneto will kill their target, and Xavier becomes an accessory to murder; Charles opts for the latter. In X-Men: Apocalypse, he breaks his one inviolable rule when his own life, the lives of his team and billions of others are at stake: he's unable to take down Apocalypse on his lonesome, so he commands Jean Grey to immolate his adversary with her Phoenix Force.
Time-Shifted Actor: He has been portrayed by three actors in three different stages of his life.
Tragically Disabled Love Interest: In X-Men: First Class, he is paralyzed by accident when Moira is shooting at Erik and one of the bullets he blocks accidentally goes into Charles's spine. It's hinted that he briefly had a romance with Moira after his spinal cord injury, but he's forced to end their relationship to protect himself and his students from the CIA.
Traumatic Haircut: He loses his hair due to a psychic trauma inflicted upon him by Apocalypse.
Two First Names: Both "Charles" and "Xavier" can be used as first names.
Uncle Pennybags: He's filthy rich and is a gentle, caring person; he's certainly the most altruistic character in the franchise.
- X-Men: He mentions that most of his students were runaways, so his school isn't just a centre for education, but also a safe haven for a lot of the youngsters who don't have a home.
- X-Men: First Class: His generous nature is alluded to in this exchange:
  Sean Cassidy: (in awe of Xavier's mansion) This is yours.
  Charles: (smiles) No, it's ours.
- X-Men: Apocalypse: Before the events of this movie, he wasn't interested in reinstating the X-Men, yet he still allocated a ton of cash to Hank so that the latter can create a new model of the Blackbird. There's no logical reason for Xavier to do this other than it being a very expensive way for him to assuage McCoy's worries that humanity might turn against mutantkind in the near future. Charles' attitude seems to be something along the lines of, "Hank, I think your fears are unfounded, but I'll let you build a war plane if it makes you feel better." Professor X is an extremely indulgent friend!
Unkempt Beauty:
- X-Men: Days of Future Past: In 1973, his appearance is rather sloppy and disheveled, especially in comparison to the other movies, yet he's still an attractive man. This was done on purpose by the filmmakers (see the Rule of Sexy entry), and it conveniently evokes the Looks Like Jesus trope, as Christ is often depicted as being handsome in art.
- X-Men: Apocalypse: The director sought to elicit this trope when Professor X is losing the Battle in the Center of the Mind against the titular antagonist. Xavier's hair is in disarray, he's smeared with blood, and the worst thing one can say about his appearance is that he looks like a stained porcelain doll. The photogenic close-ups spell out to the audience that Charles is the "beauty" and "cutie" in Beauty Equals Goodness and Break the Cutie.
Useless Without Powers: While he's very wealthy, intelligent and charismatic, when it comes to an actual fight, he's completely useless if his powers are disabled. This is a major point when combined with his Story-Breaker Power. The enemy must block Xavier's abilities in some way to avoid losing instantly, and once they do, Charles ceases to contribute anything to the battle.
Vanity Is Feminine: Downplayed, as his habit of always being dapper isn't treated as a negative trait In-Universe. However, the attention he pays to his appearance does subtly distinguish his brand of androgynous masculinity from the other two male leads in the franchise (namely the macho Wolverine and the manly Magneto).
- X-Men: Apocalypse: Vanity, thy name is Charles Xavier. Although his preoccupation with his looks is an aspect of his androgyny, unlike most other male examples, it's not presented as being demeaning to his character. Professor X's feminine side is his most valuable asset in the story, and because Beauty Equals Goodness applies in his case, taking pride in his attractiveness is an extension of him being thoroughly at ease and joyful with his inborn empathy.
Villain Corner: In the first two films, he seemed to be a paragon of virtue, but in X-Men: The Last Stand, a dark side is introduced when Wolverine discovers that Charles had tampered with Jean's mind without her knowledge or consent in order to contain the most dangerous part of her powers. This was very unpopular among non-comic book fans because it was wholly incongruous to Xavier's previous characterization, so X-Men: First Class recontextualized his unethical behaviour as a manifestation of his acute control issues, a Fatal Flaw which occurs whenever he lets fear (instead of trust) guide his decisions. In retrospect, his mistreatment of Jean is not so much because he's a little bit "evil"; it's a shortcoming of a well-meaning, but arrogant person who doesn't foresee that good intentions can still bring ruin.
Villain Override: Inverted because he's a heroic character. He can hijack people's bodies, and unless they're another psychic or using a Psychic Block Defense, none has been shown to be able to resist. When using Cerebro, he can hijack anyone across the globe as he sees fit.
Vocal Evolution: Applies to Patrick Stewart's portrayal of the character. In his earlier appearances, Professor X had a confident deep voice, along with an accent that sounds like a cross between British and American. Later on, Charles' voice becomes more gravelly with age, and he starts to sound more British.
Waistcoat of Style: He frequently wears one with his elegant suits, and it adds a little extra flair to his aura of academic professionalism while also being an indicator of his upper-class status.
- X-Men: First Class: His waistcoats as a graduate student and as a newly minted professor of genetics are a touch less formal than in the original trilogy. This subtly conveys to viewers that Charles was more relaxed and carefree during his youth.
- X-Men: Apocalypse: James McAvoy's Professor X hasn't been seen in one since First Class, and the vest he has near the end of film is more polished-looking than the tweed-preppy style of his Oxford days, which signifies that he's now embodying Patrick Stewart's character.
What Beautiful Eyes!:
- X-Men: First Class: After he's shot in the spine, the glare of the Cuban sunshine shrinks his pupils, which makes his irises appear very large, and they are a stunning shade of vibrant blue, especially in close-up. His Innocent Blue Eyes are shiny and wet with tears due to the intense physical and emotional pain, and it marks the character's Break the Cutie moment.
- X-Men: Days of Future Past: His 1973 self collapses after the serum wears off, and there are a few close-ups of his eyes. The colour of his irises is quite vivid, and they fully express his mental anguish and vulnerability in that scene. It's a stark contrast from his hopeful and confident Innocent Blue Eyes in First Class.
- X-Men: Apocalypse: Just before he enters Apocalypse's mind, the camera zooms in on his right eye. It's so blue that it's practically glowing, and it's wracked with pain and fear because of the grisly abuse that Apocalypse has put him through, but Charles' iris also exudes his defiance, and he's determined to fight his adversary to the bitter end.
What the Hell, Hero?:
- X-Men: The Last Stand: Logan calls him out for putting mental blocks in Jean's head, and possibly altering her (and his) memories. But the Professor had good reason to, which becomes quickly evident.
- X-Men: Days of Future Past:
  - Young Magneto goes into an outburst about how fellow mutants were being killed left and right while he has been in hiding with Hank.
    Erik: Angel, Azazel, Emma, Banshee. Mutant brothers and sisters, all dead! Countless others, experimented on! Butchered! Where were you, Charles?! We were supposed to protect them! Where were you when your own people needed you?! Hiding! You and Hank! Pretending to be something you're not! You abandoned us all!
  - Before that, Logan calls him a little shit for his cavalier attitude about the future.
- Dark Phoenix: Mystique calls out Xavier for putting the X-Men's lives in danger and being a glory hound, and multiple characters call him out for tampering with Jean's mind.
What You Are in the Dark: During the climax of X-Men: Days of Future Past, Hank urges him to put Mystique out of commission so she won't kick-start the Bad Future. However, Xavier refuses to do this because Mystique has spent her life being influenced by others, so instead, he tells her that he will do nothing to stop her, but hopes that she will see there is a better way. She agrees and stands down.
Wide-Eyed Idealist:
- X-Men: First Class: While he isn't exactly naïve, his idealism is accentuated by the fact that everyone else seems to have a far more pessimistic approach to mutant-human relations. It's suggested that this is at least partly because he hasn't faced persecution in the same way. It sets up a nice contrast with his portrayal in the previous films, where he remains idealistic, but is a lot more cautious about it now that he's had personal experience.
- X-Men: Apocalypse: He has regained most of his cheery optimism from First Class, and invokedWord of God even says that he has too much hope at the beginning of the story. By the end of the movie, Xavier becomes The Idealist, i.e. he is no longer "wide-eyed," but he doesn't give up hope for peaceful coexistence between mutants and humans.
Wowing Cthulhu: In X-Men: Apocalypse, En Sabah Nur has accumulated countless mutant abilities over the millennia, and Professor X's sole superpower is Telepathy, yet the former's face is filled with wonder when he first perceives the latter's gift while Charles is mentally communicating with Magneto. It speaks volumes that a near-invincible, practically immortal "god" can be wowed by Xavier's skill.
Apocalypse: Extraordinary.
Archangel: What do you see?
Apocalypse: The answer.
Wrong Genre Savvy: In X-Men: First Class, he seems to think he's in a Silver Age Science Fiction story that will easily be resolved once he and his friends defeat Shaw. Actually, he's part of a larger conflict between humans and mutants, and he and his best friend are destined to become reluctant arch-enemies in the oncoming war.

Variants

Old Man Xavier

Professor Charles Francis Xavier / Professor X

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/charlesxavierold.png

"No one should live like this, drugged in a fucking tank!"

Birth Name: Charles Francis Xavier

Known Aliases: Professor X

Species: Human mutant

Citizenship: British-American

Affiliation(s): X-Men (formerly)

Played By: Patrick Stewart

Film Appearances: Logan

A variant of Charles Xavier from Earth-17315, who began suffering from dementia and accidentally killed several mutants during a psychic seizure. Following this, the X-Men disbanded and Charles was put under Logan's care in an outpost in Mexico.

Beard of Sorrow: Having lost absolutely everything (including his mind, as it is slowly wasting away due to a degenerative brain disorder), Charles has stopped shaving.
Blessed with Suck: Charles had it hard enough when he had to deal with hearing other people's thoughts all the time, but this variant shows that once he's depressed and saddled with dementia, Xavier's telepathy is downright lethal.
Cool Old Guy: In spite of his senility and crusty interactions with Logan, Charles still treats Laura the same way he once did his students.
Composite Character: Logan, which adapts elements of Old Man Logan sees Xavier takes Wolverine's role as the unknowing killer of the X-Men.
Disabled Snarker: While his main variant was no slouch in the snark department, he and Logan berate each other Like an Old Married Couple quite often in this film.
A Father to His Men: Old habits die hard, as Charles acts very grandfatherly to Laura, and still treats Logan as a son, despite being her neglectful (genetic) father.
Go Out with a Smile: He gleefully remembers Wolverine's plans to buy a vessel for both before succumbing to his wounds.
Happy Ending Override: A few years after the events of Days of Future Past, this variant of Charles winds up killing and injuring several of the X-Men during a telepathic seizure, resulting in Logan having to take him south of the border to isolate him. His Alzheimers keeps getting worse, and by the end of the movie, he gets killed by X-24, and buried in an unmarked grave.
The Hero Dies: He's killed by a clone of Wolverine after having a good night for the first time in a long while.
Heterosexual Life-Partners: Due to how much of a Bad Future the world has become in this film, he and Wolverine have become this, along with Vitriolic Best Buds. It's clear that the two of them truly need each other to find a reason to keep going on.
How the Mighty Have Fallen: Once a gentle and father-like professor of a prestigious school, this Charles Xavier is now suffering from dementia, and kept locked inside an old watertower in the middle of the Mexican desert, drugged with black market medication to keep his powers under control.
Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: How he dies, courtesy of X-24.
Large Ham: Whatever scenery Pierce doesn't devour, Charles finishes up in his first scene, rolling around his room in his chair while madly reciting Taco Bell jingles at the top of his lungs.
My Greatest Failure: A few years prior to the events of this film, he had a Super-Power Meltdown of sorts that killed most of the X-Men.
My God, What Have I Done?: On his final night, Charles suffers a quiet breakdown when he finally pieces together why Logan has distanced himself and Charles away from the world. Charles finally realizes what he accidentally did to his own X-Men.
Person of Mass Destruction: While Charles' main variant was capable of killing everyone in the world if he focused hard enough, this variant has become an active example of this trope here. His brain has been legally labeled a weapon of mass destruction, which is terrifying in that it's in the head of a man now suffered from dementia. Without a daily dose of pills and sedatives, Xavier's illness will manifest in a seizure, causing him to lose control of his powers and cause widespread mass-paralysis or even kill anyone in the vicinity unless he is given his medication fast enough. To keep the Professor and everyone else safe, Logan now confines him to an isolated steel mill in Mexico and comes to care for the senile old man whenever he can. Logan also cares for the Professor by never reminding him of his first psychic seizure which became known as the Westchester incident, where Xavier killed seven mutants (several of which were X-Men) and injured six hundred others.
Power Incontinence: Old age and dementia have made Xavier vulnerable to letting out telepathic bursts where everyone around is painfully paralyzed (except Wolverine), something Logan and Caliban try to control with medicine. It's mentioned that a bout of this years before killed basically everyone around the X-Mansion.
Riches to Rags: Thanks to his mental state, Charles in this Distant Finale has gone from an enormously wealthy man respected by high society, to a senile wreck living in a compound in Mexico. The reason he appears to have lost his money is presumably because he's a fugitive after accidentally killing everyone at his school with a seizure-induced mental attack.
Sacrificial Lion: He helps Logan and Laura along the way to get the latter to a safe place, only to get killed off in his sleep by the X-24 mutant.
Scatterbrained Senior: Charlies suffers from a degenerative brain disease that's affected his memory, as he doesn't seem to recognize Logan when he's first introduced and rambles about random things, and has also affected his control over his telepathy as when he has a seizure, he can freeze hundreds of people if they're in range to the point of harming them and possibly killing them, as it's implied this is how the X-Men died.
Seriously Scruffy: The normally Sharp-Dressed Man is an unkempt mess now, showing his deteriorating state.
Sophisticated as Hell: Charles sweared occasionally during his youth, but he pushes it one step further here, as he is now a Grumpy Old Man and swears whenever he can.
Speaks in Shout-Outs: Unmedicated in his first scene, he rambles out a stream of non-sequitur quotations from television commercials and the like.
Speaks Fluent Animal: He gets one last heroic moment when he holds himself together long enough to focus and telepathically calm the Munsons' panicky horses.
Tragic Hero: This Charles becomes one due to what happened in Westchester where his seizures killed some of the X-Men.

Characters / X-Men Film Series: Professor Charles Xavier

Professor Charles Francis Xavier / Professor X

Birth Name: Charles Francis Xavier

Known Aliases: Professor X

Species: Human mutant

Citizenship: British-American

Affiliation(s): X-Men

Played By: Patrick Stewart; James McAvoy; Laurence Belcher

Film Appearances: 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 | X-Men: Apocalypse | Deadpool 2 | Dark Phoenix

Variants

Professor Charles Francis Xavier / Professor X

Birth Name: Charles Francis Xavier

Known Aliases: Professor X

Species: Human mutant

Citizenship: British-American

Affiliation(s): X-Men (formerly)

Played By: Patrick Stewart

Film Appearances: Logan

Alternative Title(s): Professor Charles Francis Xavier

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Characters / X-Men Film Series: Professor Charles Xavier

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Professor Charles Francis Xavier / Professor X

Birth Name: Charles Francis Xavier

Known Aliases: Professor X

Species: Human mutant

Citizenship: British-American

Affiliation(s): X-Men

Played By: Patrick Stewart; James McAvoy; Laurence Belcher

Film Appearances: 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 | X-Men: Apocalypse | Deadpool 2 | Dark Phoenix

Variants

Professor Charles Francis Xavier / Professor X

Birth Name: Charles Francis Xavier

Known Aliases: Professor X

Species: Human mutant

Citizenship: British-American

Affiliation(s): X-Men (formerly)

Played By: Patrick Stewart

Film Appearances: Logan

Alternative Title(s): Professor Charles Francis Xavier

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