In Uncanny X-Men No. 168, Kitty Pryde called Professor Charles Xavier a jerk. It’s an iconic moment that’s made comic book fans laugh for decades. However, over the last twenty years, Kitty’s statement has become truer. Actually, calling him a jerk isn’t a harsh enough insult.
We’ve learned that he’s erased the minds of his X-Men time and again and enslaved a sentient being (Danger) because he needed his team. Once it was revealed who he was, Charles stopped hiding his true nature and was blatant about being, well, a jerk. The biggest example of this could have been his betrayal during Fall of X. It ended up being for a good reason, but he's still the worst. Unfortunately, he may have gone too far in NYX No. 9.
NYX No. 9 creative team
- Writers: Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing
- Artist: Francesco Mortarino
- Colorist: Raul Angulo
During the beginning of the current Marvel Comics crossover X-Men: X-Manhunt, Charles Xavier hears his daughter from across the universe asking for his help. Despite being a captive of Greymalkin Prison, Xavier breaks out with the help of a former lover and current enemy, Sarah Gaunt. After escaping, he went to the place mutants in New York go for help, NYX.
Their leader, Prodigy, tells Xavier to leave. Charles is a wanted fugitive and terrorist and his presence could destroy everything mutants have built. Professor X was lucky that Anole was willing to help and Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel) assisted them later. Sadly, Xavier led them into danger under false pretenses. He said they were going to get a Krakoan seed, but Xavier’s real mission was getting Cerebro. And right when Ms. Marvel and Anole were in danger, the professor left them to fend for themselves.
Before I started writing this article, I was prepared to rip into Charles Xavier. He put the lives of young and trusting mutants in danger. But then the ending of The Last of Us came to mind. Xavier is doing what many fathers would do. There’s no guarantee that anyone would help him if the mission was for him, even with his daughter’s life on the line. But saying it protects all mutants and that changes things. Nevertheless, he’s still wrong.
One of the many things that Xavier is known for is being a liar and apparently, he doesn’t care. He assumed that Ms. Marvel and Anole would make it out alive, but that wasn’t a guarantee. They were fighting a bigger and scarier Mojo than anyone had seen. But, again, we can understand his motives even if we don’t agree. At least he didn’t control their minds (for once).
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