The MCU Will Take a Risk With 1 Primary ‘X-Men’ Hero
With the Fox/Disney merger now becoming a distant memory, anticipation surrounding the Marvel Cinematic Universe introduction of former Fox entities — specifically, the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men — has only heightened. How will the X-Men join the Avengers? How Will Reed Richards and his family of explorers come to help (or hinder) the existing saviors?
Introductions remain a hot topic, as surprise appearances via cameos and post-credits scenes define MCU hype tactics. However, character arcs and illustrations remain more consequential — more long-lasting. And, based on recent information, one primary X-Men character may face a different origin story and a different personality. One vital mutant may be more questionable, cynical, manipulative, and morally ambiguous than was the case under Fox. Fans will welcome in a new and improved (depending on how you look at it) Professor X.
‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,’ Professor X, and The Illuminati
Rumor has it that Doctor Strange will begin to assemble his team of highly intelligent saviors — prepped to combat threats the Avengers are not suited to address — in his second solo outing. The team will be The Illuminati, and Professor Xavier will be one of the first and pivotal members. The formation is likely to come during a suggestive post-credits scene. Yet, why does this matter?
Under The Illuminati, Professor Xavier is not a hero. Xavier is not a black-and-white savior who sees the world as Captain America does (through a simplified lens that draws a sharp line in the sand separating good and evil).
Rather, Xavier uses the ends to justify the means. And his so-called “means” could be considered inhumane, unfair, or downright villainous. For example, he works to banish the Hulk to a far off planet after he and the others deem his “temper” too great a threat to earth.
Professor Xavier is also a master manipulator who erases memories at will, and will kill and abandon those who rely on him for the sake of a “greater cause.” These factors make him unique, they allow him to live in the “gray,” and if Disney goes down this path, they will have a complex, never-before-seen type hero on their hands.
What else could you expect from morally gray Professor X?
Depending on how many comic book arcs the MCU chooses to emulate, several of Professor X’s darker decisions could come into the light. As CBR notes, Xavier tried to kill his sister in the womb. Sensing that she would grow up to be evil, he decided her death was best for all involved.
Xavier also abandoned his family, as he got a woman pregnant (she gave birth to a powerful son) and he ran out on them. Xavier is also responsible for swiping Cyclops’ memory after a mission left several members of his mutant team deceased. Who was this for? Was he saving Cyclops from the pain or skipping over the grief period to get him back out in battle? Xavier at one time messed with Jean Grey’s mind, as well as Wolverine’s. He also turned children into warriors — innocent children too young to understand the consequences at play.
In the end, Professor Xavier (the so-called X-Men savior) always decided he knew what was best, and he would do everything and anything to follow his path — no matter who he had to manipulate or what he had to bring to the ground.
