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[helpmeguideit]

OUT of CHARACTER
Name: KJ
Other characters: helpmeguideit

IN CHARACTER
Name: Charles Xavier
Fandom: X-Men (film universe)
Canon point/AU: First Class: During Cuba, just before being shot.
Journal: helpmeguideit
PB: James McAvoy
History: here we go. I have found this to be incomplete, so I have included a summary of events surrounding him in the film with backstory.

Please note that a lot of this information is assumed based on things that Charles had said in the film. Some comic facts (they are noted) are used to assist with things that Charles states in canon.

Charles was born in 1932 to Brian and Sharon Xavier. His father died when he was quite young and his mother remarried to Kurt Marko, who was a colleague of his father's (according to comic canon, Kurt later admitted that he was responsible for Brian's "accidental" death). He grew up in Westchester County, New York (it is not detailed as to whether or not he was born there) with his mother, and his step-father. Charles hints that his relationship with his mother was mediocre at best, even when he is quite young. He mentions that she does not enter the kitchen, but it is definitely possible that this neglect extended beyond the kitchen. Later on, he says that his step-father was crazy, and built the bomb shelter (which becomes the Danger Room) in the house.

Charles' skills developed before he was twelve years old (1944), when he met Raven. By this time, he seemed to have a great grip on his skill. He was able to communicate with her telepathically. He was thrilled to meet another mutant, saying that he always thought there were others like himself out there. That he knew he was not alone. She is surprised that he is not frightened by her appearance, and Charles offers her his home. It is not elaborated upon whether or not his mother knew of Raven, but Charles could have easily kept her hidden from everyone, due to the level of his skill (even this young).

According to comic canon, Charles quickly made his way through high school and went to higher education. This is due to his genius level intelligence. His bachelor degree is in biology, and then he continued on to Oxford where he eventually earned his PhD. He has his degree in the film in genetics, however, he specializes in mutations (and is considered an expert in this field). Comic canon says that he has degrees in biophysics and psychology as well from Oxford (film implies that this has not yet happened due to how proud others are when he obtains this degree). Raven accompanies him to Oxford, and works as a waitress while he continues through school.

Charles likes to party in Oxford, in fact, the first time we see him since he was a child, he is thirty years old (year 1962) attempting to pick up a woman in a bar. He reads her mind before he is able to even start the conversation. His pick-up lines consist of flattering her mutations, and already it is clear that his ability to socialize might be on a slightly lower level than the average person's (can you imagine what he would be saying if he couldn't read her mind?). Raven interrupts his flirting and the two quickly remove themselves from the bar.

It is clear that Charles lies about his ability to everyone other than Raven at this point, and she seems to be the only person he connected with. She even says that she is his only friend. The fact that he is different from others, with his mutation, constantly has to lie, and is above average intelligence probably made it difficult for him to even form friendships. When confronted with her blue self, and she asks him if he finds her attractive, he evades the question and simply says he is "responsible for her". It is clear that sometime in those eighteen years with Raven, he became uncomfortable with her skill. Perhaps because he got so comfortable with the both of them blending in, and the desire to appear normal.

Not long after this event in the bar, Charles graduates with his PhD from Oxford. The after party is what changes everything that he does from that moment on. At the after party, Moira MacTaggert, an agent with the CIA, introduces herself to him. She had just encountered Shaw (who is allied with the Soviet Union) and the mutants with which he works. The CIA wanted an expert in the field, and therefore, she approached Charles. He, of course, flirts with her by commenting on her auburn hair. He reads her mind about the events and immediately becomes fascinated with Shaw and the people he is with. He decides that he will indeed take on the task that Moira has asked, to hunt down Sebastian Shaw, but only because it is important to him.

The following day (or very shortly after), Moira takes him and Raven to the CIA to introduce them. Charles briefly lectures on mutations and mutants. He opens up and speaks about what it is that Shaw's men possibly are. When he is immediately faced with doubt, he announces that he is in fact a mutant himself. He is immediately mocked by the men in the CIA and he proceeds to show off his skill. Charles is accused of being a spy and Raven finally jumps in and reveals her own skill.

The one CIA Agent (who is unnamed) offers to take them to his facility off sight, although the other agents are incredibly unsure about this. Charles and Raven board a ship, accompanied by Moira and the CIA Agent. They are going to go arrest Shaw. While on the ship, Charles witnesses Erik raising a large chain in an attempt to destroy Shaw's submarine. He also feels Emma, at this time, and it is the first time that he realizes there is another person out there like him. He gets nothing but feedback from her.

While people attempt to keep him from doing so, eventually Charles senses that Erik may be in trouble and dives into the water to save him. He encourages Erik to calm himself, and pulls him to the surface. Despite how it infuriates Erik, Charles still encourages him that he is not alone, even though Erik had thought he was.

The five (Charles, Raven, Erik, Moira, and CIA Agent) are led to the facility. At the facility they meet Hank, who Charles pinpoints as a mutant. Here, he shows a bit of his complete lack of social skills, even though he does feel bad about "outing" Hank like that. Charles seems considerably less flustered by Hank's physical mutation than he is by Raven's.

It is at this facility, that Charles and Erik have another encounter, where Charles offers him companionship if they work as allies. He tries to convince Erik to stay, even though Erik is very focused on leaving. He also points out that Erik may want to consider working with others like themselves. Charles tells him that he knows everything about him, and Erik immediately orders Charles to stay out of his mind.

Charles' offer, apparently, worked, as Erik decides to stay and the two of them go on a fantastic mutant road trip where they pick up Alex Summers, Sean Cassidy, Angel Salvatore, and Darwin. They are able to locate them by Charles using an early model of Cerebro, which was designed by Hank. Together, all of them return to the CIA facility. The children are left behind when Erik and Charles, with Moira, go to Russia (as Shaw is meant to be meeting with a Soviet leader). They are caught at a roadblock, and Charles uses his ability to conceal them from the Russian soldiers.

When they arrive, it is nothing but disappointment, as they only see Emma. Erik decides, after moments of waiting, to simply charge, and Charles (naturally) follows. The two find Emma frost and interrogate her. They find out about Shaw’s plan to start a nuclear war between the US and Russia. They leave Emma there, and she is eventually apprehended.

When the two of them return home, they find that everything has been destroyed and Darwin has been killed and Angel has defected. Unsure of what to do, the children say that they want revenge, and to fight Shaw. They head to Charles' home and start their real training.

Once at home, Charles indicates that there was a bomb shelter built beneath his home that was designed to withstand a nuclear bomb. He mentions that his step father was responsible for building it, as well. This room is later known as the "Danger Room". He uses this room to help him train Alex with his skills. He also helps Sean make the best use of his skills, and Hank creates things for them to use in their upcoming fight (including a way to help Sean use his power to essentially make him fly). He helps Hank embrace his own skills as well.

Also, it is at this time where Charles bonds with Erik. He helps him find places where he would be the most powerful with his skill, and encourages him to use his skills. He also makes a comment how Erik is possibly more powerful than himself. Eventually, through Charles' encouragement, Erik is able to move a satellite dish. It is also during the stay at Charles' home that it is clear that he and Erik have very different sets of ideals. Charles tries to discourage Erik's path to revenge.

Eventually, they are pushed quickly into a fight. Hank, now Beast, pilots them towards Cuba where they will have their standoff, and eventually stop Shaw. During this fight, Charles manages to take control of one of the officers on the Soviet Ship, and prevents an attack from landing on American forces. This essentially prevents nuclear war.

They need to locate Shaw's submarine and Sean becomes their Sonar. Charles used his telepathy and Sean's skill to locate the submarine. Erik lifts Shaw's submarine from the ocean, and crashes it onto the beach of Cuba. The plan crashes onto the beach after it, and Erik leaves. Charles remains telepathically connected with Erik until Erik reaches the room where he will kill Shaw. Erik gets tossed around several times, making cracks in this barrier.

Erik finally obtains the upper hand and is able to take Shaw's helmet and place it on his own head. It is here that Charles paralyzes Shaw, all the while shouting about how Erik should not continue with what he is doing. However, he keeps his hold on Shaw even though he disagrees (for the sake of Erik's life, it is likely) with Erik's choice to kill him. He is connected with Shaw through the entire time that Erik's coin is ripping through Shaw's skull. This was the point that Charles realizes that he and Erik can not return from.

Erik emerges from the submarine triumphant, and Charles is definitely not pleased with Erik's choice to get his revenge. Charles chooses to remain optimistic about people, while Erik is a bit more realistic about their fear. Heated words are passed between them regarding humans, and Erik tells Charles to read their minds and determine what it is that they want to do to them. Both Russian and American forces raise their missiles to attack, and then they are fired. Erik stops the missiles mid-air, and saves everyone at the beach at that moment, and starts to turn them against humans.

Charles develops a severe case of foot-in-mouth by telling Erik that they are "just men following orders", as he pleads with him. Erik then returns the missile fire on the people. In an attempt to stop Erik from destroying all of those men, Charles dives on him and a fist fight ensues. Erik stands up, and Moira aims to fire her gun at him.

And then he arrives in the Games.

Presentation:

Charles is the future leader of the X-Men, who - while similar to his older counterpart in some ways, is very different in most others. He is still growing into those shoes, and he is very well shaped by his experiences and his own mutation. The life that he led was very likely guided by the fact that he is different. He did, after all, chose to write his thesis on mutations for his Ph.D.

The most important things to note about Charles are his optimism and hope. Even from his youth -- just discovering that he was drastically different, Charles had the optimism that there were others in the world like himself (upon meeting Raven -- he seems so pleased and ecstatic that he was right, but you get the impression that even if he hadn't, he would have continued on believing it). Charles is driven by his desire to be accepted by society. Growing up with Raven (Mystique) was different for him -- as she is not physically normal and seemed to mention to him plenty that he had an easy enough time fitting in. He wanted a world where not only he could belong, but Raven and others like her could also fit in. Charles is someone who is extremely proud of who he is, and wants others to be proud as well. He has a strong hope that by continuing working, they will be accepted by average humans. Even after witnessing that the average humans would prefer that they all die (that they would declare war on them -- as per the end of the film), Charles is still hopeful that they can stand together. He believes the best in people. He spends much of the film trusting and befriending Erik Lehnsherr (Magneto), the man who would later not only put him in a wheelchair, but would become someone he struggles against constantly for the remaining portion of his life. Charles has belief that Erik can overcome rage, and can do the right thing until the very end. Charles assumes the positive of people, even with his ability. The fact that he can hear how people (humans) really think (for example, about how they want to kill them) and still think Mutants and humans can work together says a lot for his character.

Some may consider his hope and optimism naive, but Charles is very aware that in order to achieve his goals of unity and peace, that it will take extensive work. Something to consider, though, is that Charles is still young, and therefore he is naive in some respects, simply because he hasn't quite faced the struggles that others have. After all -- he grew up in a privileged home and got a PhD from Oxford. He never really had to fight for much of anything.

Charles is very bright (in fact, he has genius level intellect), and while naive, certainly not foolish. His pursuit of education and his constant curiosity and search for knowledge define him. Charles not only wants to meet other mutants, but he wants to know what their mutations are, and he wants to understand them. He takes great pride several times throughout the film when those who he is surrounding himself with are succeeding with their goals. He enjoys being a teacher and a role model or the others, which is something that he carries on throughout all of his life. Charles also is very willing to put himself under Cerebro, despite whatever pain it may cause, and not knowing the consequences of it, just to find others like him. He is willing to take risks for the pursuit of knowledge. And, of course, he does make quite an "adorable lab rat".

I wouldn't call him wise, either, though - not yet. The wisdom is something that certainly starts to develop after his accident. At the end of the film, he says that anonymity is an important thing about keeping the children that he wants to help stay safe. He uses that wisdom to know that it is best to remove Moira's memories, and he is willing to make that sacrifice.

Something else to understand about him is that he believes that people are the strongest when they are at peace with themselves and others. Throughout the film he encourages Erik to find a place between rage and serenity - to focus on good memories rather than bad to make himself stronger. Charles tells him that finding that place gives him the potential to be the strongest mutant (even stronger than himself, he admits). He is a confident individual who is very at peace with himself, and he wants others to find that in themselves.

He is a good-hearted person with heroic tendencies. Yes, we are all aware that he becomes Professor X, the leader and founder of the X-Men. He wants to help others like him, not only to understand their skills but to keep them safe. He is not afraid of tossing himself in the line of fire. At the end of the film, he throws himself in the line of fire to try and stop Erik from setting bombs towards humans which had fired upon them. Charles is not particular to who he helps - mutants and humans alike. He is someone who is very opposed to people dying needlessly. He's a peaceful person, and he does not approve of unnecessary fighting at this time. He would never, ever ask other people to sacrifice themselves for him, nor would he ever take back the sacrifices he's made for others. Later in his life, as Professor X, he is seen through multiple universes sacrificing himself for others, and I feel that is consistent with his personality represented in this film. Charles dove into the ocean after Erik, risking his life for a stranger. This leads me to think that because he is willing to risk himself for strangers, he truly would do anything for someone he cared deeply about.

On the surface - in strictly social situations, Charles is friendly and approachable. People have an easy time talking to him and has an easy time talking to others. At parties, he is not afraid to approach any person that he should meet and spark up a conversation. And people seem to like him. He's not really someone who would start a fight. He appears, to others, to be a social butterfly with no difficulty approaching others.

However, Charles cheats this socialization by use of his telepathy. It is proven, through Raven's words, that he has no long term friendships beyond her. The fact that he can read minds has helped him to socialize in his life. He would, very likely, be socially crippled without his skill readily available -- he'll have to fake it until he makes it and draw from his previous experiences to get by. Which he will do when he doesn't have his skills.

When Charles is older and has that immense amount of pride for both himself and others, he tries to have it in his youth, but hasn't quite reached that stage in his life. He is not perfectly accepting of Raven's other appearance, and he has difficulty still with others who happen to have a physical mutation as well. Charles tries very hard not to seem off-put by it, and he isn't really, but he hasn't come to peace with it in the same way that he has when he's older. Raven calls him out on it several times, and he does deny it, but he always seems more comfortable the more human and "normal" she looks.

Some people may have issue with him needlessly invading their minds, and rules need to be set up around him in order for him to be kept out. He's working on it, really. For some reason, Charles never figured out that telling someone that you know everything about them is definitely unsettling. He makes a lot of mistakes throughout the film, so basically what I'm driving at here is that Charles is far from perfect. He doesn't always say the right thing, and he doesn't always tell you what you want to hear. If you ask nicely, sure, Charles will stay out until he asks you permission to step into your mind.

He's learning, and one day - he will become what he is as Professor X - a calm, collected, and older man who has an understanding and acceptance for all beings. He will not be, in the future, particular on whether they have a mutation you can see or one you cannot. At this time, Charles is a just a good-hearted young man, who is just starting to pursue his hopes for unity among humans and mutants. He makes mistakes and he grows from them. He hopes to become a leader, and knows that he just needs to take it one step at a time.

Motivations: Charles is strongly motivated by peace and the desire to do the right thing and to help others. Especially by the desire to help others. He is motivated by the desire to create unity between humans and mutants. He wants to be able to set a good example for others and represent mutant-kind for them.

In the film there are a few things that drive him:

Other mutants: Charles cares deeply for other mutants, even more than he does other humans. Not to say he thinks humans are less than him, because he doesn't at this point in his life (in fact, he wants to belong with them), but he certainly has a kinship with mutants that he doesn't and can't have with people.

Knowledge: Charles, even early on when approached by Moira, says that finding and learning about mutants is very important to him, which is why he agrees to help in the first place. Charles is in a constant pursuit to learn and figure out things about himself and others around him. It is why he went to school as much as he did, and why he continues to research and learn about things beyond this.

Specific people: Raven, especially. Raven is his greatest motivator. He loves her, and she is family, and she is part of the reason he fights. Even with any discomfort he has about her blue appearance, he definitely would not replace her. He also is driven by his students, and by Erik, who is his closest friend.

Peace: Charles is in the fight with Shaw because it will help prevent war between America and Russia. He strives to create and fight for peace. In general, he likes to try and always do the right thing.

He will definitely be motivated by standing up against the things he sees as wrong. At least until he figures out how the game is played.

Setting: To put it shortly: Charles will be nothing short of mortified. He will be disgusted, and horrified. In canon, Charles is from a time where his civil rights are near being stripped from him -- and things like this are what he fears will happen to mutants; which is why he so badly wants to work to create peace between humans and mutants. He would see the games as something that is nothing short of torture.

Additionally, he grew up during World War II, and his formative years were during this.

He is very opinionated, and he won't be afraid to speak up. Still, he will not allow himself to just be killed, too. He's going to react with wit and try to be creative through the games, more than anything else.

SAMPLES
First Person Thread:
[ Charles comes onto the camera, looking far less distraught then he probably should. He is very upset by the current state of affairs, but he also doesn't know who is watching him. His outward appearance is important to him - enough that he tries not to bat an eye. ]

So I returned from death, then? That's...

[ He is searching for the word, but it doesn't come to him. Not right away, at least. ]

Scientifically impossible. Humans are not made to die and be brought back repeatedly. It is almost like being tortured.

[ He folds his hands, and rests on them. ]

People are not lab rats to be used. Reproduction rates allow for us to be renewable, but a single person should not be a renewable resource.

[ This, ethically, goes against everything he believes in. ]

And -- is it truly, is it okay -- for individuals to be constantly fighting for their survival?

[ He would say no. A very loud no. While he doesn't actually articulate it - his answer his written all over his face. He doesn't feel like he needs to say what he thinks of it. ]

Maslow's hierarchy of needs dictates that above all things, humans need physiological needs fulfilled - things like food, water, clothes, shelter. But just beyond that, humans need safety. The safety of ourselves, of others, and everything. I would say that this need is not met here, and it would prevent people from performing at their best.

Does anyone think without allowing one of the most basics of our needs to exist that we will truly give anyone whatever they are hoping to accomplish out of this?

[ And with that, he sits back for a moment, raising a single brow before deciding to turn it off. Charles decides to leave everyone with that thought. Clearly, he is happy to argue it. ]

Prose:
Charles was supposed to enter and display his skills in front of several people. These people were going to be judging him, he heard. He was supposed to do his best. Show off, even. He didn't have any particular skills to show off, though. He wasn't like Erik - who clearly spent his life training to fight. His life of privilege was not made for hopping into a death match and using weapons that only those with skills used.

He didn't have his telepathy, either. If he did, he could certainly make himself look far more impressive than he thought that he was. It was like missing a part of himself. It was an odd void to not be able to hear what they thought of him right there.

He moved to pick up up the knives. He couldn't just stand around and do nothing - even if his something was not particularly impressive. He would use his knowledge of the human body, learned from years of schooling. He would just show them he was smarter than the others there.

He used two of the knives in the legs of the mannequin. One in each. He hit them hard, digging them in, right in the femoral artery, then ripping them out. They would not only have lost their ability to walk, but they would soon be bleeding out.

He moved to another mannequin, and went for the jugular artery. He slit the throat and cut it deep. The last mannequin was not as lucky. He went for the spine. He shoved it in - hard. He would sever the nerves, causing the person to lose their ability to walk. He wouldn't even need to kill them. They could be left for someone else.

He didn't like the way any of these motions felt, and he kept his face even - careful not to show that to these people. He wouldn't let them have it. It was not the time to protest - he was already stuck in it. If he wasn't about to fight, then someone else would.

It was better him than Raven.

What is your character scored: Six. Charles is pretty darn average. He is average, and his strength, speed (he runs track, but is still human when it comes to this), and endurance are average. In other words, he seems middle of the line and totally human. He's not that ruthless, as well. However, Charles is exceptionally clever. A genius, even. He is good at tactics, quick thinking, and is useful in a fight. Although his powers certainly help, he is able to do those things without telepathy. This and his superior intellect push him to a six.

As far as powers go, in full:
Charles is a genius. He has superior intelligence, and is educated on top of that. Aside from that, he is a telepath. Arguably, he is the most powerful telepath. With his telepathy there are several key skills associated with it.

First, and most importantly: Charles is able to read minds, and over a great deal of distance (enhanced moreso with Cerebro). Likewise, he is able to project his own thoughts and images (ie: diving in after Erik and projecting "Calm your mind"). This allows him to hold full conversations with someone over a distance.

Charles would be considered emphatic, in a way, as he is able to sense other mutants and people. This is assumed to be based on their unique brain wavelengths.

He is able to manipulate memories in very many ways. Part of this is his ability recover memories that someone may have thought were lost. He is able to pull those memories to the surface in an other's mind (demonstrated when he is working with Erik to get him to move the Satellite). Charles is also able to erase memories that someone has (presented post film with Moira).

Charles is able to alter the sensory perception of another person. He can alter a part of a person's brain to make himself (and others) invisible by sight, and this applies to the other senses as well (hearing, touch, taste, smell). Basically, as the senses are based in the brain, he is able to alter them.

Lastly, Charles is able to issue commands. These commands can come verbally or mentally. These skills can be small, simple commands ("go to sleep") to large things like putting them on pause. By this I mean that he gets cease movement, it is as though he stops time for the people of his choosing. He does this to both Shaw towards the end of the film, and to the entire CIA building (sans Moira).