Name:
Dr. Charles Francis Xavier
Age:
30, born December 19th, 1916
Alias:
Professor X
Position in School:
Headmaster / Mutation 101 Teacher
Appearance:
Height:
5'7"
Costume (if any):
Abilities:
Telepathy:
Considered by many to be the strongest, most powerful telepath in the world, Professor Xavier can perceive the thoughts of others or project his own within a range of approximately 150 miles. His vast psionic powers enable him to manipulate the minds of others, warp perceptions to make himself and others appear invisible, project mental illusions, cause loss of particular memories or total amnesia, and induce pain or temporary mental and/or physical paralysis in others; though he is loath to use the latter three abilities unless absolutely necessary, given the moral and ethical dilemmas they pose.
Within close range, he can manipulate almost any number of minds for such simple feats. However, he can only take full possession of one other mind at a time, and must strictly be within that person's physical presence to do so. He is one of the few telepaths skilled enough to communicate with animals. He can also telepathically take away or control people's natural bodily functions and senses, such as sight, hearing, smell, taste, or touch. However, he cannot permanently "reprogram" human minds to believe what he might want them to believe even if he wanted to do so, believing that the mind is an organism that would always recall the steps necessary for it to reach the present and thus 'rewrite' itself to its original setting if he tried to change it; though such rewrites could theoretically take years, if not decades.
He can learn foreign languages by reading the language centers of the brain of someone adept, and alternately "teach" languages to others in the same manner, transmitting information between minds at an execrated speed.
Xavier can perceive the distinct mental presence/brain waves of other superhuman mutants within a small radius of himself (e.g. New York City.) To detect mutants in a wider area beyond this radius, he must amplify his powers through artificial augmentation to expand his psychic perception.
Should the need for offensive action occur, Charles can project concentrated bolts of psychic energy from his mind that can cause effects ranging from significant pain and discomfort, to loss of consciousness, or even permanent mental trauma and death; though Charles ensures that every potential alternate route is taken before resorting to outright violence.
Skills:
A natural genius, Charles is a renowned mind on the subjects of genetics, mutation, and psionics. He possesses considerable expertise in other life sciences such as biology, psychiatry, psychology, and anthropology. He is highly talented in devising equipment and techniques for utilizing and enhancing psionic powers, and is in the process of developing blueprints towards an "amplifier" capable of enhancing his telepathic range.
He is a gifted tactician and strategist, effectively evaluating situations and devising swift responses using both his intelligence and telepathic capability to his advantage. He constantly plays chess as a recreational activity in order to hone his strategic abilities.
Charles possesses a talent and passion for oratory and teaching, capable of holding a crowd to his attention despite his humble, unassuming appearance. His love of knowledge easily carries towards a love of sharing that knowledge, finding lessons woven into everyday occurrences to serve as a teaching opportunity for his students.
Surprisingly perceptive, Charles is capable of gauging a person's character, strengths, and weaknesses in a short amount of time, tailoring his teaching technique to best suit that student by complimenting on their strengths and compensating for their weaknesses.
Incredibly charismatic and even charming, Charles radiates a comforting and approachable aura that not only draws people to him, but calms them in his presence. He is quite capable of swaying others towards his point of view, and possesses a mixture of idealism, self-confidence, and intelligence that puts weight to his promises.
Personality Traits:
"Just because someone stumbles, loses their way, it doesn't mean they're lost forever."
-Charles Xavier
Philanthropist, scientist, humanitarian, and teacher, Charles Xavier has devoted the better part of his life to the betterment of both man and mutantkind, wishing to create a co-existing society where the human need not fear the mutant, and the mutant need not resent the human. Called a genius by many, a father figure and leader by his students, and a lunatic by his opponents, Charles presents himself as a moral, selfless, and benevolent teacher; possessing immense discipline and strength of character. Viewed as a pillar of strength and morality by many of his students and even co-teachers, Charles often puts his own needs and concerns aside to ensure the safety and well-being of those under his care comes first.
A fully-fledged genius, Charles spends much of his spare time in the pursuit of knowledge and learning, frequently finding new topics and histories to explore. His office is known to be packed to the brim with books and encyclopedias; while his desk is more-often-than-not crowded by some new map or tome from ancient times.
Though born into wealth and raised rather lavishly, Charles never received much in the way of attention or love from his mother, and was often left inside his family's spacious mansion alone; developing closer relationships with the house's servants than with his own family. As a result, Charles is empathetic and compassionate almost to a fault, carrying all the world's concerns on his shoulders in hope of a better future.
However, in spite of all his compassion, Charles can be arrogant, callous, and over-controlling at times, his strong desire to help others often causing him to unintentionally control those around him. This paternalistic attitude stems from being born in the early 1900s as a privileged male and as a highly skilled telepath, he thinks he can understand a person better than they can know themselves, and therefore believes that he knows best in terms of what it is they truly "need."
Despite this arrogance, Charles is aware of his extremes and faults, and will repent should he discover that he has gone too far.
In the end Charles' greatest strength is his moral compass and indomitable will that would never waver, no matter what obstacles he faces.
Backstory:
"Fratrem tuum adjuva." - Help your brother.
-Xavier family motto
Born in the town of Salem in Washington County, New York late December, 1916, the young Charles Xavier lived a life of luxury since infancy.
His father, Brian Xavier was a well-known and respected nuclear scientist, known for his philanthropy and strength of character that he sought to instill in his young son.
Charles showed signs of his mutant abilities from a very early age onward, randomly speaking aloud, as though in conversation, even if he was the only person in the room, or spending hours upon hours playing against himself in chess, or even simply staring at a wall, totally lost in thought. Though unnerved, Charles' parents equated his strength behavior towards simple developmental phases he would outgrow.
Upon reaching the age of eight years old, Charles' father was killed in a fatal lab accident that caused minor unrest, though all investigation declared the incident an accident. Now left without a major source of income, Charles' mother, Sharon; a wealthy British socialite, soon married Brian's lab assistant Kurt Marko, barely a year after her husband's death.
Charles' withdrawn behavior continued, and his new stepfather attempted to teach him how to play sports, to run, or climb trees; such lessons ending after a particularly nasty fall during an ill-fated lesson broke Charles' leg, leaving him with a permanent, pronounced limp on his right side.
Left to his own devices once again and unable to experience the full potential of athletics, Charles devoted himself to study, using his family's vast resources to read hundreds of books and encyclopedias, using this newfound passion towards learning to excel in his studies.
By the age of eighteen, Charles had graduated from Harvard University with a PhD in genetics, ranking amongst the academy's most prestigious alumni.
Having grown tired of being stuck in the family mansion, Charles, overcome with wanderlust decided to spend the next few years of his life traveling; absorbing different cultures with a ravenous hunger for knowledge.
His travels led him to Asia, Europe, and Africa, where he amassed a vast repertoire of knowledge and experiences that shaped his life from his sheltered upbringing.
Eventually settling in Britain, the homeland of his mother, Charles decided to settle down and pursue a career in education; pooling his resources together and applying for a job as a lecturer at Oxford University.
Though astounded by his young age and lack of experience, Charles' record and accomplishments spoke for themselves and he was soon offered a position as the new lecturer of biology at Oxford.
Young enough to be a student, himself and possessing the look of a vagabond, Charles was nonetheless an excellent teacher, his sheer knowledge and method of instruction quickly making him a favorite among students.
It was during this time that Charles, still curious about his own relatively unexplored telepathic abilities began to use the university's resources to do research into Homo sapiens superior: mutants, humans born with a rare genetic trait called an X-gene that granted them superhuman powers and abilities.
Research turned into borrowing books from the library; borrowing books from the library turned into writing thesis papers on the subject, containing remarkable theories regarding the existence and genetic makeup of mutants.
Word was spread of Charles' work, and he quickly turned from being a marvel of the university to a mentally deranged lunatic, "swaying his students away from science with talks of fictitious magic."
Charles knew it wouldn't be long before the school board eventually stripped him of his degree and reputation before promptly terminating his employment. Deciding to try and preserve as much of his dignity as he could, Charles quickly turned in his resignation, leaving him jobless on the streets of Britain while now the laughingstock of Oxford.
However, the passing glares and snickers from bystanders did little to dissuade Charles, only reinforcing his desire to learn more about his condition -- and find if anyone else like him existed. He began searching for connections anywhere he could find them, relying on a few old colleagues from the university who did not totally shun him.
One of these colleagues spoke of an acquaintance he knew who was also rumored to be studying the mutant condition. Given the man's name of Erik Lehnsherr and that he was last heard from in New York, Charles quickly sought out once more to return to his homeland.
Using his telepathic abilities, Charles eventually managed to locate Erik, and introduced himself as a scientist seeking to research the mutant condition.
Though put off at first by this stranger's apparent clairvoyance, Erik soon discovered that Charles was a mutant as well; and the two decided to form a partnership that shared one goal: to unite mutants together in a haven they could live without worry, without fear of prejudice. Erik, having seen firsthand how even regular humans were treated by each other, accepted Charles' offer to join him, the two of them spending the next few years of their lives recruiting young mutants around the world, occupying a refurbished bar and military bunker as their home and school, Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters: The X-Men.
Other:
- Charles still suffers apparent pain in his right leg, caused by arthritis that settles itself in his knee due to odd posture. Though quite manageable, Charles finds it nearly impossible to walk without the aid of a personal cane.
- Charles possesses exceptional talent at playing the piano, keeping his own personal keyboard inside his office. Charles emphasizes that students are more than welcome to observe him play, so long as they abide by the rule to keep quiet and non-disruptive.
- As a notable side-effect of his telepathy, Charles possesses a powerful photographic memory that allows him to recall most experiences and images with incredible accuracy.
