Professor Xavier May Lead the X-Men, But Marvel Knows Magneto Is the More Intriguing Character
The X-Menwould be nothing without Charles Xavier, but that doesn’t mean he’s the best leader, let alone the most interesting one. While his dream to unify the world’s people has resonated with millions, both on and off the page, Xavier’s historical naivete and passivity have made him second to his rival: Magneto. Even prolific X-Men writer Chris Claremont agrees that Magneto is the more interesting character.
In 2020, X-Men writer and comic revolutionary Chris Claremont took to Reddit in an AMA post to answer anything and everything about his time with Marvel Comics. Even after retirement, Chris Claremont’s dedication to promoting civil rights through his writing is still felt throughout the franchise’s core tenets.
When asked about Claremont’s opinion on the modern state of Charles Xavier as a character, the writer admitted that Xavier’s perfection is why the character should have been long killed off or removed from the X-Men. To Claremont, Magneto was always the better choice, but not because the X-Man is perfect.
Chris Claremont Tried To Kill off Charles Xavier
Xavier Was Too Perfect to Rely On
While many Reddit users asked the writer to spill untold stories or old-school drama, user u/RawrAmanda wanted to know Claremont’s opinion on Charles Xavier. By late 2020, the X-Men were deep into the Dawn of X era, which saw the rise of Krakoa and Xavier take political leadership alongside old allies and enemies. Professor X’s reputation has fallen dramatically since the Fall of X, but his Krakoan sins had only barely surfaced when Claremont was still first asked this question. Still, what Claremont saw then was a flaw in the character’s use that ultimately led to Xavier’s downfall:
"That’s why I kept trying to kill him and replace him with Magneto. The challenge with Xavier is functionally he’s perfect. He’s a noble, committed, wonderful human being. All we can do in the book is diminish him, reveal he’s flawed or not as wonderful as we thought. And that doesn't seem fair to me." - Chris Claremont
Charles Xavier was always supposed to be the best man. Yes, his ideals have often been naive and his approaches simplistic, but he’s supposed to represent how easily differences of all backgrounds can work together. However, Magneto is a flawed individual; he is the perfect anti-hero. His harrowing background is sympathetic and is often used to justify his cruel actions. Erik Leshner has no reason to love humans or pretend that’s the case. When given authority over the X-Men, like in X-Men ‘97, it’s Magneto’s flaws that are fleshed out by the X-Men, not the other way around.
Professor X Served His Purpose Years Ago
Claremont Wanted a Leader to Challenge the X-Men
"Magneto was the overtly more intriguing character. We know he’s flawed. We know he’s done horrible things…but for the best reasons. Charles is trying to do the best for the best reasons, therefore he cannot get any better. With Magneto, he’s still climbing the ladder and dealing with the mistakes he’s made." - CC
In the colorful clash of superpowers and fast-paced action, it’s easy to forget that comic books are still books. Comic characters don’t have to be one-faced bullet points and can serve greater literary purposes than simply “slash claws” or “move metal.” As Claremont says, Charles Xavier was almost meant to be perfect. Professor X led the way for his First Class to find their footing in the world. Being the first generation of X-Men, these heroes needed consistent moral guidance to steer their freedom-fighting efforts toward the greater good. Xavier helped ground his followers’ sense of right and wrong.
But as time moved on and the X-Men became more independent of their leader, Charles’s purpose as a literal and figurative guide was no longer needed. A new generation of mutants cropped up but turned toward the original X-Men for guidance before Xavier. As all great teachers must, Charles needed to step down. While writers like Chris Claremont tried to have Xavier step aside, Marvel ultimately wanted nothing to do with the idea. The X-Men didn’t need a leader to show them how to be good anymore, they needed a leader to challenge their beliefs.
Magneto Is More Relatable Than Charles Xavier
More X-Men Need to See It's Okay to Fail
"With Magneto running the Mutants instead of Charlie, here we have Illyana, who is fundamentally an evil person trying hard to be good. And so she is depending on Magneto, who she knows has walked the same road she has. He's made the right choice, so he will save her. But here’s Magneto facing the same choice again, and he’s tempted—but we have the seven new Mutants who know that if he crosses the line, they're doomed." - CC
Charles Xavier is inspiring, but he has traditionally been presented as infallible. Once again, that was the point. But, come the 1980s and 1990s, Marvel’s growing collection of mutants had become more well-rounded and diverse. The reality is, that not everyone needs pure optimism to get by. The X-Men need a leader who knows the terrifying scope of their power. A leader like Magneto knows what it’s like to suffer and what it’s like to make others suffer. He spent years inflicting his pain on others and has been forced to see those terrible actions as they are: villainous.
When these young mutants fall or get lost, they need to know that someone like them overcame tragedy, not the perfect figure Charles is supposed to be.
Charles Xavier wasn’t thrown into a Nazi concentration camp as a youth. The X-Men leader didn’t kill his only child when his powers awakened. Xavier wasn’t christened with the loathing hate that Magneto and many other mutants face early in their lives. Charles Xavier may bring hope to the lost, but he does not represent the suffering. As Claremont says, younger tragedies like Magik can’t thrive under a leader like Charles Xavier. When these young mutants fall or get lost, they need to know that someone like them overcame tragedy, not the perfect figure Charles is supposed to be.
The X-Men Don't Need Charles Xavier or Magneto
Their Students Are the Team's New Face of Leadership
"Once you've diminished Charles as the ultimate father figure, where have you got left to go? How can you put him back on that pedestal? If you don't put him on the pedestal then why should anyone go to the school? What does he offer? It's like we'll follow Magneto…yeah, who cares?" - CC
Ultimately, Chris Claremont’s point isn’t just that Magneto is a more well-rounded character than Charles Xavier, but that Magneto has inherently had more room to grow. Xavier is supposed to be the guiding beacon. But, once Charles was brought down to become a globally recognized criminal, the beacon died. Meanwhile, Magneto has been written into a corner where he believes his ways are still correct and the X-Men’s shining star is gone. Now the X-Men have been left without either leader to carry the weight of the new generation.
In the fallout of Fall of X, Claremont may be proud of how the franchise has recovered. Sure, Magneto should have been given leadership of the X-Men while Charles Xavier took a much-deserved break. If the X-Men fell apart, then it would've been on the team to decide for themselves what’s right and wrong without their dear leaders’ approval. The past is the past and, unfortunately, both leaders are out for the count. Fortunately, in their absence, old students have risen to the call to impart to the next generation what Claremont wanted Magneto to do before.
While Magneto may not be leading the charge, he and Charles Xavier’s students are the new face of X-Men leadership.
No current X-Man has been perfect, which is exactly what Claremont wanted. Cyclops has been a life-long soldier who can finally say that Charles Xavier groomed him for war. Kitty Pryde and Emma Frost have both killed for “justice,” but they must show their young students a better way. Even Wolverine has begun to put aside centuries of pain for the next generation. This is what Claremont wanted for his heroes. While Magneto may not be leading the charge, he and Charles Xavier’s students are the new face of X-Men leadership.
Source: Reddit.com
- Movie(s)
- X-Men (2000), X2, X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), X-Men: First Class (2011), The Wolverine (2013), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), Deadpool (2016), X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), Logan (2017), Deadpool 2 (2018), Dark Phoenix (2019), The New Mutants, Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
- First Film
- X-Men (2000)
- TV Show(s)
- X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men, X-Men (1992), X-Men: Evolution (2000), Wolverine and the X-Men (2008), Marvel Anime: Wolverine, Marvel Anime: X-Men, Legion (2017), The Gifted (2017), X-Men '97 (2024)
- Character(s)
- Professor X, Cyclops, Iceman, Beast, Angel, Phoenix, Wolverine, Gambit, Rogue, Storm, Jubilee, Morph, Nightcrawler, Havok, Banshee, Colossus, Magneto, Psylocke, Juggernaut, Cable, X-23
- Video Game(s)
- X-Men: Children of the Atom (1994), Marvel Super Heroes (1995), X-Men vs. Street Fighter (1996), Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter (1997), Marvel vs. Capcom (1998), X-Men: Mutant Academy (2000), Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes (2000), X-Men: Mutant Academy 2 (2001), X-Men: Next Dimension (2002), Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds (2011), Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (2011), X-Men Legends (2005), X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse (2005), X2: Wolverine's Revenge (2003), X-Men (1993), X-Men 2: Clone Wars (1995), X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse (1994)
- Comic Release Date
- 213035,212968
The X-Men franchise, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, centers on mutants with extraordinary abilities. Led by the powerful telepath Professor Charles Xavier, they battle discrimination and villainous mutants threatening humanity. The series explores themes of diversity and acceptance through a blend of action, drama, and complex characters, spanning comics, animated series, and blockbuster films.
