"Xavier Is Dead": Professor X's New Weapon Completes His Transformation into an Official Villain

Summary Professor X's descent down the slippery slope from idealistic heroism into villainy has been solidified in Rise Of The Powers Of X #3, as he attempts to kill Moira X as a child, and then commits one of the most shocking betrayals in X-Men history.

The destruction of Krakoa and looming threats have pushed Xavier to desperation, leading him to betray his allies, including shooting Rachel Summers – daughter of his oldest, most loyal followers – in the back.

One way or another, Professor X will pay for his actions, and his role as the leader of the X-Men will never be the same.

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Rise Of The Powers Of X #3As founder of the X-Men, Marvel Comics’ Professor Charles Xavier has been one of mutantkind’s foremost leaders and advocates for most of his life. In that role, on more than one occasion, Xavier’s responsibility to his fellow mutants has led him down a dangerous path. Now, with Charles’ dream crumbling around the X-Men, the Fall Of X has finally made Professor X the villain.

Rise Of The Powers Of X #3 – by Kieron Gillen, R.B. Silva, David Curiel, and VC’s Clayton Cowles – cements the Professor’s villainy as he attempts to kill Moira X as a child, preventing the disastrous timeline they’re experiencing from ever occuring. Confronting her, Charles coldly states: “Xavier, the curator of the dream is dead. We killed him together, you and I.”

Ultimately, his murder attempt is curtailed by Rasputin IV and Rachel Summers, only for Charles to then shoot Rachel from behind. Though this latter betrayal is clearly part of a larger plan, it further solidifies Charles’ rouge status.

Related X-Men's Storm Confirms Why Professor Xavier Is More Villain Than Hero Professor X has always portrayed himself as the moral center of the X-Men, but Xavier's' good intentions have often led him down a dark path.

Professor X is no stranger to making questionable choices, but his entire Krakoan nation-building experiment has been tainted by his actions from the start. Now, with all of it in ruins, now, he’s found himself at a point of actively trying to kill his allies.

Professor X Is Aware Of His Potential To Become A Major Threat

The Fall Of Xavier

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In New X-Men #114 – the first issue of Grant Morrison's phenomenal X-franchise run – Charles Xavier famously revealed that he carries a gun at all times. However, rather than being armed to defend himself, the weapon is in fact a defense against himself, should an enemy ever again hijack the weapon of mass destruction that is his mind. At the time, he argued he’d never use it on another living thing. Years later, the destruction of Krakoa and the looming threat of the Enigma Dominion have pushed Xavier to the point of desperation.

As Charles says in his confrontation with Moira in Rise of the Powers of X #3, that earlier Xavier is long dead. Professor X is no stranger to making questionable choices, but his entire Krakoan nation-building experiment has been tainted by his actions from the start. Now, with all of it in ruins, now, he’s found himself at a point of actively trying to kill his allies – one of them as a child, while another is the child of his oldest, most loyal students. As Xavier said himself, the noble Professor that everyone knew is gone.

With the upcoming From The Ashes relaunch establishing a mysterious Prisoner X jailed within what was once the X-Mansion, it won’t be a surprise if Charles’ crimes land him behind bars.

Professor X Will Pay For His Actions, One Way Or Another

Xavier Will Punish Himself If No One Else Does

Professor X founded both the X-Men and Krakoa in pursuit of a dream of mutant acceptance and prosperity, but the wake of his actions has forced him into a villainous position he never saw coming. And with the upcoming From The Ashes relaunch establishing a mysterious Prisoner X jailed within what was once the X-Mansion, it won’t be a surprise if Charles’ crimes land him behind bars. Whether Xavier actually pays for his actions remains to be seen, but one thing is clear – the Professor X who first founded the X-Men would be ashamed of what he’s become.

Rise Of The Powers Of X #3 is available now from Marvel Comics.