Professor X ( Prof. Charles Francis Xavier ) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics . Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby , the character first appeared in The X-Men #1 (September 1963). The character is depicted as the founder and occasional leader of the X-Men .
164-664: Xavier is a member of a subspecies of humans known as mutants , who are born with superhuman abilities. He is an exceptionally powerful telepath , who can read and control the minds of others. To both shelter and train mutants from around the world, he runs a private school in the X-Mansion in Salem Center , located in Westchester County, New York . Xavier also strives to serve the greater good by promoting peaceful coexistence and equality between humans and mutants in
328-486: A Scottish girl named Moira Kinross , a fellow genetics student with whom he falls in love. The two agree to get married, but soon, Xavier is drafted into the Korean War . He carves himself a niche as a soldier in search and rescue missions alongside Shadowcat 's father, Carmen Pryde, and witnesses Cain's transformation into Juggernaut when he touches a ruby with an inscription on it in an underground temple . During
492-877: A film series from Marvel Studios , known as the Marvel Cinematic Universe , culminating with The Avengers in 2012, with more appearances of the team in subsequent films. The team debuted in The Avengers #1 (September 1963). Much like the Justice League , the Avengers were an assemblage of superheroes who each had an existing series of his own. All of the characters were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby . This initial series, published bi-monthly through issue #6 (July 1964) and monthly thereafter ran through issue #402 (Sept. 1996), with spinoffs including several annuals , miniseries and
656-451: A mutant ! You possess an extra power...one which ordinary humans do not!! That is why I call my students... X-Men , for Ex -tra power!" This issue also features the first reference to mutants as the species "Homo Superior" by Magneto . Following the relaunch under writer Chris Claremont , narration in stories taking place on Muir Island described Moira MacTaggert as "second only to Charles Xavier as an authority on genetic mutation." In
820-536: A Brood Queen in its place; however, his soul remains intact. The X-Men and Starjammers subdue this monstrous creature containing Xavier's essence, but the only way to restore him is to clone a new body using tissue samples he donated to the Starjammers and transfer his consciousness into the clone body. This new body possesses functional legs, though the psychosomatic pain Xavier experienced after living so long as
984-491: A certain extent like 'real' families but they are also a team. They differ from other teams such as the Justice League , which is like a meritocracy; only the best of the best join that team. In contrast, the X-Men is composed of outcasts. They train and nurture one another and are united by common goals and beliefs. ...the whole theme of the X-Men — the isolation of mutants and their alienation from 'normal' society — may be read as
1148-428: A child. The boy, David , has autism and dissociative identity disorder . Furthermore, he has vast psionic powers like his father. After helping him and his team to escape from David's mind, Xavier promises he will always be there for him. A reformed Magneto is arrested and put on trial. Xavier attends the trial to defend his friend. Andrea and Andreas Strucker , the children of presumed dead Baron von Strucker, crash
1312-564: A coma. From the psychic trauma of Xavier using his powers so violently and the mixing of Magneto's and Xavier's repressed anger, Onslaught is born. Onslaught wreaks havoc, destroying much of Manhattan , until many of Marvel's superheroes—including the Avengers, the Fantastic Four and the Hulk —destroy him. Xavier is left without his telepathy and, overcome with guilt, leaves the X-Men and is incarcerated for his actions. He later returns to
1476-740: A conflict between the Kree and the Shi'ar Empire . The team split when Iron Man and several dissidents executed the Supreme Intelligence against the wishes of Captain America. After a vote disbanded the West Coast Avengers , Iron Man formed a proactive and aggressive team called Force Works . During the team's first mission, Wonder Man was killed again, though his atoms were temporarily scattered. Force Works later disbanded after it
1640-554: A deadly assault on Muir Isle by releasing an altered form of the Legacy Virus, all in retaliation against the election campaign of Robert Kelly , a seeming mutant-hater. Mystique blows up Moira MacTaggert's laboratory complex, fatally wounding her. Charles goes to the astral plane to meet with her and retrieve information on the cure to the Legacy Virus, but after gathering the information does not want to leave her alone. If not for Jean and Cable talking him down and pulling him back,
1804-618: A dimension with different laws of physics , wherein they have to coordinate their moves together and, in the process, gain a better understanding of the other's views. Apocalypse kidnaps the fabled "Twelve" special mutants (Xavier included) whose combined energies would grant him omnipotence. After Apocalypse's defeat with the help of Skrull mutants, Xavier goes with the young Skrulls known as Cadre K to train them and free them from their oppressors, and eventually returns to aid in Legacy Virus research. Mystique and her Brotherhood start
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#17327905028911968-478: A duel for the leadership of the X-Men against Storm, then leaves them and joins the other four original X-Men to form a new team called X-Factor . In the meantime, Charles becomes stranded in space with the Starjammers, but he is reunited with his lover Lilandra and relishes his carefree lifestyle. He serves as a member of the Starjammers aboard the starship Starjammer , mobile in the Shi'ar Galaxy. He becomes consort to
2132-407: A few highly popular characters who have their own solo books, such as Iron Man, alongside a number of lesser-known characters who benefit from exposure, such as Quicksilver , Wonder Man and Tigra . The Avengers have appeared in a wide variety of media outside of comic books, including several different animated television series and direct-to-video films. Beginning in 2008, they were adapted in
2296-443: A fictional oppressed minority , mutants are often used as extended metaphors for real-world people and situations. In 1982, X-Men writer Chris Claremont said, "[mutants] are hated, feared and despised collectively by humanity for no other reason than that they are mutants. So what we have here, intended or not, is a book that is about racism, bigotry and prejudice." Danny Fingeroth writes extensively in his book Superman on
2460-644: A four-issue miniseries in 1984, followed by a 102-issue series (Oct. 1985–Jan. 1994), retitled Avengers West Coast with #47; and the 40-issue Solo Avengers (Dec.1987–Jan. 1991), retitled Avengers Spotlight with #21. Between 1996 and 2004, Marvel relaunched the primary Avengers title three times. In 1996, the " Heroes Reborn " line took place in an alternate universe, with a revamped history unrelated to mainstream Marvel continuity. The Avengers vol. 3 ran for 84 issues from February 1998 to August 2004. Early issues were written by Kurt Busiek and pencilled by George Perez . To coincide with what would have been
2624-402: A giant-size quarterly sister series that ran briefly in the mid-1970s. Writers of the first series included Roy Thomas , Steve Englehart , Gerry Conway , Jim Shooter , David Michelinie and Roger Stern . Artists included John Buscema , Tom Palmer , Neal Adams , George Perez , John Byrne and Steve Epting . Other spinoff series include West Coast Avengers , initially published as
2788-732: A government liaison for the New Avengers with Rogers's backing. A second series, titled Secret Avengers , was released in May 2010, written by Ed Brubaker with Mike Deodato as the regular artist. The second volume of the New Avengers series was launched in June 2010, written by Bendis and drawn by Stuart Immonen . A fourth title, Avengers Academy , was launched in June 2010, replacing Avengers: The Initiative . Christos Gage served as writer, with Mike McKone as artist. Following
2952-525: A group of underground-dwelling mutants, get him to safety. One of the Morlocks partially restores Xavier's health, but Callisto warns Xavier that he is not fully healed and that he must spend more time recuperating and restrain himself from exerting his full strength or powers, or his health might fail again. Xavier hides his injuries from the others and resumes his life. Charles meets with former lover Gabrielle Haller on Muir Isle and discovers that they had
3116-469: A heavy-handed, obstructive manner, and insisted that the Avengers follow government rules and regulations or else lose their priority status with the government. Among Gyrich's demands was that the active roster be trimmed down to only seven members, and that the Falcon , an African American , be admitted to the team to comply with affirmative action laws. This last act was resented by Hawkeye, who because of
3280-506: A leave of absence and Ms. Marvel officially joined the team as her replacement. The first major development was the breakdown of Henry Pym, with his frequent changes of costume and name being symptomatic of an identity problem and an inferiority complex . After he abused his wife, failed to win back the confidence of the Avengers with a ruse and was duped by the villain Egghead , Pym was jailed. Pym would later outwit Egghead and defeated
3444-410: A man going by the name of Magnus (who would later become Magneto ), a Holocaust survivor who works as a volunteer in the clinic, and Gabrielle Haller , a woman driven into a catatonic coma by the trauma she experienced. Xavier uses his mental powers to break her out of her catatonia and the two fall in love. Xavier and Magneto become good friends, although neither immediately reveals to the other that he
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#17327905028913608-503: A manner and sets him free. Jean Grey and rather untrained newcomers, as most of the team are elsewhere, distract Magneto and Wolverine guts him. Xavier is too late to intervene. Xavier's evil twin Cassandra Nova , whom Xavier attempted to kill while they were both in their mother's womb, orders a group of rogue Sentinels to destroy the independent mutant nation of Genosha. Magneto, who is Genosha's leader, appears to die along with
3772-699: A meet and greet experience. From May to September 2017, Disneyland Resort featured the "Summer of Heroes", which sees members of the Guardians and Avengers making appearances throughout the Disneyland Resort. Additionally, the Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Dance Off event was featured, which involved Peter Quill / Star-Lord blasting music from his boombox, along with the Avengers Training Initiative,
3936-564: A meeting between Rogers and MI-13 , Captain Britain accepts a position with the Avengers. Noh-Varr later does as well. Bruce Banner made arrangements with Rogers for the Red Hulk to join. The " Shattered Heroes " storyline leads to several changes in the main Avengers lineup, with Quake and Storm being recruited, and the Vision rejoining the team. Wolverine and Spider-Man leave
4100-475: A new volume of the regular Avengers title. The roster was also changed, where following Iron Man being placed in a coma, and Spider-Man, Nova, and Ms. Marvel's resignation from the team (who instead teamed up with other heroes their own age to form their own group the Champions ), the remaining three members are joined by Spider-Man (Peter Parker), Hercules and Wasp (Nadia Pym) to form a new team. During
4264-593: A now-evil Scarlet Witch invades Latveria, Doctor Doom forms his own team of Avengers consisting of 3D Man, Elsa Bloodstone, Stingray, Valkyrie, and U.S. Agent. After various heroes and villains experience a moral inversion in the battle against the Red Skull empowered with Professor Charles Xavier's abilities, Rogers later assembles Magneto, Doctor Doom, the Absorbing Man, Carnage, Deadpool, the Enchantress,
4428-474: A number of years. Crucially, as he enters late adolescence, Xavier inherits the mansion-house he was raised in, enabling him not only to continue to live in it, but also to turn it in to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters , which he begins together with the first of the X-Men . Brian, his father, dies in an accident when Xavier is still very young, and Brian's science partner Kurt Marko comforts and then marries
4592-654: A parable of the alienation of any minority... of a minority grouping determined to force its own place within society. Within the Earth X universe, the powers of the vast majority of Marvel's human superheroes were revealed to have been the result of genetic manipulation by the Celestials millions of years in the past. In the Ultimate Marvel universe within the pages of the Ultimate Origins #1, it
4756-540: A paraplegic takes some time to subside. Subsequently, he even joins the X-Men in the field, but later decides not to continue this practice after realizing that his place is at the school, as the teacher of the New Mutants. After taking a teaching position at Columbia University in Uncanny X-Men #192, Xavier is severely injured and left for dead as the victim of a hate crime . Callisto and her Morlocks ,
4920-404: A place in his mansion, with Cain reluctantly accepting. The Juggernaut redeems himself over the next few weeks and joins the X-Men. Xavier finds out that Cain's father preferred him to his own flesh and blood and that they both thought they deserved the abuse they incurred by Kurt; Cain believed this because his father loved someone else's child more than him, and Charles felt guilty about getting in
5084-696: A pocket universe. Believing the main team to be gone, the Black Widow disbanded the Avengers, and only butler Edwin Jarvis remained to tend to the Mansion. The previous continuity of the Marvel Universe was set aside as the heroes were "reborn" in the pocket universe created by Franklin Richards to save his parents and their friends, while the " Heroes Reborn " line ended and the heroes returned to
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5248-584: A populated planet in the Shi'ar Empire. It hurts Xavier to be on the opposite side of Lilandra, but he has no other choice but to challenge the Shi'ar Imperial Guard to a duel over the fate of the Phoenix. Xavier would have lost against the greater power of the Dark Phoenix, but thanks to the help Jean Grey gives him (fighting her Phoenix persona), Xavier emerges victorious; she later commits suicide to prevent herself from endangering more innocent lives. When
5412-583: A reformed former villain named Changeling to impersonate him while he went into hiding to plan a defense against an invasion by the extraterrestrial Z'Nox, imparting a portion of his telepathic abilities to the Changeling to complete the disguise. When the X-Men are captured by the sentient island Krakoa , Xavier assembles a new team to rescue them, including Cyclops' and Havok's long-lost brother, Vulcan , along with Darwin , Petra , and Sway . This new team, composed of students of Dr. Moira MacTaggert ,
5576-549: A separate origin for each one. As part of the concept, Lee decided that these mutant teenagers should, like ordinary ones, attend school in order to better cope with the world, in this case Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters . Following the 1963 debut of this conception of mutants in the superhero series X-Men , Marvel later introduced several additional mutant superhero teams, including The New Mutants , X-Factor , Excalibur , X-Force , and Generation X . In early X-Men stories, Professor Xavier and others suggest that mutation
5740-462: A series retaining The New Avengers in its trademarked cover logo and New Avengers in its copyright indicia . Luke Cage led this team, consisting of himself, Echo , Ronin, Spider-Man, Spider-Woman, Wolverine, Iron Fist , and Doctor Strange . During the long-term Secret Invasion by the shape-shifting alien race the Skrulls , it was revealed that Spider-Woman had been abducted and replaced by
5904-426: A special machine called Cerebro , which enhances his ability to detect mutants and to allow the team to find new students in need of the school. Among the obstacles Xavier faces is his old friend, Magneto, who has grown into an advocate of mutant superiority since their last encounter and who believes the only solution to mutant persecution is domination over humanity. When anthropologist Bolivar Trask resurfaces
6068-669: A team under the aegis of the government's Fifty State Initiative program, and took up residency in New York City, joined by Ares , the Black Widow , the Sentry, the Wasp , Wonder Man , and leader Carol Danvers as Ms. Marvel. After the events of the Secret Invasion story arc, Norman Osborn assumed control of the formerly S.H.I.E.L.D.-sponsored Avengers, now under the auspices of his own agency, H.A.M.M.E.R. All but Ares and
6232-552: A team; the Wasp named the group Avengers . The roster changed almost immediately; in the second issue (November 1963), Ant-Man became Giant-Man, and at the end of the issue, the Hulk left once he realized how much the others feared his unstable personality. Captain America joined the team in issue #4 (March 1964), and he was given "founding member" status in the Hulk's place. The Hulk, upset about being replaced by Captain America and
6396-419: A trip to Mumbai . During this period, a mutant named Xorn joins the X-Men. Xorn uses his healing power to restore Xavier's use of his legs. When the X-Men receive a distress call from a Scottish island, they are surprised to find Juggernaut with nowhere to go, as the island was destroyed by his further-mutated partner in crime, Black Tom Cassidy , who died. Xavier reaches out to his stepbrother and offers him
6560-576: A woman describing herself as a mutant who seeks a similarly superhuman mate. Roger Carstairs, a mutant who can create illusions, is shown in Man Comics #28, dated September 1953. A character with superhuman powers, born from a radiation-exposed parent, was seen in "The Man with the Atomic Brain!" in Journey into Mystery #52 in May 1959; although not specifically called a "mutant", his origin
6724-536: A world where zealous anti-mutant bigotry is widespread. However, he later abandons his dream in favor of establishing a mutant nation in Krakoa. Throughout much of the character's history, Xavier has been depicted with paraplegia and uses a wheelchair. One of the world's most powerful mutant telepaths, Xavier is a scientific genius and a leading authority in genetics . He has devised Cerebro and other equipment to enhance psionic powers and detect and track people with
Professor X - Misplaced Pages Continue
6888-544: Is a mutant. The two hold lengthy debates hypothesizing what will happen if humanity is faced with a new super-powered race of humans. While Xavier is optimistic, Magneto's experiences in the Holocaust lead him to believe that humanity will ultimately oppress the new race of humans as they have done with other minorities. The two friends reveal their powers to each other when they fight Nazi Baron Wolfgang von Strucker and his Hydra agents, who kidnap Gabrielle because she knows
7052-635: Is a pickpocket, and the Shadow King , a powerful mutant who is posing as Egyptian crime lord Amahl Farouk. Xavier defeats the Shadow King, barely escaping with his life. This encounter leads to Xavier's decision to devote his life to protecting humanity from evil mutants and safeguarding innocent mutants from human oppression. Xavier visits his friend Daniel Shomron, who runs a clinic for traumatized Holocaust victims in Haifa , Israel . There, he meets
7216-569: Is brought to an American nurse, Amelia Voght , who looks after him and, as she sees to his recovery, they fall in love. When he is released from the hospital, the two moved into an apartment in Bombay together. Amelia is troubled to find Charles studying mutation, as she is a mutant and unsettled by it, though she calms when he reveals himself to be a mutant as well. They eventually move to the United States, living on Xavier's family estate. But
7380-643: Is consistent with one. A little-known story in Tales of Suspense #6 (November 1959) titled "The Mutants and Me!" was one of the first Marvel (then known as Atlas ) stories to feature a named "mutant". Tad Carter, a mutant with telekinetic powers, is shown in Amazing Adult Fantasy #14, dated July 1962. Officially, Namor the Sub-Mariner is considered the first mutant superhero whom Marvel Comics ever published, debuting in 1939. However, Namor
7544-399: Is created in the most violent act Xavier claims to have done: erasing the mind of Magneto. In X-Men #106 (August 1977), the new X-Men fight images of the original team, which have been created by what Xavier says is his "evil self ... who would use his powers for personal gain and conquest", which he says he is normally able to keep in check. In the 1984 four-part series titled The X-Men and
7708-472: Is later appointed adjunct professor at Columbia University . Origins of Marvel Comics: X-Men #1 (2010) presents a different version of events, suggesting a scholarship to the University of Oxford rescued him from his abusive home, after which he "never looked back", suggesting he began his academic career as a very young man at Oxford. His stepbrother is resentful of him. At graduate school , he meets
7872-514: Is listed as one of the top ten most intelligent fictional characters in American comics. In a number of comics, Xavier is shown to have a dark side, a part of himself that he struggles to suppress. Perhaps the most notable appearance of this character element is in the Onslaught storyline, in which the crossover event's antagonist is a physical manifestation of that dark side. Also, Onslaught
8036-463: Is related to nuclear radiation, as his parents worked on the development of the atomic bomb , though later descriptions of mutation would describe it deriving from genetics. The first in-story mention of mutants in this context is in The X-Men #1, in which Professor Xavier explains his school to the newly admitted Jean Grey: "You, Miss Grey, like the other students at this most exclusive school, are
8200-586: Is revealed that super-powered "mutants" were artificially created via genetic modification by the Weapon X program in a laboratory in Alberta , Canada in October 1943. The project was an attempt to produce a supersoldier , inspired by the existence of Captain America . James Howlett was the first individual to be so modified. At some later point, possibly during a confrontation between Magneto and his parents,
8364-433: Is shattered, returning him to his former paraplegic state, while his son David is seemingly killed. In the following months, Xavier rebuilds the mansion, which previously was rebuilt with Shi'ar technology, and restructures the X-Men into two teams. While holding a mutant rights speech, Xavier is nearly assassinated by Stryfe in the guise of Cable , being infected with a fatal techno-organic virus . For reasons of his own,
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#17327905028918528-399: Is trained here, Generation X , with Banshee and Emma Frost as headmaster and headmistress, respectively. Professor X is for a time the unknowing host of the evil psionic entity Onslaught , the result of a previous battle with Magneto. In that battle, Magneto uses his powers to rip out the adamantium bonded to Wolverine's skeleton, and a furious Xavier wipes Magneto's mind, leaving him in
8692-400: The 2001 story " E Is for Extinction ". He also appears in almost all of the X-Men animated series and in many video games, although usually as a non-playable character . Patrick Stewart plays him in the 2000s X-Men film series , as well as providing his voice in some of the X-Men video games (including some not connected to the film series). According to BusinessWeek , Charles Xavier
8856-518: The Avengers and the Fantastic Four . However, he also has a manipulative streak which has resulted in several significant fallings-out with allies and students. He often acts as a public advocate for mutant rights and is the authority most of the Marvel superhero community turns to for advice on mutants. Despite this, his status as a mutant himself and originator of the X-Men only became public during
9020-641: The DC Extended Universe (DCEU), culminating with Justice League in 2017. Movies tend to have bigger audiences than comic books, so, the general public are more aware that the likes of Wonder Woman and Captain America existed in separate universes owned by different companies. The movies raised brand awareness of DC Comics and Marvel Comics. As of June 2022, the MCU is the highest-grossing film franchise in history, having collectively grossed over $ 26 billion in box-office revenue, more than twice that by
9184-599: The Danger Room has become sentient, he keeps it trapped and experiments on it for years, an act that Cyclops calls "the oppression of a new life" and equates to humanity's treatment of mutants (however, X-Men Legacy #220 - 224 reveals that Xavier did not intend for the Danger Room to become sentient: it was an accident, and Xavier sought a way to free Danger, but was unable to find a way to accomplish this without deleting her sentience as well). Charles Francis Xavier
9348-540: The Fantastic Four , as well as various members of the X-Men , Heroes for Hire , and other prominent Marvel teams have served as members of the Avengers. The Avengers have a long list of villains they frequently face. Some of the most recurring include Ultron , Kang the Conqueror , Loki and Thanos . Abraham Josephine Riesman of Vulture included the Avengers team in their "12 Teams That Defined Superhero Storytelling" list. Michael Doran of Newsarama ranked
9512-591: The Greek island of Kirinos. Xavier discusses his candidates for recruitment to his personal strike force, the X-Men, with Moira, including those he passes over, which are Kurt Wagner , Piotr Rasputin , Pietro and Wanda Maximoff , and Ororo Munroe . Xavier also trains Tessa to spy on Sebastian Shaw . Xavier founded Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, which provides a safe haven for mutants and teaches them to master their abilities. In addition, he seeks to foster mutant-human relations by providing his superhero team,
9676-498: The Grim Reaper and Klaw . The X-Men #45 (June 1968) featured a crossover with The Avengers #53 (June 1968). This was followed by the introduction of the android Vision . Pym assumed the new identity of Yellowjacket in issue #59, and married the Wasp the following month. The Avengers headquarters was in a New York City building called Avengers Mansion , courtesy of Tony Stark (Iron Man's real identity). The mansion
9840-509: The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise: Avengers (comics) The Avengers are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics , created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby . The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 (cover-dated September 1963). Labeled "Earth's Mightiest Heroes", the original Avengers consisted of Iron Man , Ant-Man , Hulk , Thor and
10004-403: The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), culminating with the release of The Avengers in 2012. Before the MCU, superhero movies were usually isolated productions mostly because of licensing issues, but the shared universe model has led to its continued growing success. In response, Warner Brothers (which owns DC Comics) began to produce its own series of interconnected superhero movies known as
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#173279050289110168-555: The New Mutants graphic novel , after witnessing Rahne Sinclair demonstrate her mutant shapeshifting ability, MacTaggert refers to "an anomalous DNA matrix" in her blood signaling that Sinclair "could be a mutant." The cause of mutation was elaborated upon in the first issue of the spin-off series X-Factor, in which Cameron Hodge refers to "people who possess the X-Factor mutation in their genetic makeup." This genetic mutation
10332-426: The Skrulls during their attempted invasion of the Shi'ar Empire. Xavier breaks free from imprisonment by Warskrull Prime, and is reunited with the X-Men. A healthy Xavier returns from the Shi'ar Empire and is reunited with both the current and original X-Men teams, and resumes his leadership responsibilities of the united teams. In a battle with his old foe, the Shadow King , in the " Muir Island Saga ", Xavier's spine
10496-492: The Wasp . Captain America was discovered trapped in ice in issue #4, and joined the group after they revived him. The Avengers are an all-star ensemble cast of established superhero characters from the Marvel Comics portfolio. Diegetically, these superheroes usually operate independently but occasionally assemble as a team to tackle especially formidable villains. This in contrast to certain other superhero teams such as
10660-592: The Wasp . Hulk left after a single issue, which would become a running gag among splinter team members (for example, Spider-Man leaving the second incarnation of the Avengers Unity Division), and his founder status was retroactively filled in by Captain America . Later additions and frequent members include Hawkeye , Wonder Man , Falcon , Black Panther , Captain Marvel , Scarlet Witch , Quicksilver , and Vision , among others. There are also numerous splinter teams that have formed, starting with
10824-607: The West Coast Avengers in 1984. Each of these splinter teams tends to specialize in a way the main team does not. Members of these teams can be on other splinter teams or on the main team. These teams are, in alphabetical order: Of these teams, only the main team, Avengers World, the Great Lakes Avengers, the Savage Avengers, and the Young Avengers are currently active. Additionally, all members of
10988-546: The West Coast Avengers ; and "Avengers Under Siege" which involved the second Baron Zemo and the Masters of Evil taking over the mansion and severely injuring Jarvis and Hercules. "Assault on Olympus" featured Hercules' father, Zeus, blaming the Avengers for his son's injuries and brought them to Olympus for trial, and the "Heavy Metal" arc saw the Super Adaptoid organized several robotic villains for an assault on
11152-456: The X-Men , whose characters were created specifically to be part of their team, with the team being central to their identity. The Avengers were created to create a new line of books to sell and to cross-promote Marvel Comics characters. An Iron Man fan might buy an Avengers book because Iron Man appears in them, and perhaps in turn take an interest in Thor, who appears in the same book as Iron Man's friend and comrade. The cast usually features
11316-433: The Xavier Institute ) to teach mutants to explore and control their powers. Its first group of students was the original X-Men ( Cyclops , Iceman , Marvel Girl , Angel , and Beast ). Xavier's students consider him a visionary and often refer to their mission as "Xavier's dream". He is highly regarded by others in the Marvel Universe , respected by various governments, and trusted by several other superhero teams, including
11480-544: The evolutionary progeny of Homo sapiens , and are actually revealed to be the next stage in human evolution . The accuracy of this is the subject of much debate in the Marvel Universe . Unlike Marvel's mutates, which are characters who develop their powers only after exposure to outside stimuli or energies (such as the Hulk , Spider-Man , the Fantastic Four , Absorbing Man , and Captain Marvel ), mutants have actual genetic mutations . A March 1952 story in Amazing Detective Cases #11 called "The Weird Woman" tells of
11644-417: The "mutant problem", Xavier counters him in a televised debate, however, he appears arrogant and Trask sends his mutant-hunting robot Sentinels to terrorize mutants. The X-Men dispatch them, but Trask sees the error in his ways too late as he is killed by his creations. At one point, Xavier seemingly dies during the X-Men's battle with the sub-human Grotesk , but it is later revealed that Xavier arranged for
11808-542: The 2011 film X-Men: First Class , Hank McCoy (later known as Beast ), upon being outed to a colleague as a mutant, responds, " You didn't ask, so I didn't tell. " In his article Super Heroes, a Modern Mythology , Richard Reynolds writes: Much of the appeal and draw of the mutants that comprise the X-Men has to do with feeling like an outcast while simultaneously feeling like part of a family. Mutants are ostracized because they are different but they bound together because of their differences. They may be forced together to
11972-462: The 2017 " Secret Empire " storyline, when Captain America was 'reprogrammed' to believe that he had been a Hydra sleeper agent since childhood, the Hydra regime formed their own Avengers. This team consisted of Odinson (Thor currently doubting his worth and believing that Rogers must be 'right' as he could wield Mjolnir when Thor couldn't, unaware that Hydra had used the cosmic cube to change the nature of
12136-540: The 500th issue of the original series, Marvel changed the numbering, and The Avengers #500–503 (Sept.– Dec. 2004), the one-shot Avengers Finale (Jan. 2005) became the " Avengers Disassembled " storyline and final issues. In January 2005, a new version of the team appeared in the ongoing title The New Avengers , followed by The Mighty Avengers , Avengers: The Initiative , and Dark Avengers . Avengers vol. 4 debuted in July 2010 and ran until January 2013. Vol. 5
12300-455: The Avengers 1st in their "10 Best Superhero Teams of All Time" list. Jason Serafino of Complex ranked the Avengers 2nd in their "10 Best Superhero Teams In Comics" list. Chris Isaac of Screen Rant the Avengers team 2nd in their "15 Best Superhero Teams Of All Time" list. Geoff Boucher of Deadline ranked the Avengers team 3rd in their "Stan Lee's Legacy: Ranking The Hollywood Heroes Co-Created By The Marvel Comics Icon" list. Most of
12464-610: The Avengers Unity Squad continues to operate to support mutant relations. Iron Man forms a new team of Avengers in the All-New All-Different Avengers series consisting of himself, the Vision, Nova , Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan), Spider-Man (Miles Morales), Captain America (Sam Wilson), and Thor (Jane Foster). Following the " Civil War II ", storyline, the title was canceled and replaced with
12628-468: The Avengers team 1st in their "Best Superhero Teams of All Time" list. Comic Book Resources asserted, "The Avengers are known as Earth's mightiest heroes, and that appellation is self-explanatory. The team combines Marvel's greatest heroes into one powerful unit, an assemblage of heroes that faces down the deadliest threats the Marvel Universe can throw at them. The team has proven to be one of
12792-586: The Avengers. The U.S. government revoked the Avengers' New York State charter in a treaty with the Soviet Union. The Avengers then received a charter from the United Nations and the Avengers split into two teams again with a substitute reserve team backing up the main teams. At this point, ongoing storylines and character development focused on the Black Knight, Sersi , Crystal , Hercules,
12956-671: The Celestials set upright the corpse of the long-time dead Progenitor in the North Pole. The Avengers refurbished the Progenitor's corpse, transforming it into their base of operations, the Avengers Mountain. The Avengers team lineup is known for being perpetually fluid and changing, with many members coming and going, often more than once. The founding members of the team were Iron Man , Thor , Hulk , Ant-Man and
13120-570: The Cheyarafim after this has not been revealed. Angel and Icarus are said to be descended from Cheyarafim, while Nightcrawler is supposedly the son of a Neyaphem, Azazel. In the pages of " House of X and Powers of X ", the Chimeras are genetically altered humanoid mutants who are combined from the DNA of past mutants so that they would have combinations of their power set and also propagate
13284-567: The Children of the Sun. The "Multiversal Avengers" division of this team consists of Abyss, the Ex Nihili (including Ex Nihilo), Hyperion, Nightmask, Odinson, and Star Brand. Following the destruction and reconstruction of reality in the 2015 " Secret Wars " storyline, a new team is created known as Avengers Idea Mechanics, set to tackle Avengers-level threats beyond simply fighting villains, while
13448-477: The Couch about the appeal of mutants and their meaning to society: The most popular pop culture franchises are those that make the viewer/reader feel special and unique, while simultaneously making him or her feel he or she is part of a mass of people experiencing and enjoying the same phenomenon. The plight of the mutants is universally compelling. Many people feel a need for a surrogate family, one composed of those
13612-591: The DNA samples of an Arraki named Tarn the Uncaring. When the experiment proved to be a failure and the Quiet Council of Krakoa found out about it, Mister Sinister is undeterred in his next plans to research the Chimeras. Later in the " Sins of Sinister " storyline, Mister Sinister was in an alternate timeline where he created his Chimeras after taking over world with his Sinister gene. The following are
13776-497: The Greys were referred to him when no other expert could help their catatonic daughter, Jean . Xavier trains her in the use of her telekinesis , while inhibiting her telepathic abilities until she matures. Around this time, he also starts working with fellow mutation expert, Karl Lykos , as well as Moira MacTaggert again, who built a mutant research station on Muir Island . Apparently, Charles had gotten over Moira in his travels to
13940-528: The Himalayas, Xavier encounters an alien calling himself Lucifer , the advance scout for an invasion by his race, and foils his plans. In retaliation, Lucifer drops a huge stone block on Xavier, crippling his legs. After Lucifer leaves, a young woman named Sage hears Xavier's telepathic cries for help and rescues him, bringing him to safety, beginning a long alliance between the two. In a hospital in India, he
14104-482: The Hobgoblin, the fifth Jack O'Lantern, Loki, Mystique, and Sabretooth, all temporarily 'inverted' to act as heroes, to assist he and Spider-Man in defeating the inverted Avengers and X-Men until the original spell can be undone. During the " Time Runs Out " storyline, Sunspot created a team of the Avengers, consisting of himself, Black Widow, Cannonball, Manifold, Pod, Shang-Chi, Smasher, Spider-Woman, Validator, and
14268-528: The Maximoff twins, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver (Marvel Comics) . Giant-Man, now calling himself Goliath, and the Wasp rejoined. Hercules became part of the team, while the Black Knight and the Black Widow abetted the Avengers but did not become members until years later. Spider-Man was offered membership but did not join the group. The Black Panther joined after rescuing the team from
14432-615: The Micronauts , Xavier's dark desires manifest themselves as the Entity and threaten to destroy the Micronauts' universe. In other instances, Xavier is shown to be secretive and manipulative. During the Onslaught storyline, the X-Men find Xavier's files, the " Xavier Protocols ", which detail how to kill many of the characters, including Xavier himself, should the need ever arise, such as if they went rogue. Astonishing X-Men vol. 3, #12 (August 2005) reveals that when Xavier realizes that
14596-552: The Princess-Majestrix Lilandra while in exile, and when she later resumes her throne he takes up residence with her in the Imperial palace on the Shi'ar homeworld. Xavier joins Lilandra in her cause to overthrow her sister Deathbird , taking on the powers of Phoenix temporarily wherein he is named Bald Phoenix by Corsair, but sees that he must return to help the X-Men. Xavier eventually becomes imprisoned by
14760-527: The Savage Land to tell him that all the X-Men are dead, he shuts down the school and travels with Lilandra to her kingdom, where she is crowned Empress and he is treated like a child or a trophy husband. Xavier senses the changes taking place in Jean Grey, and returns to Earth to help and resume leadership of the X-Men. Shortly thereafter he battles his pupil after she becomes Dark Phoenix and destroys
14924-403: The Sentry left this team — the Wasp appeared to have died — and the team migrated to the series Dark Avengers . Osborn recruited Marvel Boy to pose as Captain Marvel and Daken to pose as his father, Wolverine , bringing Moonstone, Bullseye, and Venom from his previous Thunderbolts team to impersonate Ms. Marvel, Hawkeye, and Spider-Man respectively. In The Mighty Avengers , Pym, assumed
15088-575: The Skrull queen Veranke before she even joined the team. After the Skrulls' defeat, Spider-Woman was rescued along with other abducted and replaced heroes. During the company-wide story arc " Dark Reign ", Echo and Iron Fist left the team and the Avengers gained Ms. Marvel , Bucky Barnes as a fill-in Captain America , and Mockingbird . Iron Man, in the series The Mighty Avengers , formed
15252-461: The United Nations. Members joining during that period included Jack of Hearts and the second Ant-Man . A new Captain Britain was added to the team. The " Avengers Disassembled " storyline followed. Titled Chaos , the story featured the deaths of some members and a loss of credibility for the team. The culprit is revealed to be the Scarlet Witch , who had gone insane after agonizing over
15416-560: The Vision, and the Black Widow. Their primary antagonists in this run were the mysterious Proctor and his team of other-dimensional Avengers known as the Gatherers. During this period, the Avengers found themselves facing increasingly murderous enemies and were forced to question their rule against killing. This culminated in " Operation: Galactic Storm ", a 19-part storyline that ran through all Avengers-related titles and showcased
15580-504: The Wasp identity in tribute to his fallen ex-wife, led a new team of Avengers, and claimed the name for his team as he was the only founding Avenger on any of the three active Avengers rosters (Wasp and Cap were dead, Thor was acting solo, and Iron Man was on the run from Osborn). His team operated under a multinational umbrella group, the Global Reaction Agency for Mysterious Paranormal Activity (GRAMPA). This team featured
15744-518: The Wasp, reformed the team in response after complaints from Jarvis. Mantis joined the team along with the reformed Swordsman . "The Avengers-Defenders Clash" storyline crossed over between the two team titles. "The Celestial Madonna" arc linked Mantis' origins to the very beginnings of the Kree-Skrull conflict in a time-spanning adventure involving Kang the Conqueror, and Immortus , who were past and future versions of each other. Mantis
15908-539: The Witch. Taskmaster and Black Ant free the imprisoned Champions in exchange for leniency, and the true version of Steve Rogers was restored, using Mjolnir against his counterpart. In May 2018, another volume for the series was launched as part of Marvel's Fresh Start initiative, written by Jason Aaron and drawn by Ed McGuinness . This new volume also saw the return of the main three core members, as Steve Rogers and Thor met up with Tony Stark to convince him to reassemble
16072-537: The X-Men after Operation: Zero Tolerance , in which he is shocked by the cruel act of being turned over to the mutant-hating Bastion , following a clash with the sentient Cerebro and a team of impostor X-Men . Xavier questions his dream again and Magneto shortly thereafter is confronted by the X-Men. After the battle, the UN concedes Genosha to Magnus, and Wolverine is angered by Xavier stopping him from getting his revenge on Magneto. Charles and Logan are later trapped in
16236-558: The X-Men fight members of the extraterrestrial race known as the Brood , Xavier is captured by them, and implanted with a Brood egg, which places Xavier under the Brood's control. During this time, Xavier assembles a team of younger mutants called the New Mutants , secretly intended to be prime hosts for reproduction of the aliens. The X-Men discover this and return to free Xavier, but they are too late to prevent his body from being destroyed with
16400-479: The X-Men, as an example of mutants acting in good faith, as he told FBI agent Fred Duncan . With his inherited fortune, he uses his ancestral mansion at 1407 Graymalkin Lane in Salem Center , Westchester County , New York as a base of operations with technologically advanced facilities, including the Danger Room – later, Fantomex mentions that Xavier is a billionaire with a net worth of $ 3.5 billion. Presenting
16564-571: The apparent betrayal by Rick, sought revenge against the Avengers, who teamed up with the Fantastic Four to stop him in The Fantastic Four #26 (May 1964). The Avengers went on to fight foes such as Baron Zemo , who formed the Masters of Evil , Kang the Conqueror , Wonder Man , and Count Nefaria . The next milestone came when every member but Captain America resigned; they were replaced by three former villains: Hawkeye and
16728-594: The broader setting. DC Comics pioneered this idea with the Justice Society of America and the Justice League , likewise promoting and developing the DC Universe . Many readers devoted themselves to just one of these two comic book universes. After all, they were both quite large and didn't overlap. Thus, the superhero fan community developed sub-communities of DC devotees and Marvel devotees. Marvel Studios repeated this business strategy when it produced
16892-540: The character Azazel , the Cheyarafim are a group of angel -like mutants who were the traditional enemies of the Neyaphem, a demonic-looking group of mutants who lived in Biblical times. The Cheyarafim were fanatics who had a strict, absolutist view of morality which led them into conflict with the Neyaphem. This escalated into a holy war , causing the Neyaphem to be exiled into an alternate dimension. What happened to
17056-701: The character in X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), Deadpool 2 (2018), and Dark Phoenix (2019). Harry Lloyd portrayed the character in the third season of the television series Legion . Stewart returned to the role again, portraying an alternate version of the character in the 2022 Marvel Cinematic Universe film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness . Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby , Professor X first appeared in X-Men #1 (September 1963). Stan Lee has stated that
17220-419: The character in the first three films in the 20th Century Fox X-Men film series and in various video games, and James McAvoy portrayed a younger version of the character in the 2011 prequel X-Men: First Class . Both actors reprised the role in the film X-Men: Days of Future Past . Stewart would reprise the role in the film Logan (2017), while McAvoy would further appear as his younger iteration of
17384-503: The characters that appear in Marvel Comics ' books are set in the same fictional universe, known as the Marvel Universe . They occasionally make guest appearances in each other's books, and more regularly in team books, such as The Avengers . Such crossovers encouraged readers to buy other books in the Marvel Comics catalogue, and readers became engrossed not just in the individual characters but in their web of relationships across
17548-460: The courtroom to attack Magneto and Xavier. Xavier is seriously injured. Dying, he asks a shocked Magneto to look after the X-Men for him. Lilandra, who has a psychic bond with Xavier, feels that he is in great danger and heads to Earth. There, she and Corsair take Xavier with them so Shi'ar advanced technology can heal him. Xavier leaves Magneto in charge of the school, but some of the X-Men are unwilling to forgive their former enemy. Cyclops loses
17712-629: The earlier films and the gauntlet and boot from an action sequence in Iron Man 3 . The exhibit for Thor: The Dark World was called "Thor: Treasures of Asgard", and featured displays of Asgardian relics and transports guests to Odin 's throne room, where they were greeted by Thor. Captain America: The Winter Soldier ' s exhibit, "Captain America: The Living Legend and Symbol of Courage", featured
17876-446: The enchantment), Deadpool, a Chthon-possessed Scarlet Witch, Vision (who was suffering from an A.I. Virus created by Arnim Zola ), Taskmaster , Eric O'Grady 's Life Model Decoy counterpart Black Ant , and Doctor Octopus ' Superior Octopus appearance. However, in the final stand, Odinson rejects Rogers' authority and sides with his old allies, while the Vision's daughter purges him of the virus and Brother Voodoo exorcises Chthon from
18040-445: The epitome of peak physical skill, having superhuman levels of strength, speed, reflexes, agility, stamina, and durability. Vargas also seems to be immune to various mutant abilities (such as Rogue's absorption and Psylocke's telekinetic blast). Mutants have been shown to successfully crossbreed or a result of crossbreed with Humans (Homo sapiens), Atlanteans (Homo mermanus), fairies, and other humanoid aliens like Shi'ar , etc. As
18204-522: The extent of his psychological damage, which only leads to Cain becoming more aggressive toward him and the young Xavier feeling Cain's pain firsthand. Sharon dies soon after, and a fight erupts between Cain and Charles that causes some of Kurt's lab equipment to explode. Mortally wounded, Kurt drags the two children out before dying, and admits he was partly responsible for Brian's death. With help from his superhuman powers and natural genius, Xavier becomes an excellent student and athlete, though he gives up
18368-498: The film rights to the X-Men and other mutant characters reverted to Marvel Studios . When asked if his use of the term "mutants" meant the film would be avoiding the term "X-Men", Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige clarified that he was using the two terms interchangeably. He added that Marvel Studios' approach to the characters would be different to Fox's franchise. Since 2022, the mutant race have appeared in various media set within
18532-463: The flagship title of the Marvel NOW! initiative. The title is written by Rick Remender with art by John Cassaday , and the team contains members of both the Avengers and the X-Men. As well, a biweekly Avengers title was launched, written by Jonathan Hickman and drawn by different artists for each story arc. Hickman also began writing New Avengers . During the 2014 " AXIS " storyline, when
18696-461: The granddaughter of Thanos . The team relocated for a period to a floating island off the coast of New York called Hydrobase after Avengers Mansion was severely damaged during the events in "Under Siege". Hydrobase was later sunk during the Acts of Vengeance crossover. The Avengers and West Coast Avengers changed to allow members to be active when available and reserved when not available and merged
18860-503: The grieving Sharon. When Xavier's telepathic mutant powers emerge, he discovers Marko cares only about his mother's money. After the wedding, Kurt moves in with the Xaviers, bringing with him his son Cain . Kurt quickly grows neglectful of Sharon, driving her to alcoholism, and abuses both Charles and Cain. Cain takes out his frustrations and insecurities on his stepbrother. Charles uses his telepathic powers to read Cain's mind and explore
19024-538: The group with themselves at its core. The reunion was consolidated by the machinations of Loki, who facilitated the arrival of the world-threatening Dark Celestials as a ploy to get the Avengers back in action, resulting in the participation of Black Panther , Captain Marvel , She-Hulk , Ghost Rider and Blade , with the Black Panther being elected chairperson. After the Dark Celestials were defeated,
19188-507: The image of a stern teacher, Xavier makes his students endure a rigorous training regime. Xavier's first five students are Cyclops , Iceman , Angel , Beast , and Marvel Girl who become the original X-Men. After he completes recruiting the original team of X-Men, he sends them into battle with Magneto. Throughout most of his time with the team, Xavier uses his telepathic powers to keep in constant contact with his students and provides instructions and advice when needed. In addition, he uses
19352-512: The known Chimeras: Maximus Lobo claims to be a part of a mutant sub-species of feral wolf -like mutants, whom he calls the Dominant Species. He later tries to recruit Wolf Cub into his ranks to no avail. A few years later, another mutant named Romulus claims that some human mutants evolved from canines instead of primates. Romulus' sister Remus would later consider his claim to be a hoax when she meets Wolverine. Humans are not
19516-415: The latest incarnation of the Masters of Evil single-handedly, and proved his innocence. Pym reconciled with the Wasp, but they decided to remain apart. Pym retired from super-heroics, but returned years later. This was followed by several major storylines, such as "Ultimate Vision" in which the Vision took over the world's computer systems in a misguided attempt to create world peace; the formation of
19680-691: The latter, believing his powers give him an unfair advantage. Due to his powers, by the time he graduates from high school, Charles loses all of his hair. He enters Bard College at age 16 and graduates with his bachelor's degree in biology in only two years. In graduate studies, he receives Ph.D.s in Genetics , Biophysics , Psychology , and Anthropology with a two-year residence at Pembroke College , University of Oxford . He also receives an M.D. in Psychiatry while spending several years in London . He
19844-468: The location of their secret cache of gold. Magneto attempts to kill Strucker but Xavier stops him. Realizing that his and Xavier's views on mutant-human relations are incompatible, Magneto leaves with the gold. Charles stays in Israel for some time, but he and Gabrielle separate on good terms, neither knowing that she is pregnant with his son, who grows up to become the mutant Legion . In a strange town near
20008-482: The main team and become more involved with the New Avengers . During the events of the " Avengers vs. X-Men " storyline, Storm quits to side with her fellow mutants as a member of the X-Men. The Avengers dismiss Noh-Varr after he attempted to betray the team, though ultimately he did not. The conflict ends with both teams united but defeated by an unrepentant Cyclops . A new series, Uncanny Avengers , debuted in
20172-458: The major crossover event " Acts of Vengeance " where Loki assembled many of Marvel's arch-villains, his inner circle consisted of Doctor Doom, Magneto , Kingpin , Mandarin , Wizard , and Red Skull , in a plot to destroy the team. Loki orchestrated a mass breakout of villains from prison facility, the Vault , as part of his "Acts of Vengeance" scheme, but he ultimately failed in his goal to destroy
20336-511: The memory of her lost children and who subsequently lost control of her reality-altering powers. With the team in disarray and Avengers Mansion ruined, the surviving members agreed to disband. A new Avengers team formed, in the series New Avengers after a group of heroes banded together to thwart a break-out at super-villain prison the Raft, composed of Iron Man, Captain America, Luke Cage , Wolverine , Ronin , Spider-Man , Spider-Woman , and
20500-450: The mission, the older team of X-Men, except for Cyclops, leave the school, believing they no longer belong there, and Xavier mentors the new X-Men. Xavier forms a psychic bond across galaxies with Princess Lilandra from the Shi'ar Empire. When they finally meet, it is love at first sight. She implores the professor to stop her mad brother, Shi'ar Emperor D'Ken , and he instantly aids her by deploying his X-Men. When Jean Grey returns from
20664-430: The most potent groups in all of comics, boasting legendary heroes and battling in titanic wars for the fate of all reality," and ranked the Avengers team 1st in their "10 Most Important Marvel Hero Teams" list, 1st in their "Every Marvel Superhero Team" list, 1st in their "Marvel: The 10 Strongest Superhero Teams" list, and 2nd in their "Marvel: 10 Most Powerful Teams" list. Poushali Guharauth of Sportskeeda ranked
20828-463: The mutant gene. Xavier's pacifist and assimilationist ideology and actions have often been contrasted with that of Magneto , a mutant leader (initially characterized as a supervillain and later as a complex antihero ) with whom Xavier has a complicated relationship. Writer Chris Claremont , who originated Magneto's backstory, modeled the politics of Xavier on David Ben-Gurion and that of Magneto on Menachem Begin . Patrick Stewart portrayed
20992-546: The mutant population. Third generation Chimeras have a 10% failure rate making them unable to be warriors. Fourth generation Chimeras have a corrupted hive mind. They were more common in Moira MacTaggert 's ninth life where they were created in Mister Sinister's Breeding Pits on Mars. Sometime after the " X of Swords " storyline, Mister Sinister created his first Chimera by splicing his own DNA samples with
21156-634: The mutant trigger was released into the environment worldwide, leading to the appearance of mutants in the general population. Following the events of the Ultimatum storyline, information concerning the origins of mutancy was made public and steps were taken in the US to make being a mutant illegal. While the move apparently has majority support among the non-mutant population, a vocal minority has voiced concern that it will lead to witch-hunts and genocide. Following Disney's acquisition of 21st Century Fox in 2019,
21320-588: The mutants and proposed a formal treaty alliance, explaining to Storm , "You mutants share some DNA with Deviants? It's of little matter. Until a mutant triggers our physiological 'excess deviation' response, you're not Deviants in the way that counts. You're just human." Introduced in the second series of X-Factor , a changeling is a mutant whose powers manifest at birth. Jamie Madrox and Damian Tryp are examples of this sub-class. Cheyarafim and Neyaphem first appear in Uncanny X-Men #429. According to
21484-476: The mysterious Sentry . This was soon followed by the House of M event. In the company-wide " Civil War " story arc, Marvel superheroes were split over compliance with the U.S. government's new Superhuman Registration Act , which required all superpowered persons to register their true identities with the federal government and become agents of same. The New Avengers disbanded, with a rebel underground starring in
21648-479: The night Scott Summers moves into Xavier's mansion, Amelia leaves him, believing Charles would have changed his view and that mutants should lie low. Yet he is recruiting them to what she believes is a lost cause. Charles tries to force her to stay with his mental powers, but immediately ashamed by this, lets her go. She later becomes a disciple of Magneto. Over the years, Charles makes a name for himself as geneticist and psychologist, apparently renowned enough that
21812-521: The only species to have mutant subspecies. Created by Rob Liefeld , Externals are immortal mutants whose powers have allowed them to exist for centuries. Eventually, most of the Externals are killed by Selene , and later by Apocalypse . Introduced in Chris Claremont 's X-Treme X-Men , a character known as Vargas claims to be humanity's natural response to mutants. Vargas was born at
21976-403: The original Avengers series with issue #672. Starting with issue #675, all four Avengers titles being published at the time ( Avengers , Uncanny Avengers , U.S. Avengers and Occupy Avengers ) were merged into a single weekly series dubbed Avengers: No Surrender, lasting 16 issues , designed to close out this era of the team's history. Following the conclusion of No Surrender in 2018,
22140-549: The physical inspiration of Professor Xavier was from Academy Award-winning actor Yul Brynner . Writer Scott Lobdell established Xavier's middle name to be "Francis" in Uncanny X-Men #309 (February 1994). Xavier's goals are to promote the peaceful affirmation of mutant rights, to mediate the co-existence of mutants and humans, to protect mutants from violent humans, and to protect society from antagonistic mutants, including his old friend, Magneto . To achieve these aims, he founded Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters (later named
22304-579: The prime Marvel Universe. This restoration also undid recent changes to the team members such as the Wasp being mutated into an insectoid state, Hawkeye being rendered deaf, and Stark being replaced by his teenage self, attributed to Franklin's childish perception recreating the heroes in the manner he was more familiar with. After the Heroes Reborn series concluded, the Avengers comic was restarted with vol. 3 #1 written by Kurt Busiek and pencilled by George Pérez . New members during this run included
22468-553: The professor would have died with his first love, who states she has no regrets. As Beast cures the Legacy Virus, many infected Genoshan mutants recover overnight, providing Magneto, the current ruler of Genosha, with an army to start the third World War. He demands Earth's governments accept him as their leader, and abducts and crucifies Xavier in Magda Square for all to see. A loyal member of Magneto's Acolytes , Amelia Voght, cannot stand to see her former lover punished in such
22632-442: The revived Wonder Man, Justice , Firestar , Silverclaw , and Triathlon . The Avengers fought many of their traditional villains such as the Grim Reaper , Ultron , Count Nefaria , and Kang the Conqueror . The limited series Avengers Forever , starting during this period, was a time travel story that explored the history of the Avengers and resolved many outstanding questions about Kang and Immortus's past manipulations of
22796-615: The roster of Hercules , Amadeus Cho , Stature , the Vision, Jocasta , U.S. Agent , Quicksilver , Magneto , and Pym. Loki in disguise as the Scarlet Witch was a recurring character. Iron Man and the Hulk were briefly with them. After Osborn's Dark Avengers are exposed as criminals and their attack on Asgard was thwarted, the next iteration of the Avengers roster consists of Thor , Hawkeye , Spider-Man , Wolverine , Captain America , Spider-Woman , Iron Man , and team leader Maria Hill . Steve Rogers , briefly eschewing his Captain America persona, responds to Luke Cage's concerns about
22960-600: The second largest franchise, Star Wars . After the acquisition by Disney in 2009, Marvel films began to be marketed at the Innoventions attraction in Tomorrowland at Disneyland . For Iron Man 3 , the exhibit, entitled "Iron Man Tech Presented by Stark Industries", featured the same armor display that was shown at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con, with the Marks I-VII and the new Mark XLII. In addition, there
23124-472: The series was relaunched again as Avengers . When the Asgardian god Loki seeks revenge against his brother Thor , his machinations unwittingly lead teenager Rick Jones to collect Ant-Man ( Hank Pym ), the Wasp and Iron Man to help Thor and the Hulk , the latter of whom Loki used as a pawn. After the group vanquished Loki, Ant-Man stated that the five worked well together and suggested they form
23288-527: The seven-member limit lost his membership slot to the Falcon. The Falcon, in turn, was unhappy to be the beneficiary of what he perceived to be tokenism , and decided to resign from the team, after which Wonder Man rejoined. The true origins of Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch were revealed in a three-part story that ran in issues #185–187 (July–Sept. 1979). After this adventure, the Scarlet Witch took
23452-553: The team crossed into an alternate dimension and battled the Squadron Supreme , and fought in the Kree-Skrull War , an epic battle between the alien Kree and Skrull races and guest-starred the Kree hero, Captain Marvel . The Avengers briefly disband when Skrulls impersonating Captain America, Thor, and Iron Man used their authority as founders of the team and disbanded it. The true founding Avengers, minus
23616-461: The team reverting to old methods by granting Cage's "New Avengers" recognition as an official team independent of Stark's more traditional Avengers. Bucky Barnes as Captain America joined the main Avengers, while Iron Fist, Power Woman , and the Thing joined Cage's team, Spider-Man and Wolverine maintaining dual membership in both teams. Rogers was an occasional presence and Victoria Hand was added as
23780-670: The team soon after. A seven-part story featured the Squadron Supreme and the Serpent Crown . Other classic storylines included " The Bride of Ultron ", the " Nefaria Trilogy", and "The Korvac Saga", which featured nearly every Avenger who joined the team up to that point. Henry Peter Gyrich became the Avengers' liaison to the United States National Security Council . Gyrich was prejudiced against superhumans and acted in
23944-526: The team, featuring various Avengers from the past (Captain America immediately after " Secret Empire ", Hank Pym early in his Yellowjacket delusion, and Hawkeye just after the Kree-Skrull war), present (Hank Pym as Giant-Man and Janet as the Wasp) and possible futures (Genis-Vell and Songbird) working alongside Kang the Conqueror and Rick Jones as part of Kang's attempt to escape his perceived 'destiny' as Immortus. The Avengers were granted international authority by
24108-702: The team. New members during the 1980s included Tigra ; the She-Hulk ; Monica Rambeau (then going by the name Captain Marvel); Starfox (the brother of Thanos ); Hawkeye's wife, Mockingbird ; and Namor , while Henry Pym emerged from retirement to join the West Coast Avengers. Spider-Man was again offered membership, but failed to gain admission due to security concerns by the Avengers' government liaison. The villain Nebula falsely claimed to be
24272-446: The team. This story revealed that the Scarlet Witch's powers included wide-range reality manipulation and she was what the time-traveling Immortus refers to as a "nexus being" setting the stage for 2004's eventual Chaos and Avengers Disassembled storylines. This played out in the Darker than Scarlet storyline which ran in Avengers West Coast from issues #51–62 (Nov. 1989–Sept. 1990). The Avengers titles in late 1989 were involved in
24436-436: The two separate Avengers teams into one team with two bases. The Vision had his personality fundamentally altered, along with the discovery that the children of the Scarlet Witch and the Vision were actually illusions. The loss of the Scarlet Witch's children and the Vision, who was disassembled by government agents in retaliation for the Ultimate Vision storyline, drove her insane, although she eventually recovered and rejoined
24600-500: The vast majority of the nation's inhabitants. Nova then takes over Xavier's body. Posing as Xavier, she reveals his mutation to the world, something he needed to do but did not want to sully his reputation over, before going into space and crippling the Shi'ar Empire. The X-Men restore Xavier, but Lilandra, believing that too much disaster has come from the Shi'ar's involvement with the X-Men, annuls her marriage to Xavier. Lilandra previously had gone insane and tried to assassinate Charles on
24764-455: The villain Apocalypse saves him. As a temporary side-effect, he gains full use of his legs and devotes his precious time to the youngest recruit on his team, Jubilee . With all his students now highly trained adults, Professor Xavier renames his school the Xavier Institute For Higher Learning. Also, he assumes control of a private institution, the Massachusetts Academy, making it a new School for Gifted Youngsters. Another group of young mutants
24928-419: The war, he receives a letter from Moira telling him that she is breaking up with him. He later discovers that Moira married her old boyfriend Joseph MacTaggert, who abuses her. Deeply depressed when Moira broke off their engagement without explanation, Xavier began traveling around the world as an adventurer after leaving the army. In Cairo , he meets a young girl named Ororo Munroe (later known as Storm), who
25092-461: The way. That it is why neither of them stopped Kurt Marko with their powers. Mutant (Marvel Comics) In American comic books published by Marvel Comics , a mutant is a human being that possesses a genetic trait called the X-gene. It causes the mutant to develop superhuman powers that manifest at puberty . Human mutants are sometimes referred to as a human subspecies Homo sapiens superior or simply Homo superior . Mutants are
25256-452: The world has abused and persecuted in the same way they have been their whole life. This is especially true in adolescents, which may in part explain some of the draw of mutants. An obvious parallel between homosexuality and mutation is drawn in the feature film X2 , where Iceman 's mother asks, "Have you tried not being a mutant?" This question (or various forms thereof) is common among parents who find out their children are gay . In
25420-412: Was a simulator game, titled "Become Iron Man", that used Kinect -like technology to allow the viewer to be encased in an animated Mark XLII armor and take part in a series of "tests," in which you fire repulsor rays and fly through Tony Stark's workshop. The game was guided by J.A.R.V.I.S., who is voiced again by Paul Bettany. The exhibit also had smaller displays that included helmets and chest pieces from
25584-464: Was born in New York City to the wealthy Dr. Brian Xavier, a well-respected nuclear scientist, and Sharon Xavier. The family lives in a very grand mansion estate in Westchester County because of the riches his father's nuclear research has brought them. He later grows up to attend Pembroke College at the University of Oxford , where he earns a Professorship in Genetics and other science fields, and goes on to live first in Oxford and then London for
25748-634: Was later dubbed the X-Gene. At one point, Beast states that the X-Gene is located on the 23rd chromosome ; the process described is that the gene activates mutation producing a protein stimulating chemical signals which induce mutations on other genes. Mutations are depicted as generally manifesting during adolescence, however this is not universal. Some mutants, such as Nightcrawler , are visibly mutated from birth, while others like Magneto do not develop their abilities until adulthood. Some mutants are not even aware of their latent mutations unless deliberately activated, such as Polaris , whose manifestation
25912-409: Was launched in February 2013. After Secret Wars , a new Avengers team debuted, dubbed the All-New, All-Different Avengers , starting with a Free Comic Book Day preview. Following Civil War II , the book was relaunched in 2016 as Avengers , while retaining the same writer and much of the cast from the All-New, All-Different run. The series ran for 11 issues before reverting to the numbering of
26076-469: Was not actually described as a mutant until Fantastic Four Annual #1, decades after his first appearance. The same is true of Toro , partner of the android Human Torch introduced in 1940. The modern concept of mutants as a distinct species independent of homo sapiens began development under Marvel writer and editor-in-chief Stan Lee in the early 1960s, as a means to create a large number of superheroes and supervillains without having to think of
26240-447: Was revealed that Iron Man became a murderer via the manipulations of the villain Kang, the same storyline seeing Iron Man sacrificing himself and being replaced by his teenage counterpart from a parallel timeline. During the Heroes Reborn event, many of the Avengers together with the Fantastic Four and others, died trying to stop the psychic entity Onslaught , although it was revealed that Franklin Richards preserved those heroes in
26404-455: Was revealed to be the Celestial Madonna, who was destined to give birth to a being that would save the universe. It was revealed that the Vision's body had only been appropriated, and not created by Ultron, and that it had belonged to the 1940s Human Torch . With his origins clear to him, the Vision proposed to the Scarlet Witch. The "Celestial Madonna" saga ended with their wedding, presided over by Immortus. The Beast and Moondragon joined
26568-422: Was sent to rescue the original X-Men from Krakoa. However, after rescuing Cyclops, McTaggert's former students were seemingly killed. Upon Cyclops' return, Xavier removed Cyclops' memories of the death of Vulcan and his teammates; and began assembling yet another team of X-Men. Xavier's subsequent rescue team consists of Banshee , Colossus , Sunfire , Nightcrawler , Storm , Wolverine , and Thunderbird . After
26732-602: Was serviced by Edwin Jarvis , the Avengers' faithful butler, and furnished with state of the art technology and defense systems, and included the Avengers' primary mode of transport: the five-engine Quinjet . The prequel comic Avengers #1 1/2 (Dec. 1999), by writer Roger Stern and artist Bruce Timm, told a retro-style story taking place between issues #1 and #2, detailing Ant-Man's decision to transform himself into Giant-Man. The team encountered new characters such as Arkon in issue #75 (April 1970) and Red Wolf in #80 (Sept. 1970). The team's adventures increased in scope as
26896-425: Was triggered with technological aid. In the 2022 storyline, A.X.E.: Judgment Day , mutants are discovered by Eternals to be an offshoot of the Deviant race, triggering efforts by the Eternals' leader Druig to wipe them out, giving the mutants an explicit link to the Celestials and to the publisher's cosmic storylines. In the series' conclusion, new Prime Eternal Zuras confirms the end of hostilities with
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