10 Best Professor X Comics Ever

The Super Bowl trailer for Doctor Stange In The Multiverse Of Madness offered one of the biggest surprises in MCU history with what is seemingly an appearance by Professor X, played by Patrick Stewart. This isn’t completely unexpected, as some of Professor X’s best comics ever involve his association with Doctor Strange through the secret superhero group called the Illuminati.

Professor X is the founder and leader of the X-Men and has been at the center of some of their greatest stories in the last sixty years, from their very origin to their most recent adventures in the Krakoan era. His best comics advance and deepen the character of Charles Xavier, and also show how powerful and complex a person he is and will be when he makes his eventual appearance in the MCU.

New Avengers: Illuminati #1

The trailer for the upcoming movie hints very strongly that Professor X could be part of a multiversal version of the Illuminati. New Avengers: Illuminati #1, reveals his involvement in this secret society of Marvel’s most powerful superheroes, a key element of his past.

Comic book fans know the Illuminati have been involved in some of the most consequential events in Marvel history. This issue reveals how the council first came together in the aftermath of the Kree-Skrull War, a story with potential bearing on the future of the MCU.

X-Men #1

X-Men #1 from 1963 is one of the best Professor X comic books ever for introducing the character, his ethos, and the architecture of what would become one of the most popular comic book franchises ever.

Professor X’s commitment to mutants and teaching young people how to use their powers defines this issue, written by Stan Lee and drawn by Jack Kirby, just one of their many iconic collaborations in one of the most imaginative periods in comic book history.

X-Men #12

Juggernaut is one of the best X-Men villains and his first appearance in issue #12 of the series is also one of the best Professor X comics. The story hinges on Xavier’s very personal relationship with Juggernaut, who is actually his step-brother.

This issue also tells the origin of Professor X for the first time, revealing his complicated and tragic childhood, as well as the lifelong animosity between Xavier and Cain Marko, which continues in many ways into the present day.

The New Mutants #26

Professor X becomes a more complex character in The New Mutants #26, which introduces his son, David Haller. David is better known as Legion, one of the most powerful mutants alive and a dangerous threat to the fabric of reality.

The story, written by legendary X-Men writer Chris Claremont with unique art by artist Bill Sienkiewicz, presents a complicated view of a father who is always there for his students rarely if ever for his own son.

Uncanny X-Men #321

Magneto is in some respects the evilest of X-Men villains, but he started off friends with Professor X. One of the best comics featuring both is Uncanny X-Men #321, showing how well they worked together in the past, right before a shocking twist of fate.

The two worked together in Israel in the past, debating their beliefs but showing how close they are. It’s an insight into a future that never was, right before the arrival of a future that never should have been in the Age of Apocalypse storyline set off by Legion killing Xavier in the past.

X-Men Legacy #208

X-Men Legacy #208 begins with the shocking shooting of Professor X by Bishop – the same man who fought to save him in the past from his son, Legion. As others try to save his life, Xavier relives key moments of his life, presenting a new take on known events.

Professor X falls through his own memories in this issue, featuring unique art from one of the best X-Men artists ever, John Romita Jr. The story deals a lot with his relationship with Moira MacTaggert, which has become paramount in the last few years of the Krakoan era.

New X-Men #121

New X-Men #121 is one of the best Professor X comics ever for introducing one of his most fascinating villains. Cassandra Nova is a psychic twin of Xavier’s, hidden in his psyche his entire life until she develops the ability to obtain her own body.

Extremely powerful and dangerous, she’s in many ways the inverse of Xavier. Cassandra Nova’s twisted origin is recounted in this excellent issue, part of the landmark run by writer Grant Morrison and artist Frank Quitely.

Exiles #1

Professor X is seemingly in Doctor Stange In The Multiverse Of Madness, and if he is, he’s likely to be a variant from the multiverse. One of the best Professor X stories involves a dark version of the character who could easily appear in the movie or elsewhere in the MCU.

The Exiles team fought this evil version of Xavier in the first issue of their 2001 series and discovered that Professor X without any guiding principles is a terrifying one, a theme that has become more recurrent in modern comic books.

House Of X #1

House of X #1 establishes an entirely new paradigm for the X-Men and just like in the beginning, it all starts with Professor. Professor X greets X-Men who have been resurrected in large part due to the psychic backups he maintains via Cerebro.

This is an entirely new and in some respects concerning Professor X, with his morals and behaviors much more in line with Magneto than before. This fascinating new chapter for the character is easily one of the best X-Men comics of the 2010s.

Uncanny X-Men #161

Uncanny X-Men #161, written by Chris Claremont and drawn by Dave Cockrum, is perhaps the best Professor X comic ever for delving into his complicated relationship with Magneto. Possessed by an alien entity, his thoughts drift back to when he and Magneto were friends.

The two were very close, a relationship that has been mined heavily in the movies, and the many philosophical debates between the two on-screen are largely rooted in this issue, which establishes their core differences for the first time.

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