“Heroes, Villains, and Me” is a weekly article on Geeky KOOL about the world of comic books and my reaction to it. “Heroes, Villains, and Me” is not a comic book review article. I will write about current events, speculation and rumors, or my own wacky thoughts about the world of comic books.
Yesterday, Marvel Comics killed an icon in the comic book and entertainment realm. Avengers VS X-Men # 11 concluded with the death of Professor Charles Xavier at the hands of his protege Scott Summers. Scott, AKA Cyclops, has been empowered and corrupted by the Phoenix Force (same Phoenix that previous possessed/ copied Jean Grey). Here are some of my thoughts on this issue. They are subject to change.
Professor X has not been highly involved in the X-Men and X-Men related books for some time. Scott had taken over as the leader of the X-Men. Cyclop’s decisions led to part of the group leaving including Wolverine taking a group back to the school and rebuilds.
Marvel Comics appeared to have outgrown the Professor. He once was the conscience of mutantkind. He was admired by mutant and not mutant heroes alike for his heroics and commitment to peaceful existence between mutants and humans. He gave balance to Magneto extremely destructive views. But when was the last time anyone worried about what Xavier would think or do?
It feels like Marvel has lost their moral compass. Xavier made several mistakes and had tons of regrets over the years, but his actions were always based on his moral views. The focus on human (or mutant) morality appears to be old school (and not in a good way) to Marvel Comics. They acquiesced the easy death of the Professor.
It makes some sense to kill of Charles. He has become such a minor character. But yet his death made headlines across the nation. Xavier’s death is another flashy headline for the public to see. It is very similar to Death of Human Torch headline. It to be a bigger deal to the general public than to the daily life of the Marvel Universe.
It will be interesting to see if the death of the Professor changes the Marvel Universe. We know changes are coming post AVX but will this be the rallying point? Will Xavier be a martyr to mutants attempting to carry on his legacy? Will X-Men come back to Xavier’s original vision instead of the isolationist views? How long will Charles Xavier stay dead? Since Marvel heroes, especially mutants, have a way of escaping death, I would bet it will be under five years before we see the resurrection of Charles Xavier.
