Editing Professor X (section)

===Character===
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 (Marvel Comics)|Magneto]]. To achieve these aims, he founded Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters (later named the [[X-Mansion|Xavier Institute]]) to teach mutants to explore and control their powers. Its first group of students was the original X-Men ([[Cyclops (Marvel Comics)|Cyclops]], [[Iceman (Marvel Comics)|Iceman]], [[Jean Grey|Marvel Girl]], [[Warren Worthington III|Angel]], and [[Beast (comics)|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 the [[Avengers (comics)|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 the [[2001 in comics|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)|''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 is listed as one of the top ten most intelligent fictional characters in American comics.<ref>{{cite web | last = Pisani | first = Joseph | author-link = Joseph Pisani | title = The Smartest Superheroes | publisher = www.businessweek.com | year = 2006 | url = http://images.businessweek.com/ss/06/05/smart_heroes/index_01.htm | access-date = 2007-11-25 | archive-date = 2012-01-11 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120111004559/http://images.businessweek.com/ss/06/05/smart_heroes/index_01.htm | url-status = dead }}</ref>

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 (Marvel Comics)|Onslaught]] storyline, in which the [[crossover (comics)|crossover]] event's antagonist is a physical manifestation of that dark side. Also, Onslaught is created in the most violent act Xavier claims to have done: erasing the mind of Magneto. In ''X-Men'' <!-- only denote volume number after first --> #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 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 (Marvel Comics)|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.<ref>{{Cite comic | Writer = [[Scott Lobdell]] | Penciller = [[Joe Madureira]] | Inker = Tim Townsend | Story = Onslaught, Phase 1: Apocalypse Lives | Title = Uncanny X-Men | Volume = | Issue = 335 |date=August 1996|Publisher = [[Marvel Comics]]}}</ref> ''[[Astonishing X-Men]]'' vol. 3, #12 (August 2005) reveals that when Xavier realizes that 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).