Charles Xavier is one of the most iconic characters in pop culture. Beyond his history in comic books and cartoons, he was first brought to life in live action by the great Patrick Stewart, and then by James McAvoy in the prequels— and then again by Stewart when he reprised the role for Days of Future Past and Logan. Confused yet?
McAvoy’s portrayal of the character in X-Men: First Class has been ranked as the single best, but many say Stewart has been the better Professor X overall. As the character is so multi-dimensional and has been portrayed throughout many different decades in countless movies, there’s a lot to consider.
10 Stewart Was Better: The Comic Book Look
If there’s one thing Stewart is great at, it’s his impressive face control and his ability to keep his impassive look in some of the most struggling times. It is exactly the way fans of the comic book know Professor X, and there are so many mannerisms from the comic books that Stewart captures perfectly. On top of that, his expensive-looking and tailor-made suits plus his futuristic wheelchair bring to life exactly what the comic books had envisioned.
9 McAvoy Was Better: Gave The Character Ego
Realistically, nobody who is as smart or special as Charles Xavier doesn’t have an ego. And that’s what was added to the character in First Class. It was one of the characteristics Professor X has always had, from believing he can talk anybody into joining his quest, to thinking he can overpower Magneto at any instance. This is why it’s more of a gut punch than anything when Mystique joins Magneto, because it was a blow to Xavier’s ego.
8 Stewart Was Better: More Of A Teacher
Not only do the first three X-Men movies follow Professor X as the principal and founder of Xavier’s School for the Gifted, but the character is all-around wise and acts as an elder statesmen for mutants much more than McAvoy ever would.
There are a lot of powers people probably didn’t know about that Professor X has, but above all else, it’s the knowledge that Stewart’s Charles Xavier has that makes him so powerful. And that’s something McAvoy’s Professor X just simply hasn’t acquired yet.
7 McAvoy Was Better: Still Learning
Though he doesn’t have the knowledge, Professor X in X-Men: First Class is still learning, and it’s one of the things that makes the movie one of the most compelling entries in the series. He is learning to hone in on his powers, and he’s learning to sell his vision of the future to other like-minded (and non like-minded) mutants.
He is even proven to be a little naïve in his trust of Magento, which he ironically doesn’t even learn from as he makes the same mistake in Days of Future Past.
6 Stewart Was Better: Portrayed The Comic Book Character Perfectly
Not only does Stewart’s look in the original movies massively resemble the comic book character, but his delivery of the monologues, his mental stability, and the way he is looked up to by everybody at the school is lifted directly from the comic books. Though it’s hilarious to imagine Stewart in the First Class yellow and black outfit and getting in on the action, he’s better suited to pulling the strings back in his metallic lair.
5 McAvoy Was Better: Played Xavier In Different Eras
The best thing about First Class, Days of Future Past, and even Apocalypse to a certain extent, is that they span throughout the '60s, '70s, and '80s. Not only was the set and costume design exciting to see in each one, but audiences got to see Xavier in a different light with ten years of history behind him in each movie.
This was seen best in Days Of Future Past, when the character was downtrodden on the idea of anything he once believed, and it was the first time audiences had ever seen Professor X like this on screen.
4 Stewart Was Better: Played Having Dementia Brilliantly
Just like he has in Picard, Stewart was rewarded for his loyalty to the character he made iconic by being given one of the best character pieces he and fans could have ever hoped for. In Logan, Stewart plays a disheveled and bitter old man who has gone from living in a mansion to spending most of his days crouched down in the back of a car, which is no fun even if it is a Lincoln.
Stewart acting as the seasoned mutant now having meltdowns and seizures was the best acting of his career, and what was even better was seeing him yell profanities at Wolverine.
3 McAvoy Was Better: Relationship With Magneto
Though Professor X has done many of the worst things in the X-Men universe, one of the worst might have been inadvertently helping Magneto hone in on his powers, which led him to becoming the supervillain we know him as.
However, the relationship the two of them have in First Class along the way portrays a great sense of male bonding that many can relate to, and the relationship they build throughout the film makes the inevitable ending all the more heartbreaking.
2 Stewart Was Better: Patrick Stewart And Ian McKellen Have Better Chemistry
It’s hard to ultimately decide which duo mastered the relationship between Professor X and Magneto, and choosing the best could come down to the flip of a coin. Though Professor X is Sir Ian McKellan's 10 Best Roles, Ranked According To IMDb, the thing that Stewart’s Xavier does better than McAvoy’s is fully understand where he stands with Magneto.
Though there is some remnant of history between the two in X-Men and X-Men 2, it is clearly the hero versus the villain and both of their motives are crystal clear, instead of the emotionally torn motives of the characters in First Class and its sequels.
1 McAvoy Was Better: More Moments To Shine
Ultimately, X-Men, X-Men 2, and X-Men: The Last Stand were never about Charles Xavier and he didn’t really have any huge story arc in place. The trilogy beginning with First Class, on the other hand, was all about Professor X, his struggle with power, his relationships with people he’d lost to Magneto, and his rise to becoming the Professor X we know Patrick Stewart to be. McAvoy has had many more moments to shine as the character, whether it’s being best pals with Magneto, or battling him for the 8,000th time.
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