# Why Doesn't Prof. X Move his Legs with his Mind? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 22, 2010, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-prof-x-move-his-legs-with-his-mind/536971 "2010-04-22T09:47:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![magnusblitz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@magnusblitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magnusblitz)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-prof-x-move-his-legs-with-his-mind/536971/21 "2010-04-23T19:21:48Z")
As any X-Men fan knows, in the main (616) Marvel universe, he current has the ability to walk normally, so he doesn’t need to use his powers to walk. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-prof-x-move-his-legs-with-his-mind/536971/22 "2010-04-23T19:24:55Z")
The real reason is because Marvel, in the Silver Age-- largely thanks to Stan Lee being at the helm, wanted to contrast their heroes with the god-like, nigh-infallible, largely white male heroes of DC comics. Marvel heroes have disabilities, are hated, get beat up, are female, are black, lose with the opposite sex, ride around in wheelchairs, etc. The entire X-Men/Mutant mythos within the Marvel Universe is a metaphor for minorities in the real world. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-prof-x-move-his-legs-with-his-mind/536971/23 "2010-04-23T19:34:29Z")
Better yet, couldn’t he use his mind powers to move himself around with someone else’s legs? Just strap his body onto the back of somebody strong and away he goes. If he’s concerned with ethics, maybe he just needs to find the right candidate, someone who is mentally impaired or nearly brainless, perhaps? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-prof-x-move-his-legs-with-his-mind/536971/24 "2010-04-23T19:38:14Z")
Yes, and then can randomly declare embargo on Bartertown. ---
**Author:** ![kidneyfailure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9f8e36/32.png) [@kidneyfailure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidneyfailure)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-prof-x-move-his-legs-with-his-mind/536971/25 "2010-04-23T22:54:42Z")
> [@magnusblitz](#): > > As any X-Men fan knows, in the main (616) Marvel universe, he current has the ability to walk normally, so he doesn’t need to use his powers to walk. How the hell did that happen? This was why I eventually abandoned reading the X-books. Too much stuff to keep up with it, which made everything too confusing. Even back in the day when I was really into X-Men I still barely got it. Rachel Summers is Scott and Jean’s daughter that may or may not even be born in a future that may or may not even happen? Huh? And what was her purpose for being there anyway? Whatever. ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2010, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-prof-x-move-his-legs-with-his-mind/536971/26 "2010-04-24T05:08:57Z")
Why not just start over? Read the Ultimates, or Joss Wedon’s Astonishing Xmen instead. All the good characters you know and and love, but rebooted storylines and such. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2010, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-prof-x-move-his-legs-with-his-mind/536971/27 "2010-04-24T20:10:09Z")
At Jean Grey and Scott Summer’s wedding, Jean did indeed use her telekinetic powers to lift the Professor so he could dance with her. In general, the Earth 616 Xavier does NOT have telekinetic abilities. He is simply the world’s most powerful telepath. BTW- Cuz Many People Don’t Seem To Know Xavier was NOT born paraplegic. Nor did he discover his powers only after being confined to a wheelchair. He spent a few years fighting evil with his telepathic abilities before founding the X Men. During one adventure, an evil alien collapsed a building Xavier was in. A chunk of ceiling severed Xavier’s spine. In Other Xavier News- He’s been bald since his early teens due to IIRC Rheumatic fever. ETA During a brief period when he was a paraplegic due to a gunshot wound, Tony Stark spent a lot of extra time in the armor just so he could walk. Of course, this was the premise of the fine MANTIS television series. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2010, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-prof-x-move-his-legs-with-his-mind/536971/28 "2010-04-24T22:00:46Z")
The question does bring up an interesting question, can a telekinetic walk himself in the event of a spinal injury? The answer is probably yes, but he or she may look a little weird doing it. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2010, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-prof-x-move-his-legs-with-his-mind/536971/29 "2010-04-24T22:05:28Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > The question does bring up an interesting question, can a telekinetic walk himself in the event of a spinal injury? The answer is probably yes, but he or she may look a little weird doing it. With enough practice, I don’t think he or she would look funny at all. Superman’s powers were explained, for awhile, as telekinetic in nature. In other words, he wasn’t all that physically strong, but he could manipulate things with his mind to the same effect as if he was. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2010, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-prof-x-move-his-legs-with-his-mind/536971/30 "2010-04-24T22:52:21Z")
I was surprised, when reading a reprint of the original era X-men issue, to see the Prof using his mind to flip a switch. His powers (and a lot of powers in general) were a lot less clearly defined back then, though. ---
**Author:** ![shy\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@shy\_guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shy_guy)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2010, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-prof-x-move-his-legs-with-his-mind/536971/31 "2010-04-25T01:36:07Z")
During “Fatal Attractions,” Prof. X had that Shi’ar exoskeleton that allowed him to walk and, I’m pretty sure, was powered by his “psionic abilities.” Which, what? Sure. It appears in the issue where Magneto rids Wolverine of the Adamantium coating his bones. ---
**Author:** ![kidneyfailure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9f8e36/32.png) [@kidneyfailure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidneyfailure)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2010, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-prof-x-move-his-legs-with-his-mind/536971/32 "2010-04-25T02:23:18Z")
Hmm, I wonder why he doesn’t just wear it all the entire time under his suit, thus negating the need for the wheelchair. Did it even survive the battle with Magneto (the team seemed to be in pretty bad shape in that issue of Wolverine that followed X-Men #25)? Or could it not work on Earth since it was (IIRC) Shi’ar technology? Who knows… ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2010, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-prof-x-move-his-legs-with-his-mind/536971/33 "2010-04-25T05:54:18Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > Xavier was NOT born paraplegic. Nor did he discover his powers only after being confined to a wheelchair. He spent a few years fighting evil with his telepathic abilities before founding the X Men. During one adventure, an evil alien collapsed a building Xavier was in. A chunk of ceiling severed Xavier’s spine. Wasn’t there one storyline though where it was claimed that Magneto was the one who paralyzed Charles, or is that just from the Movies and thus has no merit? ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2010, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-prof-x-move-his-legs-with-his-mind/536971/34 "2010-04-25T06:06:53Z")
> [@ToeJam](#): > > Wasn’t there one storyline though where it was claimed that Magneto was the one who paralyzed Charles, or is that just from the Movies and thus has no merit? It’s possible there’s some retcon where Magneto did it, but I’ve never read one. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2010, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-prof-x-move-his-legs-with-his-mind/536971/35 "2010-04-25T07:04:11Z")
> [@ToeJam](#): > > Wasn’t there one storyline though where it was claimed that Magneto was the one who paralyzed Charles, or is that just from the Movies and thus has no merit? I don’t remember that from the movies at all - not even an implication of it. ---
**Author:** ![MegaBee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f0a364/32.png) [@MegaBee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MegaBee)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-prof-x-move-his-legs-with-his-mind/536971/36 "2010-04-26T13:10:24Z")
> [@ToeJam](#): > > Wasn’t there one storyline though where it was claimed that Magneto was the one who paralyzed Charles, or is that just from the Movies and thus has no merit? Charles got himself a cloned body at some point to cure an alien parasite infection, and his brain was transplanted into it. Since this was a new, uninjured body, he could walk. Magneto eventually shattered his spine, rendering him paraplegic again. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-prof-x-move-his-legs-with-his-mind/536971/37 "2010-04-26T15:28:25Z")
Incidentally, Patrick Stewart fans might want to check out the PBS broadcast of _Hamlet_ this Weds., in which he plays King Claudius to David Tennant’s melancholy Dane: [Hamlet (2009 film) - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamlet_(2009_television_film)) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-prof-x-move-his-legs-with-his-mind/536971.md?page=1)