Summary
Warning: Spoilers for X-Men #35!EvenReed RichardsofThe Fantastic Fourstruggles to outsmart one member of the X-Men. Mister Fantasticranks among the smartest men alivein the Marvel Universe. However, even a super-genius can’t combat certain powers that exist to combat the mind.
The head of The Fantastic Four’s table has his hands full ashe struggles to outsmart Charles XavierinX-Men#35. Professor X was once one of the more respected figures in the Marvel Universe, and a fellow member of the Illuminati alongside Reed. However, in more recent times, the founder of the X-Men has become their worst enemy andmost hated villainat the conclusion of the Krakoa Era.
X-Men#35 comes from the massive creative team of Gerry Duggan, Al Ewing, Kieron Gillen, Joshua Cassara, Phil Noto, Lucas Werneck, Leinil Francis Yu, Walter Simonson, Mark Brooks, John Romita Jr., Scott Hanna, Jerome Opena, Luciano Vecchio, Stefano Caselli, Sara Pichelli, Romulo Fajardo Jr., David Curiel, Laura Martin, Sonia Oback, Marcio Menyz, Matt Hollingsworth, Matthew Wilson, VC’s Clayton Cowles, Tom Muller, and Jay Bowen.
As the professor turns himself in for his crimes, the greatest minds in Marvel collaborate to try and subdue his mind - and they all fail.Simply put, no hero is a match for a telepath, especially one of Charles Xavier’s caliber.
Reed Richards Fails to Outsmart Professor X
As Does Tony Stark
When Charles Xavier is first taken to his cell, he recallsReed Richards being embarrassed at the best attempt they could come up with to contain him, especially after Xavier points out, “You can cage my body, but my mind is free.“Tony Stark tries to assure hisIlluminati teammatethat the anti-psychic hardware used to create this cell should be enough to contain Xavier. However, as the remainder of the issue goes to show, that could not be further from the truth.
Not even the two biggest super-geniuses that Marvel has can come up with a proper means to stop Professor X, but by Xavier’s planning, this is all by design.Xavier reveals he left a post-hypnotic suggestion that if Reed Richards ever cages him, he should leave a loophole allowing him to escape. It worked, and the X-Men’s former leader proceeds to use his telepathy to let his mind roam aimlessly across the world. Reed’s the smartest man in the world, butyou can’t out-think someone who can reprogram the thoughts you’re allowed to have.
Telepathy Goes Beyond Brainpower
And Super-Geniuses Can’t Stop It
Maybe it speaks tohow powerful Charles Xavier is as a telepath, or just how powerful telepaths are in general in the Marvel Universe, but not even super-geniuses can handle them. Xavier’s intellect isn’t anywhere near the level where Reed’s is at, but he doesn’t need to be smarter than Richards to outsmart him. He just needs to twistReed Richards' mind in a way that can defeat him. Xavier’s power lies in breaking down, overwhelming, and overpowering the brain, which is a different kind of brainpower thanThe Fantastic Fourleader could ever think to handle.
