The outcome of a leap in natural evolution, mutants, or Homo superior, are born with superhuman abilities that usually emerge at puberty. Unfortunately, they are perceived as a menace, being hated and feared by the rest of humanity. Amidst this tension, Professor Charles Xavier, secretly a mutant telepath, spent most of his early adult years studying mutation at Oxford University and held a unique vision for mutants and humans to coexist peacefully. During his time at Oxford, Xavier met the brilliant geneticist Moira.[125] hShe revealed herself as a mutant with the ability to reincarnate in the past and reset her own timeline upon death. Moira's multiple lives had revealed a disturbing pattern: mutantkind always perished. The revelation formed a strong bond between Xavier and Moira, who sought for a definitive way to avert mutantkind's devastation.[126][124]
Over the years, Xavier realized that not all mutants shared his dream of peaceful harmony. During his travels, he encountered a mutant named Magnusin Israel, who had a radically different perspective, firmly believing that a species war between mutants and humans was unavoidable and that mutants had to assert their dominance as supreme rulers of Earth. This ideological clash forged a profound feud between Xavier and Magnus.[127] In Egypt, Xavier faced the unscrupulous mutant telepath known as the Shadow King. This harrowing encounter reinforced Xavier's determination to safeguard the world from the threat of malevolent mutants. His mission became to foster peaceful coexistence between mutants and humans by protecting both sides from the destructive forces that could escalate if left unchecked.[128]
Counting with Moira's support, Xavier decided to establish a school to secretly prepare mutants to serve and protect a world that hated and feared their kind: the X-Men.[129][130] He reformed his father's estate into the Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.[131] Within his "X-Mansion", Xavier developed crucial facilities for his mission, such as the Danger Room, a state-of-the-art training facility,[13] and Cerebro, a mutant-detection device for detecting and locating mutants across the globe.[132][133] After years of preparation, Xavier decided to approach the young mutants he had been keeping track of as anti-mutant hysteria hit its peak. Reports about a young mutant accidentally putting lives at risk urged him to to contact FBI agent Fred Duncan, tasked with investigating mutant-related incidents. Through diplomacy, Xavier convinced Duncan to permit him to enroll and train young mutants at his school to stand against the mutants threatening humanity.[134][129]
In the following days, Professor X recruited his X-Men. Scott Summers, the young mutant from the news reports, was rescued from the clutches of evil Jack Winters and became the first of the X-Men, codenamed Cyclops.[135] Shortly after, Cyclops and Professor X saved young Bobby Drake, a mutant commanding extreme cold, from an angry mob; Drake joined the group as Iceman.[136] The winged Warren Worthington III, who had already embarked on a solo super hero career as the high-flying Angel,[137] was convinced to join the X-Men after a brief battle.[138] Next on the list was the dexterous and intelligent Hank McCoy, who was rescued from a would-be conqueror, the Conquistador, and joined Xavier under the codename Beast.[139] Rounding out the group, Xavier had Jean Grey join them as Marvel Girl,[13]who had been mentored by Xavier since the traumatic manifestation of her psychic abilities as a child.[140]