#Wheelchair user Charles Xavier

[wishchip106]

i’m getting pissed thinking about this one person i saw somewhere saying something about Charles loathing his disability so there’s no point in keeping him disabled in the comics

DUDE??? 😟

i feel like him being disabled is so important to his character and being able to show readers that having a disability doesn’t mean you can’t do anything

i wouldn’t say i’m fully educated in these areas and i don’t know how actual disabled people feel on the matter but representation is so important 😭

i get really upset seeing “Charles can magically walk again” “He’s fixed!” things like WHY??? GIVE HIM A CANE ATLEAST I BEG OF YOU

do these people do this because its inconvenient he cant walk??? that makes me so mad honestly

i need krakoa Charles with a cane idc about them having his rebirth set from before his accident i need him to show that you can partially corrupt a whole nation while still relying on an aid

or even better yet KEEP THE WHEELCHAIR (not the banana one get a better chair Charles pls)

added bonus give Charles Xavier a gun. An “excuse” to finally get him in the field as if he can’t use HIS EXTREMELY POWERFUL PHYSIC POWERS?? MINDWHAMMY THEM OR SOMETHING PLEASE DO SOMETHING STOP BEING A DAMSEL IN DISTRESS

we need more disability rep please and thank you

gonna mind-whammy the ableists they don’t deserve their vital organs

me trying to defend pookiebear from the haters ^^^

[lehnsherrrr]

(She’s talking about Erik)

[griddleharkbrainrot]

X Men Vent Post

I don't know which I hate more, when people erase Charles being disabled or when they have Erik control his wheelchair. Like I was reading a nice fluff fic but then there was a throwaway line about how when Charles and Erik fight, Erik uses his power to freeze Charles' chair. That is NOT okay on so many levels. Controlling another person's movement like that and restricting their autonomy is abusive. There is an entire movement of people putting spikes on their wheel chair handles to stop others from doing this. For able-bodied people, this is the equivalent of being tied to a chair or physically restrained by someone's arms. What really pisses me off though is just how prevalent this is in fics; I've seen Charles wheelchair frozen, mangled, had the wheels removed, and it's always played off as not a big deal or a joke when in reality it could be a death sentence preventing someone from getting food or water. I know I'm getting unnecessarily upset about fiction but I just needed to rant

Part of the reason this really upsets me is I am myself disabled and currently dealing with separation from my mobility aid. As I'm typing this, I am stuck in a basement with a flight of stairs I can't climb cause my cane is not with me. I don't have access to food, water, or the outside until one of my family members comes home to help me

[1-up-chump]

Sitting here kinda mad at the idea that people are more willing to forgive magneto for his problems and wave off the really atrocious things as bad writing. But not do the same to Xavier like... is it really that easy to think that, when someone is given expectations and fail to meet them its harder to forgive than someone who made mistakes but atone? Its not an either or its both unfair to shit on someone who's made mistakes but wants to atone regardless of the standing.

No one talks about the bad writing with charles that they fumble his "complexity" either way in that when he does bad shit he either never atones and its shown as a "good" thing OR a "bad" thing and either way villainize him. Rather than actually do something with that and actually HAVE him make amends and evolve without him fucking DYING. ALL. THE. TIME

Have a moment in an x-men story where they're like "no. No more martyrs, dying is overrated and you're gonna fucking FIX your own messes and take the long way around to do it right this time. And you'll fumble and inevitably make more mistakes but you TRY to be better and actually DO it. What little you can."

If you can like, do that crap with magneto then you can do it with professor x

[stardust-and-snickerdoodles]

literally the only thing that bothers me about James McAvoy's Charles Xavier is whenever they have him using a manual wheelchair as opposed to his power chair.

first off, let me just say i LOVE the inclusion of a manual chair for Xavier's character. i think it shows that he's not just always bopping around in his high tech power chair and i love it.

BUT.

could they not have brought a single wheelchair user to show him how to propel himself? he spins his wheels with the least efficiency possible. i imagine it must have been absolute hell on his shoulders to do that.

if you're unsure what i'm talking about, this is the recommended stroke pattern when propelling yourself in a wheelchair on level ground:

this allows for the least amount of strain on the shoulders while maximizing the distance with each push.

this is the stroke pattern recommended for travelling uphill:

it's also the way that, when i first got my wheelchair, i (mistakenly) propelled. it hurt a shit ton and i didn't go very far on flat ground, so i wasted a lot more energy than necessary.

it's also the way james mcavoy propels in almost every instance of using a manual wheelchair in the x-men movies (i'd include gifs but i can't find any so you're gonna have to take my word for it). occasionally he'll reach a smidge further back but not nearly enough to get the maximum efficiency from each stroke.

one could argue that maybe he is so used to the power chair that he never really learned to use a manual wheelchair. but he uses one MULTIPLE times in the prequel movies. come on man.

otherwise absolutely love him but like... when will we get actual accurate disability rep

[disabled-character-showdown]

BRACKET 4, ROUND 1, FIFTH SHOWDOWN

[your-fave-is-crippled]

Charles Xavier/Professor X from X-Men

is crippled/a cripple, supports cripplepunk and uses a wheelchair

image one: [id: a dark grey flag with a dusty rainbow going from the bottom left corner up to the right, dark grey circles on top one in the middle of the other and professor x from xmen in the middle of the image looking at the viewer from his wheelchair. :end id]

image two: [id: a flag with a grey border around 7 vertical stripes ranging left to right from seafoam green, green, blue-green, dusty teal, dusty blue, desaturated blue, to light ocean blue. in the middle of the image on top of the flag is professor x from xmen in the middle of the image looking at the viewer from his wheelchair. :end id]

[magneto-king-of-genosha]

...

Can I say it....

I'm going to say it....

It gives Charles Xavier vides

- Mod/Osi

(I'm sorry I made the post related to x men)

[chick-with-wifi]

Charles Xavier's wheelchairs - a deep dive

First Class

This wheelchair looks very similar to the motorized wheelchairs seen in the other movies, with the high backrest and distinctive X-shaped wheels. However, it has handles on the back and doesn’t seem to be designed for Charles to move it himself. It has no joystick (as evidenced by his hands being flat on the armrests in the first picture) and, although it does appear to have pushrims, the armrests are so wide they would be difficult to reach.

Given what we know of Charles’s injury and independent personality, it makes little sense why he would choose a chair like this. The only in-universe explanation I can think of is that Hank made this as a prototype to check Charles likes the sizing before he makes a motorized version.

Days of Future Past

In this movie Charles uses a wheelchair with the same basic shape as the one from First Class, but it is motorized and has a joystick that allows him to move it himself. I noticed this one has pushrims as well, so although we never see him use these, it is possible he wanted that option available to him. I believe this is the same one he uses in the original trilogy.

Overall, this wheelchair seems a little too big for him. The footrests are far apart and, with the joystick being on the end of the armrest, he has to reach quite far for it.

When they go to the Sentinel press conference, Charles uses a manual wheelchair. This is likely because it is easier to transport, the motorized wheelchair works better on smooth floors (as the tyres have little grip) and he doesn’t want to flaunt the resources he has access to.

However, this is what’s known as a hospital chair. It is a manual wheelchair, typically made to a generic size and designed primarily to be pushed by someone else. The user can push it themselves, but the backrest restricts how far back you can reach, the handles dig into your armpits and the armrests mean your arms need to be quite far out, making it uncomfortable to do this for any length of time.

A full-time wheelchair user like Charles would generally use an active wheelchair that is made to their measurements, lightweight, and designed to be self-propelled. If they don't want to push themselves all the time, it can have handles or even handles that can be folded down when not in use.

Apocalypse

In this movie, Charles has a new motorized wheelchair. It is similar to the previous one but has a more padded seat, and seems to fit him better, with the single footrest and joystick on the main part of the armrest. The wheels have a different X design and no pushrims this time.

When he goes outside with Scott and later to visit Moira, he uses a manual wheelchair. It is slightly different from the one in Days of Future Past, but is also a hospital chair so my comments remain the same - especially since he only pushes himself in this movie. Although I do like that this one also has an X design on the wheels!

In the final scene of the movie, Charles is once again using the motorized wheelchair from Days of Future Past and the original trilogy. I imagine this is to symbolize that his transformation into the older version of himself is now complete.

This movie also includes some details about his life as a wheelchair user. He transfers onto Jean’s bed to comfort her after a nightmare.

And in a deleted scene, he transfers into a car and we see that, in addition to the steps leading to the front door, there is a ramp on either side. Another deleted scene gives us a better look at the elevator to the basement. I presume this also goes upstairs, although I must admit the mansion doesn’t look particularly accessible overall.

Dark Phoenix

In the flashbacks at the start of this movie, Charles is using a manual wheelchair which I believe is the same one from Days of Future Past. This makes sense for the timeline, as this takes place soon after that movie. Again, my comments regarding this being a hospital chair remain the same. Although I do like the detail of him carrying his bag on the handles! And note that the front door has level access here.

Charles has another new motorized wheelchair, which is largely the same as the others in terms of features but has better treads on the tyres. This is the first time we see him using a motorized chair outside of the mansion, which is likely connected to his increasing fame and ego, meaning that he doesn’t mind being recognised or showing off his status.

I also noticed that the lit-up X on the back matches the back of the seats in the X-Jet.

At the end of this movie Charles is using an active wheelchair, which as I mentioned earlier is usually the preferred option for someone with an injury like his. This wheelchair has a low backrest with no handles and no armrests, allowing him to push himself much easier. It seems to fit him very well. I imagine he chose this one now because, since he is going into temporary retirement, he wants to use a wheelchair that a civilian would have.

A deleted scene gives us a better look at this chair. In this scene he is able to push very lightly, just using his fingertips, when moving slowly and also reaches back for a longer stroke and lets himself glide for a few seconds. This is a big contrast to how hard he is working when visiting Moira at the CIA in Apocalypse - although I think that was on carpet, which does require more effort, and this is on smooth wood floor.

There is a brief shot of him driving in the movie, when bringing young Jean to the mansion, but this same deleted scene goes into detail about his adapted car.

Charles transfers into his car and folds his wheelchair by pulling up on the seat. This is more commonly a feature of hospital chairs, along with the two footrests that can be folded up, which this chair also has. Active wheelchairs usually have a rigid frame with a single non-removable footplate, and to fit them into a car the wheels are taken off. But presumably Charles found a folding wheelchair better suited for him. I like that this one has an X on the backrest!

Charles lifts his wheelchair into the car, moves over to the driver’s side and pulls on the long strap to close the door. He then starts the engine and begins driving using hand controls. This is a lever that is pushed one way to use the gas and another way to brake. He doesn’t seem to have a steering knob, which is a little ball that attaches to the steering wheel so a user can turn it more easily with one hand - for example if they only have one hand, or are using the other to operate hand controls as Charles is here - but not everyone prefers to use one.

And that concludes my deep dive into the wheelchairs used by Charles Xavier in the X-Men prequels. I didn’t include the hoverchair from Days Of Future Past as I wanted to stick to wheelchairs and adaptive devices with real-world counterparts.

[wishchip106]

first class but erik feels so bad about accidentally paralyzing charles so he stays and they get married<3

mazel tov! 🎉

[brw]

Charles Xavier is a character I don't particularly love or hate, but it's curious to me that it seems both people who do love him and both people who hate him seem to wish he wasn't a wheelchair user. People who love him don't want him to be a wheelchair user because I guess writing Cherik porn while one of them is in a wheelchair and paralysed isn't sexy anymore, and people who hate him don't want him to be a wheelchair user because then they would have to analyse how ableist tropes and stereotypes have fundamentally impacted Charles since day one (his "crush" on Jean absolutely being a product of ableism, that disabled men in particular are emasculated by their disability, are fundamentally lesser, etc etc), and that's a level of media analysis most aren't prepared for, seemingly.

[rei-ismyname]

Charles Xavier merch?

This is Adam Roderick, cult leader, and you've probably never heard of him. I hadn't until I stumbled across an issue of Warren Ellis' Karnak solo. He's wearing a 'Charlie don't surf' shirt with Charles Xavier's head on it. What? TW ableism, slurs.

Because I'm an ignorant motherfucker I had no idea it was a reference to anything, and I really should have known better because it's Warren fucking Ellis. The line is from Apocalypse Now though it's been referenced a lot in popular culture. I'll admit I laughed when I first saw it, because it's Chuck's bald head. After doing a lot of research, it makes me a little uncomfortable. Charlie is obviously a dehumanising and othering reference to Vietnamese people, and the Vietnam War context drenches it in US imperialism and xenophobia.

Then there's the Charles Xavier bit, I assume added because the popular image of him is as a disabled wheelchair user. Disabled people certainly can surf, but I think the idea is that 'Charlie don't' because Charlie can't. It's impressive to be able to fit that much offensiveness onto one t-shirt, but yeah, pretty gross Warren Ellis. It's probably even worse because Karnak needlessly attacks Adam, leaving him disabled in a wheelchair. That's the end of the story.

I'd love to see some Xavier merch that wasn't incredibly insensitive.

[doyouknowthisdisabledcharacter]

Do You Know This Disabled Character?

This isn’t specific to any media. If you know only one version vote ‘I know them’.

Charles Xavier / Professor X is paraplegic and a wheelchair user.

[tournamentpollsinc]

Canonical Disabled Characters Donnybrook!

Happy Disability Pride Month!

Here’s the bracket! If you’re wondering how all these characters are disabled, there’s a list under the cut and I’ll add updated brackets as the tournament goes on!

Also shoutout to my lovely incredible friend who submitted this:

♥️♥️♥️

Competing Characters

Hiccup & Toothless; How to Train Your Dragon; Foot & Tail Fin Amputees, Prosthetics Users

Felix Britten; Heartstopper; Wheelchair User, Unspecified Condition

Barbara Gordon; DC Comics; Paraplegic Wheelchair User

Matthew Murdock; Marvel Comics; Blind, Condition Unspecified

Quasimodo; The Hunchback of Notre Dame; Kyphosis, Deaf, “a large wart” which impairs vision in the right eye

Massimo Marcovaldo; Luca; Congenital Limb Amputee

Cassandra Cain; DC Comics; Previously mute, Dyslexic

Kaz Brekker; Shadow and Bone; Trauma-Induced Limp, Cane User, PTSD

Freddy Freeman; DC Comics; Single Leg Paralysis, Crutch User

Aizawa Shōta; My Hero Academia; Missing Right Eye, Leg Amputee, Eyepatch and Prothetic User

Eda Clawthorne; The Owl House; Arm Amputee, Chronic Illness Coded Curse

Ballister Boldheart; Nimona; Arm Amputee, Prosthetic User

Viktor; Arcane; Congenital Limp, Crutch User

Entrapta; She-Ra; Autistic

Guildarts; FairyTail; Arm and Leg Amputee, Prosthetics User

Moon Knight System; Marvel Comics; Dissociative Identity Disorder

Vash the Stampede; Trigun Stampede; Arm Amputee, Possible Double Leg Amputee, Various Unspecified Trauma-Induced Body Modifications, Prosthetic User

Janice Palmer; Welcome to Night Vale; Spina Bifida, Wheelchair User

Elisa; Shape of Water; Mute

Ashton Greymoore; Critical Role; Trauma-Induced Chronic Pain (Full Body); Impaired Hearing and Vision on their left side

Garrett McNeill; Superstore; Paraplegic Wheelchair User

The Tenth Doctor; Doctor Who; Confirmed “Neurodivergent”, Condition Unspecified

Abed Nadir; Community; Autistic

Luz Noceda; The Owl House; ADHD

Nemo; Finding Nemo; Congential Limb Deficiency

Edward Elric; FullMetal Alchemist; Arm and Leg Amputee, Prostetics User

Mithrun; Dungeon Meshi; Missing Right Eye, Prostheitc User, Fantasy Mental Condition making a constant caregiver necessary

Charles Xavier; Marvel Comics; Paraplegic Wheelchair User

Bucky Barnes; Marvel Comics; Arm Amputee, PTSD

Clint Barton; Marvel Comics; Hard of Hearing/Deaf depending on the iteration of the character, Hearing Aid User

Amaya; Dragon Prince; Deaf

Toph Beifong; Avatar: the Last Airbender; Blind, Condition Unspecified

Round One Winners

Round Two Winners

[phoenixlionme]

Fictional Characters that Exude Disabilityexcellence

Toph Beifong - Blind

Teo (ATLA) - Paraplegic; wheelchair user

Korra (TLOK) - PTSD

Mirabel Madrigal (Encanto) - wears glasses; her being the giftless one among her family has been compared to that of a disabled child in an able-bodied family

Bruno Madrigal (Encanto) - confirmed to have OCD

George Bailey (It’s a Wonderful Life) - partial deafness

Milo Thatch (Atlantis the Lost Empire) - wears glasses

Izumi Curtis (FMAB) - chronic illness; missing limbs

Edward Elric (FMAB) - for most of the series, he was a double amputee (missing an arm and a leg) by the end of the series, he regained his arm but not his leg. As such, he started off as a double amputee but is now a single amputee

Lan Fan (FMAB) - arm amputee with prosthetic

Sterling Archer (Archer) - breast cancer (remission); tinnitus; implied to be autistic

Jack Russell (Bluey) - ADHD

Barbara Gordon (DC Comics) - paraplegic; wheelchair user

Victor Stone  (DC Comics) - multiple amputee

Hiccup Haddock and Toothless (HTTYD franchise) - both are amputees (Hiccup his foot; Toothless his tail) and both use prosthetics

Chimi the Skull Warrior (Maya and the Three) - albino

Rico the Rooster Wizard (Maya and the Three - stutter

Ororo Munroe (Marvel Comics) - claustrophobia

Professor Charles Xavier (Marvel Comics) - paraplegic; wheelchair user

Matt Murdock (Marvel Comics) - blind; uses mobility aid

Adam Evans (DC Comics) - dyslexia

Natsume (Deca-Dence) - arm amputee; uses prosthetic

Kitty Softpaws (Shrek/Puss in Boots franchise) - declawed

Daphne Paloma Vasquez  (Switched at Birth) - deaf

Garrett (Quest for Camelot) - blind

Sunny Nwazue (Akata Witch trilogy) - albino

Charlotte Webber (Marvel Comics) - Ehlers-Danlos syndrome; uses mobility aids (wheelchair and crutches)

Amaya (The Dragon Prince) - deaf

Alinta aka Bolt (DC Comics) - double leg amputee; uses prosthetics

Mia Dearden (DC Comics) - HIV positive

Tony Stark (Marvel Comics) - heart condition; recovering alcoholic; PTSD, trauma

Jessica Jones (Marvel Comics) - alcoholism, PTSD, depression

Alicia Masters (Marvel Comics) - blind

Irene Adler (Marvel Comics) - blind

Tim Drake (DC Comics) - asplenia (missing spleen)

Kate Kane (DC Comics) - PTSD, recovering alcoholic

Cassandra Cain (DC Comics) - autistic spectrum, mute, dyslexic

Roy Harper aka Red Arrow (DC Comics) - arm amputee, uses prosthetic; recovering drug addict

Nick Fury (Marvel Comics) - partial blindness

Clint Barton (Marvel Comics) - deaf; uses hearing aids

Maya Lopez (Marvel Comics) - deaf

[fullmetalcarer]

Rank your own fics cause i literally know them all and i want to see which one you like more

love love love that you know them all @inmymagnetoera

in no particular order:

The Most Beautiful of All The Angels (Remix of Sin City) - Charles is a youthful mob boss and Logan is his enforcer- xavierine with a suggestion of possible cherik.

Raven’s Brother Has Got It Going On (Remix of Notorious DILF) - disaster Xavier siblings, bamf murder ball wheelchair user Charles, smitten erik.

What’s Money When You Got Love? - 1930s prohibition era first person fic (yeah I know) - Shaw is a mob boss, Erik is his reluctant enforcer who falls for musician Charles- tremendous amount of horrific violence but our boys get away (tho not unscathed)

Adventures in Yoga- this is my most kudoed fic and it is just the crackiest smutty filthy silly cheerful cherik nonsense and shaw gets punched in the face so that’s nice.

Lord of the Flings - Erik is an incompetent Nazgûl, Charles is a horny hobbit, why are you looking at me like that?

What Dreams May Come- extremely dark David 8/Walter/Charles Xavier fic - heed the warnings and read the tags.

Purple is for Emperors- 76k words folks and the longest thing I’ve written. AU where they are mutants but almost everyone aligns as Dom or sub. The Dom might not be who you expect and might not engage with their sub as you might expect. A lot of smut and fun and humour BUT also sorrow and terrible things. Cherik wins thru in the end.

Sorry there are no links but my device is buggered

thanks for the ask :)