When Charles is first introduced as an adult, he's very flippant about using his powers, treating them as an aid to pulling women in bars. Yet he's quick to anger with his adopted sister Raven when distress makes her hold on her disguise slip a little (her eyes change colour). The short argument that follows paints Charles as a hypocrite; Raven's observation that it’s “fine as long as the mutation is invisible” like Charles’ telepathy is a very good way of describing it. Because Charles’ power can be used freely without notice—and even if it is noticed, he can quickly remedy the situation—he does not have an understanding of Raven’s feelings regarding her outer appearance. Charles admits as much when he tells her that he doesn’t understand why she’s “awfully preoccupied” with her looks...even while he actively encourages her to hide her blue skin. This, coupled with Charles’ own preoccupation with appearances (in the society’s eyes), becomes a point of contention between the siblings as the film develops. Charles’ inability to connect with Raven on this point is a strange oversight on his part, considering his abilities, but makes sense when linked to a few other traits of his.
One such trait would be Charles’ sense of honour. Though his boundaries and morals can, admittedly, be grey when it comes to his telepathy, he does refrain from probing deeply into someone’s mind while happily giving himself access to the surface thoughts. The way he handles certain interactions indicates he values having consent, unless he believes using his abilities are necessary (i.e.: lives are in danger). While Charles does threaten to read Raven’s mind near the end of the film, he keeps himself from doing so out of respect for his promise to her, even when their altercations get more and more heated. A quick peek into her mind would probably give Charles enough information to work things out with Raven, but he opts to talk to her, giving her the chance to explain her feelings instead. Charles extends the same courtesy to Erik, as well, when they first meet, despite him being a complete stranger. It’s only when convincing Erik to let go of Shaw’s submarine (before he drowns himself) that Charles pulls up the memories. Even then, the choice is Erik’s to make: instead of forcing Erik to release the submarine, Charles takes the time to speak to him mentally. Charles’ sense of honour makes another appearance while he and Erik are training on the Xavier mansion grounds. Despite having seen a good portion of Erik’s memories already, Charles makes a point of asking him for permission before delving in again. With that, it becomes clear that Charles operates under some sort of moral code, though it probably doesn’t make sense to anyone but himself.
Stubbornness is another trait that contributes to Charles’ troubles with the other characters. While standing by one’s beliefs can generally be considered a good thing, Charles sometimes has too much self assurance, making it very difficult for him to compromise with the others. When he firmly believes himself to be in the right, very few things will get him to change his mind. In these instances, Charles can come across as arrogant or patronising—as Erik points out—even when he doesn’t mean to. This generally stems from his unwillingness to hear the other side of the argument. Again, this trait shows itself the most often with Raven and Erik. For Raven, Charles cannot comprehend her desire to be accepted in her blue skin because it wars with his desire to “be a part of society,” as Raven puts it. For Erik, killing for revenge, as well as aligning themselves against the “lesser humans,” are both ideas that Charles cannot condone. As a result, he resists their attempts to sway him from his initial opinions, making it seem inconsiderate of their feelings, when this is not the case.
His many shortcomings aside, there’s a reason even Erik and Raven, the two who quarrel with Charles the most often, still care for him. Once he has the chance to grow a bit, Charles shows that he has an abundance of empathy, optimism, and generosity to balance out his negative traits. Despite his earlier fun-loving, devil-may-care attitude, Charles immediately reorganises his priorities as soon as Moira brings the situation with Shaw to his attention. He’s very responsible once it comes down to it, and the well-being of the mutants he and Erik discovered out-weigh his own enthusiasm for learning about their abilities in the end. Though he and Erik spent so much time looking for the others, Charles was reluctant to risk their safety after the CIA base was attacked. Since the younger mutants wanted to stay—and also had nowhere else to go once the base had been destroyed—Charles opened his home to them, making sure they knew they were welcome there (“This is yours?” – “No, it’s ours.”). In addition to that, Charles also took on the responsibility of helping his new students grow into their abilities. While it’s true he and Erik needed the extra help bringing Shaw’s plans to a close, Charles still displays an admirable amount of patience and optimism, helping them overcome any obstacles they run into.
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When Charles is first introduced as an adult, he's very flippant about using his powers, treating them as an aid to pulling women in bars. Yet he's quick to anger with his adopted sister Raven when distress makes her hold on her disguise slip a little (her eyes change colour). The short argument that follows paints Charles as a hypocrite; Raven's observation that it’s “fine as long as the mutation is invisible” like Charles’ telepathy is a very good way of describing it. Because Charles’ power can be used freely without notice—and even if it is noticed, he can quickly remedy the situation—he does not have an understanding of Raven’s feelings regarding her outer appearance. Charles admits as much when he tells her that he doesn’t understand why she’s “awfully preoccupied” with her looks...even while he actively encourages her to hide her blue skin. This, coupled with Charles’ own preoccupation with appearances (in the society’s eyes), becomes a point of contention between the siblings as the film develops. Charles’ inability to connect with Raven on this point is a strange oversight on his part, considering his abilities, but makes sense when linked to a few other traits of his.
One such trait would be Charles’ sense of honour. Though his boundaries and morals can, admittedly, be grey when it comes to his telepathy, he does refrain from probing deeply into someone’s mind while happily giving himself access to the surface thoughts. The way he handles certain interactions indicates he values having consent, unless he believes using his abilities are necessary (i.e.: lives are in danger). While Charles does threaten to read Raven’s mind near the end of the film, he keeps himself from doing so out of respect for his promise to her, even when their altercations get more and more heated. A quick peek into her mind would probably give Charles enough information to work things out with Raven, but he opts to talk to her, giving her the chance to explain her feelings instead. Charles extends the same courtesy to Erik, as well, when they first meet, despite him being a complete stranger. It’s only when convincing Erik to let go of Shaw’s submarine (before he drowns himself) that Charles pulls up the memories. Even then, the choice is Erik’s to make: instead of forcing Erik to release the submarine, Charles takes the time to speak to him mentally. Charles’ sense of honour makes another appearance while he and Erik are training on the Xavier mansion grounds. Despite having seen a good portion of Erik’s memories already, Charles makes a point of asking him for permission before delving in again. With that, it becomes clear that Charles operates under some sort of moral code, though it probably doesn’t make sense to anyone but himself.
Stubbornness is another trait that contributes to Charles’ troubles with the other characters. While standing by one’s beliefs can generally be considered a good thing, Charles sometimes has too much self assurance, making it very difficult for him to compromise with the others. When he firmly believes himself to be in the right, very few things will get him to change his mind. In these instances, Charles can come across as arrogant or patronising—as Erik points out—even when he doesn’t mean to. This generally stems from his unwillingness to hear the other side of the argument. Again, this trait shows itself the most often with Raven and Erik. For Raven, Charles cannot comprehend her desire to be accepted in her blue skin because it wars with his desire to “be a part of society,” as Raven puts it. For Erik, killing for revenge, as well as aligning themselves against the “lesser humans,” are both ideas that Charles cannot condone. As a result, he resists their attempts to sway him from his initial opinions, making it seem inconsiderate of their feelings, when this is not the case.
His many shortcomings aside, there’s a reason even Erik and Raven, the two who quarrel with Charles the most often, still care for him. Once he has the chance to grow a bit, Charles shows that he has an abundance of empathy, optimism, and generosity to balance out his negative traits. Despite his earlier fun-loving, devil-may-care attitude, Charles immediately reorganises his priorities as soon as Moira brings the situation with Shaw to his attention. He’s very responsible once it comes down to it, and the well-being of the mutants he and Erik discovered out-weigh his own enthusiasm for learning about their abilities in the end. Though he and Erik spent so much time looking for the others, Charles was reluctant to risk their safety after the CIA base was attacked. Since the younger mutants wanted to stay—and also had nowhere else to go once the base had been destroyed—Charles opened his home to them, making sure they knew they were welcome there (“This is yours?” – “No, it’s ours.”). In addition to that, Charles also took on the responsibility of helping his new students grow into their abilities. While it’s true he and Erik needed the extra help bringing Shaw’s plans to a close, Charles still displays an admirable amount of patience and optimism, helping them overcome any obstacles they run into.