The Return of X, Professor X – Astonishing X-Men

I suppose in this world where the original Wolverine is most certainly not dead and the original, adult Jean Grey is going to be resurrected this month, why not have Professor X return? (Not mentioning Warren’s recent return to life after being a controlled husk for all of 2015’s Uncanny X-Men.)

Granted, we knew this was going to happen on some level. It was one thing to have him dead with Cyclops alive, but after he died of M-pox, we’ve been lacking a fatherly figure. No, young Scott and Magneto most certainly do not count. Kitty and Storm have filled parent-esque roles rather well, but there’s something off about the X-Men existing without Professor X. By the end of the first issue of Astonishing X-Men, readers were smacked with the vision of Professor X playing chess with Farouk, the Shadow King. Apparently the astral form of Professor X lived on, because we all know his body certainly can’t be brought back after Rogue and Torch set his brain on fire. So the table was set for Charles to return, the question was when he would. He might do it in this arc, or he might do it later on. Regardless on when, it was going to happen. 

I’m not sure anybody saw how he returned coming.

During his game of chess with Farouk, he’s been playing behind the scenes in collecting the X-Men visiting the astral plane. He’s lost Logan and Gambit, but he still has Rogue, Fantomex, and Mystique to help him overthrow the Shadow King.

After they do indeed thwart the Shadow King and Psylocke and Angel are able to stop the military from blowing up the city, Charles says it’s time to enact part two of his plan. I assumed part two was to ensure the Shadow King couldn’t return or heal Logan and Gambit. I had no idea part two was Fantomex agreeing to give up his body to Charles Xavier.

I have so many questions. Fantomex is sort of a mutant, part of the Weapon X program. Now that Charles is inhabiting his body, is X using Fantomex’s abilities or Xavier’s? Considering that being a mutant is genetic and thus biological, it would make the most sense for Xavier’s telepathy not to carry over into Fantomex’s body. Or are they going to say it’s mind over matter?

It’s hard to be Professor X without being the strongest mind on the planet. The telepathy has to come into play, especially since he brought himself out of the astral plane without Psylocke’s help. But will it make any sense?

I know the answer is not going to make sense, and I’m asking way too many deep questions that the creators either haven’t considered or don’t care to consider. Either way, I’ll have to wait until 2018 to get any answers at all; that is, if they’re planning to provide any in the first place.

But with all the resurrections of original characters, does this mean adult Cyclops could come back too?