Warning: contains major spoilers for Marvel Unlimited Infinity Comic #62The X-Men's very own problematic founder Charles Xavier is experiencing an It's A Wonderful Life-like adventure in the pages of Marvel Unlimited Infinity Comic #62, as the Professor is sent to the alternate Age of Apocalypse to learn a valuable life lesson.
It's A Wonderful Life is a beloved and perpetually watchable Christmas fantasy film from 1946 that centers on the down-on-his-luck George Bailey as he spirals out of control after believing he has caused his family ruin. As Bailey attempts to end his life he is saved by a Guardian Angel, and after George wishes he were never born, the Angel shows Bailey an alternate timeline where he was not born and everyone's lives are worse because of it, finally showing the desperate man that his life does have meaning, and he is not a failure undeserving of love.
While the Charles Xavier in "A World Without X: Part 1," the first issue in Marvel Unlimited Infinity Comics' newest arc, is nowhere near as bleakly desperate as George Bailey was, he is certainly struggling with his feelings of failure and worthiness. Marvel Unlimited Infinity Comic #62 - written by Jordan Blum with art by Salva Espin and Israel Silva and lettering from Joe Sabino - follows Professor X as he goes through his incredibly busy daily itinerary, where he is meant to support various mutants throughout Krakoa. However, Xavier quickly begins to realize that he is not needed as much as he thought, as every single event he had scheduled - all seemingly centered around his ability to help - are all being solved or taken care of by another mutant. As Xavier starts the day he is meant to go and facilitate the resurrection of the classic '80s X-Men character Rusty Collins, but as he arrives his protégé Hope Summers is already bringing Collins out of his resurrection egg. This trend continues on throughout Xavier's day until he has a sparring match with Wolverine, where he is clearly off and Logan asks him what is wrong. Charles responds that he is worried about the delicate nature of Krakoa and that running the island is exhausting.
Charles Is NOT Prepared For A World Without Xavier
Wolverine pushes back, telling Xavier that he does not need to run the island alone and that what he is really afraid of is that Krakoa "has moved on without you..." As Xavier is contemplating the loss of his founding partners, Moira X and Magneto, he is attacked psychically by the villain Nightmare, who has come to Krakoa to attack Jean Grey. Nightmare instead decides to teach Xavier a lesson...by sending him to the decidedly deranged and dangerous Age of Apocalypse. The Age of Apocalypse crossover event began in 1995, and focused on a world where the insane mutant Legion attempted to go back in time and kill the terrorist Magneto but instead killed his father Charles Xavier. This created an entirely new timeline where the villain Apocalypse attacked the modern world 10 years earlier than in the main timeline and, without Xavier and his X-Men opposing him, took over the entirety of Earth. This is truly the perfect choice for an It's A Wonderful Life X-Men parody, as the Age of Apocalypse is quite literally a world where Xavier has been taken out of the equation, and everyone's life is way worse than if he had not been killed.
The Age of Apocalypse is a truly brutal timeline where Cyclops, ostensibly one of Xavier's most beloved X-Men "children" is a high ranking member of En Sabah Nur's army, so whatever It's A Wonderful Life lessons Charles Xavier learns about his place on Krakoa are certain to be brutal and long-lasting.
Marvel Unlimited Infinity Comic #62 is available now to read on the Marvel Unlimited app.