Just because you had a good childhood doesn't mean you can't have problems to face as an adult that are horrible. Charles' disability will be a struggle for him, and yes, (Loganbabe, you know this), I will be disinterested in any sequel that skips over this part of his life as he learns to deal with it.
The "bad childhood angle" will not be used anyway. I know that; it was just an example as how they could've given Charles some conflict, and it's canon - it wouldn't be like the filmmakers went "oh Charles needs some issues in his life as well, let's give him some childhood abuse", and totally invent it. But like I said, it wasn't used and it won't be used, period.
The whole point is - First Class was supposed to be a Charles and Erik story, but it was only a "Erik-turning-into-Magneto" story, and Charles was there just to give validation to the other character - like he was just
used to give Erik validation. I love the film but I'll always resent this. Because it's obvious that if they wanted to make a Charles-and-Erik story they could have made one. In the end, we know nothing about Charles - about how he dealt with his power, about why he decided to help people, about his relationship with his family. We get glimpses here and there but then the story has to rush to catch up with the resolution of Erik's conflicts. So why didn't they go ahead with the Magneto - Origins idea, if they were only interested in his story anyway?
Now they say that second film will be heavily focused on Charles. I somehow doubt it, and from interviews I understand that James is extremely cautious as well. He would love to explore Charles' conflicts, of course; he said that Vaughn had some good ideas and all. All very nice, but we know that movies don't really work this way. I remember reading the very early articles and interviews as soon as FC was announced, and from them I got the idea that Charles would be the main focus of the story. James was the first actor cast; there were all those talkings about telepathic battles and Charles' intense relationship with Moira and and blah blah blah. So I was really surprised when I saw the first trailer and there were almost only Magneto scenes - to the point they had to hurry and release a Charles' clip, because otherwise people would think Fox had gone ahead and made a Magneto - Origins after all.
So yeah, we all would love to see "Charles dealing with his paralysis" getting some focus, James more than anyone else. But it's all an early talk, and it can change - and change a lot. James is a pro and he's contractually obligated to make the second film, so he'll do it regardless of what happens to Charles in the sequel. So maybe one or two fans will be disappointed if it all turns to be another Magneto story, but if there's a lot of action and the Brotherhood exploding stuff, a whole lot of other fans and regular viewers will be pleased as well, and maybe the sequel will make even more money, and Fox will be happy. Anything can happen, really.
No, I think that a lot of fan boys just like Erik better, and like to side with Erik. I like that, in the end, Charles was wrong because it gave validity to Erik's cause, but also showed how good a person Charles is as he still refused to side with Erik. I'm hoping, in the sequel, that Charles is proven right about his views in some way, showing this issue is not as black and white as Erik wishes it to be.
It was not only about the fanboys. Obviously, the majority of fanboys will always prefer Magneto over Professor X - I have no doubts about it. But the general audience never had the chance to spent enough time with Charles to understand his point of view and sympathize with him. Or maybe they simply sympathized with this idea of a drunk playboy using bad pick up lines on pubs - this is exactly what a friend of mine who's not a X-Men fangirl and was totally "Team Erik" by the end of the film told me - that was Charles to her. It was like the character had no substance. And I really think that if not for a stupendous actor like McAvoy giving him depth just by the way he used his voice, or the way he expressed inner feelings with his eyes, Charles would be almost like a curious nullity.
And please don't get me wrong, I
loved Drunk!Playboy!Charles. The early scenes were a blast. But as the story progresses, we expect to learn more about the character and to understand his side of the story too, and we get nothing. That is, we get what James offers us, but as an actor he was limited by the script. He did what he could.
I have heard Vaughn say once that he thought Charles was a boring character, and how happy he was that James McAvoy made him interesting. And as much as I hate to admit it, he's right. Charles, in the comics, has always played the spiritual guide, with no real flaws to his character--the monk of the X-men and happy to be that way. The writers (and James, I believe) added some much needed spice to his character, making him a playboy and not the person we later see as the leader of the X-men. Charles in the comics was boring because he never went on that hero's journey; he started it in XM:FC, and it needs to come full circle as Erik's has.
I agree. But the problem is, I don't think that it's the character who is boring - it's the writers who are lazy, or not creative enough. In the movies, for instance - it seems he was considered a deus ex-machina, so they just removed him from the action. His powers were never fully explored and his personality was oblitared - he was just a zen guy giving zen lessons to his students.
I
really expected FC to change this. And they tried by giving him the playboy traits and plenty of charm, which was lovely and quite daring, but then they stopped. Once again Charles' personality, his ideals, his moral questionings about the use/misuse of his power, etc, were all put aside because it seems that the writers and the director couldn't deal with two strong main characters at the same time. Sad.
So, my one and only expectation is if Second Class will change this. It's a 50/50, I think. This is why I'm just half optmistic about it.
In the movie, he also has more richness to his character, and time to develop into the Charles we see in the later movies. It's because of XM:FC that Charles is now my favorite X-men character.
I understand that some people are more interested in Charles after FC. Erik's fans wouldn't change their mind, of course, but that's not the point. I think that some people have the sensibility to understand Charles' situation and sympathize with him. I just think he could have been more explored and explained, as a character - in the movie itself, and not just in the imagination of a few viewers.
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