X-Men's Professor Charles Xavier is one of the most powerful and experienced psychics in the world, but even with all that power, can he hold a candle to Marvel's Devourer of Worlds, Galactus? Two pivotal fights reveal the answer, settling whether the mutant leader's telepathy is capable of battling the Power Cosmic.
Galactus and Professor X first faced off in 1999's X-Men #90 (from Alan Davis and Terry Kavanagh.) In the issue, the X-Men finds themselves transported back through time to the day that Galactus consumed Tarnax IV. The throneworld of the Skrull empire, Tarnax IV's destruction caused chaos across the galaxy, ultimately leading to the Skrulls' Secret Invasion of Earth not to mention the billions of lives lost in the moment. Ever the dreamer, Xavier assumes his astral form to confront Galactus, hoping to persuade the Devourer of Worlds to spare the planet.
Ultimately, Xavier can't prevent the destruction of Tarnax IV - a fated event that essentially already happened. However, his interaction with Galactus gave fans a truly accurate indication of their respective power levels.
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Galactus is the oldest being in the universe, originating from before the creation of the current multiverse. Like others before him, he is charged with devouring living worlds, using advanced technology to drain them of all life. Galactus' destruction of Tarnax IV was a major historical event in Marvel lore, and a tragic result of the Skrulls' aggression towards Earth. Galactus only discovered the planet because of his new herald, Frankie Raye's Nova, who in turn knew its location because the Fantastic Four were captured and held there. The destruction of the Skrull Throneworld destablilized their empire, later leading an extremist cult to try and violently take Earth as the new Throneworld. If Xavier had been able to stop Galactus, he'd have prevented incredible suffering all across the galaxy.
In X-Men #90, Xavier transitions his mind to the astral plane, approaching Galactus. Xavier first argues for the Skrulls' survival, explaining to Galactus that he believes the X-Men were sent back in time to prevent the historic disaster from taking place. When the Devourer of Worlds won't listen, Xavier uses his telepathic abilities to gather thoughts and experiences from the Skrulls, beaming them directly into Galactus' mind in an attempt to stir his comion.
However, Galactus is totally unmoved, and responds by performing the same trick with the Skrulls' hatred and fear. This attack devastates Xavier, damaging his astral form so absolutely that he knows he won't be able to make it back to his body. Ultimately, Galactus makes the decision to save Xavier's life by returning his astral form to his physical body, but chillingly dismisses his attempts to save the Skrulls, stating;
You thought to change history, Charles Xavier. Yet, if you knew this is the way it was, you must have known it is the way it would be.
While Xavier's first meeting with Galactus went badly, he later managed to actually hurt the cosmic being.
While Professor X is absolutely outclassed in this exchange with Galactus, it's actually impressive that the cosmic god was willing to communicate at all. Usually, Galactus pays no attention to individual humans, since they're so far beneath his notice. The main exceptions are when it's a being he already knows or when someone rises to cosmic significance, such as when Reed Richards threatened him with the Ultimate Nullifier (which can destroy the entire universe.) The fact that Galactus was even willing to argue with Xavier and expend energy deterring him is a tribute to the X-Men leader's power.
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With Time to Prep, Charles Xavier Found the Right Weapon
Xavier got a rematch of sorts in Warren Ellis and Brandon Peterson's Ultimate Extinction. This series takes place in the alternate world of Earth-1610, aka the original Ultimate Universe. In this reality, Xavier's powers remain the same, but Galactus is very different. Known as Gah Lak Tus, this version of the World-Eater is a swarm of super-advanced weaponized drones which have killed world after world. As Gah Lak Tus heads towards Earth, the planet's heroes come up with a plan to fight back, with Xavier playing a major part.
Gah Lak Tus and the original Galactus met in 2013's Hunger, with the two beings recognizing each other and combining into a single, even more powerful form.
Using a device designed to enhance and target his telepathic power, Xavier requests that all of the humans on Earth open their minds to him, directing the force of billions of minds at the Gah Lak Tus drones. Gah Lak Tus suffers convulsions from the attack, giving Earths' other heroes the chance they need to fight back. Given the similar power levels of the original Marvel Universe and the Ultimate Universe, it's likely that with the same technology and billions of people helping him, Xavier could have a similar effect on the original Galactus.
While Charles Xavier is incredibly powerful, he's not in the same league as Galactus, and any conflict between them comes down to a mortal man trying to fight a fundamental aspect of the cosmos. With time to prepare and an entire world backing him, Ultimate Extinction implies that Xavier could make Galactus flinch, which is likely why the Devourer of Worlds respects him enough to have conversed on Tarnax IV. However, when it comes to any kind of sincere fight, Galactus crushes X-Men's Professor X in every imaginable situation.
