Why does Professor X touch his head when using his abilties?
Both James McAvoy and Patrick Stewart touch their right temple when Professor X uses his telepathic ability. I can't think of another mutant who does something similar so what's the reason for this?
Does he physically need to do it or is it a habit? Is it a visual clue for the audience? Does he do it in the comics?
Best Answer
Professor X does not need to touch his temple when he uses his telepathic powers. I've always thought this was a visual cue for the audience. He can be seen using his powers several times in films when he's having a casual mental conversation, using Cerebro, or touching someone else.
He's also sometimes depicted in the comics using his powers without touching his head.
However, this is a strong visual cue, so many comics artists have used it over the years.
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Answer 2
It is something McAvoy came up with. I heard it in an interview during the time First Class was released:
Q. How difficult is it to portray a lot of emotion just by rubbing your temple?
James McAvoy: Well, I saw what everybody else was doing and they all got to do really cool ninja stuff. But I don’t really get to do anything. So, I thought I had to physicalise my power and came up with the master-stoke of touching my temple!
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