Warning: Spoilers for X-Men #35!Even Reed Richards of The Fantastic Four struggles to outsmart one member of the X-Men. Mister Fantastic ranks among the smartest men alive in the Marvel Universe. However, even a super-genius can’t combat certain powers that exist to combat the mind.

The head of The Fantastic Four’s table has his hands full as he struggles to outsmart Charles Xavier in X-Men #35. Professor X was once one of the more respected figures in the Marvel Universe, and a fellow member of the Illuminati alongside Reed. However, in more recent times, the founder of the X-Men has become their worst enemy and most hated villain at the conclusion of the Krakoa Era.

As the professor turns himself in for his crimes, the greatest minds in Marvel collaborate to try and subdue his mind – and they all fail. Simply put, no hero is a match for a telepath, especially one of Charles Xavier’s caliber.

Reed Richards Fails to Outsmart Professor X

As Does Tony Stark

When Charles Xavier is first taken to his cell, he recalls Reed Richards being embarrassed at the best attempt they could come up with to contain him, especially after Xavier points out, “You can cage my body, but my mind is free.” Tony Stark tries to assure his Illuminati teammate that the anti-psychic hardware used to create this cell should be enough to contain Xavier. However, as the remainder of the issue goes to show, that could not be further from the truth.

Not even the two biggest super-geniuses that Marvel has can come up with a proper means to stop Professor X, but by Xavier’s planning, this is all by design. Xavier reveals he left a post-hypnotic suggestion that if Reed Richards ever cages him, he should leave a loophole allowing him to escape. It worked, and the X-Men’s former leader proceeds to use his telepathy to let his mind roam aimlessly across the world. Reed’s the smartest man in the world, but you can’t out-think someone who can reprogram the thoughts you’re allowed to have.

Telepathy Goes Beyond Brainpower

And Super-Geniuses Can’t Stop It

Maybe it speaks to how powerful Charles Xavier is as a telepath, or just how powerful telepaths are in general in the Marvel Universe, but not even super-geniuses can handle them. Xavier’s intellect isn’t anywhere near the level where Reed’s is at, but he doesn’t need to be smarter than Richards to outsmart him. He just needs to twist Reed Richards‘ mind in a way that can defeat him. Xavier’s power lies in breaking down, overwhelming, and overpowering the brain, which is a different kind of brainpower than The Fantastic Four leader could ever think to handle.