10 Dumbest Decisions Marvel Heroes Have Ever Made

10. Professor X Pretends He Lost His Powers - X-Men #4-5 (1964)

X-Men #4 debuted several key Marvel characters including Blob, Toad, Mastermind, Quicksilver, and Scarlet Witch (who is drawn green on the cover for some reason). After chasing the evil mutants through Magneto's palace, the X-Men's mentor, Professor Charles Xavier, realises a door they're approaching is booby-trapped. In an attempt to protect his team, the professor hurls his body at the door, activating the bomb.

Although Professor X is unharmed, he informs his students that the explosion deactivated his psychic powers. For the first time since the X-Men formed, Cyclops, Beast, Jean Grey, Angel, and Iceman are forced to battle evil without their founder using his telepathy to guide them.

Fortunately, the merry mutants thwart Magneto's acolytes and return to the professor's home. Only then, Xavier reveals he never lost his powers and only claimed to so he could see if the X-Men could defeat their foes without him. This means that the so-called pacifist mutant leader voluntarily chose not to help his teenage students, despite them being in mortal danger. Sadly, this is only one of many, many times where Xavier has deceived his team, which will become more apparent throughout this list.