Cherik

"I told you from the moment I met you there is more to you, Erik. There is good in you, too."

- Charles

Cherik is the slash ship between Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr from the Marvel fandom.

Films
X-MEN

While listening to Senator Kelley speak, Charles notices Erik in the crowd. He follows him out and asks him what he's doing there. Erik asks why he is asking when he already knows the answer, and Charles asks him not to give up on humanity just yet. Erik has heard the arguments before, but Charles thinks that humans have evolved since then. Erik says they've evolved into them, and after a pause asks if Erik is still sneaking into his mind. He asks what he's looking for and turns to face him. Charles says he's looking for hope, and Erik says he'll give it to him. But only if he gets out of the way. He walks away, saying that they are the future, not the humans.

As Erik is about to fire the guns at the police, Sabretooth suddenly grabs him and tells him to stop. Erik realizes what's going on and tells Charles to come out where he can see him. Charles asks what he wants Rogue for, and Erik taunts him for not being able to read his mind. He says that Charles will have to kill him before he can save the girl, and that if the Mutant Registration Sct passes, they'll lock him up. Charles says it won't happen that way, but Erik tells him to kill him and find out. Charles doesn't, and Erik fires on the officers, but stops the bullet before it kills them. Erik asks if Charles is going to press his luck and Charles lets Erik go. Erik says that Charles' unwillingness to sacrifice makes him weak and bids him farewell as he leaves with the rest of the Brotherhood.

Erik and Charles are playing chess in Erik's cell when Erik asks how Charles feels about the possibility of the Mutant Registration Act passing. They are coming for the children. Charles admits it scares him, and Erik asks what he'll do then. Charles will feel sorry for whoever comes looking for trouble. Erik asks why Charles is visiting him, and Charles asks why he is asking questions he already knows the answers to. Erik voices out loud Charles' continued search for hope, and says that prison won't hold him forever. The war is coming, and he will fight it by any means necessary. Charles says he will always be there and is wheeled out by the guard.

X-Men: First Class

Charles accompanied Moira MacTaggert and a US Coast Guard assault team to apprehend Sebastian Shaw on his yacht. While the arrest was unsuccessful, Charles encountered Erik, who tried to kill Shaw on his own. Charles stopped him and took him to the CIA's Division X facility.

Charles and Erik became close as they began recruiting mutants to defeat Shaw. After their facility at the CIA was attacked, they moved the team to Charles' mansion to train. There, Charles used his telepathy to help Erik realize the potential of his powers, assuring Erik that there was good in him. The two often played chess together as they debated how best to deal with Shaw; Charles wanted a peaceful resolution, while Erik wanted to kill him in revenge for the suffering he'd inflicted on Erik when he was experimented on as a child.

The team was eventually used to stop the Cuban Missile Crisis, which Shaw had orchestrated. After killing Shaw and donning his telepathy-blocking helmet, Erik tried to convince the others to see his side. As he spoke, American and Soviet ships fired on the beach they were standing on. Erik stopped the missiles in midair and turned them back on the ships. Charles tried to talk him down, but Erik was relentless. Unable to use his telepathy on him, Charles resorted to physically attacking Erik. The attack briefly broke Erik's concentration, but he quickly regained control of the missiles. Out of options, Moira fired her gun at him in an attempt to stop him. Erik easily deflected the bullets, but accidentally sent one into Charles' spine, paralyzing him from the waist down.

Charles fell to the ground in agony. Erik, completely forgetting about the missiles, let them fall safely into the water and rushed to Charles to hold him. In a rage, he used his powers to strangle Moira with her own dog tags. Charles was able to stop him from killing her. They parted ways, their friendship irrevocably damaged.

X-Men: Days of Future Past

Jaded and bitter from the loss of many of his students during the Vietnam War, Charles turned to a serum that allowed him to use his legs but prevented him from using his telepathy. When Logan Howlett traveled back to the 1970s to prevent a dystopian future in which mutants were exterminated by robots called Sentinels, Charles was reluctant to help him, but eventually relented. With the help of Peter Maximoff, they broke Erik out of his prison beneath the Pentagon, where he'd been imprisoned for his involvement in the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Seeing him for the first time in years, Charles punched Erik in the jaw.

On their flight to Paris, they talked, argued, and eventually played chess as a form of truce. Although they were able to prevent Raven Darkhölme from killing Bolivar Trask, the event that triggered the dystopian future, they were unable to capture her. She escaped, but not before Erik shot her in the leg. Erik went off alone to kill Raven, believing that killing her was the only way to stop the future genocide.

At the unveiling of the first Sentinels, Raven attempted to kill Trask again, but Charles was able to mentally stop her. Erik then intervened, using his powers to take control of the Sentinels and drop a stadium around them to prevent outside interference. Charles was able to convince Raven not to kill Trask. After she left, Charles took control of Erik's mind to remove the debris that trapped him. After a brief conversation, the two separated again.

X-Men: Apocalypse

Charles, who used Cerebro to try to locate Erik, discovered that he had been recruited by Apocalypse to be one of his Four Horsemen. Overhearing their telepathic conversation, Apocalypse used his powers to take control of the soldiers through Charles' telepathy, forcing them to launch their nuclear missiles into orbit. He later teleported to the X-Mansion and captured Charles, intending to transfer his consciousness into Charles and use him as his next body.

During the ensuing battle with the X-Men, a conversation with Peter Maximoff and Raven convinced Erik to leave Apocalypse's side and help defeat him. After the battle, back at the X-Mansion, Charles tried to convince Erik to stay. Though he was unsuccessful, they parted on friendly terms.

Animation
X-Men: The Animated Series (1992)

In Season 1 Episode 3, "Enter Magneto", Magneto resurfaced after years in hiding and tried to break the Beast out of prison. After watching the security tape of the incident, Charles Xavier told Jubilee about his history with Magnus. Later, Magneto attacked a military plant, disappointed that Charles had not come with the X-Men.

"He was once a friend. We met after a war. I worked in a hospital, secretly using my mental powers to heal the survivors. A dedicated young aide named Magnus assisted me. Together, we helped patients rediscover the joy of life. We became friends. But for some, a war is never over."

- Charles Xavier describing his first meeting with Magnus

In Season 1 Episode 4, "Deadly Reunions", Magneto attacked a chemical plant to get the attention of Charles Xavier. The two former friends reunited for the first time since their separation years earlier.

"The years have been kind to you, Charles."

- Magneto greeting Professor X at the chemical plant

In Season 1 Episode 13, "The Final Decision", Magneto joined the X-Men in their fight against Mother Mold and saved Charles Xavier's life.

"Did you think I would let you die alone, Xavier?"

- Magneto saving Charles from a deadly plane crash

In season two, Xavier and Magneto were both lured to Antarctica by Mister Sinister and teamed up to survive in the Savage Land. They saved each other's lives several times during their adventure.

In the season five finale, "Graduation Day", Magneto admitted that he loved Charles Xavier and gsve up his mutant revolution to save his old friend's life.

X-Men: Evolution (2000)

In Season 1 Episode 12 & 13, "The Cauldron", Magneto took control of Professor X's fighter jet and abducted him to Asteroid M. Professor X referred to Magneto as "Magnus" in this episode, a name only Charles refers to him by in this series.

"Side with me, not against me."

- Magneto to Charles, pleading him to join the mutant cause

In Season 3 Episode 9, "Under Lock and Key", Magneto was tricked into releasing the Guardian of Apocalypse, and Professor X led the X-Men to stop him.

In Season 3 Episode 12 & 13 "Dark Horizon", the X-Men, led by Professor X, and the Brotherhood and Acolytes, led by Magneto, worked together to track Apocalypse to the desert of Egypt. In the field, Magneto sometimes used his magnetic power to move Professor X's wheelchair.

In the series finale, Season 4 Episode 9 "Ascension Part II" during his brief contact with Apocalypse, Charles Xavier had a vision of a redeemed Magneto joining the Xavier Institute as a teacher in the future.

Wolverine and the X-Men (2009)

In Season 1 Episode 3 "Hindsight (Part 3)", Magneto rescued a comatose Charles Xavier from the shores of Genosha.

"Charles is a dear friend. All I've been doing is caring for him."

- Magneto to the X-Men

In Season 1 Episode 20 "Breakdown", as seen in Scott Summers' flashback, Magneto had a brief, teasing conversation with Charles Xavier after a brutal battle with the X-Men.

In Season 1 Episode 22 "Aces and Eights", Charles Xavier traveled back in time from a dystopian future to warn Magneto of the disastrous consequences of his war with humans.

"Erik, it's good to see you, old friend."

- Charles Xavier greeting Magneto Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers (2014)

In Season 1 Episode 21, "X-Men! To Loki's Castle", Charles Xavier asked Magneto to help the X-Men.

"Professor X really set me up here."

- Magneto while fighting two sentinels.

Comics
Earth-616 (Prime Earth)

Earth-616 is the main ongoing continuity of Marvel Comics.

Professor X and Magneto are characters created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby. The two opposing mutant leaders first appeared in Uncanny X-Men Vol. 1 #1, published September 1963, and had their first on-panel interaction in Uncanny X-Men Vol. 1 #4.

Earth-1610 (Ultimate Universe)

Charles Xavier was killed by Erik Lehnsherr in this alternate reality. The ultimate universe storyline ended in 2015 with the conclusion of the Secret Wars event.

Earth-295 (Age of Apocalypse)

Charles Xavier sacrificed himself to save Erik Lehnsherr in this alternate reality. To honor his dead friend's legacy, Magneto became the leader of the X-Men and dedicated his life to fulfilling Charles' dream.

Novels
X-Men: Mutant Empire (1996)

Mutant Empire is a trilogy of novels, including Book 1: Siege, Book 2: Sanctuary, and Book 3: Salvation.

Magneto, leading the Acolytes, took control of a fleet of Sentinels and claimed New York City as the foundation for his new mutant empire. The X-Men, led by Professor X, attempted to stop Magneto's tyrannical plan. In Book 3, Charles had a telepathic conversation with Magneto, begging him to stand down from his forces before unleashing an all-out war on humanity. Magneto refused. In the final showdown, Charles took control of Magneto's mind, and Magneto battled the illusions of the X-Men before losing. This is a rare instance of Professor X actively participating in a battle with Magneto, using mental powers against his old enemy and friend.

"...[A]s their minds touched, Magneto felt his old friend's essence, familiar and yet hostile."

- Charles and Eric having a telepathic conversation

The pair's backstory in this series of novels is faithful to the comic canon, often referencing their first meeting in Israel.

"The last time they had parted as friends, at peace with each other, the argument had reached new heights. In the heat of the Israeli summer, desert sand flying in the sweltering wind, bodies baking in uncomfortable clothing as their Jeep bounced on rutted unpaved roads, their tattered friendship was torn asunder."

- Charles Xavier recalling his past with Eric Magnus Lehnsherr

X-Men Movie Novelizations

This series of X-Men prose novels are official adaptations of the X-Men trilogy of films, including X-Men: A Novelization (2000), X-Men 2 (2003), and X-Men: The Last Stand (2006). The novels mostly follow the plot of the movies, with some minor changes. The second and third books are written by X-Men comic book writer Chris Claremont.

"It was like watching a pair of warrior princes take the field..."

- Charles and Erik described by Jean Grey as the duo approach her house

"...his friend - whom for so long, in so many ways, he'd considered his other half..."

- Charles Xavier thinking about Erik

X-Men: Chaos Engine (2004)

X-Men: Chaos Engine is a trilogy of prose novels.

In Book 2: Magneto, Magneto took control of the reality-altering modified cosmic cube and turned Earth into a utopia for all mutants. However, the use of the modified cosmic cube comes at a high cost - it drains the user's energy until death. Not only that, but the world-changing power of the cube also would cause parallel universes to collapse into each other, eventually tearing reality apart and destroying all existence. Charles Xavier tried to persuade Erik to give up the Cube, but Erik refused to give up the perfect world he had built for mutants. To convince Charles that his actions were for the greater good, the mutant overlord took his old friend on a tour of the planet. Erik showed Charles how happy all the world's inhabitants were, including the X-Men, whose memories of their former lives had been erased by the Cube.

"This is the Earth as we always dreamed it should be."

- Magneto showing Charles the world

The two settled into Erik's apartment in Paris, overlooking the left bank of the Seine. Erik prepared Charles' favorite tea, Earl Grey. Now a dying man, having lost too much life force to the Cube, Erik begged Charles to take over the powerful artifact so that their dream for mutantkind could continue. But Charles apologized and refused, stating that the world and reality itself were at stake. Suddenly, Red Skull, trying to take the Cube for himself, broke into the apartment and killed Magneto and the Professor.

"Why, then, can't you find it in your heart to do this one thing for me? For us?"

- Erik pleading Charles Xavier to take over the modified cosmic cube

"The Dream will not die, Erik, simply because the Cube is deactivated and the world returns to normal - it will continue to live on, in our hearts and minds... we will have to work twice as hard - together - to make it a reality once more."

- Charles Xavier to Erik Lehnsherr

In Book 3: Red Skull, reality was rewritten once again. The "resurrected" Charles, Erik and the rest of the X-Men worked together to save their world and eventually restore balance to the universe.

Games
X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse (2004)

Magneto, leader of the Brotherhood of Mutants, joined the X-Men to rescue an imprisoned Charles Xavier and battle the evil Apocalypse.

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (2006)

Professor X and Magneto have an Easter Egg conversation when they arrive in Mephisto's realm.

"Don't worry, Xavier. I shall return with your precious student."

- Magneto to Professor X, promising to rescue Nightcrawler

Marvel: Contest of Champions (2014)

Magneto and Professor X shared conversations during the November 2020 "The Immortal Hulk" story event.

Marvel: Future Fight (2015)

Both Magneto and Professor X are tier-1 playable characters in Marvel: Future Fight and can form a special team bonus called "Rivals and Brothers" that increases critical damage by 5.1% and attack speed by 4.8%.

Films
X-Men
 * Erik realizes that Charles has been searching his mind for information.
 * Charles tells Logan about Erik and his cause.
 * Charles tells Logan that Erik as able to find a way to not be detected by Cerebro because he helped him build it.
 * Charles describes what the machine has done to Erik.

X-Men First Class


 * Erik and Charles first meeting, Charles jumps into the ocean and saves Erik from drowning.
 * Charles sees Erik leaving and talks to him.
 * Erik comes back and Charles looks really surprised.
 * They go recruiting their First Class together.
 * They played chess together, watched the sunset, and chatted at the Lincoln Monument.
 * Charles not being able to leave Erik and following him when they were in Russia.
 * Erik trains by trying to get Charles to shoot him so he can try to deflect it, but Charles can't bring himself to do it.
 * Charles unlocks Erik's memory of his mother.

X-Men Apocalypse


 * As Mystique tries to get Erik to stop working for Apocalypse, leaving him to figure out what to do, a montage of all his moments with Charles, mostly from First Class, plays, and Erik starts to cry before going off to save Charles.

Fanon
Shipping between the two was rare in the comics and during the animated series. There was more shipping during the first three movies, but it didn't become more common until after First Class, and even more so after Days of Future Past.

There is a great deal of fics based on the movie for the pairing, be it canon compliant or not. After First Class it's common to see many about different points in the movie where the pair either get together or pine for each other. However, it was also common to find many fix-it fics where Erik returns to Charles to apologize, or where Erik never left Charles on the beach after he was shot in the first place. When Days of Future Past came out, it was found that a large amount of fics came out that were based around the scene on the plane when Charles and Erik had their argument on their way to Paris.

Comic fan fiction often focuses on several key periods of Charles and Erik's lives in the 616 continuity: their first meeting in Haifa (referencing to Uncanny X-Men Vol. 1 #161 and Legion Quest), their time living together in the ruins of Genosha (Excalibur Vol. 3), and most notably their joint leadership of the mutant nation of Krakoa (House of X/Powers of X and later). Hickman's recent run on X-Men, beginning with House of X/Powers of X, has inspired a surge of comic-based Cherik fics on AO3, taking up about one-third of all comicverse Cherik fics on the site.

On AO3 it is the most written ship for both characters. It is the most written ship in the X-Men - all media types tag, X-Men (Movieverse) tag, the X-Men (Alternate Timeline) tag, and the X-Men: The Animated Series tag.

On AO3 there are 17,507 fanfics for the Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier tag. The top three tags are Fluff with 2032 fics, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting with 2004 fics, and Angst with 1740 fics under this tag. The top five word counts for the ship on AO3 are 1,057,943, 625,847, 582,704, 517,048, and 477,052 but the average word count for the pairing is usually between 5,000 and 15,000 words. (As of July 2, 2023)

Fandom
FAN FICTION
 * Charles/Erik on FanFiction.Net
 * Erik/Charles on FanFiction.Net
 * Magneto/Professor X on FanFiction.Net
 * Charles/Magneto on FanFiction.Net
 * Charles/Magneto on FanFiction.Net

TUMBLR

WIKIS

Trivia

 * Charles is portrayed by Patrick Stewart and James McAvoy, while Erik is portrayed by Ian McKellen and Michael Fassbender.
 * The two actors are best friends in real life.
 * According to Fandometrics, Cherik was the twentieth most reblogged ship for the week ending June 10, 2019 and the seventeenth most reblogged ship for the week ending June 17, 2019.
 * Contrary to popular belief, Stan Lee, co-creator of Professor X and Magneto, never stated that these two of fictional rivals were based on Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. What can be inferred, however, is that the creation of the X-Men in the early 1960s was influenced by the socio-political context of the civil rights era.