James Xavier, also referred to as Doctor Xavier or simply Dr. X, is the villainous main protagonist of the independent 1963 science fiction horror film X: The Man with X-Ray Eyes.

Although a good and genuine person, consequences resulting from his vision enhanced eyes, he slowly loses his sense of realism along with his mental stability as the side effects from his eye drops steadily drive him insane from what he can see, that others would wish they would never see.

He was portrayed by the late Ray Milland.

Personality[]

Dr. X was a respected doctor, surgeon, and scientist who was shown to genuinely care for his career and those involved. Following his investment to create eye drops that would enhance the human vision far past the barriers, he eventually decided to test them on himself to see their effects after multiple disappointing results from test subjects and animals.

Indirectly, following his overdose of drops, his heavily damaged but yet enhanced eyes drove him insane as all he saw around him became more and more enhanced eventually being able to see nothing but ultraviolet waves and skeletons of all those around him.

By the end of the film, his mental state had been heavily damaged and with the encouragement of a pastor believing him to be heavily influenced by his sins, berated him to pick it out and as a result, Xavier did just that and forcefully removed his eyes.

Biography[]

Prior to the events of X: The Man with X-Ray Eyes, Xavier was a doctor, surgeon, and scientist who regularly helped diagnose diseases and illnesses, operate on patients, and research in the hopes to make a impact in the medical field. One of his test, which he increasingly pursued was that of enhancing human vision far past the normal limits.

Dr. James Xavier is developing a eye drop that will not only increase the range of human vision, but also allowing one to see beyond the "visible" spectrum into the ultraviolet and x-ray wavelengths and beyond.

Following his testing on a young monkey, the small ape is able to see the colors of multiple pieces of paper behind a shield that is normally not able to be seen through. Although, shortly following the test, the monkey becomes ill and dies in his enclosure as Xavier and his associate and love interest Dr. Diana Fairfax watch and observe in confusion and remorse.

Following multiple disappointing or failed results, Xavier tests them on himself and although the first drop enhances his vision healthily, he feels the need to further explore and drops multiple drops onto himself resulting in him becoming visibly out of it before passing out.

He wakes up feeling fine and is now able to see further past the limits although his best friend and fellow doctor, Sam Burnt, discusses that the results from his work might not be as good as what it seems. Xavier dismisses his worries and assures him it was a success.

Initially, Xavier discovers that he can see through people's clothing, and he uses his vision to save a young girl whose medical problem was misdiagnosed. Over time and with continued use of the drops, Xavier's visual capacity increases but his ability to control it decreases as he loses his sense of normal vision.

Eventually, he can see the world only in forms of light and texture that his brain is unable to fully comprehend. Even closing his eyes brings no relief from the darkness in his increasingly frightening world, as he can see through his closed eyelids.

As his mind wonders farther into the space he sees, Sam attempts to confront him to get medical help for what is happening to him but in a frantic and aggressive state, Xavier shoves Burnt back which results in the latter falling from a high story building to his death. Xavier is shocked and horrified with himself as Diana had also witnessed the events. She covers for him and encourages him to leave knowing he isn't well.

Xavier skips town and goes on the run using his x-ray vision first to work in a carnival, and then to win at gambling in a Las Vegas casino. His eyes are altered along with his vision; first they become black and gold and later entirely black. To hide his startling appearance, he wears dark wraparound sunglasses at all times.

After being convinced to hustle alongside a carnival worker who realized Xavier had a special ability/secret, he works alongside him with both using fake names to con people out of their money in exchange for Xavier connivingly revealing something to them about their future. Eventually, the people of the town realize the scam and the worker turns on Xavier after becoming envious of his abilities as Xavier flees and meets up with Diana as she encourages him to get help before he falls any deeper.

At the casino, he wins multiple hands using his vision as the dealer stares suspicious and warily at him with each increasing hand. After attempting to leave alongside Diana, Xavier is confronted by the owner of the casino and two police officers working as guards. As they attempt to question him, Xavier panics and becomes aggressive as his vision strikes him with hard pain.

The owner removes his glasses revealing his black and gold pupils as the onlookers appear horrified and upset as Xavier violently shoves the owner and throws his money in the air allowing him to flee as the onlookers turn their attention to the money stopping the others as Diana watches on in concern as panic ensues.

Xavier flees via car but continues to descent further into madness as his vision increases as he drives the las Vegas strip as his ultraviolent vision causes him to lose vision senses and results in him crashing off into a nearby dessert.

He stumbles out and in a drunken type state, he stumbles upon a religious tent revival. He tells the evangelist that he is beginning to see things at the edges of the universe, including an "eye that sees us all" in the center of the universe. Around the same time, Diana and police arrive on scene as they watch from the entrance of the tent. The pastor replies that what he sees is "sin and the devil" and quotes the Biblical verse, "If thine eye offends thee... pluck it out!" Xavier chooses to blind himself rather than continuing to see anything more leaving his fate ambiguous as he is last seen eyeless.

Trivia[]

• Stephen King in his horror film book Danse Macabre claims there were rumors that the ending originally went further, with Milland crying out "I can still see." after gouging out his eyes. Corman has denied the existence of that ending but expressed enjoyment with the idea, saying "Now it's interesting. Stephen King saw the picture and wrote a different ending, and I thought, 'His ending is better than mine.".
• Corman says the idea for the film was his. It was originally about a scientist, then he felt that was "too obvious" so he changed the protagonist to be "a jazz musician who had taken too much drugs, and I get into about four or five pages, and I thought, "You know, I don't like this idea.", and so I threw the whole thing out, and started back and went back with the scientist, which was the original idea".