- "In the future, do I make it?”
“No. But we can change that." - ―Beast and Wolverine
Beast (Hank McCoy) is a mutant who has super strength. He was one of Charles Xavier's students and was also a teacher in the Xavier Institute.
Biography
X-Men: First Class
Henry "Hank" McCoy was a child prodigy, having graduated Harvard at age 15. He was eventually hired to work as a researcher for the CIA, wherein he investigated supersonic flight and built the Cerebro prototype. One day in 1962, he was approached by the CIA, Charles Xavier, Erik Lehnsherr, Moira MacTaggert, and Raven Darkholme during the early formation of the X-Men as a black-ops group. When Charles accidentally exposed him as a mutant, the urbane Hank displayed his physical mutation of prehensile feet and agility; greatly impressing Raven. He became instantly smitten with her, and a budding attraction was evident between them.
Hank revealed that he had been working on a serum to cure his physical mutation but leave his abilities intact. He believed that Raven's ability to alter her appearance would hold the key to perfecting it. He requested a sample of her blood, during which they shared each others' wish to appear "normal" as well as a kiss. However, Erik's constant validation of her true beauty and self-overturned her opinion, and when Hank finished the serum she refused to take it. He returned to his lab and injected himself and his animal-like feet seemed to revert to normal. However, they quickly changed back and McCoy underwent a radical transformation which resulted in him manifesting blue fur all over his body and taking on a more bestial appearance with the addition of fang-like teeth, pointed ears, and claws. The serum had the opposite effect he'd intended, it enhanced his mutation instead of dampening it. After trashing his lab, he left a note and a box containing the team's suits and met them at the hangar holding the Blackbird of his design. Not long after meeting up with the others, Hank was given the codename "Beast" by Havok. He piloted the team to stop Sebastian Shaw from starting WWIII between the US and the Soviet Union during the Cuban Missile Crisis. After they crashed on a nearby beach, he and Havok battled Azazel until Lehnsherr managed to infiltrate the Hellfire Club's damaged submarine and kill Shaw. When the remaining mutants left to form the Brotherhood of Mutants with Lehnsherr, Raven told a saddened Hank to remember to be proud that he was a mutant before being teleported away.
X-Men: Days of Future Past
In 1965, when Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters opened, it is likely that McCoy took up a teaching position there partly due to the fact he stated he and the Professor help created the school as well as the labs when the school was opening up. During that year, however, America assumed a direct military role in the Vietnam War. As the war escalated throughout the mid-late 1960s, many students and staff at the school were drafted into the military, and ultimately, the school was unable to function. It is uncertain if McCoy was drafted or not. By the early 1970s, Xavier's school was defunct, and Xavier reverted his mansion to a private residence once again. His estate had also fallen into considerable neglect and disrepair.
By the early 1970s, McCoy resided at the mansion, helping a reclusive Xavier tend to the affairs of his estate. Also during this time, McCoy developed a serum that not only regulated his own mutation but enabled Xavier to walk again.
X-Men: The Last Stand
Sometime prior to the development of the Mutant Cure, Hank had stopped taking the serum repressing his mutation and was working in a government position as the Secretary of Mutant Affairs. However, after he discovered the weaponization of the cure, he resigned in protest and returned to the X-Mansion to once again fight alongside the X-Men. After the Brotherhood of Mutants attacked Alcatraz Island in an attempt to destroy the cure, Hank injected Magneto with it during the ensuing battle, removing his powers for a long time. For his heroism and following better relations between humans and mutants, the President appointed Hank as Ambassador to the United Nations.
X-Men: Days of Future Past
In 2015, Beast was dragged outside of his home in Upstate New York and murdered by an angry mob of Human Majority Protesters.
X-Men: Days of Future Past
After being visited by Wolverine, Hank learned that the mutant had been sent from the future to prevent the Sentinels from being created. Learning that they would need Charles and Erik's help, Hank assisted him with rescuing the latter by fiddling around with the Pentagon's security systems. Soon afterward, the group would go to Paris to prevent Raven from assassinating the Sentinels' creator, Bolivar Trask. During the struggle, Erik attempted to kill Raven, believing that it was the only way to change the future. However, Hank, mutating himself, stopped him from doing so. Returning to the X-Mansion without Erik, who had gone on the run, Hank briefly addressed the prospect that the future could not be changed before helping Charles with overcoming his reliance on the serum and using Cerebro to locate Raven, who was heading to the Sentinels' unveiling in Washington DC for another attempt to kill Trask. Unknown to them, Erik had taken control of the Sentinels and, after isolating the White House by placing it in the center of a baseball stadium he had taken, attempted to kill all of the government representatives inside. Using the serum, Hank managed to avoid being detected by a Sentinel and encouraged Charles with persuading Raven from killing Trask and showing the humans a better future. Following the apparent "malfunctioning" of the Sentinels, Trask was placed in prison while society began to think more positively about mutants, thus changing the future.
Deadpool
During multiple outings, Beast would often defecate on the lawn of Blind Al's residence, later leading to Deadpool telling Colossus to stop his teammate from doing this.
X-Men: Apocalypse
To be addedPersonality
Hank is one of the few pure good mutants in the world, having never wavered into the darker side, mutants like Magneto and Shaw have created. While always on the side of good, during much of his youth, Hank was ashamed of his mutant heritage. McCoy tried to hide his abilities, in fear others would judge him, even going so far as to create a cure that would strip him of his mutant DNA. Eventually with the help of Charles Xavier, he learned to accept his mutant nature and became a very important figure in the mutant world.
Over many decades (and in both timelines), Hank has protected both human and mutant-kind, both on the battlefield and in the courtroom. He helped Charles build his school for Mutants, serving as a teacher and mentor for many years. Hank eventually left the school and has been working for mutant rights, even taking up a government position, becoming the head of mutant affairs to the President.
Hank is brave and selfless, willing to sacrifice his own life for the protection of his friends and family. Usually, Hank carried himself with a very polite demeanor unless aggravated. His greatest attribute is his near superhuman intelligence, which has gotten himself and the X-Men out of many bad scenarios. Hank has a brother-like relationship with Xavier, remaining by his side even at a time when Xavier did not believe in himself, helping him create the X-Men and staying with Charles to help his school grow.
Powers & Abilities
Powers
- Superhuman Strength - Beast has always possessed some degree of superhuman strength, the limits of which have varied at times due to subsequent mutation. After mutating into his simian form, his strength was increased. Initially, he can press 1 ton. After his secondary mutation, he can press 10 tons, capable of knocking out Azazel, easily overpowering Wolverine and subdue multiple mutant adversaries with a few hits during the assault on Alcatraz Island. During the X-Men's battle against The Four Horsemen, Hank was able to catch and throw a car.
- Superhuman Speed - Beast can run and move at speeds that are slightly beyond the natural physical limits of the finest human athlete. He can run at speeds up to 40 miles an hour over short distances. Before his second mutation, he ran around the entire X-Mansion in seconds.
- Superhuman Stamina - Beast's highly advanced musculature produces less fatigue toxins during physical activity than that of an ordinary human. He can exert himself at peak capacity for several hours before the build up of fatigue toxins in his blood begins to impair him.
- Superhuman Endurance - Beast is able to take hits will try to get back to continue to fight back. He shrugged off several hits from the mutant assassin Azazel, who is a highly skilled fighter.
- Superhuman Acrobatics - Beast's agility, balance, and bodily coordination are enhanced to levels that are beyond the natural physical limits of the finest human athlete. His agility has varied at times due to ongoing and subsequent mutations. While in his simian form, his agility is much more pronounced. He can also walk on his hands for many hours, or perform a complicated sequence of gymnastic stunts such as flips, rolls, and springs without any difficulty whatsoever.
- Prehensile Limbs - - Much like apes, Beast can easily cling, grip, and almost latch onto structures and objects with both his hands and feet. He can be upside down for several hours on end.
- Superhuman Dexterity - He can perform many tasks with his feet as easily as a human could do with his/her hands. He can hang upside down from the ceiling or the side of a jet with his feet and also caught Havok with his feet when Azazel attempted to throw him from the sky.
- Superhuman Leap - He can jump more than 15 feet high and 25 feet broad without any discomfort or difficulty.
- Claws and Fangs - Beast sports retractable, razor sharp claws at the tip of each finger and toe. Their natural edge, coupled with his strength, are sufficient to rend most conventional materials - including flesh, wood, stone, and even some types of metals. He also possesses elongated canines that he can use if he chooses to do so, as effective weapons in close quarter combat situations. He does not use them for violence, though he has seemingly used them to scale surfaces, such as a large Sentinel, with ease.
- Healing Factor- Beast is capable of healing minor injuries in minutes, however, serious and lethal injuries may take hours.
- Retarded Ageing - Unknown whether this is his healing factor or an ability from Mystique's blood, Beast ages at a similar rate to Mystique, as they both are physically able and active combatants in their later years whilst Magneto and Xavier are not. It is likely that Beast's usage of the inhibitor serum allowed him to age normally when he was in his human form X-Men: First Class and X-Men: Days of Future Past.
- Foreign Chemical Resistance - Beast possesses immunity to disease and illness. He possesses resistance to most drugs and medicine, this is notable when he encounters Wolverine as a young adult, Wolverine notes that even in his Human form he is still very strong, implying Beast body is significantly resistant to the serum. In addition, he appears to be able to transform into his mutated form at will, possibly from his enhanced pheromone/hormone control. He also requires large doses of the inhibitor drug to change into his human form, which is seen when he injects a large number of syringes into his arm.
Abilities
- Genius-level Intellect - McCoy's greatest asset is his keen scientific mind. He possesses a genius-level IQ, with extraordinary expertise in genetics, biochemistry, electronics and other subjects.
- Hand to Hand Combatant - During his stay in the X-Mansion, Beast has proven himself to be an excellent hand-to-hand combatant. He has bested several combatants such as Azazel, Magneto, and several members of the brotherhood. He utilizes his speed, agility, and strength while fighting.
Relationships
Friends and Family
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Enemies
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Trivia
- Beast was supposed to appear in X-Men but was cut out. Elements of Beast were incorporated into Jean Grey (she serves as a medical doctor as well as a political supporter of mutant rights).
- In the Dark Cerebro scene, Beast was supposed to appear turning blue in agony on the T.V seen in the bar, this was cut and did not make it to the DVD. However, the event is incorporated in the X2 novelization.
- In X-Men: First Class, he has yellow eyes but in X-Men: The Last Stand, he has green eyes. This would be because of his mutation after he tried to go back normal (as seen in X2) and then when he went back to blue form, the eyes would have stayed the same color.
External links
Beast on the Marvel Wiki
Beast on Wikipedia
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