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Feb 19, 2024 · Fans revisiting Marvel Studios' The Marvels got the clearest look yet at the MCU sequel's highly-discussed X-Men cameo - Kelsey Grammer's Beast. Grammer became the talk of the MCU fandom after his Beast made a surprise appearance in The Marvels' post-credits sequence - his first time playing the role since an uncredited showing in 2014's X-Men: Days of Future Past.
Nov 17, 2023 · Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Beast made his debut in X-Men #1, in September 1962. Here’s how Marvel describes his back story: “While working at a nuclear power plant, Norton McCoy was ...
- Chris Tilly
- TV & Movies Editor
- Overview
- History This is an abridged version of Henry McCoy's history. For a complete history see Henry McCoy's Expanded History Early Years
- Personality
- Attributes
- Paraphernalia
- Notes
- Trivia
- See Also
- Links and References
Oh, my stars and garters!
—Beast
As a member of the first class of X-Men, the intelligently gifted Dr. Hank McCoy has been fighting for the peaceful coexistence between mutants and humans for most of his life, under the tutelage of Professor Xavier. Born with an enhanced physique, strength, and muscular structure, he has adopted the name Beast. McCoy's mutation further developed when he worked at the Brand Corporation and developed a serum that triggered his transformation into a blue-furred creature with sharp fangs and claws.
As a cheerful and bouncing super hero, Beast established a renowned reputation as a veteran Avenger, a Defender, and a founding member of X-Factor. Having found himself back to the X-Men and the Xavier Institute, Beast was one of the most engaged X-Men in carrying on Xavier's dream. However, under the leadership of his longtime teammate Cyclops, the X-Men turned to extremism, leading Beast to defect. His opposition escalated with the schism between Cyclops and Wolverine, for he joined the latter in building the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning. The war between the Avengers and the X-Men consolidated Beast's allegiances, as he supported the Avengers and focused on opposing Cyclops' operations in any possible way. Additionally, he also assumed Professor Xavier's legacy in the shadowy organization known as the Illuminati.
Early Years
Henry "Hank" McCoy was born and raised in Dunfee, Illinois, the son of Norton and Edna McCoy. His father worked at a nuclear power plant where he was exposed to massive amounts of radiation during an accident. Norton was completely unharmed, but the radiation affected his genes and, as a result, his son was born a mutant. Unlike most mutants, Henry showed signs of mutation from birth: unusually large hands and feet, coupled with unusual strength and agility. A prodigy, Hank was also endowed with an innate superhuman intellect and during adolescence further increased his powers of simian-like augmented agility, reflexes, and strength.
Education
While attending Bard College, thanks to his powers, Henry became a star football player as a teenager and earned the nickname Magilla Gorilla. Hank hid his mutation and thirst for knowledge in plain sight - until the school asked him to leave after he was exposed as a mutant. Hank's remarkable athletic abilities and brilliance attracted the notice of Professor Charles Xavier, who was forming the original X-Men. Xavier offered Hank, who excelled in the classroom, the chance for unlimited academic opportunities at his prestigious School for Gifted Youngsters. The costumed criminal named El Conquistador, however, also took note of his abilities and captured McCoy's parents in order to force McCoy to aid him in his criminal schemes. With the help of Prof. Xavier and the X-Men, Henry defeated the Conquistador and then joined the X-Men as their fourth member, taking the code-name "Beast".
Time-Displacement
A version of Beast from the future traveled to their time in order to inform them that the future was in a bad state, and that only the original X-Men could help fix it. Hank and the other X-Men traveled with this Beast to the future, where Cyclops had killed their mentor Charles Xavier, Jean Grey was dead (and the school now named after her), and Beast was dying from the changes in his body being brought on by his secondary mutation. After Hank and the team confronted the future Cyclops, Hank then turned his priorities to saving his future self. With the help of Kitty Pryde and Jean (whose telepathic powers were just forced to surface), Hank managed to stabilize his future self's condition and saved his life. With Jean's leadership, the team decided to stay in this time until its problems were resolved, before going back to their own time. As a result of a conflict between Wolverine's X-Men and the future versions of the X-Men and Brotherhood at Cape Citadel, Kitty decided to quit Logan's school and took herself and the younger X-Men to Cyclops' school instead. Following several adventures as members of Cyclops' schools, the young X-Men decided to part ways and lay low for a while with the emergence of a new wave of anti-mutant hysteria and the beginning of the M-Pox crisis. Beast started a road-trip with young X-Men Genesis and Oya, and decided to reunite with his teammates six weeks later in order to continue the journey with more company, helping out people across the globe wherever it was needed with the help of a teleporting Bamf named Pickles. Frustrated by his inability to find a way to bring himself and his friends back to their time, Beast decided to experiment with magic. These experiments eventually made way for him to find a way to travel through time using the Third Eye of Horus, gifted to young Beast by Doctor Strange. Over the course of time, Hank began to dabble in experimentation with mysticism in order to discover a new way home. A portal to some demonic nether pit set beneath the X-Men's new home in a trailer park. What he didn't realize was that his equipment had actually been tainted by the demonic forces put out by the Goblin Queen left over from the Secret Wars. While his friends did their best to abate Pryor and her forces, Beast made an accidental discovery which enhanced his mystical knowledge and abilities tenfold, enabling him to single-handedly banish her forces back to Hell while their interested conductor made a hasty retreat. Over time Hank believed he had discovered that he had merely found a way to travel through time within the timeline he was currently inhabiting and not his own. Beast reunited the original five X-Men to show them in person his unfortunate discovery, and they witnessed what they thought were the younger X-Men of this timeline inhabiting the past they believed would've been available for them to return. The young X-Men then returned to the present and proceeded to look forward to their future, which would no longer be tied to their concurrent older selves. The time-displaced X-Men assumed they could stay in the present with no consequences until the collapse of the timestream forced them into a time-hopping adventure that resulted in the young heroes discovering that the divergent versions of themselves in the past were in reality the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants from an alternate future impersonating them to take advantage of the void they left. The young X-Men returned to the future, but with the knowledge that they would ultimately have to return to the exact moment they had left to prevent the Brotherhood from carrying out their plan. When the time-traveler mutant-hunter Ahab targeted the younger displaced X-Men, threatening to bring forth a dystopian future if he killed one of the five original X-Men, a younger version of the time-travelling warrior Cable set out to send the young mutants to the past on his own. After defeating Ahab, the young X-Men agreed to return to their original time. Before doing so, Jean Grey sealed off the memories of her and her friends' time-displacement, causing them only to resurface on their older selves as soon as their younger selves returned to the past.
Henry McCoy wondered why he wasn't one of the "lucky ones." If he had to remain a mutant, why did he have a power that made him look and sometimes feel like a beast? He continued to struggle for the acceptance of others. As a man of arts and letters and the sciences, Beast was very much the Renaissance man, and while his peers in the intelligence community knew this, they still considered him very much a mutant. He even knew what it was like to be jilted by the proverbial Beauty, his recent fear of human emotion had caused him to turn away from longtime lover Trish Tilby, who had finally seemed to find the error in her ways as far as an attitude towards his secondary mutation.
Despite his ongoing battle with the demons of loneliness and rejection, he was an inveterate prankster and wit, and besides his brutish exterior, Beast was the most literate and eloquent of the X-Men, possessing a million-dollar vocabulary. Henry was every bit a human being plagued by duality: man/beast; genius/sports star; gentle giant/feral aggressor. Equal parts biochemist and activist, Beast focused on the X-Men's goals of building better relationships between man and mutant. In immersing himself in this campaign, Beast held hope that in the world he and the other X-Men dream of, he'll finally be known more for the genius within than for the creature outside.
Powers
Beast is a mutant. Genetic Atavism: It is possible that Beast's mutation is a result of genetic atavism (or genetic traits that resurface in a species after many generations of dormancy). He also possesses neotenous (or traits in a descendant that resemble those of an ancestor organism) characteristics, which would explain why he has a big modern brain with an ape-like physique. Due to Secondary Mutation,[115] Beast transformed from his original ape-like physique to a more cat-like physique. A subsequent mutation affected him, and he required the help of his past self, who was able to stabilize him in a new appearance.[149] His powers have varied at times due to ongoing and subsequent mutations. •Superhuman Strength: Originally in his teen years, Beast was able to lift about 1 ton. From breaking chains to headbutting through a solid metal wall, he always made full use of his physical prowess by combining muscular strength with agile kinetic buildup. After his mutation into a blue simian form, which eventually stabilized afterward, his strength was increased to the point where he can now lift about 10 tons, which is sufficient for him to smash through a brick wall with a single punch, toss a smaller car, and to tie an iron barbell into a knot. When enhanced after Infectia´s kiss, he was strong enough to smash a tank with his bare hands and punch the ground to create a massive shock wave. Even before these extreme levels though, he has lifted part of a full-grown oak tree made of solid gold, with effort. His strength also extends to the muscles in his legs, allowing him to leap a height of 32 feet high and 50 feet in a standing broad jump.[171] •Superhuman Speed: Beast can run and move at speeds that are slightly beyond the natural physical limits of the finest human athlete, despite his abnormal size. He can run at speeds up to 40 mph for short distances, particularly if he runs on all fours. It also allows Beast to attack opponents before they can react and pull their trigger fingers and keep up with opponents who can move at low-level superhuman speeds.[171] •Superhuman Stamina: Beast's highly advanced musculature produces fewer fatigue toxins during physical activity than that of an ordinary human. He can exert himself at peak capacity for several hours before the buildup of fatigue toxins in his blood begins to impair him.[171] He also commented that after his mutation into a cat-like form that he no longer needs a full night of sleep, although it is unknown if he still retains this side effect of his stamina after becoming a new ape-like form once again. •Superhuman Durability: Beast's bodily tissues are harder and more resistant to certain types of injuries than the bodies of normal humans. His physiology can withstand great impact forces, though he can be injured by many types of conventional weapons such as standard firearms and bladed weapons. However, he can withstand physical impacts, such as falling from several stories by landing on his feet without suffering any broken bones or sprains. Also, he is able to be physically struck by many superhumanly strong beings like Colossus and The Hulk that would either severely injure or kill a normal human with little to no discomfort.[171] •Superhuman Agility: Beast's agility, balance, and bodily coordination are enhanced to levels that are beyond the natural physical limits of the finest human athlete. While in his simian form, he has the agility of a great ape combined with the acrobatic prowess of an Olympic level gymnast. He can walk a tightrope or a slack rope as easily as most people can walk on a sidewalk. He can also walk on his hands for many hours or perform a complicated sequence of gymnastic stunts such as flips, rolls, and springs. He can easily match or surpass any Olympic record in gymnastics.[171] •Superhuman Reflexes: Beast's reflexes are similarly enhanced and are on levels beyond the natural physical limits of the finest human athlete. His training with the X-Men, as well as his experience battling enemies, has granted him the reaction time to evade gunfire. He can react at low-level superhuman speeds, even catching smaller missile mid-air with his feet. His reflexes are a partial reason why the Beast is able to be so agile and fast, despite the abnormal bulk of his ape-like form. •Superhuman Dexterity: He can perform many tasks with his feet as easily as a human could do with his hands. His manual and pedal dexterity are so great that he can write using both hands at once or tie knots in rope with his toes.[171] •Regenerative Healing Factor: Beast's metabolism enables him to repair mild to moderate injuries much faster than a normal human. For instance, he can recover from minor ailments, such as a severe cold or fever within a few hours. More severe injuries, like broken bones, used to heal within a few days, whereas normal humans might take many weeks or even months. However, his healing abilities have increased to the point where he recovers from mild to moderate injuries within the span of a few hours. However, he cannot regenerate destroyed organs or severed limbs.[171] •Contaminant Resistance: Hank possesses a highly advanced immune system, which is a partial reason why he is able to recover from mild ailments, among other forms of sickness, within a few hours. Hank also possesses a high immunity to foreign chemicals, such as tranquilizers and certain types of poisons used by Kraven the Hunter in their encounter during his early years with the X-Men. •Temperature Resistance: Due to a combination of his own healing abilities and his fine coat of blue fur, Beast is resistant to freezing temperatures. This was evident even before his ape-like form, to the point of being frozen in solid ice by Iceman for a short time and survived with a moderate case of shivers once freed during his early years with the X-Men.[171] •Telepathic Resistance: Hank possesses moderate resistance to telepathic manipulation and was able to resist Cassandra Nova's high-level telepathic powers for a short time until she used his own fears of devolving into a mindless animal against him. •Slowed Aging: Beast also possesses a slight degree of slowed aging due to his own healing abilities. Despite being 40 years of age since the time of Cassandra Nova's attack, he still retains the physical appearance and vitality of a man in his prime. •Superhuman Senses: Hank possesses enhanced, acute senses that are comparable to those of certain animals, enabling him to see and hear distant objects more clearly than a normal human, and identify and track someone purely by scent over open terrain and his hands and feet are sensitive enough to detect electronic signals (from bombs, listening devices, etc.) through solid walls and floors. He also possesses cat-like night-vision that also allows him to see even in near-total darkness and when asked by Nick Fury, he was able to identify that it was the real Colossus when he came back to life all by scent.[171] •Timestream Attunement: Hank's experiments with time travel have attuned him to the timestream, making him aware of changes in history.[172] •Minor Pheromone Manipulation: Beast has the ability to secrete pheromones to attract members of the opposite sex.[171] •Razor-Sharp Claws and Fangs: Beast sports retractable, 3" razor-sharp claws at the tip of each finger and toe. Their natural edges, coupled with his strength, are sufficient to rend most conventional materials including flesh, wood, stone, and even metal effortlessly and enable him to climb up vertical surfaces by wedging his fingers and toes into the smallest of cracks. He possesses elongated canines that he can use, if he chooses to do so, as effective weapons in close-quarter combat situations.[171] Former Powers •Black Vortex Empowerment: When Beast submitted to the power of the Black Vortex the cosmic energies infused into him augmented both his genius intellect and mutant capabilities boosting his already impressive power set and understanding of the universe to new heights. •Flight: Beast could fly under his own power. •Accelerated Probability Generator: His brain and analytical thinking had been boosted to unprecedented levels making is mind comparable to that of a quantum computer, able to fabricate a detailed map of the space-time continuum which would enable him to predict and act on any and all possible outcomes that may occur. •Cosmic Energy Blasts: Like others who were altered by the black vortex, Hank could discharge potent blasts of energy from his being at will. •Cosmic Awareness: Either a combination of his natural intellect being ascended or via interaction with the black vortex, Henry McCoy had achieved a form of epiphany that entitled him enlightenment to the truth of the cosmos. •Recursive Retaining Enhancement: After coming in contact with an extraterrestrial anomaly, Beast, while retaining his still humanoid form before multiple secondary mutations, ended up losing his enhanced simian like physiology to eventually regain all of his powers with clear physical enhancements, showcasing his strength to be equal to that of a green pre-Merged and/or Gravage Hulk, able to lift a whole plane atop his head with ease.[173] Symbiote: While on Ulgriath, Hank bonded to a symbiote that escaped from Haze Mancer's collection, which adapted to his unique powers. While bonded to it, Beast's appearance was similar to his demonic form,[174] and it augmented his physical strength and enabled him to summon symbiote-augmented demons as extensions of his body.[175] This symbiote later separated from him to return to its homeworld.[176] Magic: Taking Stephen Strange's advice Hank decided to delve into magic and many of its practices. Dabbling in the mystic arts has granted Beast with an odd new beast form, one in which he can channel immense amounts of magical powers through. •Banishment •Teleportation •Time Travel •Portal Creation •Demonic Transformation
Abilities
•Genius Intelligence: Dr. Hank McCoy is one of the eight smartest people in the world.[136] He has six PhDs, including one in biophysics. A world-renowned biochemist,[177] Henry McCoy's greatest asset is his keen scientific mind. As the X-Men's resident technological and medical genius,[177] he possesses extraordinary expertise in genetics,[177] biochemistry,[178][177] and electronics.[179] He discovered the hormonal extract that is the chemical cause of mutation and cured the Legacy Virus.[113] Among his technological feats, McCoy has designed and built Cerebra; a time travel device with the X-Club;[180] a machine which separates the Evolutionaries from cosmic rays;[181] and the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning, outfitted with Shi'ar technology as well as a thermonuclear reactor.[182] During his time travel situation he was placed behind the curve on the technologies of the day. He is also quite the gifted computer scientist, hacking Bruce Banner's computer[183] and designing a computer system that locked down as soon as Kitty Pryde tried to access it. He has extensive knowledge of a variety of other scientific fields.[177] Cecilia Reyes was impressed with his knowledge of theoretical physics and basic anatomy.[184] Though, he has humbly stated himself to be an amateur in physics and technology.[178] He has an eidetic memory[185] and it shows in his ability to recall complex mathematical or chemical formula with little to no research.[186] He can additionally remember and quote historical text, literature, or even comic strip quotes from memory.[187] Hank is also an accomplished keyboard musician.[177] •Excellent Hand to Hand Combatant: The hyperactive, bouncing Beast is an excellent hand-to-hand fighter. He gained his initial combat training from Professor Xavier, and then continued his tutelage in combat gymnastics from Captain America. He typically uses a freestyle form of combat, similar to that of Spider-Man, that allows him to make full use of his great strength and agility. During times of anger, however, the Beast is known to resort to brawling and street fighting tactics.[citation needed] •Multilingual: He is fluent in several languages including English, German, French,[188] Latin, Italian,[189][190] Spanish, Japanese,[188] Arabic, and Russian[191] as well as Latverian. The Black Swan has also been teaching him a few extinct languages.[192][171] •Expert Tactician: He is a capable leader as he has led his own team of Defenders with fellow X-Men Iceman and Angel as teammates. Even when he is not the leader of a team, he has been a key member in some of the greatest team accomplishments, such as helping to rescue Nova on Mars with the Secret Avengers. He is also a great team player.[citation needed] •Indomitable Will: Hank's dedication to science and coexistence between humans and mutants is unwavering. He never gave up on finding a cure for the Legacy Virus in which he eventually did find a cure. He has great compassion for both humans and mutants alike, and his unflagging courage allows him to protect both of them at any cost, even with his own life.[citation needed]
Weaknesses
•Animal Instincts: For years, Hank McCoy has had to come to terms with his increasing animal instincts, which come with each new mutation. Cassandra Nova took advantage of this by making him act like an animal much to his humiliation until Beak managed to break him out of her control. Due to Beast's transformation into a cat-like being he has developed a carnivorous taste for flesh, which he is conflicted over.[citation needed] •Vulnerable Senses: Due to his animal-like mutation, the only other "weakness" that Beast has is the fact that his heightened senses can be taken advantage of.[citation needed] •Allergy: Beast claims to be allergic to sawdust.
Equipment
The Beast possesses a fully-equipped laboratory in Xavier's mansion. Presumably, it holds the latest in biological and material analysis devices. It may also contain Shi'ar technology. At one point, Beast had possession of the Mind Gem. Former Equipment Stealth Cyber Gear: Technology Hank picked up while traveling through time-space. The Cyber Gear implant directly interfaces Henry's cerebellum with any and all technological appliances, giving him complete control.[193]
Weapons
While known to use heavy weapons in battle,[citation needed] Beast prefers to fight bare-handed.[citation needed]
Transportation
X-Men Dove, Quincarrier, X-Men Blackbird, X-Men Stratojet, X-Copter, Professor Xavier's Rolls Royce, Sentinel Air Transport, X-Factor Plane, various aircraft constructed by Ship, Quinjet.
•It was revealed that Hank had a crush on Betsy Braddock when she was a supermodel. They flirted with one another.[194]
•The Beast has a weakness for Twinkies. Evidence can be found in his New Year's Resolutions revealed that one of his resolutions was to "Eat fewer Twinkies"[195] (the other resolutions were to "read more 15th century texts" and "cure Legacy Virus", the latter the only one which it is evidenced that he did).
•Beast doesn't have blue skin but a fine coat of blue fur.[196]
•If Beast loses his higher mental functions and reverts to his animalistic state, he can be brought back by a ball of yarn. Synthetic fiber laced with pheromones, aerosol smart-drugs, and light sequences to bring back his higher brain functions.[197]
•Henry McCoy claims that he does not like being called the "Beast", and that it brings him sorrow. He considers it an unwarranted cognomen, since he is a scholarly and refined man. He admits to having been called many unflattering things before, and that this has bruised his ego.
•Henry McCoy claims that he does not care for the identity of the Beast, and that he feels relieved when removing his X-Uniform. He preferred his civilian identity as an honor student.[198]
•Beast's original furry transformation was an idea that originated from Roy Thomas, with input from Stan Lee, in an effort to make the character more visibly striking. He also became more werewolf-like to capitalize on the success of Werewolf by Night.[199][200]
•Beast was once captured by S.H.I.E.L.D and imprisoned in "The Cage". His prisoner number was: 412076.[citation needed]
•Hank identified himself as an agnostic.[201][149] Despite this, he has prayed to God on occasion and affirmed his belief.[202] He ultimately expressed strong belief in God's existence during a conversation with Spider-Man, who, during the conversation had declared his atheistic beliefs.[203] Recently however, he has expressly stated his atheism.[167]
•Hank played obstacle chess with Nightcrawler frequently.[204]
•Beast has had at least 1143 websites devoted to him.[205]
•Beast favors Chamomile tea.[206]
•1987 appearance(s) of Henry McCoy (Earth-616)
•32 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Henry McCoy (Earth-616)
•314 minor appearance(s) of Henry McCoy (Earth-616)
•252 mention(s) of Henry McCoy (Earth-616)
•23 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Henry McCoy (Earth-616)
•2105 image(s) of Henry McCoy (Earth-616)
•Henry McCoy on Marvel.com
•Henry McCoy on Wikipedia.org
•Marvel Directory
•uncannyxmen.net Spotlight On... Beast
•Wolverine's Revenge
•"The religion of Beast (Hank McCoy)"
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Jul 29, 2024 · Overview. Beast Wars opens at an unspecified time and place, where two warring factions of robots have crashed on a strange planet populated by animals like those on Earth. The planet abounds in mystery, with vast deposits of raw energon and evidence of alien activity. The Energon forces the newly arrived Transformers to take on protective ...
Sep 28, 2024 · Beast's Mutant Evolutions, Explained. After the character's dark turn during the Krakoa era, a new version of Beast has returned to join Cyclops' X-Men team in the From the Ashes relaunch. Of course, this isn't the first new (or old) version of Beast that fans have seen over the years. Beast's original mutation made him the perfect choice for a ...
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