Beast (comics)
|
|
The Beast (Dr. Henry "Hank" Philip McCoy) is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. He is a mutant and a member of the X-Men, the The Avengers and the Defenders. He was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and first appeared in X-Men #1 (September, 1963).
| Contents |
Character history
Henry Philip McCoy was born in Dunfee, Illinois, United States to Norton and Edna McCoy. His father was employed at a local nuclear power plant and was subjected to radioactive contamination in an accident at work that has been implied to be the cause of his son's mutation. Hank was born with unusually large hands and feet for a human; in fact, his limbs were comparable to those of a gorilla and later stories reveal his nickname in school was "Magilla Gorilla."
Henry's mutation fully manifested itself in his adolescence and although he used his powers to excel in athletics for a time he was quickly forced to seek refuge from the inevitable ostracism and irrational hostility of normal humans. He was approached by Professor Charles Xavier who knew of his mutant powers. He was given the option of joining the "Westchester School for Gifted Youngsters," which was actually a front for the benevolent instruction of mutants like himself. With his insatiable thirst for knowledge and need for sanctuary, he joined the school and the X-Men, where, under Xavier's tutelage, his days were rich with differential equations, Proust, and workouts in the Danger Room. He was given the code-name: The Beast.
Some years later (in Amazing Adventures (volume 2) #11), McCoy left the X-Men and became a research scientist at Brand Corporation, a genetics research facility. He isolated a chemical catalyst in hope of reducing the freakish aspects of his appearance, but it instead mutated him further, as he grew gray fur all over his body (which later turned blue), and acquired elongated canine teeth and enhanced senses. Despite this, McCoy is one of the most upbeat and cheerful of superheroes, although at times acting the role of the "class clown." Further, contrary to the suggestions of his primitive and feral appearance, he is an intellectual whose speech and mannerisms are quite formal in nature. Along with Iron Man and Henry Pym, he is one of the most respected scientific minds in the Marvel Universe.
Astonishing4beast.jpg
Not long after this, he was recruited to join the Avengers, where he remained a member for many years, becoming a close friend of Wonder Man.
He later joined the Defenders and was one of the final surviving members of the team at the time it disbanded. He and fellow surviving Defenders Archangel and Iceman were shortly after contacted by Cyclops and Jean Grey to form X-Factor. He served this team for years and later returned to the X-Men, where he remains.
As of recently, Beast has evolved into a more feline form due to his secondary mutation. This has made him very self-conscious; he has fears he may be devolving, and his long-time girlfriend Trish Tilby has broken up with him. When news of a 'cure' that would reverse mutations came out, he seriously considered taking it but decided against it (for now), after vigorous "urging" by fellow team member Wolverine, because it would send out a bad message to other mutants.
Hank McCoy also has an evil doppelganger known as the Dark Beast, who escaped from the Age of Apocalypse shortly before it ceased to exist (though it has recently been revealed that the AoA timeline somehow managed to survive). The Dark Beast has all of the powers and intelligence of Hank McCoy, but none of his ethics, and learned biochemistry and genetic engineering from his timeline's Mister Sinister.
Powers and abilities
Hank McCoy has superhuman strength and endurance, as well as superhuman coordination (he can perform many tasks with his feet as easily as a human would do with his hands). The physical manifestations of his mutation are his elongated limbs and oversized extremeties, which were evident since birth. Experimenting with his mutation, Hank inadvertently gave himself blue (originally grey) fur and a more simian posture. Following a critical injury, he mutated even further, changing from a primate to a more feline appearance.
Hank is also a world-renowned biochemist, and the man who cured the Legacy virus. His extraordinary intelligence and expertise in genetics rival that of Professor X. Despite this, he has never received a Nobel Prize or been invited to the National Academy of Sciences, as his colleagues in the science community see him for his beastly appearance, rather than for the gentle scientific genius he is. Hank is a Renaissance Man, well-versed in linguistics, literature, philosophy, history of ancient cultures, art history, and musicology, with a special affinity for science and technology and a penchant for quoting literary classics. He also has a strong sense of humour and a million-dollar vocabulary.
Appearances in other media
Beast was a regular in the original X-Men animated series, and, from the second season onwards, in X-Men Evolution. The character was voiced by George Buza.Goldmanlee02b.gif
In the movie X2: X-Men United, Beast had a small cameo appearance. He appeared on the television that was playing in a bar, played by the actor Steve Bacic.
In the upcoming third X-Men movie, Kelsey Grammer has been signed to play the role of Beast [1] (http://www.newsarama.com/forums/printthread.php?threadid=34032), when it was also confirmed that the character would be "the 355-pound, blue-furred version." Whether Grammer will don a suit and makeup or be a voice actor only is not confirmed yet.
External links
- UncannyXmen.net, Spotlight feature on Beast (http://www.uncannyxmen.net/db/spotlight/showquestion.asp?faq=10&fldAuto=57)fr:Le Fauve (X-Men)