History Characters / MarvelComicsBeast

* EyeScream: In ''ComicBook/XForce2019'' issue #24, he ripped out and crushed his own eye after realizing one of Xeno's nesting doll soldiers was inside it. Since then, he is depicted as missing his left eye.

Introduced as one of the original five Franchise/XMen, Hank was a [[SuperIntelligence genius-level intellect]] whose mutation manifested itself in the form of gorilla-like physiology and enhanced strength, but remained otherwise human-looking. Because of his combined brains and brawn, he's often regarded as a {{trope codifier}} of the {{genius bruiser}} trope. It wasn't until nearly a decade later, however, that Hank would transform into a ''literal'' blue, furry {{beast man}}.

** Interestingly, he's less like this in his ''[[ComicBook/TheAvengers Avengers]]'' appearances: when you've got a team with [[ComicBook/AntMan Pym]], [[ComicBook/IronMan Stark]], ''and'' [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk Banner]] you don't need another genius, so he's more of a BoisterousBruiser with his (considerable) physical powers emphasized (which have ''also'' greatly increased since his days as one of the original X-Men; he once casually boasted about being able to bench press 70 ''tons'' and his agility has always been on par with Franchise/SpiderMan). However, that was when he was ''first'' with the ''Avengers,'' during the interregnum between the original X-Men series and the "all new, all different" one that introduced ComicBook/{{Storm|MarvelComics}}, ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}, etc. This many ''decades'' of being the X-Men's resident genius later, it's no longer possible to ignore the brains angle. He keeps his X-Men characterization during ''ComicBook/SecretAvengers,'' and in that series, he's clearly on par with Pym.

* KarmaHoudini: After handing over Threnody, Endangering others by teaming up with Dark Beast in his attempts to undo M-Day, using the legacy virus against the Skrulls, screwing with the time space continuum in a petty snipe at cyclops, betraying mutants during M-pox, committing War Crimes as head of X-force, turning Logan back into a living weapon making him relive his trauma, murdering several people, abusing his X-force subordinates and generally being a huge hypocrite, Beast has avoided any real consequence of his actions and the damage he’s left in his wake.

Despite his monstrous appearance, Hank remained upbeat and witty for years, and continued serving as a stalwart X-Man and professor at the Xavier Academy in the following decades. He also became known for his pro-mutant activism and accolades in the fields of genetics and biochemistry. However, after [[ComicBook/HouseOfM M-Day]], Hank grew angry and frustrated at his failures to prevent or reverse the depowering of almost all mutants and had a severe falling out with Cyclops over the morality of X-Force and other issues. From there, he became convinced that only he had the intellect to solve the problems facing mutantkind, to the concern of the rest of the X-Men who called him out for his increasingly reckless and immoral actions. Upon the founding of [[ComicBook/XMen2019 Krakoa]], little remained of the witty and kind Dr.[=McCoy=], and Hank was appointed the head of the new X-Force to act as the new nation's "mutant [=CIA=]", wielding a large amount of unchecked power which he believed only he had the intellect, right, and ability to hold.

Beast is also notable for being one of the few Marvel characters to serve as an X-Man, ComicBook/{{Avenger|s}}, ''and'' [[ComicBook/TheDefenders Defender]], while also spending a period of time with ComicBook/TheInhumans as well. He was specifically placed on The Avengers by Steve Englehart because of his light-hearted personality, serving as a foil to some of their more serious members.

Because of his status as a founding X-Man, Beast has appeared quite often in other media. He's been in every animated X-Men series to date, and even two {{anime}} featuring Marvel characters.

* AntiHero: Originally Hank was one of the nicest X-Men, but since not that long ago he seems to have gotten into this. Specifically one of his more questionable decisions is pulling out O5 from the past just to show ComicBook/{{Cyclops|MarvelComics}} how Scott has changed since the team’s early days. And as of [[ComicBook/XMenTheKrakoanAge the present Krakoan Age]] he’s X-Force supervisor and by issue 6 his methods include torture, ordering to kill the creatures (that were once humans), and brainwashing, veering into NominalHero territory.

** His current characterization during the Krakoan era could make him one to [[Characters/InjusticeSuperman Regime Superman]]. Both are former [[TheParagon paragons]] who were also [[NiceGuy Nice Guys]] and LovedByAll; who, after a series of events, [[TookALevelInJerkass allowed their bitterness to cloud their judgment]] [[TookALevelInCynic and develop an excessively grim worldview]]; inspiring them to adopt [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans fascistic mindsets]]; transform into ticking time bomb fusions of KnightTemplar, TheParanoiac, and TheUnfettered; developing extreme {{Hubris}} and becoming HatedByAll by former friends and allies alike; and more than willing to [[spoiler: murder]] said friends and allies should they stray out of line. However - besides the differences in physical appearance and power sets - Injustice Superman’s fall takes place in a different continuity, whereas Hank’s is set within the main 616 continuity.

** Its [[PlayingWithATrope played with]] in regards to his metatextual inner monologue in X-Force 2019 issue #23, and a line of dialogue by Kate Pryde in [[ComicBook/ImmortalXMen Immortal X-Men]] #1; which elaborate and imply that despite abhorring what Hank is now, many characters in-Universe still have fond memories of who he was before.

* IRejectYourReality: Pre-Schism, Henry [=McCoy=] was one of the most reasonable and sensible people in the Marvel Universe. Post-Schism, Hank’s developing habit of shirking accountability (See “Never My Fault”) was mainly due to pride and/or insecurity, with shades of this regarding the consequences of bringing the O5 to the future. However, since the [[ComicBook/XMenTheKrakoanAge the Krakoa relaunch]], he appears to have completely graduated to this trope. No matter how much empirical evidence there is that his methods cause more harm than good or if his colleagues and peers have more valid points than he does, he will perpetually insist to himself that he is the only one who can do the right or smart things; and will compulsively shun his colleagues’ points to near-delusional levels.
* JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope: Throughout [[ComicBook/XMenTheKrakoanAge the Krakoan Age]], Beast slips further and further down the scale of morality and is repeatedly called out by his teammates and former friends. Beast insists everything he does is right and for the security of the nation, but grows increasingly frustrated and unhinged due to his critics, particularly Wolverine. He ultimately decides to [[spoiler:eliminate that source of criticism by murdering Wolverine in secret and leaving him a mindless husk under Beast's sole control upon resurrection with no one else the wiser, utilizing him to murder Krakoa's "enemies", which include both legitimate threats and innocents, like a reporter who wrote a negative article about mutantkind]].

* LovableNerd: Before the Schism event, when he was portrayed as a genial character, his warmth towards his friends and allies was as infectious as his intellect was extraordinary. Later, there were still shades of it. By the Krakoan age? Officially HatedByAll.
* LovedByAll: Before the [[ComicBook/XMenTheKrakoanAge Krakoan Era]] turned him into the skin-crawling opposite (see “Hated By All” above and “We Used To Be Friends” below) Hank was a [[DownplayedTrope downplayed]], but significant example of this for the Marvel Universe (just not at the same level as Captain America or The Thing). He often served the role of a bridge between the Mutant groups and the non-Mutant groups; generally viewed (even by a large amount of baseline humans) as a respectable, trustworthy, endearing, and diligent individual from both a social and academic standpoint. Even his parents and (implicitly) his uncles cherished and supported Henry well after he grew mammalian traits and a blue pelt (though it did take his mother a little longer to warm up to him again) - a rarity for Mutants in the Marvel Universe. There were plenty of times when he would butt heads with his friends and allies, get on their nerves, or be in the wrong, but never to the point of receiving utter dislike from them. Even after his moral fracturing and loss of accountability after [[ComicBook/HouseOfM M-Day]], he was still thought fondly of by a large portion of the superbeing world.

** Interestingly, he's less like this in his ''ComicBook/{{Avengers}}'' appearances: when you've got a team with [[ComicBook/AntMan Pym]], [[ComicBook/IronMan Stark]], ''and'' [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk Banner]] you don't need another genius, so he's more of a BoisterousBruiser with his (considerable) physical powers emphasized (which have ''also'' greatly increased since his days as one of the original X-Men; he once casually boasted about being able to bench press 70 ''tons'' and his agility has always been on par with Franchise/SpiderMan). However, that was when he was ''first'' with the ''Avengers,'' during the interregnum between the original X-Men series and the "all new, all different" one that introduced ComicBook/{{Storm|MarvelComics}}, ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}, etc. This many ''decades'' of being the X-Men's resident genius later, it's no longer possible to ignore the brains angle. He keeps his X-Men characterization during ''ComicBook/SecretAvengers,'' and in that series, he's clearly on par with Pym.

* WeUsedToBeFriends: His fellow X-Men have all come to despise Beast by the ''[[ComicBook/XMenTheKrakoanAge Krakoan Age]]'' viewing him with disdain and only ever reluctantly working with him due to his brutal and corrupt nature. This is particularly notable with Scott, Jean Grey, and Logan. The former who he began to resent after the Decimation and the latter two who he [[ComicBook/XForce2019 recently]] [[ComicBook/Wolverine2020 fell out]] with during the Krakoan Age. Only time will tell if he makes a recovery from his moral fall and somehow (miraculously) rekindle these friendships in future books.

* ABeastInNameAndNature: A rare heroic version; codenamed for his gorilla-like physique, enormous hands and feet, and (later) his blue fur and other animalistic attributes. In sharp contrast to his beastly appearance, Hank is commonly portrayed as a brilliant scientist and a gentleman. Even following his moral decline, his behaviour is less obviously beastly, more cold and clinically cruel.
* AllForNothing: The main reason he's had so many mutations over the years is that first dose of mutant growth hormone he had synthesized and then took himself to avoid it being taken by thieves. A few flashbacks to the backstories of contemporary characters show that MGH ended up on the streets soon after anyway.

* AmazingTechnicolorPopulation: The fur which covers out his body was grey when he had his own series in ''Amazing Adventures''. It later changed to blue, which is his signature color.
* AntiHero: Originally Hank was one of the nicest X-Men, but since not that long ago he seems to have gotten into this. Specifically one of his more questionable decisions is pulling out O5 from the past just to show ComicBook/{{Cyclops|MarvelComics}} how Scott has changed since the team’s early days. And as of [[ComicBook/XMenTheKrakoanAge the present Krakoan Age]] he’s X-Force supervisor and by issue 6 his methods include torture, ordering to kill the creatures (that were once humans) and brainwashing, veering into NominalHero territory.

* BlueIsHeroic: Beast with his blue fur, intelligence and kind nature.

* EvilTwin: While all the X-Men have evil twins, Beast is notable because his EvilTwin (known as the Dark Beast, who is actually himself from the ComicBook/AgeOfApocalypse timeline) has stuck around long-term, become a recurring villain, and even teamed up with Beast himself on occasion. It's a mark of how far Beast's CharacterDevelopment has gone that Sinister himself has cheerfully remarked to Dark Beast (currently a head in a jar) that he's not even the Darkest Beast any more.

* HandyFeet: One of his most notable powers is superhuman manual dexterity, even in his feet. He regularly uses them along with his hands to perform all kinds of tasks, sometimes seen typing with his feet alone. Some adaptations (and further mutations) go so far as to make his big toes opposable like a gorillas. This is generally when he actually has feet, instead of lion-like paws.
* HatedByAll: He wasn't this trope before, but by the time of the ComicBook/HellfireGala, his hypocrisy, smugness, and overall morally bankrupt actions have been nearing to a breaking point. He has lost almost all of the respect, care, and trust he had garnered throughout the years. Even his longtime allies and friends and his X-Force teammates have had enough. Hell, even ComicBook/JeanGrey, who [[AllLovingHero has a kind word for practically everyone and formerly regarded Hank as a close, dear friend]], has told him where to get off. Even worse, he rationalizes the hate as proof that he is more intelligent and righteous than they are.

* IgnoredEpiphany: His encounter with Uatu condemning him for his actions and destroying potential futures with mutant utopias caused Beast to reflect on his actions and wonder if he could fix them. However, he then proceeded to continue down his same self-righteous path and decide that only he could judge himself. It happens again when he integrates the memories of his younger self, as the other O5 do. All of the others? They have reason to think, and in Scott's case, it causes positive CharacterDevelopment. Beast? Doesn't even think about it.

* KnightTemplar: He was formerly open to admitting his mistakes and taking responsibility for his actions. Unfortunately, he has become so convinced of his own righteousness in the [[ComicBook/XMenTheKrakoanAge Krakoan Age]] that he will tolerate no criticism of his work or even consider he might be wrong in the brutal and monstrous actions he takes in the name of Krakoan security. It reaches the point where he begins to plan on excluding refugee mutants from the island behind the Quiet Council's back because he considers them undesirable and contributing nothing to the security of the nation.

* LovedByAll: Before the [[ComicBook/XMenTheKrakoanAge Krakoan Era]] turned him into the skin-crawling opposite (see “Hated By All” above and “We Used To Be Friends” below) Hank was a [[DownplayedTrope downplayed]], but significant example of this for the Marvel Universe (just not at the same level as Captain America or The Thing). He often served the role of a bridge between the Mutant groups and the non-Mutant groups; generally viewed (even by a large amount of baseline humans) as a respectable, trustworthy, endearing, and diligent individual from both a social and academic standpoint. Even his parents and (implicitly) his uncles cherished and supported Henry well after he grew mammalian traits and a blue pelt (though it did take his mother a little longer to warm up to him again) - a rarity for Mutants in the Marvel Universe. There were plenty of times where he would butt heads with his friends and allies, get on their nerves, or be in the wrong, but never to the point of receiving utter dislike from them. Even after his moral fracturing and loss of accountability after [[ComicBook/HouseOfM M-Day]], he was still thought fondly of by a large portion of the superbeing world.

* MinoredInAssKicking: Hank has always been a [[GeniusBruiser capable fighter belying a brilliant mind]], regardless of the media portraying him. Yet his incarnation in ''WesternAnimation/WolverineAndTheXMen2009'' states early on that he's "a pacifist by nature." Push comes to shove, however, he'll knock you down.

* {{Mutants}}: He is both a mutant and a mutate. He was born a mutant with ape-like features and abilities. He mutated himself by ingesting a chemical. It turned him into a new form with new powers. He grew gray fur over his entire body, his muscles expanded, ears became larger and pointed, claws sprouted, and his canine teeth became larger, resembling fangs. The serum further increased his superhuman agility, endurance, speed, and strength, as well as enhanced his senses, and granted him an extraordinary healing factor.

* OmnidisciplinaryScientist: He had his brains undergo an inflation similar to ComicBook{{Superman}}'s powers going from FlyingBrick in the [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] to almighty in the [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]]. In the early days he was just the best and most studious of the school's students. By now he's a world-renowned expert in every science there is, and when it comes to solving the science-based problem of the week, be it a virus, a killer robot that doesn't respond to EyeBeams, etc. he'll be the one to do it. ''Officially'' [[ComicBook/FantasticFour Reed Richards]] is the smartest human in the Franchise/MarvelUniverse, but Beast really can stand up to him in the ''actual'' count of scientific day-saving moments. Need a device to make the godlike Dark Phoenix's butt temporarily kickable? He'll whip it up in an hour. The BigBad is using an alien spaceship left behind by the {{Precursors}}? He'll pull up a chair and make it work for him in under an hour! Legacy Virus? Get on it, Hank. And somehow, even with the superhero-ing and research work in all fields of science, Hank ''also'' finds time to be a regular on the talk show circuit.
** Interestingly, he's less like this in his ''ComicBook/{{Avengers}}'' appearances: when you've got a team with [[ComicBook/AntMan Pym]], [[ComicBook/IronMan Stark]], ''and'' [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk Banner]] you don't need another genius, so he's more of a BoisterousBruiser with his (considerable) physical powers emphasized (which have ''also'' greatly increased since his days as one of the original X-Men; he once casually boasted about being able to bench press 70 ''tons'' and his agility has always been on par with Franchise/SpiderMan). However, that was when he was ''first'' with the ''Avengers,'' during the interregnum between the original X-Men series and the "all new, all different" one that introduced ComicBook/{{Storm|MarvelComics}}, ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}, etc. This many ''decades'' of being the X-Men's resident genius later, it's no longer possible to ignore the brains angle. He keeps his X-Men characterization during ''ComicBook/SecretAvengers,'' and in that series he's clearly on par with Pym.
*** The in-universe explanation (although never stated outright) was that this was the time where he started [[TheStoner experimenting with pot.]]
** Dark Beast, the evil alternate Hank who arrived here from the ComicBook/AgeOfApocalypse universe, once posed as "our" Hank and [[LampshadeHanging ended up complaining about all the things he was expected to know]]. Dark Beast is an expert on genetics, [[GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke making him seriously bad news to have on the wrong side in this universe]]. However, genetics is his specialty while the prime Hank's specialty is "everything ever." At one point, that was prime Hank's specialty too, but he's branched out a lot since then, being a medical doctor in addition to having Ph.Ds in genetics and biochemistry and being a self-trained expert in everything else.

** Expresses a grim outlook of the world; believing that everyone, including Mutants, are full of nasty tendencies (in X-Force 2019 issue #23); often deriding the Quiet Council’s work as “diplomatic nonsense” (behind their backs); having an accusatory outburst at Sage - suspecting her of sabotage (in Wolverine 2020 issue #13); and claiming his teammates are acting on “sickening optimism” when they agree on inducting Omega Red (in X-Force 2019 issue #27). He distrusts anyone else to do “the job” properly (like him) that he lies and keeps secrets on a regular basis.

* PowerAtAPrice: During X-Factor he became infected by Pestilence with a disease that increased his strength at the cost of his intelligence the more he exerted himself.
* ProfessorGuineaPig: That is how Beast went from hairless gorilla to a furry form. While working for the Brand Corporation, discovered an hormonal extract that causes mutations in genetic structures. He then discovered a mission that would need him to be unrecognizable. Beast decided to use the chemical on himself to temporarily disguise his features. He would have an hour to complete his mission and take an antidote to change back. He missed that deadline and the furry form became permanent.

* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: With Dark Beast offstage, Hank’s [[ComicBook/XMenTheKrakoanAge recent characterization]] has been evoking more and more of his ComicBook/AgeOfApocalypse counterpart to an uncanny degree with his terrifying actions reaching closer and closer to the same level of pointless unethicality as the grey-furred version - it gets to the point where Sinister cheerfully informs Dark Beast (now a head in a jar in his lab) that he's not even the Darkest Beast any more. In addition, this present characterization and its visual portrayals have echoes of Weapon X alums Dr. Abraham Cornelius and Professor Thornton from the Weapon Plus mythos; with their [[ScaryShinyGlasses Scary Shiny Glasses]] aesthetic; their personalities as [[MadScientist menacing]] science leaders who take themselves very seriously; their management of a government-sponsored black-ops group with nationalist vibes; their reliance on mind control, brain washing, and insanely sketchy experimentation; their goal to make the world a better place through borderline fascistic methods, and the styling of Hank’s facial fur is similar to Dr. Cornelius’s hair and beard combo. The similarities to Doctor Cornelius and Professor Thornton are elevated to a shocking degree when Henry [[spoiler: develops a disturbing obsession with using and controlling Wolverine as a “perfect tool” [[ComicBook/Wolverine2020 to solving the world’s problems via assassinating the “enemies”]]]].

* WhatTheHellHero: He was on the delivering end of this to Cyclops but ended up taking their falling out to far and has since been on the reviewing end of this a number of times.
** When the Phoenix Force makes Cyclops kill Xavier, he brings younger versions of the original X-Men (himself, Scott, Jean, Bobby, and Warren) to present day in order to torment him. Many people including the Watcher voice disgust in him for putting the whole Universe in danger just to mess with someone he hates, with even his younger self horrified at who he’s become. The X-Men eventually have an intervention in order to confront him about his actions telling him his hatred for Cyclops does not justify what he’s done. He just dismisses them all as not smart enough to see what he does. While he is haunted by the Watcher showing him all the Utopian futures he wiped out, and he has a breakdown when he achieves cosmic awareness and realizes he broke time, [[IgnoredEpiphany he arguably gets even worse]].
** He joins the Illuminati in destroying alternate worlds in order to save their own, Captain America and the rest of the Avengers are horrified and they end up on run. When the end of their world comes anyway, he receives another “What the hell” from his younger self for bringing him to the present knowing the world was in danger instead of letting him live his life.

* ScienceVsMagic: Hank is very firmly rooted on the Science side of the conflict, and outright plays the Magic Is Cheating angle in a conversation with Dr. Strange. Later on he tries to merge them... it doesn't go well.

* GreenEyedMonster: ''Blue'' makes clear he feels like second (or possibly third or fourth) best in Jean's eyes to Scott.

* InsufferableGenius: It's Beast. However cracks start to appear in his facade in Volume 2, as he feels increasingly left behind and useless in the era of 21st century technology, especially with the level of tech that superheroes and villains alike have access to. ''Particularly'' after his failure to rescue Scott from Toad. He's smarter than the average person with it, but its not good enough anymore.

Despite his monstrous appearance, Hank remained upbeat and witty for years, and continued serving as a stalwart X-Man and professor at the Xavier Academy in the following decades. He also became known for his pro-mutant activism and accolades in the fields of genetics and biochemistry. However, after [[ComicBook/HouseOfM M-Day]], Hank grew angry and frustrated at his failures to prevent or reverse the depowering of almost all mutants and had a severe falling out with Cyclops over the morality of X-Force and other issues. From there, he became convinced that only he had the intellect to solve the problems facing mutantkind, to the concern of the rest of the X-Men who called him out for his increasingly reckless and immoral actions. Upon the founding of [[ComicBook/XMen2019 Krakoa]], little remained of the witty and kind Dr.[=McCoy=], and Hank was appointed the head of the new X-Force to act as the new nation's "mutant [=CIA=]", wielding an large amount of unchecked power which he believed only he had the intellect, right, and ability to hold.

* ABeastInNameAndNature: A rare heroic version, codenamed for his gorilla-like physique, enormous hands and feet, and (later) his blue fur and other animalistic attributes. In sharp contrast to his beastly appearance, Hank is commonly portrayed as a brilliant scientist and a gentleman. However, this is played straight by his MadScientist EvilCounterpart Dark Beast.

* AntiHero: Originally Hank was one of the nicest X-Men, but since not that long ago he seems to have gotten into this. Specifically one of his more questionable decisions is pulling out O5 from the past just to show ComicBook/{{Cyclops}} how Scott has changed since the team’s early days. In the ''ComicBook/DawnOfX'' he’s X-Force supervisor and by issue 6 his methods include torture, ordering to kill the creatures (that were once humans) and brainwashing.

* BecameTheirOwnAntithesis: Beast was once a shining pillar of morality and a jovial and witty prankster who objected to ruthless and reckless acts and orders. Bitterness and his belief that he failed mutantkind in the past has erased almost all of his standards he once held, and Beast now operates in a very clinical and often horrifying fashion, using his former friends and subordinates as pawns for plans he believes that only he can comprehend and direct to secure Krakoa and mutantkind's future.

* TheBigGuy: The strongest and more physically imposing of the original X-Men.
* BloodKnight: Hank may be a GeniusBruiser poet and GentleGiant but due to his animalistic side, he falls into this trope occasionally. It’s especially evident when he’s facing the aforementioned Juggernaut and has a huge smile on his blue furry face before flipping Jugs over. Sometimes DependingOnTheWriter Hank more civilized but other times he’s as enthusiastic about fighting as he is working on scientific discoveries.
* BlueIsHeroic: Beast with his blue fur, intelligence and kind nature.

** Does Hank have pupils? Or featureless eyes like Nightcrawler?

* EvilTwin: All the X-Men have evil twins. Beast is notable because his EvilTwin (known as the Dark Beast, who is actually himself from the ComicBook/AgeOfApocalypse timeline) has stuck around long-term, become a recurring villain, and even teamed up with Beast himself on occasion.

* EyeScream: Ripped out and crushed his own eye after realizing one of Xeno's nesting doll soldiers was inside it.
* FatalFlaw: In recent years, Pride, to the point of Hubris, wherein he believes that he has the right to play God.

* GeniusBruiser: Dr. Henry Philip "Hank" [=McCoy=] aka "The Beast" is blue, huge, furry, super-strong ([[DependingOnTheWriter depends on the writer]], but sometimes he is said to bench press 70 ''tons''), agile, and Nobel-level intelligent (generally regarded as the preeminent biochemist in the Franchise/MarvelUniverse, and he gave himself the power upgrade that made him look like how he is today, only stronger than he was when he looked more human). As a bonus, he was played by [[Series/{{Frasier}} Kelsey Grammer]] in ''Film/XMenTheLastStand''.

* HatedByAll: By the time of the ComicBook/HellfireGala, his hypocrisy, smugness, and overall morally bankrupt actions have caught up to him and nobody likes or trusts him anymore. Even his longtime allies and friends and his X-Force teammates have had enough.
* HealingFactor: He has one, making him able to recover from non-fatal wounds at a much faster rate than normal humans.
* HeroesWantRedheads: He was attracted to redhead Jean Grey in his teenage years.

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: He brings the O5 to the present to show mess with Cyclops by showing his younger self how far he had fallen. It works for Cyclops but it also works for young Beast.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Once accused Scott of forming X-Force as a black ops team to do all of his “dirty work”. In ''ComicBook/DawnOfX'' he himself became a supervisor of the Krakoan X-Force and his deeds involve torturing, brainwashing and giving direct orders to kill.

* InsufferableGenius: Increasingly in recent years as he starts JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope by bringing the Original Five to the present on false pretenses (he claimed that present day Cyclops was about to unleash mutant genocide) and refused to admit he'd done anything wrong - though the incident with Uatu suggests that it haunts him somewhat.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: With ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}. Wolvie was born in the 19th century and is old enough to be Beast's ancestor.
* KilledOffForReal: In the ComicBook/UltimateMarvel universe, during ''ComicBook/{{Ultimatum}}''

* NuclearMutant: Creator/StanLee toyed the idea that Mutants were the result of exposures to radiation. Which is why the X-Men were the so-called "Children of the Atom." Beast's OriginsEpisode in ''X-Men'' #49 (October, 1968) reveals the reason for Beast's mutation. His father Norton [=McCoy=] worked in nuclear power plant. An accident exposed him to a massive dose of radiation. When Norton eventually had a son, this son was born with an obvious genetic mutation.
* OmnidisciplinaryScientist: He had his brains undergo an inflation similar to Franchise/{{Superman}}'s powers going from FlyingBrick in the [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] to almighty in the [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]]. In the early days he was just the best and most studious of the school's students. By now he's a world-renowned expert in every science there is, and when it comes to solving the science-based problem of the week, be it a virus, a killer robot that doesn't respond to EyeBeams, etc. he'll be the one to do it. ''Officially'' [[ComicBook/FantasticFour Reed Richards]] is the smartest human in the Franchise/MarvelUniverse, but Beast really can stand up to him in the ''actual'' count of scientific day-saving moments. Need a device to make the godlike Dark Phoenix's butt temporarily kickable? He'll whip it up in an hour. The BigBad is using an alien spaceship left behind by the {{Precursors}}? He'll pull up a chair and make it work for him in under an hour! Legacy Virus? Get on it, Hank. And somehow, even with the superhero-ing and research work in all fields of science, Hank ''also'' finds time to be a regular on the talk show circuit.

* PillarsOfMoralCharacter: His heroism is duty-based. He believes it is his duty to save lives as both a hero and a scientist. He is also driven by compassion. He refuses to compromise his morals and attempts to act as a living conscience to others.

* QueerFlowers: Invoked in the case of ComicBook/WonderMan and Beast. When Wonder Man returns from the dead again in the pages of the Busiek/Perez Avengers, Beast shows up with a bouquet of roses, tackles him, and gives him [[http://i881.photobucket.com/albums/ac19/Rem_Rant/Beastkiss.jpg a sloppy kiss on the lips.]] In an issue of Marvel's AlternateUniverse ''ComicBook/{{Exiles}}'', the team's Alterna-Beast chooses not to return to his own universe because, with his lover Wonder Man dead, there was nothing left for him there.

* TechnoWizard: He is an expert in electronics.

* {{Transplant}}: After gaining his blue-furred form in ''Amazing Adventures'' #11, he was recruited to join the Avengers, before leaving to rejoin the original five X-Men as X-Factor.
* UnderwearOfPower: His costume for most of TheSeventies and part of TheEighties was just underwear covering his crotch and buttocks.

** When the Phoenix Force makes Cyclops kill Xavier, he brings younger versions of the original X-Men (himself, Scott, Jean, Bobby and Warren) to present day in order to torment him. Many people including the Watcher voice disgust in him for putting the whole Universe in danger just to mess with someone he hates, with even his younger self horrified at who he’s become. The X-Men eventually have an intervention in order to confront him about his actions telling him his hatred for Cyclops does not justify what he’s done.

** In ''ComicBook/XForce2019'', Jean calls out Hank on keeping secrets within X-Force, as they nearly ruined a whole country and made a threat to Krakoa.

* WeUsedToBeFriends: His fellow X-Men have all come to despise Beast by the ''[[ComicBook/XMenTheKrakoanAge Krakoan Age]]'' viewing him with disdain and only ever reluctantly working with him due to his brutal and corrupt nature.

** Interestingly, he's less like this in his ''ComicBook/{{Avengers}}'' appearances: when you've got a team with [[ComicBook/AntMan Pym]], [[ComicBook/IronMan Stark]], ''and'' [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk Banner]] you don't need another genius, so he's more of a BoisterousBruiser with his (considerable) physical powers emphasized (which have ''also'' greatly increased since his days as one of the original X-Men; he once casually boasted about being able to bench press 70 ''tons'' and his agility has always been on par with Franchise/SpiderMan). However, that was when he was ''first'' with the ''Avengers,'' during the interregnum between the original X-Men series and the "all new, all different" one that introduced ComicBook/{{Storm}}, ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}, etc. This many ''decades'' of being the X-Men's resident genius later, it's no longer possible to ignore the brains angle. He keeps his X-Men characterization during ''ComicBook/SecretAvengers,'' and in that series he's clearly on par with Pym.

* DoesNotLikeShoes: Hank wears neither boots nor gloves due to his hands and feet being abnormally big. This was clearer when he was human. Human Hank certainly ''owned'' shoes in his big size, but he went barefoot when in costume because [[HandyFeet having ape-like prehensile toes was a major part of his abilities]]. After he became blue and furry, he stopped bothering with shoes even when in his civvies. Adversely, after his mutation progressed to a more feline-like stage and his hind legs became retrograde, he started wearing special shoes sometimes, even though this seems to make less sense than ever. From an artistic perspective, he also went barefoot because it was the easiest way to portray his powers, since before he gained his fur, he looked relatively normal apart from his huge hands and feet.

* KickTheSonOfABitch: In ''ComicBook/InhumansVsXMen'', ComicBook/{{Storm|MarvelComics}} ends up blasting Beast with a lightning bolt to stop him from ratting out the X-Men to the Inhumans over their plan to attack them and stop the Terrigen Cloud's effect on mutants. This would be seen as a KickTheDog moment since they're teammates and friends. However, since the end of ''ComicBook/AvengersVsXMen'', Beast has been written as a major jerkass trying his damnedest to prove that ComicBook/{{Cyclops|MarvelComics}} was some sort of monster and essentially treating his friends like crap. Even more, Beast wasn't going to warn the Inhumans due to moral objections (ComicBook/{{Rogue}} had decided to OptOut of the attack because of this), but because [[DirtyCoward he was scared of any possible Inhuman retaliation.]]

* AmbiguousDisorder: Hank is shown to go through near manic phases of excitement and crippling self doubt. These quirks of his personality can be considered markers of [[UsefulNotes/BipolarDisorder bipolar disorder]]. [[https://www.cbr.com/the-end-of-an-x-era-grant-morrison-talks-finishing-new-x-men-sex-dc/ Which is what Grant Morrison characterized him having.]]

* ILoveNuclearPower: Creator/StanLee toyed the idea that Mutants were the result of exposures to radiation. Which is why the X-Men were the so-called "Children of the Atom." Beast's OriginsEpisode in ''X-Men'' #49 (October, 1968) reveals the reason for Beast's mutation. His father Norton [=McCoy=] worked in nuclear power plant. An accident exposed him to a massive dose of radiation. When Norton eventually had a son, this son was born with an obvious genetic mutation.

A brilliant scientist, athlete, and bibliophile, at first the only thing that indicated that Hank [=McCoy=] was a mutant were large hands and feet, and, later, an overall simian aesthetic. However, an experiment to enhance his already superhuman strength and agility transformed him into a blue-furred ape creature and later a blue lion man. Beast is a genius in genetics and biology and enjoys quoting Shakespeare. His even-handed and professorial attitude tend to keep the other members from panicking in situations. He's actually been in more teams than any other X-Man, having been a member of Comicbook/TheAvengers and Comicbook/TheDefenders before; accordingly, being in the public eye as a member of the high-profile Avengers has made him one of the most accepted mutants by society at large.

* ChickMagnet: At least before he took on a feline appearance (and after gaining his blue fur), quite a number of women displayed attraction for him, or at least when he was with Comicbook/TheAvengers, as it was not a rare sight to see groups of women swooning over him. He has had longtime relationships with Vera Cantor (1966-1990) and Trish Tilby (1988-2001). More recently he has been dating Abigail Brand.

* FullyAbsorbedFinale: The final story arc of his feature in ''Amazing Adventures'' concerned an old friend named Vera, who approached Hank with the revelation that she needed his help to save the world from some unspecified threat. The threat was never revealed in ''Amazing Adventures'', and the story was eventually (hastily) concluded in an issue of ''Comicbook/TheIncredibleHulk''.

* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Iceman, and later his Avengers teammate Comicbook/WonderMan.

* NonSequiturThud: When he gets knocked down by a mind-controlled ComicBook/{{Colossus}}, he goes: "Anyone… get the number... of that [[Comicbook/TheMightyThor uru hammer]]?"

** Interestingly, he's less like this in his ''ComicBook/{{Avengers}}'' appearances: when you've got a team with [[ComicBook/AntMan Pym]], [[ComicBook/IronMan Stark]], ''and'' [[ComicBook/IncredibleHulk Banner]] you don't need another genius, so he's more of a BoisterousBruiser with his (considerable) physical powers emphasized (which have ''also'' greatly increased since his days as one of the original X-Men; he once casually boasted about being able to bench press 70 ''tons'' and his agility has always been on par with Franchise/SpiderMan). However, that was when he was ''first'' with the ''Avengers,'' during the interregnum between the original X-Men series and the "all new, all different" one that introduced ComicBook/{{Storm}}, ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}, etc. This many ''decades'' of being the X-Men's resident genius later, it's no longer possible to ignore the brains angle. He keeps his X-Men characterization during ''ComicBook/SecretAvengers,'' and in that series he's clearly on par with Pym.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: In the ''Apocalypse Wars'' crossover with ''ComicBook/ExtraordinaryXMen'' and ''Comicbook/UncannyXMen'', [[spoiler:it's revealed that the reason En Sabah Nur became Apocalypse is because Hank got captured in the past by his father. En Sabah Nur, who UsedToBeASweetKid, selflessly attempted to rescue him rather than make good his own escape, and ended up being captured in the process. Evan tried to go back for him to save both En Sabah ''and'' the world from what he would become, but Hank forcibly returns them both to their own time, abandoning the boy to his fate]]. Of course, this could be a stable time loop, so he might not have had much choice.

* {{Expy}}: Beast (in his human form) is very similar to "Monk" Mayfair, sidekick of proto-superhero Franchise/DocSavage. Monk is a scientist (industrial chemist) who resembles a great ape. Beast is a scholar (later scientist) with apelike features and abilities. Monk loves a good brawl, and so does the Beast. Monk loves beautiful women, and so does the Beast.

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[[redirect:Characters/XMenTheOriginalTeam]]

!!Henry Philip "Hank" [=McCoy=] / Beast
%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1619234787073400900
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[[quoteright:350:[[ComicBook/XMen https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/beast_decades.png]]]]

!!! '''Notable Aliases:''' Blue Gorilla, Kreature, Mutate #666
!!! '''Nationality:''' American, Krakoan
!!! '''Species:''' Human mutant
!!! '''First Apperance:''' ''X-Men'' #1 (September, 1963)

A brilliant scientist, athlete, and bibliophile, at first the only thing that indicated that Hank [=McCoy=] was a mutant were large hands and feet, and, later, an overall simian aesthetic. However, an experiment to enhance his already superhuman strength and agility transformed him into a blue-furred ape creature and later a blue lion man. Beast is a genius in genetics and biology and enjoys quoting Shakespeare. His even-handed and professorial attitude tend to keep the other members from panicking in situations. He's actually been in more teams than any other X-Man, having been a member of Comicbook/TheAvengers and Comicbook/TheDefenders before; accordingly, being in the public eye as a member of the high-profile Avengers has made him one of the most accepted mutants by society at large.

Introduced as one of the original five Franchise/XMen, Hank was a [[SuperIntelligence genius-level intellect]] whose mutation manifested itself in the form of gorilla-like physiology and enhanced strength, but remained otherwise human-looking. Because of his combined brains and brawn, he's often regarded as a {{trope codifier}} of the {{genius bruiser}} trope. It wasn't until nearly a decade later, however, that Hank would transform into a ''literal'' blue, furry {{beast man}}.

Despite his monstrous appearance, Hank remained upbeat and witty, and continued serving as a stalwart X-Man and professor at the Xavier Academy in the following decades. He also became known for his pro-mutant activism and accolades in the fields of genetics and biochemistry.

Beast is also notable for being one of the few Marvel characters to serve as an X-Man, ComicBook/{{Avenger|s}}, ''and'' [[ComicBook/TheDefenders Defender]], while also spending a period of time with ComicBook/TheInhumans as well. He was specifically placed on The Avengers by Steve Englehart because of his light-hearted personality, serving as a foil to some of their more serious members.

Because of his status as a founding X-Man, Beast has appeared quite often in other media. He's been in every animated X-Men series to date, and even two {{anime}} featuring Marvel characters.

Beast also appears in most of the ''Film/XMenFilmSeries'', portrayed by a number of actors throughout the franchise -- most notably Creator/NicholasHoult and Creator/KelseyGrammer as the younger and older incarnations of the character, respectively.

----
!! Beast has appeared in:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder: Notable Comics]]
* ''ComicBook/TheAvengers'' (various volumes and titles)
* ''ComicBook/XMen'' (various volumes and titles)
* ''ComicBook/TheDefenders'' (1982 -- 1986)
* ''ComicBook/XFactor'' vol. 1 (1986 -- 1991)
* ''ComicBook/AllNewXMen'' vols. 1 & 2 (2012 -- present)
* ''ComicBook/{{Extermination|2018}}'' (2018)
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Anime]]
* ''Anime/MarvelAnimeXMen'' (2011), voiced by Creator/HideyukiTanaka, Creator/FredTatasciore [[note]]English dub[[/note]]
* ''Anime/MarvelDiskWarsTheAvengers'' (2014)
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Live-Action Films]]
* ''Film/XMenFilmSeries'' (2003 - 2019):
** ''Film/X2XMenUnited'' (2003), portrayed by Steve Bacic
** ''Film/XMenTheLastStand'' (2005), portrayed by Creator/KelseyGrammer
** ''Film/XMenFirstClass'' (2011), portrayed by Creator/NicholasHoult
** ''Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast'' (2014), portrayed by Hoult & Grammer
** ''Film/XMenApocalypse'' (2016), portrayed by Hoult
** ''Film/DarkPhoenix'' (2019), portrayed by Hoult
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/XMenTheAnimatedSeries'' (1992 -- 1997), voiced by Creator/GeorgeBuza
* ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution'' (2000 -- 2003), voiced by Creator/MichaelKopsa
* ''WesternAnimation/WolverineAndTheXMen2009'' (2008), voiced by Fred Tatasciore
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Video Games]]
* ''VideoGame/XMenMutantApocalypse'' (1994)
* ''VideoGame/XMen2CloneWars'' (1995)
* ''VideoGame/XMenVsStreetFighter'' (1996)
* ''VideoGame/MarvelSuperHeroesVsStreetFighter'' (1997)
* ''VideoGame/XMenNextDimension'' (2002)
* ''VideoGame/XMenLegends'' (2004), voiced by Richard Doyle
* ''VideoGame/MarvelAvengersAlliance'' (2012)
* ''VideoGame/LEGOMarvelSuperHeroes'' (2013), voiced by Fred Tatasciore
* ''VideoGame/MarvelContestOfChampions'' (added in 2017)
* ''VideoGame/MarvelFutureFight'' (added in 2017)
* ''VideoGame/MarvelUltimateAlliance3TheBlackOrder'' (2019)
[[/folder]]

----
!! Beast provides examples of:

* AllForNothing: The main reason he's had so many mutations over the years is that first dose of mutant growth hormone he had synthesized and then took himself to avoid it being taken by thieves. A few flashbacks to the backstories of contemporary characters show that MGH ended up on the streets soon after anyway.
* AllLoveIsUnrequited: Hank, like practically everyone in the original X-Men (sans Bobby), had a crush on Jean Grey and he even stole a kiss but was never a contender for her affections between [[BettyAndVeronica Scott and Warren]]. This only came up ''well'' after the fact when his past self is brought to the present and his love for Jean is explored, with their past versions even starting a relationship, but one that is ultimately broken off-panel.
* AmazingTechnicolorPopulation: The fur which covers out his body was grey when he had his own series in ''Amazing Adventures''. It later changed to blue, which is his signature color.
* AmbiguousDisorder: Hank is shown to go through near manic phases of excitement and crippling self doubt. These quirks of his personality can be considered markers of [[UsefulNotes/BipolarDisorder bipolar disorder]]. [[https://www.cbr.com/the-end-of-an-x-era-grant-morrison-talks-finishing-new-x-men-sex-dc/ Which is what Grant Morrison characterized him having.]]
* AntiHero: Originally Hank was one of the nicest X-Men, but since not that long ago he seems to have gotten into this. Specifically one of his more questionable decisions is pulling out O5 from the past just to show ComicBook/{{Cyclops}} how Scott has changed since the team’s early days. In the ''ComicBook/DawnOfX'' he’s X-Force supervisor and by issue 6 his methods include torture, ordering to kill the creatures (that were once humans) and brainwashing.
* ABeastInNameAndNature: A rare heroic version; codenamed for his gorilla-like physique, enormous hands and feet, and (later) his blue fur and other animalistic attributes. In sharp contrast to his beastly appearance, Hank is commonly portrayed as a brilliant scientist and a gentleman.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: He's a very nice person, but push him too far and you WILL regret it.
* BroughtToYouByTheLetterS: His initial Secret Avengers costume had a gigantic "A" on the chest, which [[FridgeLogic is kind of odd for a guy who's on a secret team]]. Thankfully he's gone back to his normal X-Men costume.
* CatchPhrase: "Oh my stars and garters!" and "Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent"--usually [[HypocriticalHumor said right before he slugs someone.]]
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: He was originally written as a DumbMuscle, but the third issue abruptly changed his characterization to GeniusBruiser, and it stayed that way.
* ChickMagnet: At least before he took on a feline appearance (and after gaining his blue fur), quite a number of women displayed attraction for him, or at least when he was with Comicbook/TheAvengers, as it was not a rare sight to see groups of women swooning over him. He has had longtime relationships with Vera Cantor (1966-1990) and Trish Tilby (1988-2001). More recently he has been dating Abigail Brand.
* DeadpanSnarker: He was the main source of verbal humor in the original ''X-Men'' and this trait has remained defining for him.
-->'''Jubilee''': Show-off! I was just about to do that! \\
'''Beast''': I am certain. Fact is, I was sitting over there thinking, "What would Jubilee do in MY place?"
* DeathIsCheap: In ''ComicBook/TheInfinityGauntlet'' #1 (July, 1991), ComicBook/{{Thanos}} wipes out of half the population of the Franchise/MarvelUniverse. In issue #2 (August, 1991), a list of "missing" (dead) heroes is read and Beast was among them. Every casualty of the event was restored to life in issue #6 (December, 1991), Beast included.
* EvilTwin: All the X-Men have evil twins. Beast is notable because his EvilTwin (known as the Dark Beast, who is actually himself from the Comicbook/AgeOfApocalypse timeline) has stuck around long-term, become a recurring villain, and even teamed up with Beast himself on occasion.
* [[{{Expy}} Expy]]: Beast (in his human form) is very similar to "Monk" Mayfair, sidekick of proto-superhero Franchise/DocSavage. Monk is a scientist (industrial chemist) who resembles a great ape. Beast is a scholar (later scientist) with apelike features and abilities. Monk loves a good brawl, and so does the Beast. Monk loves beautiful women, and so does the Beast.
** In the early early issues of ''X-Men'', he was basically an expy of ComicBook/TheThing. It wasn't until #4 that he started wearing glasses and doing higher math.
* FatalFlaw: In recent years, Pride, to the point of Hubris, wherein he believes that he has the right to play God.
* GeniusBruiser: Dr. Henry Philip "Hank" [=McCoy=] aka "The Beast" is blue, huge, furry, super-strong ([[DependingOnTheWriter depends on the writer]], but sometimes he is said to bench press 70 ''tons''), agile, and Nobel-level intelligent (generally regarded as the preeminent biochemist in the Franchise/MarvelUniverse, and he gave himself the power upgrade that made him look like how he is today, only stronger than he was when he looked more human). As a bonus, he was played by [[Series/{{Frasier}} Kelsey Grammer]] in ''Film/XMenTheLastStand''.
-->'''Jean Grey:''' His name's Henry [=McCoy=], dipstick--he reads poetry, swings from trees, knows [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons the square root of a million]], and he's gonna kick your butt.\\
'''Beast:''' ''(Cracks knuckles)'' Indubitably.
* HandyFeet: One of his most notable powers is superhuman manual dexterity, even in his feet. He regularly uses them along with his hands to perform all kinds of tasks, sometimes seen typing with his feet alone. Some adaptations (and further mutations) go so far as to make his big toes opposable like a gorillas. This is generally when he actually has feet, instead of lion-like paws.
* HatedByAll: By the time of the ComicBook/HellfireGala, his hypocrisy, smugness, and overall morally bankrupt actions have caught up to him and nobody likes or trusts him anymore. Even his longtime allies and friends and his X-Force teammates have had enough.
* HealingFactor: He has one, making him able to recover from non-fatal wounds at a much faster rate than normal humans.
* HeroesWantRedheads: He was attracted to redhead Jean Grey in his teenage years.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Iceman, and later his Avengers teammate Comicbook/WonderMan.
* HiddenDepths: Before his "secondary mutation" kicked in, giving him cat-like paws, he was a talented guitar player. Something he revealed only ''after'' he lost the ability to do so. He later started learning how to the play drums.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Once accused Scott of forming X-Force as a black ops team to do all of his “dirty work”. In ''ComicBook/DawnOfX'' he himself became a supervisor of the Krakoan X-Force and his deeds involve torturing, brainwashing and giving direct orders to kill.
* ILoveNuclearPower: Creator/StanLee toyed the idea that Mutants were the result of exposures to radiation. Which is why the X-Men were the so-called "Children of the Atom." Beast's OriginsEpisode in ''X-Men'' #49 (October, 1968) reveals the reason for Beast's mutation. His father Norton [=McCoy=] worked in nuclear power plant. An accident exposed him to a massive dose of radiation. When Norton eventually had a son, this son was born with an obvious genetic mutation.
* InsufferableGenius: Increasingly in recent years as he starts JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope by bringing the Original Five to the present on false pretences (he claimed that present day Cyclops was about to unleash mutant genocide) and refused to admit he'd done anything wrong - though the incident with Uatu suggests that it haunts him somewhat.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: With Comicbook/{{Wolverine}}. Wolvie was born in the 19th century and is old enough to be Beast's ancestor.
* KilledOffForReal: In the ComicBook/UltimateMarvel universe, during ''ComicBook/{{Ultimatum}}''
* LightningBruiser: Not only is Hank strong, but he's also incredibly fast and agile.
* MistakenForGay: His girlfriend Trish Tilby once accused him of being gay... prompting him to admit to such in the media... despite not actually being gay. See, she gave him the idea that he could be a role model for mutants ''and'' gay people at the same time.
* MonsterModesty: He started off looking reasonably normal. During this time, he was covered up almost completely. Once he turned into a furry monster, he stripped down to underwear. This is especially odd since the character is a very educated, polite individual who would normally be the type to dress in a dignified manner.
** Hank explained at least once, though it may not have been fully serious (or even canonical), that he dresses the way he does because all that fur got downright HOT when all covered up. When he DOES get fully dressed, he's about as dapper as a bulky, stocky man with bright blue fur all over his body can be.
* {{Mutants}}: He is both a mutant and a mutate. He was born a mutant with ape-like features and abilities. He mutated himself by ingesting a chemical. It turned him into a new form with new powers. He grew gray fur over his entire body, his muscles expanded, ears became larger and pointed, claws sprouted, and his canine teeth became larger, resembling fangs. The serum further increased his superhuman agility, endurance, speed, and strength, as well as enhanced his senses, and granted him an extraordinary healing factor.
* NaturalWeapon: His fangs and claws are weapons.
* OmnidisciplinaryScientist: He had his brains undergo an inflation similar to Franchise/{{Superman}}'s powers going from FlyingBrick in the [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] to almighty in the [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]]. In the early days he was just the best and most studious of the school's students. By now he's a world-renowned expert in every science there is, and when it comes to solving the science-based problem of the week, be it a virus, a killer robot that doesn't respond to EyeBeams, etc. he'll be the one to do it. ''Officially'' [[Comicbook/FantasticFour Reed Richards]] is the smartest human in the Franchise/MarvelUniverse, but Beast really can stand up to him in the ''actual'' count of scientific day-saving moments. Need a device to make the godlike Dark Phoenix's butt temporarily kickable? He'll whip it up in an hour. The BigBad is using an alien spaceship left behind by ThePrecursors? He'll pull up a chair and make it work for him in under an hour! Legacy Virus? Get on it, Hank. And somehow, even with the superhero-ing and research work in all fields of science, Hank ''also'' finds time to be a regular on the talk show circuit.
** Interestingly, he's less like this in his ''ComicBook/{{Avengers}}'' appearances: when you've got a team with [[Comicbook/AntMan Pym]], [[Comicbook/IronMan Stark]], ''and'' [[Comicbook/IncredibleHulk Banner]] you don't need another genius, so he's more of a BoisterousBruiser with his (considerable) physical powers emphasized (which have ''also'' greatly increased since his days as one of the original X-Men; he once casually boasted about being able to bench press 70 ''tons'' and his agility has always been on par with Franchise/SpiderMan). However, that was when he was ''first'' with the ''Avengers,'' during the interregnum between the original X-Men series and the "all new, all different" one that introduced Comicbook/{{Storm}}, Comicbook/{{Wolverine}}, etc. This many ''decades'' of being the X-Men's resident genius later, it's no longer possible to ignore the brains angle. He keeps his X-Men characterization during ''Comicbook/SecretAvengers,'' and in that series he's clearly on par with Pym.
*** The in-universe explanation (although never stated outright) was that this was the time where he started [[TheStoner experimenting with pot.]]
** Dark Beast, the evil alternate Hank who arrived here from the ComicBook/AgeOfApocalypse universe, once posed as "our" Hank and [[LampshadeHanging ended up complaining about all the things he was expected to know]]. Dark Beast is an expert on genetics, [[GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke making him seriously bad news to have on the wrong side in this universe]]. However, genetics is his specialty while the prime Hank's specialty is "everything ever." At one point, that was prime Hank's specialty too, but he's branched out a lot since then, being a medical doctor in addition to having Ph.Ds in genetics and biochemistry and being a self-trained expert in everything else.
* PillarsOfMoralCharacter: His heroism is duty-based. He believes it is his duty to save lives as both a hero and a scientist. He is also driven by compassion. He refuses to compromise his morals and attempts to act as a living conscience to others.
** Undermined somewhat in recent years; while he still sees himself as this and tries to behave as such, he tends to behave in an increasingly reckless, self-righteous, and destructive manner - bringing the teenage Original 5 to the present and consequently screwing up the timeline in a hairbrained scheme to get Cyclops to 'see reason', for instance, nearly wound up retgonning Cyclops out of existence, increased the rate of the universe's decline and according to Uatu in a ReasonYouSuckSpeech, destroyed multiple positively Utopian possible futures for the X-Men.
** Worse, when repeatedly confronted with his habit of defying the laws of nature with no regard to the consequences, even when called out for it by ''his own younger self'', he refused to admit that he'd done anything wrong and his justification was basically [[InsufferableGenius 'I'm far too smart for you to understand anything I do, therefore you are in no position to judge me.']] It gets to the point where Storm bluntly asks when he stopped knowing the difference between right and wrong.
* PointyEars: When he mutated himself, Beast gained pointy ears. He lost them when he changed to a new catlike form, then regained them when he started looking human again.
* PowerAtAPrice: During X-Factor he became infected by Pestilence with a disease that increased his strength at the cost of his intelligence the more he exerted himself.
* ProfessorGuineaPig: That is how Beast went from hairless gorilla to a furry form. While working for the Brand Corporation, discovered an hormonal extract that causes mutations in genetic structures. He then discovered a mission that would need him to be unrecognizable. Beast decided to use the chemical on himself to temporarily disguise his features. He would have an hour to complete his mission and take an antidote to change back. He missed that deadline and the furry form became permanent.
* PsychologistTeacher: As a teacher, Beast tries to solve the problems of his students. Though, he is far from infallible in his role.
* QueerFlowers: Invoked in the case of ComicBook/WonderMan and Beast. When Wonder Man returns from the dead again in the pages of the Busiek/Perez Avengers, Beast shows up with a bouquet of roses, tackles him, and gives him [[http://i881.photobucket.com/albums/ac19/Rem_Rant/Beastkiss.jpg a sloppy kiss on the lips.]] In an issue of Marvel's AlternateUniverse ''ComicBook/{{Exiles}}'', the team's Alterna-Beast chooses not ot return to his own universe because, with his lover Wonder Man dead, there was nothing left for him there.
* SelfMadeSuperPowers: Henry [=McCoy=] (Earth-295), better known as Dark Beast, continuously experimented on himself and others and gained Super Strength, slowed aging, etc. The full extent of his capability remains unknown as he continuously changes them. He also received cybernetic enhancements from Mr. Sinister.
* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: Easily the most verbose of the original X-Men and has a tendency to use "big words." It's just for the joy of wordplay -- everyone he works with already knows he's a genius -- though it undoubtedly has a side effect of convincing people he's never met before that [[GeniusBruiser even mutants who look like him can possess an enormous vocabulary]].
** And he does it with insults too; "go suck eggs" becomes:
--->'''Hank:''' Why don't you go orally extract embryonic fluid from a hen's egg?
* ShoeSizeAngst: His first mutation gave him enlarged hands and feet but his feet got the most attention, especially because of [[HandyFeet everything he could do with them]].
* SmartPeopleKnowLatin: In one issue, he converses with a Catholic nun in Latin.
* SmartPeopleWearGlasses: He wears reading glasses and is a genius scientist. It's a little odd to see a big blue cat/ape thing wearing reading glasses, but it lets you know what you're in for.
* SophisticatedAsHell: Always finds ways to make sophisticated references to literature, science, music, and science fiction. It's like a game for him, and it's his favorite one.
* StatusQuoIsGod: Not as bad as the Hulk or the Thing, but he's never going to stay human-looking for long.
* {{Stripperiffic}}: Less likely to wear a shirt than Music/IggyPop. After mutating to his original furry form, he went around almost nude. Only his crotch and buttocks were covered by clothing.
* SuddenlyAlwaysKnewThat: A strange case in that his time displaced younger self began dabbling in magic, and is seemingly possessed by a mystical artifact, and the nature of restoring the timeline means that technically Beast has been an Adept for years. This has yet to be followed up on in the present, especially the demonic transformation.
* SuperStrength: Has always had some level of super strength. As a teenager, Beast could lift 1 ton. His strength has since increased over the years.
* TechnoWizard: He is an expert in electronics.
* TookALevelInJerkass: From the death of Charles Xavier onwards, he's become increasingly reckless, self-righteous, and destructive. This doesn’t stop when Xavier returns. See WhatTheHellHero below.
* TheBigGuy: The strongest and more physically imposing of the original X-Men.
* TheSmartGuy: Although he was probably more TheBigGuy of the original team, since his intelligence was downplayed in those days. He is the resident genius.
* UnderwearOfPower: His costume for most of TheSeventies and part of TheEighties was just underwear covering his crotch and buttocks.
* VitriolicBestBuds: With Iceman. They are best friends, but that does not prevent them from taking shots at each other. Beast pointing that Iceman is not the brightest guy around: "meet my blundering associate – who's not such a bad idiot when you get to know him!"
* WhatTheHellHero: He was on the delivering end of this to Cyclops but ended up taking their falling out to far and has since been on the reviewing end of this a number of times.
** When the Phoenix Force makes Cyclops kill Xavier, he brings younger versions of the original X-men (himself, Scott, Jean, Bobby and Warren) to present day in order to torment him. Many people including the Watcher voice disgust in him for putting the whole Universe in danger just to mess with someone he hates, with even his younger self horrified at who he’s become. The X-men eventually have an intervention in order to confront him about his actions telling him his hatred for Cyclops does not justify what he’s done.
** He joins the Illuminati in destroying alternate worlds in order to save their own, Captain America and the rest of the Avengers are horrified and they end up on run. When the end of their world comes anyway, he receives another “What the hell” from his younger self for bringing him to the present knowing the world was in danger instead of letting him live his life.
** When he teams up with the Inhumans in I.V.C, he received another from his former team when they come around to the fact that what the Royal Family was doing was wrong.
** In ComicBook/XForce2019, Jean calls out Hank on keeping secrets within X-Force, as they nearly ruined a whole country and made a threat to Krakoa.
** Later in the book, when Krakoa comes into conflict with Russia, he starts rounding up Russian mutants for being potential moles, including longtime friend Colossus. To make it worse, Beast gathers Krakoas citizens to which Colossus be arrested in a humiliating traitors parade. Both Domino and Wolverine voice how inappropriate and flat out messed up this is especially for someone as sweet and peaceful as Colossus. Wolverine even punches him in the stomach for this having had enough of his crap.
* WickedCultured: "Beast turns evil" is kind of a much more common scenario than you'd think. See Creator/GrantMorrison's "Here Comes Tomorrow" arc in ''ComicBook/NewXMen'' for a quintessential one. Beast (under the influence of Sublime) attempts to destroy the X-Men (now led by a reformed clone of Cassandra Nova) once and for all.
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* HatedByAll: By the time of the ComicBook/HellfireGala, his hypocrisy, smugness, and overall morally bankrupt actions have caught up to him and nobody likes or trusts him anymore even his longtime allies and friends or X-Force teammates.

* ''WesternAnimation/WolverineAndTheXMen'' (2008), voiced by Fred Tatasciore

* ''Anime/XMen'' (2011), voiced by Creator/HideyukiTanaka, Creator/FredTatasciore [[note]]English dub[[/note]]

* ''WesternAnimation/XMen'' (1992 -- 1997), voiced by Creator/GeorgeBuza

!!! '''Joined In:''' ''X-Men'' #53 (February, 1969) [[note]]Flashback story[[/note]]

** Later in the book, When Krakoa comes into conflict with Russia, he starts rounding up Russian mutants for being potential moles, including longtime friend Colossus. To make it worse, Beast gathers Krakoas citizens to which Colossus be arrested in a humiliating traitors parade. Both Domino and Wolverine voice how inappropriate and flat out messed up this is especially for someone as sweet and peaceful as Colossus. Wolverine even punches him in the stomach for this having had enough of his crap.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/b195f13a_e967_42a2_96c1_446cec38e0ab.jpeg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: He could rip you to shreds and calculate the amount of said shreds there would be afterwards.]]