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 new team of mutants called the X-Men.

However, his own experimentation kicked off a series of mutations and secondary mutations that completely transformed his appearance on more than one occasion over the years. Some of his mutations have become beloved stages in his evolution, though others were quickly forgotten as Beast returned to the status quo. However, each new transformation highlights his ever-changing mutation and sometimes problematic dedication to the science (and occasional magic) that drives the X-Man and Avenger known as Beast.

Hank McCoy’s Mutation Led Him To Join The X-Men

First Appearance: X-Men #1 (September 1963) by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Paul Reinman and Sam Rosen

While most mutants don’t manifest their abilities or physical transformations until puberty, some mutations are evident even at birth. That was the case for young Henry McCoy, who was born with enlarged hands and feet. His agility and strength increased as he grew, and he excelled in school with his brilliant mind and athletic body.

Hank McCoy’s mutation made him a perfect candidate for Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. He used the name Beast, which was thrown against him in anger and abuse throughout his childhood. As an original member of the X-Men, Beast used his incredible strength and agility, as well as his brilliant mind, to help the team. Unfortunately, he never escaped the ridicule and self-loathing that came with his initial mutation, which inspired him to find a cure for the mutant x-gene.

An Experimental Serum Turned Him Into a Beast

First Appearance: Amazing Adventures #11 (March 1972) by Gerry Conway, Tom Sutton, Syd Shores and Sam Rosen

After McCoy graduated from the X-Men, he left the team and accepted an offer to work in the scientific field. He joined the Brand Corporation and started working towards curing the x-gene. He was able to extract the gene that caused mutation in his first scientific breakthrough, though that also made him a target at his new work.

In what would become a recurring trend in Beast’s life, his confidence in his own brilliance led him to mutate even further.

After learning that a colleague was planning to steal his work and hoping to keep his identity as the X-Men’s Beast a secret, he took his serum to mutate himself even further. He grew fangs and claws and sprouted grey-black hair all over his body. While he was able to save his research, he was trapped in his new bestial form and sought revenge.

Beast’s Furry Form Mutated Until He Was Blackish-Blue

First Appearance: Amazing Adventures #15 (November 1972) by Steve Englehart, Tom Sutton, Frank Giacoia, John Tartag and Jean Izzo

Hank McCoy had a few encounters with the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and the villainous Quasimodo in his new form. The latter managed to finally injure his powerful new form, and Beast retreated to his friend Patsy Walker/Hellcat’s apartment to recover. He underwent the second stage of his first transformation into the animalistic Beast while in a deep sleep.

Beast’s grey fur had turned dark blue-black, changing his appearance into one of his most familiar forms. While he remained in this form for years, his strength and agility grew as he exercised his abilities with teams like the X-Men and the Avengers. A cloned version of this transformation of the Beast is currently operating on Cyclops’ From the Ashes team, though his memories are from shortly after his time with the Avengers.

Dark Beast Continued His Modifications In The AoA

First Appearance: X-Men: Alpha #1 (December 1994) by Scott Lobdell, Mark Waid, Roger Cruz, Steve Epting, Tim Townsend, Dan Panosian, Steve Buccellato, Electric Crayon, Richard Starkings and Comicraft

Beast’s mutation remained stable for years after he developed his blue fur. However, everything changed in the ’90s when the Age of Apocalypse timeline was created. After an incident in the past that resulted in the death of Professor Charles Xaver, Apocalypse rose to take over North America. Magneto led his own X-Men against En Sabah Nur’s forces, which included some familiar faces.

Dark Beast was still a brilliant mutant, though he had dived wholeheartedly into mutant experimentation while working for Apocalypse. While his furred mutation was similar to his Earth 616 counterpart, Dark Beast’s fur was even darker. When Dark Beast temporarily replaced his counterpart in the X-Men, he had to lighten his hair to keep up the charade. Dark Beast’s continued experimentation on his own body further twisted him after he escaped the Age of Apocalypse, increasing his bestial nature even further.

McCoy Was A Reptilian Brute In The Mutant X Reality

First Appearance: Mutant X #1 (August 1998) by Howard Mackie, Tom Raney, Andrew Pepoy, Walden Wong, Gina Going and Chris Eliopoulos

The X-Men have encountered their fair share of alternate realities over the years. However, Alex Summers/Havok once spent time in the body of his own variant from the Mutant X universe. He led a dark version of the original X-Men known as the Six, including a unique variant of Henry McCoy known as the Brute.

McCoy’s experimentation on himself took a very different turn on this world, and he was transformed into a powerful green reptilian monster with hooves. Unfortunately, unlike his mainstream counterpart, the transformation also took his intelligence. The Brute lost his smarts and developed a berserker rage but retained his loving heart. The Brute eventually regained his intelligence and helped Havok return to his home reality after saving their own.

Beast’s Secondary Mutation Resulted In A Feline Form

First Appearance: New X-Men #114 (July 2001) by Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely, Tim Townsend, Brian Haberlin and Comicraft

After years in his familiar blue form, Beast experienced a new evolution after suffering serious wounds in battle with the villainous Vargas. Sage used a previously unknown power to boost his healing factor, which had an unexpected result. Fans got their first tease of Beast’s secondary mutation in X-Treme X-Men, but it didn’t fully debut until the New X-Men reboot.

Beast developed a new feline form that further increased his size and strength, though it didn’t impact his intelligence.

However, due to Cassandra Nova’s psychic influence, he temporarily reverted to a more animalistic personality. Beast’s secondary mutation lasted for years, and fans grew used to his new form, although it varied quite a bit from artist to artist. However, his secondary mutation eventually weakened due to his earlier experimentation on himself, destabilizing his body and threatening his life. Sublime later took over this feline version of Beast, and he further evolved into a white-furred despot in the dark “Here Comes Tomorrow” future.

Beast Stabilized His Form With a Powerful New Look

First Appearance: All-New X-Men #5 (March 2013) by Brian Michael Bendis, Stuart Immonen, Wade von Grawbadger, Craig Yeung, Marte Gracia, Jason Keith and Cory Petit

McCoy started experiencing debilitating seizures due to his artificially accelerated secondary mutation. This occurred shortly after he had traveled back in time to bring the original five X-Men to the present day. This turned out to be a good thing, as he had the assistance of his younger self to help him devise a cure for his situation.

Beast slipped into a coma, though young Jean Grey used her telepathy to connect both Hanks’ minds, and they were able to bring his mutation under control. This created yet another new form that seemingly returned him to the “ape”-like form of his former self while retaining the strength and size of his feline form. It felt like a perfect merger between his earlier evolutions, though it still wouldn’t be the final transformation Beast would go through in the mainstream universe.

A Time-Displaced Hank McCoy Became Demon Beast

First Appearance: All-New X-Men #16 (February 2017) by Dennis Hallum, Mark Bagley, Andrew Hennessy, Nolan Woodard and Cory Petit

While Beast hoped that the young X-Men would see the error of Cyclops’ ways when he brought them to the future, it actually had a much different effect. Young Hank McCoy saw that his drive for science had resulted in a series of mutations in his future self. He decided to try and forge a new path by using his intelligence to memorize spells and incantations instead of formulas.

Hank McCoy’s mystical exploration also had a dark turn, and he was shocked to discover that his use of magic still resulted in a monstrous transformation. In a battle with Madelyne Pryor/Goblin Queen, McCoy pushed his magical gifts and made a deal with a dark source of energy, turning him into the Demon Beast. In this form, he had the power to banish Goblin Queen’s demons off the planet, though he opened up his soul to demonic possession. Thankfully, McCoy abandoned his new path before the young X-Men were returned to the timeline, erasing this future version.

Beast Prime’s Death Finalized His Villainous Phase

First Appearance: Wolverine #30 (April 2023) by Benjamin Percy, Juan Jose Ryp, Frank D’Armata and Cory Petit

Everything changed for Beast in the X-Men’s Krakoan era, even if he didn’t experience any drastic physical mutations. He was placed in charge of the new Krakoan security forces, which became known as the newest iteration of X-Force. Hoping to protect the new mutant society from all threats, Beast went further than ever before, crossing lines that made it hard to see him as an X-Man.

Beast plotted the downfall of nations and even betrayed his longtime teammate, Wolverine. McCoy took control of Wolverine and used him to carry out dark missions, though he also created an army of Wolverine clones. Wolverine killed Beast, but that only freed him to be reborn in his new wholly villainous form. He became known as Beast Prime when he created a team of slightly inferior Beast clones to help him carry out his evil plans. Beast’s time as a villain was incredibly memorable, albeit short-lived. He ultimately sacrificed himself in place of his old friend, Wonder Man.

The Current Beast is A Clone From an Earlier Era

First Appearance: X-Force #48 (January 2024) by Benjamin Percy, Robert Gill, Guru-eFX and VC’s Joe Caramagna

Thankfully, the death of Beast Prime wasn’t the end for Hank McCoy. X-Force saved one of Beast’s clones and implanted it with an older memory log from Cerebro, hoping to use him against his evil self. The Beast clone was horrified when he learned of the dark depths Beast Prime fell, and he was instrumental in reminding his evil progenitor of his heroic ways.

Now freed from his villainous pursuits, Beast spent time recovering as Wonder Man’s roommate. However, the Beast clone decided to return to his beginnings and joined up with his old friend Cyclops as a member of the X-Men in the From the Ashes era. While the cloned squad of Beasts resembled the Krakoan version of the character, this new clone has been returned with a new lease on life to his earlier form as the blue-furred bouncin’ Beast.