Beast

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Beast, born Henry "Hank" McCoy, is an American mutant hero and member of the X-Men with the powers of superhuman, ape-like power and agility. Beast was one of the first four members of the X-Men along with Cyclops, Iceman, and Angel, as well as Marvel Girl who joined before their first mission.

Biography

Youth

Hank McCoy's father was a laborer at an atomic facility: he was exposed to radiation, the cause of Hank's mutation when he came of age. During adolescence, Hank realized that he possessed superhuman agility. He used his powers to his advantage in sports to complement his natural academic success. He got a scholarship to a university, but there he showed off his powers too much, and began to draw negative attention and suspicion. He dropped out in shame, but was contacted by Professor X, an advocate and teacher for mutants. Hank's parents supported him despite his differences.[1]

1963-1964

Full article: History of the X-Men, 1963-1964

The circumstances of Beast's joining the X-Men are unknown, but he was a full-fledged member by 1963. Along with his four teammates, Beast was sent on his first mission to Cape Citadel, deflecting the villainous mutant Magneto who had invaded the base. Magneto underestimated the combined powers of the X-Men, and was forced to flee from their assault.[2] The X-Men went on to defeat mutants known as the Vanisher[3] and the Blob,[4] and battled a rival team formed by Magneto known as the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, also including Mastermind, Toad, Quicksilver, and Scarlet Witch.[5] The X-Men and the Brotherhood fought several times in the coming months, including when the Brotherhood attempted to recruit Namor the Sub-Mariner and the Blob.[6][7][8] Around this time, the X-Men were manipulated by the Puppet Master and Mad Thinker, who took control of Professor X's mind and commanded them to defeat the heroic Fantastic Four. Eventually, the Four and the X-Men teamed up to defeat the villainous pair.[9] Shortly before their battle against the Brotherhood and the Blob, the X-Men officially graduated from Xavier's academy, and Professor X left them alone while he went off to deal with personal matters. He appointed Cyclops the leader of the team in his stead.[8] Cyclops was a rigorous leader of the X-Men, putting them through hours of intense training that paid off in the field by producing an unprecedented level of synergy between them. Beast left the team for a short time after becoming fed up with ungrateful humans, but returned shortly after to help them defeat Unus the Untouchable, who was being eyed for a spot in the Brotherhood.[10] Professor X revealed his purpose for leaving, leading the X-Men to Europe to bring down a villain known as Lucifer. They also ran into a brief conflict with the Avengers along the way. With Lucifer subdued, Professor X returned to the school.[11]

1965

Full article: History of the X-Men, 1965

Near the beginning of the year, the X-Men explored the Savage Land beneath Antarctica and fought off a group of hostile natives with the help of Lord of the Jungle, Ka-Zar.[12] Some time later, the team followed up on reports that seemed to suggest the presence of a powerful mutant, who came to be known as the Stranger. When they found him, he was already meeting with the Brotherhood. In truth, Stranger was a member of an alien race interested in examining mutants of various species across the universe. Over the course of the day, the Stranger used a laser beam to petrify Mastermind, and took Magneto and Toad in strange cocoons up into space back to his home planet. Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch also decided to leave the Brotherhood, effectively ending the villainous group.[13] As the team returned home, Cerebro detected a massive threat in the area, and Charles knew that it was his long-lost stepbrother, the Juggernaut. He had the X-Men prepare for the incoming attack and told them the story of his history with the powerful Juggernaut, Cain Marko.[14] Armed with a psionic helmet to protect him from Xavier's telepathy, Juggernaut arrived and proved virtually unstoppable. Xavier powered up his mind with a specially designed Mento-Helmet and summoned the help of the Human Torch. The team managed to defeat Juggernaut with a combined effort to remove his helmet and allow Xavier to knock him out telepathically and allow the authorities to retrieve him. Professor X wiped Torch's memory of the incident to preserve the X-Men's secrecy.[15]

See also

References

  1. The X-Men #15: "Prisoners of the Mysterious Master Mold!" (December 1965) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (art), Gavin, Jay (p), Ayers, Dick (i), Simek, Artie (let).
  2. The X-Men #1: "X-Men." (September 1963) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Reinman, Paul (i), Rosen, Sam (let).
  3. The X-Men #2: "No One Can Stop the Vanisher!" (November 1963) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Reinman, Paul (i), Rosen, Sam (let).
  4. The X-Men #3: "Beware of the Blob!" (January 1964) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Reinman, Paul (i), Simek, Artie (let).
  5. The X-Men #4: "The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants!" (March 1964) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Reinman, Paul (i), Simek, Artie (let).
  6. The X-Men #5: "Trapped: One X-Man!" (May 1964) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Reinman, Paul (i), Rosen, Sam (let).
  7. The X-Men #6: "Sub-Mariner Joins the Evil Mutants." (July 1964) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Stone, Chic (i), Rosen, Sam (let).
  8. 8.0 8.1 The X-Men #7: "The Return of the Blob." (September 1964) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Stone, Chic (i), Rosen, Sam (let).
  9. Fantastic Four #28: "We Have to Fight the X-Men!" (July 1964) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Stone, Chic (i), Rosen, Sam (let).
  10. The X-Men #8: "Unus, the Untouchable!" (November 1964) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Stone, Chic (i), Rosen, Sam (let).
  11. The X-Men #9: "Enter, The Avengers!" (January 1965) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Stone, Chic (i), Rosen, Sam (let).
  12. The X-Men #10: "The Coming of...Ka-Zar!" (March 1965) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Stone, Chic (i), Rosen, Sam (let).
  13. The X-Men #11: "The Triumph of Magneto!" (May 1965) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Stone, Chic (i), Simek, Artie (let).
  14. The X-Men #12: "The Origin of Professor X!" (July 1965) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (art), Toth, Alex (p), Colletta, Vince (i), Rosen, Sam (let).
  15. The X-Men #13: "Where Walks the Juggernaut!" (September 1965) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (art), Roth, Werner (p), Sinnott, Joe (i), Rosen, Sam (let).