Hello and welcome to another great character spotlight in Marvel Snapshot! In this week’s edition, we’ll take a look at another member of the new movie X-Men: First Class in Beast! The blue haired bouncing X-Man and former Avenger will be front and center this week, so get ready!
As everybody knows, Beast was not always furry, but just bulky and a superb gymnast. He later on developed the hairy look. Hank has been a stalwart member of the X-Men for a long time. At first he was just a guy that would swing around like an ape, but he eventually became the most trusted scientific mind. He spent a lot of time in the lab, but also his fair share on the battlefield. He even takes a political stance regarding mutants, as well. After spending a long time with the X-Men, Beast left to become a scientist for the Brand Corporation.
After his time in the private sector, he joined the Avengers. This was actually my favorite time for Beast. He meshed really well with Wonder Man, and the rest of the team as well (Captain America, Falcon, Ms. Marvel). Beast really enjoys heckling Henry Gyrich, and those were some of his best scenes as an Avenger. He did leave periodically to rejoin the X-Men, but stayed an Avenger for quite a while. Later on, he returned to the X-Men (now X-Factor) to fight Apocalypse for the first time. This, along with Angel being remade as Archangel, started a very dark time for the X-Men and Beast. Once the 1990s came around, the X-Men reunited (old and newer members), and Beast came back to the X-Men full time.
Beast is remembered over the years for many things. A couple things that I remember vividly were Beast curing the Legacy Virus, his relationship with Trish Tilby, his insane counter-part from the Age of Apocalypse, and his quest to find out why no more mutants have been born since M-Day. Beast, for me, will always be a better Avenger, but his days as an X-Man in the 1990s and 2000s are definitely really good times for the furry blue Beast! As usual, check out my reading list below, followed by some great covers! See you next week!
Recommended Reading
Essential Classic X-Men vol.’s 1, 2, 3 – Tpb
Beauty and the Beast Limited Series (1984) #1-4
Beast Limited Series (1997) #1-3
X-Men: Endangered Species – HC (2008)
X-Men: Messiah Complex – HC (2008)
S.W.O.R.D. (2010) #1-5
Secret Avengers (2010)
Avengers: Nights of Wundagore (BackPack Marvels) (2001) – Tpb
Avengers: The Coming of the Beast HC (1975/1976)
Billy Dunleavy
billy@comicattack.net
Beast!! Better an Avenger? Say it isn’t so. X-Man for life.
@Nick- lol, well, I do like him as an X-Man, but he’s changed so much over the last two decades, it makes me miss the fun loving guy he used to be.
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