Hank McCoy

Biography
Threat Assessment
Trivia and Notes
Gallery

Beast

Beast
Hank McCoy

Identity

Legal Name

Henry Phillip McCoy

Known Aliases

Beast (Cryptonym)
Hank (Nickname)

Status

American

Relatives

Norton McCoy (Father)
Edna Andrews (Mother)

Affiliation

X-Men (Member)
Exemplar Squad (Member)

Debut

Watchers Archive: Party Time - Session 1

Biographical Information

Date of Birth

May 27th, 1979

Place of Birth

Dundee, Illinois

Education

Master's Degree in Biochemistry, Bachelor's Degree in Science
(Bard College)

Occupation

Student / Tutor

Employer

Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters

Marital Status

Single

Residence

X-Mansion

Physical Description

Race

Mutant

Gender

Cisgender

Sex

Male

Orientation

Heterosexual

Hair Color

Brown

Eye Color

Brown

Height

5'11" / 1.80 m

Weight

402 lbs / 182.34 kg

Biography[]

(Logged in as "User: Moira X")

Childhood: 1979 - 1993[]

Henry "Hank" McCoy was born and raised in Dundee, Illinois, the son of Norton and Edna McCoy. His father worked at a nuclear power plant where he was exposed to massive amounts of radiation during an accident. Norton did recover without ill-effect, but the radiation appears to have affected his genes and, as a result, his son was born a mutant.

Unlike most mutants, Henry showed signs of mutation from birth: Unusually large hands and feet, coupled with unusual strength and agility. As he grew older, it was clear that Hank was also endowed with an innate superior intellect and during adolescence further increased his powers of simian-like augmented agility, reflexes, and strength.

Hank was set to graduate high school in the summer of 1994, while also having made significant advancement on his first college degree as well. This drew the attention of the Howard Stark Foundation who contacted the McCoys and asked if Hank would contribute to a national speaking tour with other young geniuses.

Recruitment: 1993[]

As part of this cross-country lecture circuit, Hank addressed a lecture hall of professors at Bard College. After concluding his remarks, Hank was met by Professor John Grey. Hank presumed Professor Grey would try and recruit him for Bard College. However, Professor Grey did no such thing and instead introduced Hank to his daughter, Jean.

Hank was smitten by Jean. She was just his type. Which of course, was exactly why Jean was chosen to recruit him. Hank, like most teen boys who had devoted themselves to studying complex equations, was very awkward around the opposite sex, especially attractive redheaded girls who can also read minds. Poor Hank didn't stand a chance. He returned home to tell his parents the only school where his genius could be sufficiently challenged was Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.

Of course, Hank did not realize that Professor Charles Xavier had sensed Hank's thoughts while he was touring through New York state. Hank had previously concluded he had to be some form of mutant and those thoughts were constantly rattling around in his head.

When Hank arrived at the end of the summer and was officially made a student of the special school for mutants, Charles promised Hank the chance for unlimited academic opportunities and convinced Hank he had made the right choice, even though there was some subterfuge.

Year One: 1993 - 1994[]

Hank joined Wanda and Warren as part of the Exemplar Squad. Hank's combination of athletic and academic achievements ensured their victory in that year's scholastic competition. Hank took an active interest in mentoring and tutoring other students. In particular, he became invested in helping Bobby Drake, who Hank believed was not living up to his full intellectual potential and brought this to the staff's attention on multiple instances. Hank graduated at the end of that year, intent on furthering his collegiate studies.

Postgraduate: 1994 - 1995[]

The summer after graduating, Hank finished the requirements for his first college degree by correspondence. He received a bachelor's in science from Bard College. By the following Christmas, he had completed his Master's thesis in biochemistry.

Throughout, Hank remained a resident here and did as much college work from the School as possible, commuting to Bard College when it was required he do so. Hank continues to run an evening study hall.^[1]

Analysis[]

Mutant Level: Hank is a Beta-Level Mutant with Beta-Class projected potential.
Mutation — Atavism: Hank's mutation seems to be the result of of genetic atavism, or traits that resurface in a species after many generations of dormancy. However, he also retains his neotenous traits, characteristics of a descendant that resemble those of an ancestor organism, which would explain why he has a big modern brain with an ape-like physique. While we cannot be sure if Hank's genius is at all due to his mutant nature, it is worth noting that the arrival of Homo sapiens among our more ape-like ancestors was marked by the Homo sapiens' larger brain size. It could be that Hank is a fusion of our ancient ancestors and the next progression in human (or rather 'mutant') intelligence.
- Augmented Strength: Hank is able to lift about one ton over his head and leg press about two tons with extreme effort. Hank can also leap about 32 feet high or 50 feet forward if given a short space for a running start. He can leap about a third of those distances with his feet planted still.
- Augmented Speed: Hank can run and move at speeds that are slightly beyond the natural physical limits of the finest human athlete, despite his abnormal size. He can run at speeds of 40 mph (64.4 km/h) for short distances, particularly if he drops down to utilize his hands as well. This same speed applies to his reflexes and mental processing as well.
- Augmented Durability: The tissue and fibers of Hank's body are harder and more resistant to certain types of injuries than the bodies of normal humans. His physiology can withstand great impact forces and is more resilient to strains and stress. Hank can withstand physical impacts, such as falling from several stories to land on his feet without suffering any broken bones or sprains. Also he is able to be physically struck by many incredibly strong beings like Fred Dukes at forces that would likely severely injure or kill a normal human with mild injury or discomfort.
- Prehensile Feet: Hank can perform many tasks with his feet as easily as with his hands. His manual and pedal dexterity are so great that he is considered to be omnidexterous.
- Augmented Healing: Hank's metabolism enables him to repair mild to moderate injuries much faster than a normal human. For instance, he can recover from minor ailments, such as a severe cold or fever within a few hours. More severe injuries, like broken bones, can heal within days. Hank also possesses a highly advanced immune system, which also gives Hank a high immunity to foreign chemicals, such as tranquilizers and certain types of poisons.
- Telepathic Resistance: Hank possesses a moderate resistance to telepathic manipulation. The reason for which is a mystery. It is possible that Hank's brain processes information differently than most humans and other mutants, accounting for his incredible intelligence.
Expertise — Scientist / Scholar: Hank is a man of many, many talents. He is a master chemist, mechanic, engineer, biologist, geneticist, and inventor. If you give him essential texts and tools of any field of study, he can usually master it in less than a month. If asked to solve the impossible and given no limit of resources, I'm quite sure Hank would only need a year or two. I'd put him up there with the likes of Tony Stark or another Hank: Hank Pym.
Constant Mutation: Hank reports that while the rest of his body has stopped growing, his hands and feet (currently size 42 US) have not. Hank fears, at this rate, he might have to find a means to chemically halt his own mutation.