University of Panels

8: Beast

(Henry McCoy)

 

Rember how I said that Nightcrawler that his character represented that one should be judged by appearances? Well Beast is another X-Man who follows this archetype. Although his appearance is that of a ferocious monster, in actuality, Beast is the most intelligent member of the X-Men. With a vast intellect, Beast holds a PhD in science, and is highly appreciative towards art and literature. This acts as a great foil to his animalistic appearance, and gives a fun and well-developed personality. I also love a character arc that Beast has undergone since Grant Morrison's run on NEW X-MEN. Eversince being manipulated by Cassandra Nova's mindgames, as well as going from an ape-like to cat-like appearance, Beast fears that he is slowly devolving and losing his intelligence. Despite that fear however, Beast continues to be the intellectual core of the team, and will stop at nothing to expand his quantity of knowledge.