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BEAST
Earth-8101

Real Name: Henry "Hank" McCoy

Identity/Class: Alternate Earth (Earth-8101) primate mutant

Occupation: Superhero

Group Membership: X-Apes (Angel/Warren Worthington III, Colobbus/Piotr Rasputin, Cyclops/Scott Summers, Icemonk/Robert Drake, Marvel Girl/Jean Grey, Nightcrawler/Kurt Wagner, Professor X/Charles Xavier, Kitty Pryde, Psylocke/Betsy Braddock, Storm/Ororo Munroe, Wolverine/James Howlett);
  formerly Outcasts (Colobbus/Piotr Rasputin, Cyclops/Scott Summers, Dr. Druid/Anthony Druid, Elektra/Elektra Natchios, Ghost Rider/Johnny Blaze, Hulk/Bruce Bananner, Icemonk/Robert Drake, Iron Paw/Daniel Rand, MACH IV/Abner Jenkins, Moonstone/Karla Sofen, Nightcrawler/Kurt Wagner, Power Simian/Luke Cage, Psylocke/Betsy Braddock, Punisher/Frank Castle, Speedball/Robert Baldwin, Storm/Ororo Munroe, Wolverine/James Howlett)

Affiliations: Ape-Vengers (Gro-Rilla/Henry Pym, Iron Mandrill/Tony Stark, Thorangutan/Thorangutan Odinson, Wasp/Janet van Dyne), Daredevil (Matt Murdock), Fantastic Four (Invisible Simian/Susan Storm, Simian Torch/Johnny Storm, Thing/Ben Grimm), Forbush Ape (Irving Forbush), Huhr (Bruce Bananner), Spider-Monkey (Peter Parker)

Enemies: Captain America (Baron Blood/John Falsworth);
  formerly Ape-Vengers

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: X-Mansion, X-Apes headquarters

First Appearance: Marvel Apes I#1/2 (November, 2008)

Powers/Abilities: Beast is a mutant who possesses superhuman strength, agility, and durability, paired with enhanced senses and reflexes. His acrobatic prowess allows him to leap great distances and fight with fluid, animal-like precision, while his brilliant scientific mind makes him as formidable intellectually as he is physically. Having undergone multiple further mutations, Beast now has bright blue skin and fur.

Height: Unrevealed (approximately 5'8")
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 180 lbs.)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Unrevealed

History:

(Marvel Apes I#1/3 - BTS) - The mutant Beast became part of the X-Simians at an unrevealed point in time, serving alongside fellow mutant primates Angel, Cyclops, Icemonk, and Marvel Girl under the tutelage of Professor Charles Xavier.

(Marvel Apes I#1/3) - During what would become known as the Silver Age of heroes, Beast and the X-Simians would fight alongside other costumed superapes such as Daredevil, Forbush Ape, the Ape-Vengers and the Fantastic Four.

(Marvel Apes I#1/2 - BTS) - Possibly due to further mutation, Beast's skin and fur turned dark grey.

(Marvel Apes I#1/2) - When Professor X's urgent telepathic warning echoed above them, Beast broke down alongside the rest of the X-Simians. Tears streamed down his face as he stood beside Marvel Girl, Angel, Cyclops, and Icemonk, all overwhelmed by a looming cosmic threat.

(Marvel Apes I#2/2 - BTS) - Colobbus and Kitty Pryde went on their first date just as their friend Hank McCoy begun his next evolution into a bizarre pink creature with opposable thumbs.

(Marvel Apes I#2/1 - BTS) - Due to even further mutation, Beast's skin and fur turned blue.

(Marvel Apes I#2/1 - BTS) - Beast and the X-Apes became part of the Outcasts, which emerged as a loose resistance within the simian world, formed by super-powered apes who had learned a truth most refused to face, the heroic Captain America was no patriot at all, but a powerful über-vampire (secretly the undead Baron Blood in disguise). The Outcasts saw the danger and united in secret to oppose the growing corruption within their world's heroes, operating from the Sanctum Sanctorum, the former home of the late Doctor Strange, their sanctuary was mystically concealed within a shared memory and could only be reached through the Monkey's Paw. To most simians, the Outcasts were little better than the criminals they opposed and were actively hunted by "Captain America's" Ape-Vengers.

(Marvel Apes I#2/1) - Beast was present at the Sanctum Sanctorum when Speedball brought Dr. Fiona Fitzhugh and the Gibbon of Earth-616 to their hidden refuge to safe them from "Captain America", the Fantastic Four and Ape-Vengers after being accused for killing Reed Richards.

(Marvel Apes I#3/1) - Beast and the Iron Paw chased the Gibbon, forcing him towards Wolverine after which the Gibbon accidentally fell into the Dark Dimension, crowded by the dangerous Mindless Ones.

Comments: Created by Karl Kesel and Tom Peyer.

Marvel Apes I#2 (September, 2008) called the X-Men of Earth-8101 the X-Apes, they were previously known as the X-Simians in a back-up feature from Marvel Apes I#1. Since "X-Apes" is what was used in the actual story itself we'll use that in the profile.

Both Marvel Apes I#2 (December, 2008) and Marvel Apes I#3 (December, 2008) included a Bonobo-Pen Bulletin letter page that established that several Marvel Apes variant covers at the time were part of their reality with fun little solicitations of those issues. In the Bonobo-Pen Bulletin letter page for Marvel Apes I#2 (December, 2008) Beast was mentioned in the solicitation for the Astonishing X-Simians#18.

The Marvel Apes limited series (2008) was conceived as a playful companion to the earlier Marvel Zombies phenomenon. Following the unexpected commercial success of Zombies, Marvel looked to replicate the formula by reimagining its superheroes in another offbeat, high-concept alternate reality. Writer Karl Kesel, inspired by Silver Age whimsy and the classic "What If?" tradition, pitched a world where Marvel's heroes and villains were evolved primates rather than humans. The project was greenlit as a four-issue miniseries, launching with a tongue-in-cheek promotional campaign that leaned into its absurdity while still delivering a surprisingly dark, satirical storyline. The series spawned several tie-ins and one-shots, positioning the Ape-Verse as both a parody of and homage to Marvel's multiverse storytelling.

Earth-8101 is the main Marvel Apes reality, but there are three others as well:
  - Earth-81218, possible future of Earth-8101 set in the year 2099.
  - Earth-90543, monkey Speedball was send back to his world and branded a traitor by the Ape-Vengers. This was a bad dream of the Gibbon.
  - Earth-95019, diverged from 8101 when zombies invaded their world. The reset button was eventually pushed on the original Earth-8101, preventing the divergence.

Profile by MarvellousLuke

CLARIFICATIONS:
Beast has no known connections to


Images: (without ads)
Marvel Apes I#2, p23, pan1 (main image)
Marvel Apes I#1, p31, pan1 (Silver Age costumes)
Marvel Apes I#1, p23, pan1 (Beast with grey skin/fur)
Marvel Apes I#3, p6, pan4 (chasing the Gibbon)


Appearances:
Marvel Apes I#1/2 (November, 2008) - credits unrevealed
Marvel Apes I#1/3 (November, 2008) - Tom Peyer (writer), Barry Kitson (pencils, inks), Stephen Wacker, Tom Brennan, Tom Brevoort (editors)
Marvel Apes I#2/1 (November, 2008) - Karl Kesel (writer), Ramon Bachs (pencils, inks), Tom Brennan (editor)
Marvel Apes I#2/2 (November, 2008) - Flourn (writer, editor of Bonobo-Pen Bulletin)
Marvel Apes I#3/1 (December, 2008) - Karl Kesel (writer), Ramon Bachs (pencils & inks), Tom Brennan (editor)


First Posted: 12/1/2025
Last Updated: 12/1/2025

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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