Let me preface by saying I think Beast's latest incarnation (cat form) is my favorite form he has had to date. But I've always been curious as to how it came about. It seemed that one day Beast was a blue gorilla who was ripping off Wolverine's hairstyle and the next he was just as blue but a little more obsessed with catnip. Does anybody know the circumstances of his transformation? When and how did it happen? Who was the writer? I realize that this is far in the past but I was reading some old X-men comics from grade school and I saw the old version of Beast and I realized I never really knew what happened in the first place. Scans would be appreciated if possible.

It was introduced in Grant Morrisons New X-Men run...and was given the reason that he just merely "devolved" into that form. I also think he had that hairstyle before Wolverine actually
 
I personally hate it

It happened during Grant Morrison's run on New X-Men as a result of a "secondary mutation" (the same thing that caused Emma Frost to be able to turn into a diamond). The cat version of Beast is actually his third form. He was originally just a dude with big feet.

@cattlebattle:

Thanks, I have read Morrisons New X-men and that was where I first saw Beast in his cat form but it seemed like an extremely abrupt introduction to a whole new design for the character. I always thought that there was some stepping stone in between that I was missing. I really like Grant Morrison but sometimes it seems as if he relies on the vastness of his ideas rather than having a lot of attention to detail. Like why Beast suddenly devolved. Seemed weird to me. What don't you like about his cat form?

It happened during Grant Morrison's run on New X-Men as a result of a "secondary mutation" (the same thing that caused Emma Frost to be able to turn into a diamond). The cat version of Beast is actually his third form. He was originally just a dude with big feet.

In an interview with Grant he stated he wanted Beast to resemble the one from " Beauty & Beast ". Aside from that his clothes and attitude at the time reflected that character. When Grant jumped on board, pretty much everything in the X-Men, including the looks took a 360 degree turn, much of it seemingly out of the blue and without warrant, and the only answer ever given was because it would look cool for this reason or that, which is really nothing new when you think of it. The only in-canon reason I've ever seen is secondary mutation, and yes it's secondary, the previous form was caused by a chemical McCoy drank, not evolution nor his x-gene.

@cattlebattle:

Thanks, I have read Morrisons New X-men and that was where I first saw Beast in his cat form but it seemed like an extremely abrupt introduction to a whole new design for the character. I always thought that there was some stepping stone in between that I was missing. I really like Grant Morrison but sometimes it seems as if he relies on the vastness of his ideas rather than having a lot of attention to detail. Like why Beast suddenly devolved. Seemed weird to me. What don't you like about his cat form?

@Vance Astro said:

@Nudeviking said:

It happened during Grant Morrison's run on New X-Men as a result of a "secondary mutation" (the same thing that caused Emma Frost to be able to turn into a diamond). The cat version of Beast is actually his third form. He was originally just a dude with big feet.

This is true as far as I know.I don't know where is was stated that Beast "devolved".

It's been awhile since I read NXM, but I think Beast himself questioned whether or not it was devolution after people accused his girlfriend of bestiality or something like that.

@CATPANEXE said:

In an interview with Grant he stated he wanted Beast to resemble the one from " Beauty & Beast ". Aside from that his clothes and attitude at the time reflected that character. When Grant jumped on board, pretty much everything, including the looks took a 360 degree turn, much of it seemingly out of the blue and without warrant, and the only answer ever given was because it would look cool for this reason or that, which is really nothing new when you think of it. The only in-canon reason I've ever seen is secondary mutation, and yes it's secondary, the previous form was caused by a chemical McCoy drank, not evolution nor his x-gene.

Yes that's true. The original grey (then blue) fur was the result of him using some sort of formula he had devised.

@Nudeviking said:

It happened during Grant Morrison's run on New X-Men as a result of a "secondary mutation" (the same thing that caused Emma Frost to be able to turn into a diamond). The cat version of Beast is actually his third form. He was originally just a dude with big feet

This is true as far as I know.I don't know where is was stated that Beast "devolved".

I don't understand the cat thing at all.

Man with ape hands/feet -> Ape with blue fur -> Blue Kitty

I feel like there's a step missing.

@cattlebattle said:

@Vance Astro said:

@Nudeviking said:

It happened during Grant Morrison's run on New X-Men as a result of a "secondary mutation" (the same thing that caused Emma Frost to be able to turn into a diamond). The cat version of Beast is actually his third form. He was originally just a dude with big feet

This is true as far as I know.I don't know where is was stated that Beast "devolved".

Its false, a secondary mutation would suggest that he would have an additional power among the ones he had, Beat just devolved into a larger more animalistic form.

Mutations don't necessarily result in any powers at all...which was something Morrison played around with a bit during that run. Beak, Ugly John, Glob Herman...none of those guys had any real powers beside looking messed up.

@cattlebattle said:

Mutations don't necessarily result in any powers at all...which was something Morrison played around with a bit during that run. Beak, Ugly John, Glob Herman...none of those guys had any real powers beside looking messed up.

It happened during X-Treme X-Men, NOT during Grant Morrisons New X-Men.

@Gambit1024 said:

I don't understand the cat thing at all.

Man with ape hands/feet -> Ape with blue fur -> Blue Kitty

I feel like there's a step missing.

You know, Hank was never an "ape with blue fur". After he got his blue fur he also got elongated ears, pointed claws and prominent canine teeth. None of those things are traits of apes, or any simian really. If anything I think his first blue form really set him up to transition into a cat. When you look at "classic" Beast he was just as cat-like as Tigra was aside from his lack of a tail.

Clearly Hank's x-gene bridged him with cats to a very small extent, but it was pushed and tweaked by two outside forces. He would have simply remained a more brutish human, who could have been equally comparable to any animal. One chemical tweak set's him down a more feline path, then a second psychic invasion pushes it even further.

@cattlebattle said:

@Nudeviking said:

@cattlebattle said:

Mutations don't necessarily result in any powers at all...which was something Morrison played around with a bit during that run. Beak, Ugly John, Glob Herman...none of those guys had any real powers beside looking messed up.

Yeah, your right, but the definition of a secondary mutation is evolving another power or ability, In Hanks case, enhanced senses blah, blah...He is actually credited as having a secondary mutation I just don't see how its logical as he is also credited as devolving.....the writers wrote themselves into a corner with that one....

First off, the secondary mutation thing is pretty loose ended. Some of them developed on their own, whilst others, like Hanks were forced, and others like Emma's were intentionally designed. So there really aren't many rules regarding what classifies a secondary mutation beyond an individual being different than they were.

Second, he did gain new abilities. It has been mentioned that since his feline form Hank has gained an accelerated healing factor. Nothing to the degree of Wolvie of course, but considering his healing was on par with average humans before Hank springs back much quicker now. Also all his mutant abilities he had before (agility, strength, senses, durability) all increased to great degrees which should be enough to count for secondary mutations even if he hadn't gained the healing factor.

Lastly, technically the only way Hank could "devolve" would be if he reverted to how he was before any of his changes. Evolve means change, their is no denotation of better or worse, just to change. If he lost his cat form and went back to the "classic blue" that would be devolving, likewise if he went back to his fur-less form.@cattlebattle said:

I don't like it because Hank...since his inception was an ape like man, it just made sense as people consider apes of less intelligence than man, but are highly intelligent for an animal....and Hank was known for intelligence, it was always just a part of his character...and I'm not saying anything in comics really make sense being that they are the most hardcore kind of fiction but Hank devolving into a cat just makes absolutely no sense...if you get what I mean

Wouldn't that point just work even more if he looked like a cat, resembling a rational man even less? I think his more monstrous form not only makes him work harder to demonstrate his genius mind, but it also means he has to try harder to show his gentle, pacifist side. Give's him even more of a Quasimodo/Monster of Frankenstein/Beauty and the Beast angle.

I like the feline form that the actual form is horrible

@cattlebattle: I have agree with you