Template:Featured Articles/40-2007

Beast: Henry - better known as Hank - McCoy was born late in life to Edna and Norton, a hardworking farming family in Iowa. His over-developed hands and feet marked him as a mutant from birth, but his parents were nothing but loving and supportive. As Hank grew, he demonstrated that not only did he have increased strength, mass and agility, but he was also extremely intelligent. Indeed, Hank was at his most troublesome when he was bored, and his parents struggled to keep him occupied lest his undirected inventiveness run riot. When Hank reached his teens, it became clear his intellect was far outstripping his education, and it was arranged that he attend a new, prestigious school in Westchester: Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, where he was part of the founding class along with Scott Summers, Jean Grey, Ororo Munroe and later, Warren Worthington. The friendships Hank formed as a student lasted well after he graduated and began his illustrious academic career. Life seemed golden for Hank, until an accident with a genetic accelerant mutated him even further, turning him blue and furry, increasing his bulk and giving him feral characteristics including fangs and claws. Devastated by this, Hank tried several times to reverse the process, almost killing himself several times. It was only a promise extracted by Alison and Moira that prevented him from trying any more, and he sank into a deep depression. Fortunately his friends supported him through this trying period and he eventually was able to continue his career, albeit much subdued and self-conscious about his appearance. It was around this time he created the image inducers that projected a hologrammatic image of himself to the world; these devices were frequently used in the mansion by students with obvious mutations that made them unsafe. Hank maintained his links with the school, frequently reappearing as medic, teacher and advisor on mutant powers and training, as well as an X-Man. However his responsibilities to his research frequently took precedence, and he was an intermittent presence at best during 2003 and 2004. This changed at the end of 2004, when Alison's overload and various other disasters stretched the medical facilities of the mansion to the limit. Responding to a plea for help from Moira and Madelyn, Hank finally returned to the school on a full time basis in December 2004. Hank fulfilled two life-long dreams during this time. In adopting Danielle Moonstar's son, Billy, he became a father. And in his successful wooing of Madelyn Bartlet, he gained a partner. However, there were still moments of dissatisfaction, particularly with his work, and when Madelyn expressed a desire to leave the school and become director of The Anodyne and Cornucopia Foundation in Edinburgh, Scotland, Hank agreed to go with her, obtaining work at Moira's Muir Island Research Facility as well as other locations in Britain. Hank and his new family relocated in December 2005 and whilst they maintain contact with various individuals at the school, have thrown themselves into their new lives.