Warning: contains spoilers for Immortal X-Men #9 & X-Force #35As the horrific descent of the X-Men's original member Beast into deranged villainy reaches it's tipping point, Mister Sinister has swiftly disproved a popular fan theory around Beast's evil behavior in the pages of Immortal X-Men #9. Hank McCoy has always been a mutant obsessed with science, experimentation, and innovation, but since the dawning of the Krakoan Age the heroic Beast has been on a swift decline into fascism and straight-up villainy. While Beast has been shown time and time again that he is seemingly destined to become a villain, many fans have been shocked by just how evil Hank has become.
Some passionate fans have speculated that Krakoa's Beast must actually be his "Dark Beast" counterpart from the Age of Apocalypse. The Age of Apocalypse was an alternate reality where Charles Xavier was murdered before forming the X-Men and the then-villain Apocalypse took over the planet, using Dark Beast as his mad scientist to conduct horrific experiments on both mutants and humans. When the Age of Apocalypse reality was (seemingly) destroyed, Dark Beast traveled to the main Earth-616 continuity, returning almost 20 years in the past. It was then retconned that he was responsible for creating the Morlocks and had been alive throughout much of the X-Men's history.
Eventually Dark Beast's genetic experimentation on himself caused him to apparently die, although later in Uncanny X-Men Vol. 5 #13 he returned and revealed that his long-time "friend" Mister Sinister had saved his head and grafted it onto a new technological body. The mutant Magik then apparently killed Dark Beast in Uncanny X-Men Vol. 5 #20 by cutting off his head using her teleportation disks, and the evil scientist has not been seen since then... until now. Immortal X-Men #9 - written by Kieron Gillen with art by Lucas Werneck - follows the diabolical Mister Sinister as he uses multiple Moira X clones to put himself into a time loop until he successfully murders Krakoa's Quiet Council. At one point Mister Sinister returns to his lab to strategize, where it is revealed that Essex has had Dark Beast's head - alive and well - in a jar in his lab this entire time.
Dark Beast Is No Longer The Worst Hank McCoy
Shattering many fans hopes that X-Force's Beast was actually the Dark Beast in disguise, it appears that Mister Sinister once again somehow managed to save Dark Beast's decapitated head like he did in Uncanny X-Men, although this time Sinister has not reattached him to a new body. As Dark Beast screams, "LET ME OUT OF HERE NOW! I'LL MURDER YOU ESSEX!" Mister Sinister hilariously denies the monster his freedom, telling him that he wouldn't even enjoy being out in the real world as, "You're not even the darkest Beast anymore."
In many ways Dark Beast's history is still more horrifying than Krakoa's Beast's current behavior. However, readers have learned that X-Force's Beast is conducting horrific experimentation on humans and mutants, keeping a secret Guantánamo Bay-like space prison, and forcing Wolverine to work for him as a mindless weapon. With each action he moves closer than ever to being an Earth-616 version of Dark Beast. In fact, it has already been established that Earth-616's Beast has a more adaptable intelligence and stronger fighting skills than AoA's Dark Beast, meaning a main continuity Beast-turned-Dark Beast is actually a more horrifying prospect.
With X-Force's out-of-control Beast finally captured at the end of X-Force #35. there will hopefully be some justice for those abused and tortured in Hank McCoy's secret prison. However, fans will sadly need to live with the reality that the X-Men's Beast was not his evil counterpart Dark Beast after all.
Immortal X-Men #9 from Marvel Comics is available now in stores.