Key Takeaways
- Beast is an underrated but complex X-Men character with physical strength, agility, and intelligence.
- Beast could replace Hulk in the MCU as an anti-hero with inner conflict and problem-solving abilities.
- Bringing Beast into the MCU would freshen up the storyline and allow for more emotional depth compared to Hulk.
The X-Men are on their way into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and with a potential plethora of new characters, there will need to be some existing ones that make way to allow space for fresh storylines and ideas within Marvel’s plans.
One of the few original Avengers that remains is the Hulk, a character that has been tweaked repeatedly within the MCU. However, the arrival of mutants and the X-Men has a potential replacement for him in the form of Beast.
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What Beast Can Offer The MCU
Beast is a fantastic character and one of the core X-Men characters that fans appreciate, which is why it seems all but guaranteed he will be someone that Marvel looks to include as soon as mutants are fully integrated into the MCU. However, he’s also an underrated member of the X-Men team that gets less focus than the likes of Cyclops or Wolverine. Still, he can offer just as much with the proper storyline because as a character, he’s one of the most complex and interesting within the X-Men franchise.
Beast, who is also known as Hank McCoy, boasts an ape-like appearance, albeit with a blue color tone, but also has superhuman physical strength and agility, which makes him a powerful character to be involved in any potential fight and is why he more than holds his own within the X-Men. His power is something that few characters can handle, and the fact he’s as agile as he is means that Beast can leap around with ease and find himself in different positions that few characters are able to reach. On top of that, he’s also considered a genius and someone who is very well-educated in the world of science and genetics, constantly trying to do good despite being rejected by the world because of his appearance.
How He Can Replace Hulk
Beast would be a great replacement for Hulk because, much like Mark Ruffalo’s character, he’s a classic example of an anti-hero. Beast wants to do good and try to help others, but at the same time, his power can lead to him causing chaos, while his naturally arrogant personality can also frustrate people in the same manner that Doctor Strange does. Beast also deals with a lot of inner conflict of wanting to be ‘normal’ and not seen as different due to his blue skin, fangs, fur, and claws, which is something that Hulk wrestles with a lot too.
Much like Bruce Banner, McCoy is considered one of the smartest people in any room, so he’s often in charge of the more technical aspects of the X-Men, including any potential experiments. For the longest time, Banner and Tony Stark have taken up the role of creating intelligent ways to enhance everything the Avengers do, but moving forward, Marvel needs to have someone else capable of filling that role, and Beast is the natural answer.
All these combined ideas make Beast the ideal character to replace Hulk because the original Avenger has recently lost his way. The evolution of the Smart Hulk character has essentially turned him into a comedy sidekick at times, with Hulk having become too humanized to provide the same emotional impact that he once did. Marvel can’t get the character back to that point at this stage, but that could be achieved by having Beast take up that role. He’s got inner conflict, intelligence, and emotional issues, and while he’s not quite as destructive as Hulk, he’s still a powerful enough character to be useful in fighting circumstances.
It Would Freshen Up The MCU
At the moment, it feels like the character of Hulk has run its course within the MCU, and that’s not a surprise considering how many movies he’s been in and what a crucial role he’s played in them. The changes to his character have been bold, and some have worked while others have backfired, but the things that make Hulk so compelling no longer exist, and that’s a problem for Marvel because now they’re stuck in a difficult place with the character.
Beast feels like a natural replacement because it would essentially be a reset back to where Hulk was at the beginning, only dealing with more emotional issues rather than all-out anger management. That would suit Marvel in its current place, as the studios have constantly done a good job tapping into big emotional storylines, personalities, and issues. Beast’s inner doubt about how he looks is something many people would likely connect with, which could make a powerful storyline and allow him to be an important character for Marvel moving forward.
The MCU benefits from intelligent characters who are problem solvers because it can be an easy way for Marvel to get out of a squeeze they’ve written themselves into. Stark and Banner have done that countless times, and now Beast could take their role. Plus, once the mutants arrive, it’s likely that they will be the central focus for the next phase of Marvel; therefore, allowing Beast to essentially take Hulk’s position would help cement the importance of the X-Men within the MCU.
Marvel
Marvel is a brand associated with a wide array of popular superhero comics, movies, television shows, and merchandise. The company owns the rights to popular characters like The Avengers, Spider-Man, Black Panther, Deadpool, and many more.