Spoilers for Wolverine #34 and X-Force #41, on sale now at Marvel Comics
The X-Men's Krakoa Era has been a huge benefit for the mutant population in Marvel Comics. Now, the X-Men represent more than heroes, they're representatives of a nation that demands respect but also to ally with the world. That said, with so much good that has come from Krakoa, there's also been a new struggle. For starters, the very presence of a united mutant nation has kickstarted plans from groups like Orchis to undermine and eradicate mutants using science and Sentinels. That said, potentially the largest risk of all may have come from within Krakoa.
Hank McCoy, aka Beast, was a founding X-Man and resident genius. He was called Beast because his acrobatic skills and enlarged hands and feet gave him animalistic qualities. However, his intelligent mind proved he was much more than an animal, even when he mutated to look more like a creature than a man. While he upheld the standard for how mutants should act for decades, his time on Krakoa has brought out a colder side that's made him more villainous. The more evil his actions become, the more he's inadvertently embraced his "beast" namesake.
Beast's Darker Side Has Made Him More Primitive
When Beast took over X-Force it was the beginning of the end for the Hank who would do what he could to preserve all life. Instead, he focused entirely on maintaining the peace of mutants, even if it meant burning bridges to do so. For example, Beast bought Wolverine in an auction to kill him and use his tissue to resurrect Logan without his memories and use his body as an assassin. Though Logan regained his memories, Beast had already used his DNA to make a clone army of Logans and took X-Force's base from Krakoa, hiding just below the ocean's surface. With clones of Beast to aid in his work, Hank had a long-term plan for mutants to ensure their peace through violence. But Wolverine #34 (by Benjamin Percy, Juan José Ryp, Frank D'Armata and VC's Cory Petit) revealed Beast's descent and his true primal side.
In hopes of brokering a twisted truce between him and Logan, who wanted Beast dead for what he had done to him and his friends, Beast orchestrated a dinner engagement. However, while Hank spoke with diction and class, he ate like a savage animal, stuffing his face with food. He may have appeared to be the same Hank that appreciated the finer things in life, but it was clear that this "no matter the cost" attitude had eaten away at whatever humanity Hank still had. But this behavior has only further solidified his downward spiral into an enemy that, while wildly intelligent and strategic in his plan, has reverted to being an animal in almost every other capacity.
Beast Is On A Slippery Slop Of Violence
Beast's intentions have always been for the betterment of his people. However, his incessant need for control and lack of empathy for those innocents he has harmed on his journey proves he's less the Hank he was and truly a Beast of his own making. In X-Force #41 (by Benjamin Percy, Paul Davidson, Guru-eFX and VC's Joe Caramagna) Beast has already planted clones of himself around the world in stasis, so his control was never lost. It showed that no matter what, the life he led didn't create a stronger hero but an animal that would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. The worst part is he believes he's the only one that can accomplish peace in the world through his dark means.
As of now, the possibility that there's a future for Beast to be the Hank that everyone knew and loved has dwindled to almost nothing. There's no telling where Beast's future lies in X-Men books but what's clear is that whatever has taken Hank's place, from a metaphorical perspective, isn't human. Instead, he's a being that will stop at nothing to achieve his goals and while he may speak from a place of logic, his actions show that Beast is just as his name would describe.