Beast X-Men: Who Plays Hank McCoy in the Movies

Beast is Dr. Henry 'Hank' McCoy, and he is credited in seven Fox films: x2 x men united, x men the last stand, x men first class, x men days of future past, x men apocalypse, deadpool 2 and dark phoenix. In X2 and Deadpool 2 he sits well down the cast list rather than in the top billing, so those two are easy to miss.

Two actors carry the lead roles. Kelsey Grammer plays him in The Last Stand (2006), directed by Brett Ratner, and Nicholas Hoult plays the younger Hank in First Class (2011), directed by Matthew Vaughn. Hoult then returns in Days of Future Past (2014) and Apocalypse (2016), both directed by Bryan Singer, and in Dark Phoenix (2019), directed by Simon Kinberg.

Why do the credit lines vary so much? The films use several forms of his name, including Dr. Hank McCoy, Hank / Beast, Hank McCoy / Beast and Dr. Henry 'Hank' McCoy / Beast, and a couple of appearances are marked uncredited. Only Grammer's lead credit in The Last Stand carries the full Dr. Henry 'Hank' McCoy / Beast form. For the team around him, the x men characters page lists the rest, and the x men cast page shows who returns across the series.

Marvel Studios is also making its own X-Men film, dated May 5, 2028 in US theaters with Jake Schreier directing, according to TheWrap. Its D23 cast announcement on August 14, 2026 named Christopher Abbott, Sadie Sink, Kit Connor, Samara Weaving, Inde Navarrette, Maya Boyd and Adam Driver. The latest status sits on the new x men movie page.

Hank's closest ties in the films run through Charles Xavier and Raven. Professor x recruits him in First Class, works with him in 1973 once Logan persuades them both to help, and shares a school with him by Dark Phoenix. Raven, better known as mystique x men, is the other constant: the two train the new team together in Apocalypse, and her death in Dark Phoenix is what turns Hank against Jean.

His dealings with magneto change with the era. In First Class, Erik is a fellow recruiter and Hank's teammate until the split after Cuba. In Dark Phoenix, Hank walks over to Magneto's side because both want Jean stopped.

Jean gray is the relationship that turns hostile, since Hank blames her for Raven's death. Wolverine x men crosses his path in Days of Future Past, when Logan persuades him and Xavier to help in 1973.

In my opinion, the best Beast material is the team building in X-Men: First Class, where Hank is one of the young mutants Charles and Erik gather, and the group trains at the CIA base and builds Cerebro. It is a quieter way to introduce a character than a fight, and the film does not need him to throw a punch to make him part of the saga.

Perhaps the sharpest turn is in Dark Phoenix, where Hank joins Magneto after Raven dies. A gentle character from the earlier films ends up allied with the series' great villain, and, as I see it, Hoult sells the grudge because we have watched him train the new team with Raven in Apocalypse. That being said, the film moves quickly, and I would have liked more time with him in it.

On the casting, Hoult gets four films against Grammer's one, so he carries most of the character's arc. It could be argued that Grammer's turn in The Last Stand is a nod to the original trilogy era, but Hoult is probably the version most viewers will remember. If you are new to him, start with x men first class and follow the x men movies in order.