In X-Men: First Class, which actor plays the young Beast, Hank McCoy?

Nicholas Hoult plays the young Beast, Hank McCoy, in X-Men: First Class.

Hank McCoy begins the film as a brilliant scientist and one of Charles Xavier’s early colleagues. He is initially able to pass as human, but he later uses an experimental treatment intended to suppress his mutation. The treatment instead produces his familiar blue-furred appearance.

Hoult returned as Beast in X-Men: Days of Future Past, X-Men: Apocalypse and Dark Phoenix. Kelsey Grammer played an older version of Beast in X-Men: The Last Stand, creating a distinction between the prequel-era and original-trilogy portrayals.

X-Men: First Class was released in 2011 and directed by Matthew Vaughn. The film’s young team includes James McAvoy as Xavier, Michael Fassbender as Magneto and Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique. Beast’s scientific expertise and physical transformation are important parts of the prequel series’ character history.