Kelsey Grammer's Beast needs to return in Deadpool and Wolverine!
Hi everyone, HeJaWolf (Hector) here again! I hope you're all doing well! I thought I do something a little different this time around for my blog, as I had a certain topic in mind, as we are nearly a month away from one of the most anticipated movies of 2024, which is none other than Deadpool and Wolverine! I've been really excited about this movie for a multitude of reasons, most notably with the return of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, this being the first Deadpool movie set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and being the "finale" of sorts to the Fox Marvel era that started back in 2000 with the original X-Men movie, which was one of the very first movies I saw, so Deadpool and Wolverine is kind of a big deal to me!
One of the most noticeable reasons on why Deadpool and Wolverine is exciting is the potential cameos that will be in the movie. Don't worry, I don't know exactly who will pop up or confirm who will be in it, save for whoever was revealed in trailers and promotional material, as it's more of who I'd like to see as opposed to who will be in it. Many of the original X-Men cast, as seen in the original X-Men trilogy and Days of Future Past, I would love to see come back in some capacity (James Marsden as Cyclops, Famke Janssen as Jean Grey, Halle Berry as Storm, Ian McKellen as Magneto, Rebecca Romijn as Mystique, and many more) as it would bring things full circle, as well as give them a chance to end their respective roles on a high note. There's many more I want to see come back, but there's one in particular I want to see come back, which is none other than Kelsey Grammer as Hank McCoy/Beast!
Beast is one of the original five members of the X-Men, who has superhuman strength, is agile and flexible, and is one of the smartest people within the Marvel Universe. His initial appearance was human-looking, but with big hands and feet. Later on, after consuming a serum he made to deal with his mutation, he grows grey fur (later turned blue) and has a more animalistic appearance, with fangs and claws, though he still managed to keep his intelligence and humanity. He's mainly been part of the X-Men but has dabbled in other teams like the Avengers and Defenders.
Beast was intended to be part of the first X-Men movie, as well as in the sequel, but due to budget and worries of overcrowding the movie, was cut out (However, in X2, there is a blink, and you'll miss it cameo of Beast in his human form on a TV news cast played by Steve Bacic). It wasn't until X-Men The Last Stand that properly introduced the lovable, blue, furry mutant to the audience, played by Fraiser himself, Kelsey Grammer. He is introduced as a secretary of mutant affairs in the U.S. Cabinet, though is a good friend of Professor Charles Xavier and his X-Men, who becomes aware of the "mutant cure", and feels uncertain of it. Eventually, due to certain circumstances regarding Magneto and how the "cure" is approached, Hank decides to join the X-Men and fight against Magneto and his brotherhood.
After The Last Stand, Beast did appear in X-Men First Class, Days of Future Past, Apocalypse, and Dark Phoenix, along with a cameo in Deadpool 2, but as a younger version of him due to the movies being prequels, played by Nicholas Hoult. However, Kelsey Grammer's Beast did briefly come back in Days of Future Past once the future was saved, and to everyone's surprise, in The Marvels in a mid-credits scene tending to Monica Rambeau (in a more comic book inspired look, via CGI). After Kelsey Grammer's return to Beast in The Marvels, via multiverse, it's unclear whether or not when we will see that particular universe again in Deadpool and Wolverine or Secret Wars, but there's a good chance that Kelsey's take on Beast will come back, at least I hope, including Kelsey Grammer himself. Regardless, I hope it's soon, particularly in Deadpool and X-Men, as Kelsey's take on Beast is not only one of the best things to happen in the X-Men franchise, but in the superhero movie genre!
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If you read my X-Men '97 article, you would get an idea that Beast is my favorite X-Men member, and he is, but he's also one of my favorite characters ever! Beast is agile, highly intelligent, with a charming personality, and great design (it helps that blue is my favorite color). But what stands out about the character of Beast in particular is that despite his appearance looking unusual and scary at first glance, he is a good-natured, kindhearted man who wants nothing but the best for mutants and humans and will do anything to help his fellow X-Men members and friends, no matter how tough the situation gets. Beast does have his own inner demons that he faces, most noticeably his struggles with how he looks, and how other people view him, but no matter what, he always pulls through! If you want someone to represent the X-Men and what they stand, you can't think of any other better candidate than Beast!
X-Men The Last Stand had its problems, but it had plenty of highlights in it also, particularly with Kelsey's performance as Beast as he was the best thing in the movie! He nailed the mannerisms down perfectly, he's funny and charming, his voice fits the character, as it sounded similar to George Buza's voice in the 90s X-Men cartoon, and his dialogue was fantastic, and he had wonderful chemistry with the other cast, especially Hugh Jackman's Wolverine! The makeup on Kelsey was also excellent, as it did a beautiful job on properly showing Beast in a live action setting, with really good use of blue skin and fur. A lot of people give the black leather suits some flack in the original X-Men trilogy, and it's understandable, but I say the suit Beast wears in The Last Stand is actually a good costume for him, as it has more color compared to the other suits with some yellow put on it, and the exposure of his blue, furry chest gave the suit more of an identity compared to the other X-Men suits. His fight scenes are also fantastic, as the choreography and stunts are impressive, and it's always fun seeing Beast unleash his beastly side every now and then.
As for his role in the story, I enjoyed it quite a bit, as we get to see him be with the U.S. Cabinet, but as the movie keeps going, we see that he's conflicted regarding the whole mutant cure situation. He tries to understand it, but after hearing that the president approved of the mutant cure being weaponized, he decides to join back with the X-Men, as it's clear that things have gotten out of control from his point of view, which is justified considering that the mutant cure was supposed to be voluntary, not as a way to be used a weapon. It shows that Beast has empathy, as while he does want what he believes is best for everyone, both human and mutant, he won't cross certain lines. Despite his views regarding the circumstances of how the president approved of the mutant cure being weaponized, when the Brotherhood goes to Alcatraz Island to stop the mutant cure being distributed, Beast joins along with the X-Men to stand against the Brotherhood, as he's willing to do the right time, no matter what.
It's a shame that Kelsey's Beast didn't come back after The Last Stand, as he should have appeared more in the franchise. The casting in the original X-Men trilogy was on-point, with many talented actors playing these iconic characters, and Kelsey Grammer's casting was no exception, as I would go as far as to say he's one of the best castings in any superhero movie and or TV show, along with Hugh Jackman's Wolverine, Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man, Christian Bale's Batman, Rebecca Romjin's Mystique, Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman, and Tyler Hoechlin's Superman. When X-Men The Last Stand was in development, Kelsey wanted the part of Beast, so much so that he auditioned for the role, which was the first time he had done an audition in years. When Days of Future Past was in development, Kelsey was busy doing Transformers Age of Extinction, so by the time he found out that Days of Future Past was happening, he called up the director to work in a cameo and thankfully, it managed to work out in the end. As mentioned earlier, he popped up in the Marvels as a surprise cameo, and when Kelsey discussed it, who keep in mind is almost 70 years old, said that he hopes to come back to play Beast in the near future. If this isn't a sign that Kelsey loves Beast, then I don't know what will convince you.
As for how Beast could be involved in Deadpool and Wolverine, I'm not entirely certain, but I have some ideas. For one, based on what we see in the trailers, it's implied that the X-Men are no more due to Wolverine, so possibly we could see what happened to them, and we see Kelsey's Beast along with the other X-Men members and what led to Wolverine's predicament. Another option is that Kelsey's Beast is in the Void, a place at the end of time that is used to send anyone or anything pruned by the Time Variance Authority that was introduced in Loki, and in it, he's there along with the other characters. We do see Aaron Stanford's Pyro and some other familiar faces in it, so there's a possibility that Beast is there too, for one reason or another. Last option is we see the same Beast that was in The Marvels, as there's an obvious X-Men connection there, and with how Deadpool and Wolverine is more than likely setting up Secret Wars, we could see more of his universe as he notices an incursion (introduced in Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness, where two realities collide and destroys one or both said realities), and is worried since Monica Rambeau is from another universe, so he looks into the situation more and we get a tease for Secret Wars in the mid or post credits scene of Deadpool and Wolverine.
Regardless of how they potentially approach it, I just want Kelsey's Beast to come back in some capacity in the upcoming Deadpool and Wolverine movie, as Beast is one of my favorite characters of all time, so seeing how much passion and love Kelsey has for the role is truly endearing. Kelsey's performance as Beast was acclaimed by many fans and critics, so bringing him back in the movie along with many other returning faces for the end of the Fox Marvel era makes sense. I can't stress this enough, but Kelsey wants to come back as Beast immediately, so it would be wise for the producers of the movie to include him in some capacity. Many of the confirmed cameos and the return of Hugh Jackman's Wolverine is admittedly exciting, especially for someone who got into X-Men thanks to the movies, but if I had to pick one person to show up in the movie, it's none other than Kelsey Grammer's Beast, and if that happens, especially for this fan of the big, blue, furry mutant, it will make the experience of seeing Deadpool and Wolverine all the more rewarding!
Sources Used:
Kelsey Grammer Talks X-Men: Days of Future Past and More X-Men (collider.com)
The First X-Men Movie Almost Featured Beast in Major Role | Den of Geek
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