In the words of Sage, the approach to stopping Beast is embodied in the saying, “The best way to stop Beast… is Beast.” This philosophy takes center stage in X-Force #48, released on January 24, where a long-teased solution to Hank McCoy’s growing tendencies towards violence, manipulation, and war crimes is finally implemented.
The issue, written by Benjamin Percy, illustrated by Robert Gill, colored by Guru eFX, and lettered by Joe Caramagna, commences with the present-day Beast donning a Krakoan battle suit made of Krakoan foliage. His apparent intention is to establish a new secret headquarters beyond the reach of X-Force.
As the present-day Hank McCoy leans into a villainous role, Sage unveils a secret No-Place chamber housing one of Beast’s surviving clones, most of which were previously destroyed. The plan is to bring this clone to life by implanting a copy of Hank’s psyche into it, reminiscent of how The Five combined powers to resurrect mutants.
However, there’s a significant catch – there’s only one remaining copy of Hank’s psyche, and it hails from an earlier period in Beast’s timeline. The issue specifies the time as “circa New Defenders #142,” effectively erasing the character’s modern history and limiting the cloned Beast’s memories to around 1985.
This twist is an intriguing inversion of Beast’s past attempt to bring his teen self, along with the original five X-Men, forward in time. The cloned Beast discovers the misdeeds of his present-day self and embarks on a mission to locate the modern Beast’s new base.
The issue concludes with the anticipation of a Beast vs. Beast showdown, raising questions about the fate of Hank McCoy. Will there be one remaining Beast, or will there be two – a hero and a villain? Or is there a secret, third option?
The story continues in X-Force #49 on February 21, where Beast will reunite with his Avengers era best friend, Wonder Man, in what promises to be an engaging continuation of the narrative.
