Dark Beast (Marvel Comics | X-Men | Age of Apocalypse)

Dark Beast, whose real name is Henry Phillip McCoy, is a supervillain from an alternate reality designated Earth-295 in the Marvel Comics multiverse. He represents a twisted counterpart to the heroic Beast (Hank McCoy) of the primary Earth-616 universe. Created by writer Scott Lobdell and artist Roger Cruz, Dark Beast made his first appearance in X-Men: Alpha #1 (February 1995), during the "Age of Apocalypse" storyline. In this dystopian timeline, where Apocalypse conquered much of North America, McCoy abandoned moral constraints, becoming a sadistic geneticist who delighted in experimenting on mutants. His work under Mister Sinister and Apocalypse involved breeding powerful mutants and transforming unworthy subjects into components for the Infinite army, while self-experimentation altered his physiology into a more bestial, ape-like form with blue fur.

In the Age of Apocalypse reality, Dark Beast served as one of Sinister's chief scientists, earning his moniker from prisoners due to his cruel methods. Following Sinister's betrayal of Apocalypse, McCoy intensified his experiments, but as Apocalypse's regime crumbled, rebels including Jean Grey and Cyclops freed captives from his Breeding Pens. Facing capture by the X-Men, he fled through the M'Kraan Crystal, arriving in Earth-616 approximately 20 years in the past. Initially suffering amnesia, he allied briefly with a young Emma Frost before establishing a hidden laboratory in Manhattan's subway tunnels, where he conducted further experiments on outcast mutants, effectively creating or influencing the origin of the Morlocks.

Upon recovering fully, Dark Beast kidnapped and imprisoned his Earth-616 counterpart, impersonating him to infiltrate the X-Men while pursuing his own agenda. He allied with villains such as Onslaught and later led groups like a revamped Gene Nation and a version of the Brotherhood of Mutants. Notable developments include retaining his powers after the "Decimation" event in House of M, joining Norman Osborn's Dark X-Men during Dark Reign (where he developed the Omega Machine for mutant experimentation), and participating in arcs such as the Dark Angel Saga with Uncanny X-Force and X-Termination (commanding Clan Akkaba). Despite multiple apparent deaths—including executions and explosions—he has persisted through preservation or resurrection, often resurfacing as a manipulative antagonist with expertise in genetics and a penchant for unethical science.

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