HISTORY: SINCE BIRTH HENRY MCCOY HAS HAD UNUSUALLY LARGE HANDS HANDS AND FEET, A PHYSICAL MUTATION THAT IS ATTRIBUTED TO HIS FATHER'S EXPOSURE TO MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF RADIATION DURING AN ACCIDENT AT A POWER PLANT. THIS MUTATION LEAD TO MCCOY BEING INCREDIBLY AGILE AND DEXTEROUS, WHICH IN TURN EARNED HIM ACCOLADES AS A FOOTBALL PLAYER IN HIGH SCHOOL. THIS BROUGHT HIM TO THE ATTENTION OF PROFESSOR CHARLES XAVIER, AND HE WAS INVITED TO ATTEND XAVIER'S SCHOOL FOR THE GIFTED YOUNGSTERS. THERE HE TRAINED TO USE HIS POWERS WITH THE ORIGINAL TEAM OF X-MEN, ADOPTING THE CODE NAME "BEAST."
         UPON GRADUATION, MCCOY BEGAN HIS EMPLOYMENT FOR THE BRAND CORPORATION. IN HIS POSITION AS GENETIC RESEARCHER, MCCOY ATTEMPTED TO ISOLATE THE CELLULAR CATALYST THAT CAUSES MUTATIONS -- USING HIMSELF AS A GUINEA PIG. THE RESULTS WERE DISASTROUS. INSTEAD OF REVERSING HIS MUTATION, AS WAS HIS INTENT, MCCOY CAUSED HIMSELF TO UNDERGO A COMPLETE PHYSICAL METAMORPHOSIS. NOW, MCCOY WAS A LITERAL BEAST -- A GREEN-SKINNED, AMPHIBIOUS MONSTER. THE MOST TRAGIC ASPECT OF THE ENTIRE AFFAIR WAS THAT HIS ONCE-SUPERIOR INTELLECT WAS VIRTUALLY GONE, AND WITH IT, ALL HOPE FOR REVERSING THE TRANSFORMATION.
         THE BRUTE AS HE WAS NOW CALLED, WAS ONCE AGAIN TAKEN IN BY THE X-MEN, AND TOOK PART IN MANY OF THEIR ADVENTURES. BUT WHEN MAGNETO WAS HANDED THE REINS OF THE TEAM, HAVOK TOOK MCCOY WITH HIM TO X-FACTOR IN AN EFFORT TO PROTECT HIS FRIEND FROM MAGNETO'S INFLUENCE -- AND IN THE HOPE OF SOMEDAY FINDING A CURE FOR HIS CONDITION.
         THIS WAS NOT TO BE.
         DURING THE INFERNO EVENT, THE BRUTE BECAME INVOLVED IN THE MACHINATIONS IF S'YM AND N'ASTIRH. GULLIBLY BELIEVING THAT THEY WERE LIKE HIM, AND COULD OFFER HIM HELP, MCCOY INVOLVED HIMSELF IN THEIR SCHEMES, AND BEFORE THEIR PLANS FOR WORLD DOMINATION COULD BE PUT TO AN END, THE BRUTE FOUND HIS SEMI-HUMAN LEGS MAGICALLY REPLACED WITH DEMONIC CLOVEN-HOOVES. THIS, TOO, SEEMS TO BE IRREVERSIBLE.

POWERS:
THE BRUTE IS A VIRTUAL POWERHOUSE AND, DESPITE HIS SIMPLE INTELLECT (OR PERHAPS BECAUSE OF IT), IS ONE ONE OF THE MOST DEADLY MEMBERS OF THE SIX. HE RETAINS ALL OF THE AGILITY HE POSSESSED AS THE BEAST, CAN BREATHE UNDERWATER FOR INDEFINITE AMOUNTS OF TIME, CAN RUN AT HIGH SPEED AND, BY VIRTUE OF HIS CLAWS AND ENHANCED STRENGTH, CAN TEAR THROUGH ALMOST ANYTHING.