Marvel Universe: Beast

Presenting the Beast from the Marvel Universe Toyline.

Mama McCoy's Bouncing Baby Boy has been many things in his most auspicious career since his creation in the 1960s: Student; X-Man; world renown doctor of Biochemistry ; one of the 10 most brilliant men in the comic lore (According to Businessweek); creator of the cure for the Legacy virus; X-Terminator; space-faring member of S.W.O.R.D; Defender, Secret Avenger, and the first X-Man to become a full fledged Avenger.

He is one of the most beloved comic book heroes ever to come to life in the pages of Marvel comics.

But what I, and a lot of other fans love the most about him is his constant struggle to actually control "The Beast" inside. More often than once he's been provoked into bloody act of carnage, falling prey to the bestial nature of his mutation. Yet he does bounce back - suppressing his animalistic rage beneath one of the most pacifistic, sunniest and brightest personalities in the Marvel Universe.

In other words, I love him because he never loses hope.


I love him because he never loses hope in himself, nor in others (Took him 50 years to leave Cyclops behind, and if we're to follow the current consequences of AvX, then we know that the Beast will be travelling back in time in order to once again try to save his closest friend.)

So here he now is finally as a Marvel Universe action figure. The Marvel Universe Beast's blister card reads "Beast is more than big, blue, strong and furry. He is supremely smart. His expertise in mutant and human biology is unparalleled. When he's not in the lab or the library, he is out in the field with his fellow X-Men ridding the world of its evils. Such a keen mind and physical prowess make Beast a formidable force on the academic lecture circuit or in battle."

Would you believe that there's actually a variant of this character involving the Beast being right-side-up in his packaging? I'd consider myself lucky if I got one, but I'm definitely not going to kill to own an inverted figure.

What's to like about the Marvel Universe Series Beast?

I'm am totally appreciative of the effort that went into the detailing of the Marvel Universe Series Beast. Beast is in his new costume that first appeared - if I'm correct - upon his return to the fold of the X-Men as a member of Wolverine's Jean Grey School for Higher Learning where he serves as the school's Vice Principal - Beast  was also responsible for the Bamf infestation of the campus.

You can see the care and detail that went into the various crevices and creases of Beast's face in an attempt to replicate his hairy - yet still expressive appearance; and the paint job that completes his "bestial" look. This was clearly not an easy mold to make nor paint.

Marvel Universe Beast's uniform is another plus. They overlaid the pipping of his uniform to follow the contours of his body. It's a small effort, but it' exactly these small efforts - things that Hasbro did not have to do - that collector like me appreciate. Also the mixture of gold in his yellow-jacket uniform helps the figure pop.

Articulation on his upper body is excellent - save for his head. I wish that the Beast could look up, but he can't.

I am particularly fond of the new "wrist" joints that allow the beast to do this:

With some coaxing of course.

The Marvel Universe Beast's articulation allows the following:

What's NOT to like about the Marvel Universe Series Beast?

By now you've noticed that the Marvel Universe Beast is not as poseable as his cartoon depicts him to be. The reason for this - aside from his inability to look up - is his butt. The range of motion afforded by his upper thighs is severely hampered by the molding of the Beast's behind. In fact, the entire pictorial became an exercise in patience as I had to keep popping his legs back on.

It would also have been nice if he came with accessories - gadgets like monocles, goggles, tiny computers, etc.... I'm really not used to seeing the Beast so...."naked".

Other than that, he's a fine addition to any Marvel Universe X-Men collection.

This particular Beast was purchased on the toy black market for PhP 790 (Roughly US$ 18.80). He's available on Amazon for US$ 11.90 (Roughly PhP 499.80 plus shipping).