Ever since the Marvel Cinematic Universe announced that they would be rebooting the X-Men franchise, fans have been clamoring to know the new cast. Over the summer, audiences received their first taste of how the iconic film series would handle Marvel's Merry Mutants when Sadie Sink's Jean Grey took centerstage in this year's highest grossing flick to date, Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Shortly thereafter, Marvel revealed several other key cast members at D23, including Kit Connor's Cyclops, Maya Boyd's Storm, Inde Navarette's Rogue, Christopher Abbott's Professor X, Samara Weaving's Emma Frost, and Adam Driver's Mr. Sinister. Since then, one more actor has joined the cast, with Asa Germann taking on the role of Angel.
According to recent reports from film and TV reporter @KnightGambit, Marvel has recently solidified one more important casting choice: Peter Claffey will reportedly join the X-Men cast as Beast. Claffey has been rumored for the part for a while, with his name often put forward alongside that of Emmy nominee Charles Melton. Claffey clearly proved himself as an actor with his work as Ser Duncan the Tall in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 1, and his talents are perfectly suited to bring the smartest, hairiest, and somehow not the blue-est X-Man to life.
Who is the Beast?
The Beast, aka Dr. Hank McCoy, was one of the original five X-Men in the comics. First appearing in "X-Men #1" back in 1963, Beast aided the team with his superhuman strength, speed, agility, and intellect. The character was initially conceived as a normal looking human, but after leaving the X-Men to go on solo adventures after the team's first run was canceled, Beast would go on to accidentally turn himself blue and furry, assuming his most iconic look. In addition to his time with the X-Men, Beast has also fought alongside the Avengers.
Claffey would be the third actor to portray McCoy as Beast in a live action film. Kelsey Grammer first played the role in 2006's X-Men: The Last Stand. Despite Last Stand's overall negative reception, Grammer's Beast felt ripped right out of the comics, adopting his signature verbose and haughty manner of speaking while still feeling menacing and powerful in a fight. Grammer would go on to reprise the role in cameos in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) and The Marvels (2023), and is set to return to the role once more in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday (2026).
Beast returned for the X-Men prequel films, with Nicholas Hoult taking over the role for X-Men: First Class (2011), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), and Dark Phoenix (2019). Hoult's take on the character proved to be quite different than Grammer's. First Class sees Hank as the film's romantic lead, striking up a relationship with Jennifer Lawrence's Mystique. Additionally, after First Class depicts his transformation from Hank into Beast, the subsequent films allow him to shift from human to bestial form at will, unlike previous iterations of the character, which have played up his dysmorphia from being trapped as a furry blue monster.
Peter Claffey as Beast
If Peter Claffey is, in fact, playing the MCU's version of the Beast, his work as Ser Duncan showcases why he's perfect for the role. Throughout A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Claffey's inherent goofiness elevates the story's humor without taking away from its drama. This will prove to be essential for the MCU, which, as a franchise, occasionally tends to let its comic relief overpower the narrative.
Additionally, Claffey's fun and charmingly awkward line deliveries could help sell Beast's manner of speech. The character stands out in the comics and animated series due to his over the top diction, which is very easy to picture coming from Claffey's voice. Claffey's delivery of "Oh my stars and garters!", Beast's iconic and silly catchphrase, would make for an all-timer.
It is worth noting that Claffey is considerably older than many of the other X-Men actors. Claffey, at 30, would read much older than the rest of the X-Men, many of whom are in their early 20s. In contrast, in the comics, Beast is typically depicted as the same age as the rest of the founding X-Men (save the much younger Iceman). However, Claffey is also a good deal younger than the slightly older cast members, with 34-year-old Samara Weaving and 40-year-old Christopher Abbot putting Claffey towards the middle of the two generations of cast members. As such, it would be interesting to see which age group Beast would gravitate towards in the film.
Regardless of what kind of role he would play in the story, Claffey's Beast would make for a welcome addition to the MCU X-Men's roster.
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