X-Men: Back To Basics

Chapter 4

Beastly Proportions

Midnight, a small town in New York. A 16 year old is running through the woods. His oddly large feet pound on the ground; he uses his large hands to pull back brush and other obstacles. He checks behind his back for the lights of the crowd, but it appears he lost them. He turns back around to see one of his fellow teammates on the football team, but this wasn't to be a friendly encounter.

Hank McCoy was always different from everyone else in his graduating class. For one, he was extremely intelligent. His GPA was at the top of his class, and he was passing every class with an A+. If you're thinking of the "geeks aren't good in gym class" stereotype, you wouldn't be more wrong. Hank was born with unusually large hands and feet. His parents didn't suspect anything strange, he just had an usual condition. That all changed one summer day. Hank was playing catch with his father when Mr. McCoy had overthrown his son. Hank ran out into the street to get the ball, and once he had the ball, he looked up to see a car careening toward him! He sprung out of the way, just before the car could hit him. His father, and the driver, were incredibly shocked. In the coming years, Hank would use his reflexes and strength in a variety of sports. This was especially useful in the game of football. He was the only freshmen to make the varsity team, as a starter, no less. He stole the running back spot from Matt Gradin, a junior.

It was the championship game of McCoy's sophomore year. Hank played the game to the best of his ability, but that seemed to be a bad idea. Once the game was over, the visiting team began to get anxious over the new champions' running back, particularly because there were recent mutant sightings in the town, and the crowd had made their own conclusions.

Now

"Matt, thank goodness! You've got to help... What are you doing with that knife?" "What I should have done a long time ago. You stole my spotlight. This year, my senior year, was supposed to be the best time of my life! I was going to lead the team to a championship, but you took the starting spot, and now I'm nothing! The talent scouts wouldn't even look at me, they were too busy marveling at your mutant powers! Well, I've seen what you really are, and I've had about enough of you!" Matt jabbed at the strange teen, but Hank nimbly flipped over him and knocked him out with one strike. He kept running for days on end, until he came across a huge mansion with a sign in front of it that read Xavier's School For The Gifted and Talented. He went inside, and the rest is history.

He received a costume not unlike Angel's, but without the holes in the back for wings. He would become the fourth X-Man: Beast!