After two decades of evolution on the big screen, the iconic blue-furred mutant Hank McCoy is getting yet another new look in Avengers: Doomsday. Since 2006, Beast has appeared across seven films in the X-Men franchise, portrayed by Kelsey Grammer and Nicholas Hoult in older and younger iterations, respectively. In 2026, Grammer is back alongside familiar faces from his X-Men days, but this time, the character's appearance was tweaked again, marking another change from Grammer's MCU debut in The Marvels post-credits scene.
A promotional image for Avengers: Doomsday, which hits theaters on December 18, made the rounds on social media, giving fans their clearest look yet at several confirmed characters. The illustrated, animated-style image is not a live-action photo but features a lineup that includes members of the Fantastic Four, James Marsden's Cyclops, and notably, Kelsey Grammer's Beast. While the art style keeps things from being a definitive representation of the final on-screen look, the image reveals a never-before-seen direction for Beast.
For the first time in live-action, Beast will be shirtless, with his blue, fur-covered torso and arms on full display. This is a departure from every prior live-action X-Men film appearance, where the character has been dressed in some form of outfit covering his upper body.
It's a bold visual choice that seems to indicate a more power-forward Beast, rather than the calm scientist trying to uncover the mysteries of the multiverse.
This promotional artwork doesn't stand alone, either; it aligns with previously surfaced cast and crew merchandise tied to Doomsday, which had already hinted at fresh character designs for a wide roster of the film's lineup.
It's also important to note that Beast was missing from the CinemaCon 2026 Doomsday trailer, so there's no hard evidence that confirms the shirtless look.
When Grammer's Beast returned in full CGI form for the first time in The Marvels, it set the modern visual standard for what fans can expect in Doomsday. However, Doomsday will strip away his signature lab coat and glasses, ditching the intellectual look shown in 2023.
Grammer's original 2006 portrayal in X-Men: The Last Stand was entirely practical, with his torso covered under a grey and yellow leather battle jacket.
This old-school uniform kept his blue form largely covered, and the tint of blue will also be brighter in Doomsday, it seems.
For the 2011 semi-reboot X-Men: First Class, Nicholas Hoult (who is swapping mutant fur for a new battle suit as Lex Luthor in James Gunn's Man of Tomorrow) was also a wholly practical beast. This version sported the matching yellow and blue flight suits donned by the young mutant team.
Dropping the traditional superhero uniform entirely, X-Men: Days of Future Past features a more grounded Beast who rages out in standard 1970s street clothes.
In X-Men: Apocalypse, Hank opts for a casual yet professional aesthetic pulled straight from his personal closet. Even in his transformed state, his vibrant blue skin and hair contrast against a button-down shirt and a reddish-brown jacket.
While Dark Phoenix remains a much-maligned franchise-killer, it did give Beast a comic-accurate battle suit complete with a yellow "X" across the chest.
Because that uniform still completely covers his torso, Doomsday's upcoming bare-chested design will mark a new and unique look for the character.
Beyond Beast, Ian McKellen's Magneto will sport longer hair in Doomsday alongside a comic-accurate crimson-and-purple helmet. Shifting away from her past reliance on blue body paint alone, Rebecca Romijn's Mystique receives a full white-and-blue costume, while Alan Cumming's Nightcrawler trades his old leather jackets for a tactical red-and-black suit sporting his iconic V emblem.
For Doomsday, all the new looks show a visual shift for the returning Marvel and legacy Fox characters, which inevitably will lead to new toys and (hopefully) satisfying stories.
Defining the X-Men's Role in Doomsday
The old Fox X-Men appear to be pulled into the conflict through a multiversal incursion near the X-Mansion, with the still-not-publicly-released CinemaCon trailer showing Professor Xavier looking out the X-Mansion window as a bright flash of light signals approaching danger.
Their primary role seems to be serving as a third team that must unite with Earth-616's heroes. Before then, the CinemaCon trailer shows the two groups in conflict, implying the X-Men may initially clash with the Avengers, similar to the Guardians of the Galaxy altercation with some Earth heroes in Avengers: Infinity War.
Fans got their biggest pop during the Marvel Studios CinemaCon panel in Las Vegas when Channing Tatum's Gambit squared off against Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) and when Mystique fought Yelena Belova, took the form of the assassin, and put two Florence Pughs on screen in combat.
It will be fascinating to see how much universe-jumping happens in the film, but generally, it seems like Avengers, Fantastic Four, and X-Men (and their respective realities) are all on an unstoppable collision course on December 18.
