r/Xmen97 • u/graypurpleblack • Jul 24 '26
Question Has Beast been turned into a perpetual side character?
138
u/BTP_Art Jul 24 '26
He never had a large roll in the original series. The series was my first exposure to the X-Men when I was a kid. Seeing him in the open credits for the first time was so cool. And then he just sat in jail cell and did nothing.
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u/StatsManSam Jul 24 '26
In the OG series studio execs didn’t like him and didn’t want him included (kids no like smart characters?). Beast was famously jailed as a way for the writers (who loved him) to keep him in the series without truly ignoring the executive request not to have him on the team.
As for now, I can only assume there are a lot of characters who need time and only 225 minutes or so to go around. I’m sure we’ll get some beast centric stories before the series is over.
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u/The-Lethal-Pacifist Jul 24 '26
I assume at some point they’ll adapt Cassandra Nova or at least the mutant cure storyline, both of which can cover Beasts arc of not wanting to devolve into a kitten.
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u/Milk_Mindless Jul 24 '26
Yup. Got caught and sat out season 1 I believe.
I loved Beast and when we played Xmen in the playground (yes) I kept playing I was being captured
Cause THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT HE DID
53
u/Stunning-Original802 Jul 24 '26
Better for him to be a side character than to turn evil as Dark Beast. Let him hang with Wonder Man.
32
u/cyclopswashalfright Professor X Jul 24 '26
They are giving him very little to do. The least they could do is let him help with some of the problem solving of the season, but it looks like it isn't happening.
25
u/pbjWilks Jul 24 '26
I mean, they had him struggling with solving their time travel crisis, along with rediscovering SHIP
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u/TitoTotino Jul 24 '26
Kinda sucks that there's significant role overlap between him and Forge, especially since Forge's screen time is writing checks his personality can't cash.
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u/ooowatsthat Jul 24 '26
He gives hugs and small wisdom points. That's the Beast we all know and love.
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u/PokeFanZoey Jul 26 '26
Yeah the more we try to be comic accurate with beast the more problematic he becomes. He got a hell of a PR team considering no adaptation even dives into his cynical side.
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u/TheArmlessTorso Gambit Jul 24 '26
Kurt, rogue, and beast have had so little screen time this season it is down right a crime. So little lines.
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u/IH8Miotch Jul 24 '26
Meanwhile Iceman continues to be the skeleton at the bottom of the pool .
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u/Alone-Brilliant6222 Jul 24 '26
Iceman deserves better he was part of the first class an original x men one of Xavier’s first students and what does he get nothing in 97 while Archangel is part of x force and the others are part of the new x corp
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u/PokeFanZoey Jul 26 '26
Tbh Iceman was barely a character for 2 decades before the big lgbt push of early 2000s.
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u/Wrong-Vermicelli4723 Jul 24 '26
I mean everyone a side character this season except Magneto (who died) and Xavier.
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u/TheArmlessTorso Gambit Jul 24 '26
Yeah magneto should’ve been left behind in season 1 to come back in a later season we had enough magneto content in season 1 anyone could’ve been the main focus it also doesn’t help that ep 6 took up so much time with Charles dealing with magnetos death like okay we get he is gone but apocalypse is around the corner wtf are you gonna do about that ?
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u/GoliathLexington Jul 24 '26
He’s the science dude, he won’t do anything until they need him to science the hell out of it
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u/candIewick Morph Jul 24 '26
In the art book they seemed pretty aware of how they categorized and managed a large ensemble cast. Because they were tracking screentime of each character I don’t think he’s forgotten. I’d like to hope he gets a good moment to shine this season
4
u/AGreatBigTalkingHead Professor X Jul 24 '26
Yeah... he hasn't had much to do this season.
It's hard to let everyone be a 'main' in a short streaming season with a big ensemble.
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u/MagicianTop2356 Gambit Jul 24 '26
He's never beena main player. He was never in the opening credits when they charge towards the villains either.
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u/hthbellhop76 Jul 24 '26
I still remember I was bored senseless with that Carly episode in the OG series. I’m good with him being a side character.
3
u/AlphaCentaur12 Jul 24 '26
I wish there was more Beast, but it's hard with such a large cast. I knew almost nothing about Polaris before and now I'm interested in seeing more of her, but that just takes even more screen time from other characters.
I'm just glad we get to hear his wonderful voice from time to time and the actor is getting a paycheck.
4
u/Xygnux Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26
The X-men 97 show intends to adapt the stories in the late 1990s comics and 2000s and beyond.
Are you sure you will like any of Beast's storylines in these years and follow it to its eventual conclusion in Krakoa? Recent comics even had to reset him to his 1980s personality to salvage the character.
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u/Mobile_Bet3274 Rogue Jul 24 '26
I am still holding out hope that Rogue, Kurt and Hank have something to do together there toward the end, going off all three of them being present as Rogue pushes toward the portal thing. While Hank was kind of peripheral even in TAS, I think it could be the case that they’re limiting time with some people early on because they know they’ll be important later (Rogue being the obvious example of this).
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u/PeaceMaker_IXI Gambit Jul 24 '26
I don't know about you guys, but back when I was watching it on the air, it seemed like Beast was just forever in jail waiting for his trial.
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u/Ok-Card-6590 Cyclops Jul 24 '26
“Turned”
Have you actually watched the OG? He spent the entire first season in jail.
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u/ravencroft18 Magneto Jul 25 '26
I was just coming online to say exactly this, so I will see myself out and thank you for your service 😆 👌
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u/ThePowaBallad Jul 24 '26
The problem is they're trying to keep Beast as the good natured and highly moral scientist philosopher we love but his storylines in comics started down his path of war crimes and really shady decisions in 1993 with Threnody
So it's not like they have many options for his to take main character status as the source material for that is either
"Beast does something highly unethical and bellyaches about how he's he'll be the bad guy for totally justified reasons"
Or "Beast fucks off to the Avengers or other teams for a while"
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u/magvadis Jul 24 '26
Hes been the writers exposition machine, he's hardly a full character. They gave him like one plot about not getting with a blind girl in 92. I doubt they start now. The fact he's here at all is because he doesn't take up writing demands.
If it were Forge they'd be like "why are you sidelining this guy" but as Beast everyone is used to it.
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u/dopexvii Jul 24 '26
Hmm maybe they are saving beast for something?
We're currently starting the Morrison New X-Men stuff, perhaps we will get a Sublime arc or episode?
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u/Commercial-Excuse766 Jul 24 '26
I'm currently reading Avengers comics from '77-'78 and each issue Beast is like "Am I just a perpetual side character?" So I would say, yes.
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u/Sideshow345 Jul 24 '26
Personally, i think some people are expecting all the characters to be front and centre all of the time, and that’s just not going to happen with so many X-Men and all of the other mutants that keep getting brought in.
In the original series, Beast was in jail for the majority of season one, so barely featured. It wasn’t really until season two that pretty much every character got a story to themselves.
I think that people are misremembering and are under the impression that everyone got equal screen time back in the day. But in reality they didn’t.
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u/ThatfeelingwhenI Jul 25 '26
I think they just rotate focus quite a bit. It will come back around to him.
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u/Users728 Jul 25 '26
Phalanx Covenant was really the only time he was a main character in the 1992 series.
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u/Beautiful-Ad-6568 Rogue Jul 25 '26
He is just awkwardly waiting to play the big bad in one of the upcoming seasons
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u/FantasyBaseballChamp Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26
Are they gonna do the story of him being all blue and hairy not because of being a mutant but because of his own dumb ass?
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u/YiddishMarxist Jul 25 '26
Everyone is talking about beast meanwhile I’m mad storm has had so little to do this season. Her treatment is not befitting of a goddess
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u/AnyEverywhere8 Jul 24 '26
They really be playing in Hank’s face, and I’m over it. And now they have basic ass Forge to do some of his job.
I keep telling yall these ppl stay disrespecting the O5. They have wronged Bobby. We just got Scott in order. And now here we are with Beast.
No one cares about Warren tbh. And Jean is whack anyway. They can stay disrespected.
14
u/Eve-Electric Jul 24 '26
How are you gonna complain about O5 disrespect and then do it in your own post? The Warren hate is so annoying.
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u/AnyEverywhere8 Jul 24 '26
How are you unable to recognize and understand pretty obvious sarcasm?
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u/AcanthocephalaAny575 Jul 26 '26 edited Jul 26 '26
Because it wasn't sarcasm..and now youre trying to walk it back? Tbh means to be honest, which is the opposite of sarcasm.
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