hank mccoy (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
prehendere) wrote2014-05-01 05:38 pm
prehendere) wrote2014-05-01 05:38 pm
>> info
C H A R A C T E R I N F O R M A T I O N
Name: Hank McCoy.
Canon: X-Men Cinematic Universe.
X-Men First Class History & Personality
The films have a tendency to show if they're making any differences in comics vs. film character background (i.e. Mystique meeting and growing up with Charles, Erik being abused specifically by Sebastian Shaw), but other than the really movie-verse tone breaking incidents (like Havok going to hang out with aliens, that’s cool I guess) it's safe to infer that they match up.
With that being said - Hank McCoy was born in Dundee, Illinois, in the United States, to Norton and Edna McCoy. He was also born with giant mutant prehensile feet (which his father feared was radiation poisoning he'd passed on from working at a nuclear power plant) and later displayed a vast intellect that would see him graduating from Harvard at age fifteen. We can fill in the blanks of an isolated childhood where he was smarter than the other kids and wasn’t able to do any activity that resulted in taking his shoes off, should he be discovered as a freak. And then an isolated adolescence where all his peers are at least ten years older than him and where he still can’t do anything that involves taking his shoes off (including intimacy). Assuming he graduated at fifteen with a BSc, he probably spent a few years acquiring different doctorates (likely biophysics and mechanical engineering? Judging by what he does in the film) before being hired by the CIA for their super secret high-tech and para-science division.
Then one fine day, his boss and three mutants walked into his life and his workspace. One of them outed him (thanks Charles), one of them hit on him (s’up Raven) and one of them glowered to the side first with an expression of apathy, then curiosity (…Erik.) And his life changed forever. He’d already built a machine that could enhance telepathy range before he ever found a telepath, Charles volunteered as tribute, and they discovered every other mutant out there. He also bonded really quickly with Raven over their physical mutations, becoming interested in her mutation and how he could develop a cure for them both to be ‘normal.’ While Charles and Erik were roadtripping around to recruit more mutants or classily infiltrating Soviet Russia, she flirted with him a lot while he smiled/blushed/wriggled awkwardly in his chair, in amongst being called names by Alex and getting harassed by his colleagues who liked to point and tap the glass, trying to antagonize the ‘freaks.’
Things took a more serious turn when, knowing that Charles and Erik were occupied in Russia, Shaw came calling with his henchmen Azazel and Riptide. After massacring the staff at the facility, he gave a speech befitting any former Nazi looking to become tyrant ruler of the world, before absconding with one newly acquired mutant and murdering another.
Needless to say it was an eye-opener as to what they would be getting into and all the younger mutants were a mixture of shocked and wanting revenge for their friend. With their former base of operations well and truly wrecked, they relocated to Charles’ mansion in Westchester. There, Hank helped build two devices that would help enhance/control the abilities of two other mutants – Alex/Havok and Sean/Banshee. Charles gave him a bit of one on one tuition about how enhance his own ability, by finding a balance between the logical, human side holding him back and the passionate, animal like aspects of his mutation that he was scared of.
He was also really devoted to finding a cure for physical mutations. When he comes up with what he thinks is a solution the night before the mission in Cuba, he essentially calls himself ugly and by extension Raven (whoops). Determined, he injects himself, only it backfires – giving him blue fur and leonine aspects. He wrecks the lab and doesn’t appear until the next day in order to pilot the jet, after choking Erik and giving everyone the stink-eye or growling over what he thinks are condescending remarks.
While in the air, Sean, Charles and Erik combine their resources and locate Shaw’s submarine, with Erik pulling it out of the water. Unfortunately, Riptide unleashes winds, which cause Hank to crash land the jet on the beach. During most of the action, he along with Alex and Erik are occupied fighting Riptide, Azazel and Angel. Once Erik kills Shaw, however, he stands witness along with everyone else to both the U.S. and U.S.S.R firing their missiles at them – until Erik intercedes. And then Charles tries to fight Erik. And then they all get flung away by said metalokinesis. When they had just finished dusting themselves off, Charles was hit by a bullet Erik had deflected, leaving him injured. After Charles told Erik he didn’t agree with his politics and told Raven that, yes, he knew she wanted to go with Erik and gave her his blessing, they left along with the other, opposing mutants (along with a parting message from Raven of “mutant and proud” which he seemed less than pleased about). After that, he along with everyone else rushed to Charles’ side because jfc the man’s just been shot in the spine and the idiot who did it removed the bullet before the only person with anything resembling medical experience could take a look. Great job.
Personality: "In each of us, two natures are at war." Charles uses this quote from The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde during his training session with Hank, which is partly for foreshadowing (X-Men: First Class does a few nods to the gothic/early sci-fi genre) but it's also true. Hank is someone who, for the most part, abides by the laws and the conventions that society has set down. Before he met other mutants, he was content to hide his mutation and certainly the visible aspect of his mutation from everyone he knew and keep on keeping on at his work. But there's also a deep seated part that longs for something more - he's pretty quick to show off something he spends a lot of time ashamed over, as soon as he knows he's amongst friends. Later on in a scene with other young mutants, he can be seen dancing the hippie hippie shake on the ceiling. However, it only shows itself in brief glimpses like the ones just mentioned, and when he trusts in Charles' judgment to let go. For the most part, he's afraid not only of the outside world, but also what he could be capable of.
And who could blame him about being afraid of others; most of the mutants in the film (and in other media) take pains to hide themselves from the majority human population. It's something especially difficult for mutants who have a visible mutation, like Hank and Raven. Since he was born with prehensile feet, it's easy to fathom that his parents would have kept him away from other children in case he was castigated for being different, which would have easily contributed to feelings of shame and difference.
On top of that, his vast intelligence also played a part - if he graduated Harvard at fifteen, he would have had to be accomplishing high school level when he should have been in elementary school and it's likely he skipped out on a lot of socialisation with people in his own age group. During the scenes where he's amongst other mutants his age, he's really not at ease. In one of his first scenes with Raven, he's much more formal and very careful about not appearing too forward with her, a little awkward with her tactile affection later on. Later on when the rest of the younger mutants are assembled while Charles and Erik are in Russia, he isn't at ease while talking to them - his body language is shut off, he's positioned in the opposite direction, and he doesn't know how to respond to teasing and opts not to respond. He has decent people skills when he's introduced to Charles, Raven and Erik, but it's the conduct of someone used to a professional or mature environment. When he doesn't have that to fall back on that he can become an awkward, bumbling young man.
The solution to him, as mentioned previously, is to find a way to get rid of his visible mutation and it's something that he gets very self-absorbed about, to the point where it impacts his most important relationship in the film. Raven consistently tells him he's amazing and, when he comes to her with the serum, tells him that he's beautiful and perfect the way he is. And that's important, because it's quite possibly the first time anyone has told him that. Unfortunately, he's so caught up in the desire to look normal that he ends up saying that she's beautiful as a human rather than in her natural blue form, which makes her cry and ultimately puts a strain on their relationship. It doesn't even seem as though he's aware of the full impact of what he's done, he's so caught up in his self-hatred. Not that that really excuses anything (this is how smug turtlenecked assholes run off with your love interest, doofus.)
In spite of his self-absorbed self-loathing, he is a good person at heart. He's just...also a bit clueless at times, for someone who's really smart. But when he watches the CIA base get attacked, his body language is very protective of his fellow mutants, rather than going into a panic over the fact that he's just seen many of his colleagues killed in front of him. He's on board with avenging the people who were murdered and does his best to find ways to help other mutants harness their powers, while also showing a very pragmatic side - he's the one to bring up that they no longer have a place to be once the base is destroyed and isn't quite caught up in Charles' glowing optimism to feel safe staying to the side of Alex/Havok's target.
The one thing he does feel confident about is his amassed knowledge on science and technology and you can actually see his face light up when talking to people about it (kudos to Nicholas Hoult) as well as see his mind doing the science when he sees Alex's power for the first time. Then again, it's the one thing he's really excelled in, and therefore received positive reinforcement over when everything else has ostensibly made him feel like a freak.
Abilities, Weaknesses and Power Limitations: Comics iteration Hank McCoy has genius level intellect and seems to be a Renaissance man. This younger, AU iteration doesn't seem to be any different given he graduated university at fifteen, although it's safe to say he knows less given that he hasn't lived out his life. In the film he is well versed enough in biophysics to try and dabble in re-writing DNA and is experienced with mechanics and electronics, to the point where he can build a jet that's years ahead of current mainstream technology, and a machine that amplifies telepathic ability before he even has a telepath.
He likely knows a few languages (comparing XM:FC to comics iteration - Spanish, given he named Cerebro after the Spanish word for brain, Latin likely due to the amount of medical terminology, p...ossibly Russian given the political climate in the U.S. Beginner, perhaps?) And probably able to hold conversations about literature, philosophy, history, etc.
Other than that, he has superhuman strength, speed and agility, although his speed isn't on level with a speedster in his universe. And can fly a jet.
Age: Twenty-three-years-old (approximation based on the actor's age and the degrees he would have done given what age he graduated.)
Name: Hank McCoy.
Canon: X-Men Cinematic Universe.
X-Men First Class History & Personality
The films have a tendency to show if they're making any differences in comics vs. film character background (i.e. Mystique meeting and growing up with Charles, Erik being abused specifically by Sebastian Shaw), but other than the really movie-verse tone breaking incidents (like Havok going to hang out with aliens, that’s cool I guess) it's safe to infer that they match up.
With that being said - Hank McCoy was born in Dundee, Illinois, in the United States, to Norton and Edna McCoy. He was also born with giant mutant prehensile feet (which his father feared was radiation poisoning he'd passed on from working at a nuclear power plant) and later displayed a vast intellect that would see him graduating from Harvard at age fifteen. We can fill in the blanks of an isolated childhood where he was smarter than the other kids and wasn’t able to do any activity that resulted in taking his shoes off, should he be discovered as a freak. And then an isolated adolescence where all his peers are at least ten years older than him and where he still can’t do anything that involves taking his shoes off (including intimacy). Assuming he graduated at fifteen with a BSc, he probably spent a few years acquiring different doctorates (likely biophysics and mechanical engineering? Judging by what he does in the film) before being hired by the CIA for their super secret high-tech and para-science division.
Then one fine day, his boss and three mutants walked into his life and his workspace. One of them outed him (thanks Charles), one of them hit on him (s’up Raven) and one of them glowered to the side first with an expression of apathy, then curiosity (…Erik.) And his life changed forever. He’d already built a machine that could enhance telepathy range before he ever found a telepath, Charles volunteered as tribute, and they discovered every other mutant out there. He also bonded really quickly with Raven over their physical mutations, becoming interested in her mutation and how he could develop a cure for them both to be ‘normal.’ While Charles and Erik were roadtripping around to recruit more mutants or classily infiltrating Soviet Russia, she flirted with him a lot while he smiled/blushed/wriggled awkwardly in his chair, in amongst being called names by Alex and getting harassed by his colleagues who liked to point and tap the glass, trying to antagonize the ‘freaks.’
Things took a more serious turn when, knowing that Charles and Erik were occupied in Russia, Shaw came calling with his henchmen Azazel and Riptide. After massacring the staff at the facility, he gave a speech befitting any former Nazi looking to become tyrant ruler of the world, before absconding with one newly acquired mutant and murdering another.
Needless to say it was an eye-opener as to what they would be getting into and all the younger mutants were a mixture of shocked and wanting revenge for their friend. With their former base of operations well and truly wrecked, they relocated to Charles’ mansion in Westchester. There, Hank helped build two devices that would help enhance/control the abilities of two other mutants – Alex/Havok and Sean/Banshee. Charles gave him a bit of one on one tuition about how enhance his own ability, by finding a balance between the logical, human side holding him back and the passionate, animal like aspects of his mutation that he was scared of.
He was also really devoted to finding a cure for physical mutations. When he comes up with what he thinks is a solution the night before the mission in Cuba, he essentially calls himself ugly and by extension Raven (whoops). Determined, he injects himself, only it backfires – giving him blue fur and leonine aspects. He wrecks the lab and doesn’t appear until the next day in order to pilot the jet, after choking Erik and giving everyone the stink-eye or growling over what he thinks are condescending remarks.
While in the air, Sean, Charles and Erik combine their resources and locate Shaw’s submarine, with Erik pulling it out of the water. Unfortunately, Riptide unleashes winds, which cause Hank to crash land the jet on the beach. During most of the action, he along with Alex and Erik are occupied fighting Riptide, Azazel and Angel. Once Erik kills Shaw, however, he stands witness along with everyone else to both the U.S. and U.S.S.R firing their missiles at them – until Erik intercedes. And then Charles tries to fight Erik. And then they all get flung away by said metalokinesis. When they had just finished dusting themselves off, Charles was hit by a bullet Erik had deflected, leaving him injured. After Charles told Erik he didn’t agree with his politics and told Raven that, yes, he knew she wanted to go with Erik and gave her his blessing, they left along with the other, opposing mutants (along with a parting message from Raven of “mutant and proud” which he seemed less than pleased about). After that, he along with everyone else rushed to Charles’ side because jfc the man’s just been shot in the spine and the idiot who did it removed the bullet before the only person with anything resembling medical experience could take a look. Great job.
Personality: "In each of us, two natures are at war." Charles uses this quote from The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde during his training session with Hank, which is partly for foreshadowing (X-Men: First Class does a few nods to the gothic/early sci-fi genre) but it's also true. Hank is someone who, for the most part, abides by the laws and the conventions that society has set down. Before he met other mutants, he was content to hide his mutation and certainly the visible aspect of his mutation from everyone he knew and keep on keeping on at his work. But there's also a deep seated part that longs for something more - he's pretty quick to show off something he spends a lot of time ashamed over, as soon as he knows he's amongst friends. Later on in a scene with other young mutants, he can be seen dancing the hippie hippie shake on the ceiling. However, it only shows itself in brief glimpses like the ones just mentioned, and when he trusts in Charles' judgment to let go. For the most part, he's afraid not only of the outside world, but also what he could be capable of.
And who could blame him about being afraid of others; most of the mutants in the film (and in other media) take pains to hide themselves from the majority human population. It's something especially difficult for mutants who have a visible mutation, like Hank and Raven. Since he was born with prehensile feet, it's easy to fathom that his parents would have kept him away from other children in case he was castigated for being different, which would have easily contributed to feelings of shame and difference.
On top of that, his vast intelligence also played a part - if he graduated Harvard at fifteen, he would have had to be accomplishing high school level when he should have been in elementary school and it's likely he skipped out on a lot of socialisation with people in his own age group. During the scenes where he's amongst other mutants his age, he's really not at ease. In one of his first scenes with Raven, he's much more formal and very careful about not appearing too forward with her, a little awkward with her tactile affection later on. Later on when the rest of the younger mutants are assembled while Charles and Erik are in Russia, he isn't at ease while talking to them - his body language is shut off, he's positioned in the opposite direction, and he doesn't know how to respond to teasing and opts not to respond. He has decent people skills when he's introduced to Charles, Raven and Erik, but it's the conduct of someone used to a professional or mature environment. When he doesn't have that to fall back on that he can become an awkward, bumbling young man.
The solution to him, as mentioned previously, is to find a way to get rid of his visible mutation and it's something that he gets very self-absorbed about, to the point where it impacts his most important relationship in the film. Raven consistently tells him he's amazing and, when he comes to her with the serum, tells him that he's beautiful and perfect the way he is. And that's important, because it's quite possibly the first time anyone has told him that. Unfortunately, he's so caught up in the desire to look normal that he ends up saying that she's beautiful as a human rather than in her natural blue form, which makes her cry and ultimately puts a strain on their relationship. It doesn't even seem as though he's aware of the full impact of what he's done, he's so caught up in his self-hatred. Not that that really excuses anything (this is how smug turtlenecked assholes run off with your love interest, doofus.)
In spite of his self-absorbed self-loathing, he is a good person at heart. He's just...also a bit clueless at times, for someone who's really smart. But when he watches the CIA base get attacked, his body language is very protective of his fellow mutants, rather than going into a panic over the fact that he's just seen many of his colleagues killed in front of him. He's on board with avenging the people who were murdered and does his best to find ways to help other mutants harness their powers, while also showing a very pragmatic side - he's the one to bring up that they no longer have a place to be once the base is destroyed and isn't quite caught up in Charles' glowing optimism to feel safe staying to the side of Alex/Havok's target.
The one thing he does feel confident about is his amassed knowledge on science and technology and you can actually see his face light up when talking to people about it (kudos to Nicholas Hoult) as well as see his mind doing the science when he sees Alex's power for the first time. Then again, it's the one thing he's really excelled in, and therefore received positive reinforcement over when everything else has ostensibly made him feel like a freak.
Abilities, Weaknesses and Power Limitations: Comics iteration Hank McCoy has genius level intellect and seems to be a Renaissance man. This younger, AU iteration doesn't seem to be any different given he graduated university at fifteen, although it's safe to say he knows less given that he hasn't lived out his life. In the film he is well versed enough in biophysics to try and dabble in re-writing DNA and is experienced with mechanics and electronics, to the point where he can build a jet that's years ahead of current mainstream technology, and a machine that amplifies telepathic ability before he even has a telepath.
He likely knows a few languages (comparing XM:FC to comics iteration - Spanish, given he named Cerebro after the Spanish word for brain, Latin likely due to the amount of medical terminology, p...ossibly Russian given the political climate in the U.S. Beginner, perhaps?) And probably able to hold conversations about literature, philosophy, history, etc.
Other than that, he has superhuman strength, speed and agility, although his speed isn't on level with a speedster in his universe. And can fly a jet.
Age: Twenty-three-years-old (approximation based on the actor's age and the degrees he would have done given what age he graduated.)