X-Men: Beast's Quiet Rampage Is Tearing X-Force and Krakoa Apart

WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Wolverine #13 by Benjamin Percy, Scot Eaton, Oren Junior, Matthew Wilson & VC's Cory Petit, on sale now,

In sharp contrast to the happy-go-lucky genius he once was, Beast has been establishing himself as a genuinely controversial figure on Krakoa. As the commander of X-Force, Hank McCoy has been tasked with maintaining the security of Krakoa. But in the process, he's been actively pushing the boundaries of acceptable behavior.

McCoy's actions have enraged other long-time allies, with Wolverine and Jean Grey both calling out his choices as needlessly ruthless and unfeeling. He's even set aflame tensions between the Quiet Council and the Five, but his most recent actions may have taken things too far, with even his remaining allies seemingly turning against him.

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One of the most potentially calamitous acts committed by Beast was his attempt to upend the corrupted terra-floronics of the small nation of Terra Verde. In doing so, Beast's creation mutated and effectively took over the entire country -- replacing all living matter with the sentient plant-life that he can more or less control -- giving Krakoa effectively a puppet human government. Beast has argued that this was the right decision despite the moral ramifications of such an act prompting Jean Grey to leave X-Force, and has even been using them at the Hellfire Gala to try and spread surveillance creations across the various dignitaries present for the event. Emma Frost is enraged with this discovery and revealed as much to Sage, ordering her to pull them back.

However, the Terra Verdeans have broken free of their control, and begin to lash out at the guests. To avoid an international incident on the grandest scale possible, X-Force works together to contain the attack without anyone noticing. Ultimately, they're successful. Krakoa even makes peace with Terra Verde, agreeing to give them leeway, autonomy with their creations, and resources to make amends for the actions of X-Force. This seems to cement peace between them, with the Terra Verdeans suspicious of Krakoa but willing to work with them. Beast is completely unapologetic about his actions. He takes no part in the negotiations, with Sage acting as his proxy as the head of X-Force.

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Sage refuses to reboot the control over the Terra-Flornics, prompting Beast to accuse Sage of sabotaging the technology in the first place. She responds to his line of questioning by slapping Beast in the face and demanding he leave her office. Emma Frost later confronts Beast, who defends his actions as necessary to protect Krakoa and help it prosper. Emma calls him a bastard, a title that Beast happily accepts if it means saving Krakoa from annihilation. Beasts' actions have increasingly isolated him from his allies, and this will likely only do more damage to those relationships. Sage is unlikely to forget Beasts' paranoia, and Wolverine empathizes with losing control of one's self, suggesting he's feels the people of Terra Verde are justified in their anger at Beast.

Emma could even bring Beast's actions to the Quiet Council, which could lead to further strife among the group over what Beast has done -- and potentially introduce more cracks into the governing body if some of the members agree with him. McCoy's actions have been in the interest of protecting mutant lives, but in the process, Beast may have introduced a number of new breaking points to the mutant government and set up Krakoa to be less united during a troubled time. The rise of Orchis, the birth of Nimrod, and the coming Inferno all suggest that Krakoa needs to be on one accord in order to survive. And in his attempts to protect them, Beast may have played a hand in splitting the island nation apart at the seams.

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