Kelsey Grammer first played the role of Hank McCoy/Beast in the 2006 X-Men: The Last Stand. However, though his portrayal of the highly intelligent mutant doctor became a fan-favorite casting, director Brett Ratner’s take on the film received mixed reviews. It was even deemed inferior to its predecessors. So, when franchise producer Lauren Schuler Donner decided to do a prequel, having Matthew Vaugh back to direct the 2011 X-Men: First Class, Grammer revealed the “sinking feeling” after his role was recast and handed to a younger actor, Nicholas Hoult.
Grammer (Frasier) joined Anthony Mackie (Twisted Metal), Bowen Young (Saturday Night Live), John Goodman (The Conners and The Righteous Gemstones), Ricky Martin (Palm Royale), and Theo James (The Gentlemen) for The Hollywood Reporter’s full comedy actor roundtable. Amid the discussion, the group was asked about the most challenging news or feedback they had dealt with. There, Grammer revealed two things: being told he was the worst boyfriend ever and learning a different actor would play Beast in First Class.
“The most challenging things I've ever heard, actually, really... One was after I just played Beast … and they came up and said, 'We have the most wonderful next film planned,” he recalled. “This was Lauren Donner, and she said, 'We're going to go back in time!' And I suddenly had that sinking feeling of 'Oh, so I won't be in it – so my performance as Beast will not be in it. That's what you're telling me.' And sure enough, it went back in time and I was gone. So that was really exciting news for me.”
Originally, Bryan Singer was supposed to direct The Last Stand after helming the previous two films, X-Men and X-2, but decided to leave to work on the 2006 Superman Returns. Vaughn was hired as the new director but also left due to personal and professional issues. From there, Ratner stepped in and replaced Vaugh, but he almost stalled the franchise with his poor execution of X-Men plotlines, most notably his bad take on the Dark Phoenix Saga. The film was also criticized for killing off major characters, like Charles Xavier/Professor X, Cyclops, and Jean Grey.
This led to the making of First Class, which took a new direction by focusing on Charles and Magneto’s relationship and the origins of the X-Men and the Brotherhood of Mutants. Here, Hoult took on the role of Beast, and it was well-received that he reprised the character in X-Men Days of the Future Past, X-Men: Apocalypse, and Dark Phoenix.
Will Kelsey Grammer return as Beast in the MCU?
Grammer reprised the role of Beast in Singer’s 2014 Days of the Future Past, making an uncredited cameo appearance in the future setting. He, too, made a triumphant return in the Marvel Cinematic Universe movie The Marvels, which marked him as the 11th actor from the X-Men franchise to do so after Patrick Stewart, Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Morena Baccarin, Leslie Uggams, Karan Soni, Brianna Hildebrand, Shioli Kutsuna, Stefan Kapicic, and Rob Delaney. That said, many can’t help but wonder if he will return to the Marvel’s reboot of X-Men.
Though there are no words if Grammer will be part of Marvel’s X-Men reboot, there are several ways that he can return to the MCU. For one, now that Wade Wilson and Logan will be part of the Multiverse through the upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine, there’s a chance that he can make a cameo in the threequel as it may explore the connection between the MCU and Fox’s X-Men movies. Beast and Wolverine worked together after the timeline change in Days of the Future Past, which could be when the latter encountered Wade.
He can also appear in Avengers: Kang Dynasty or Avengers: Secret Wars. Though Beast is associated with the X-Men, he’s also a member of the Avengers. So, as the new Avengers are set to be introduced, Grammer’s Beast can be a part of it.
With his great performance as Beast, many want to see Grammer return in any capacity. Hopefully, this could happen with the major changes occurring in the MCU timeline throughout Phase 5.
