Beast (Disney)

Villain Overview

Synopsis

Gallery

Evil-doer

1991
2017

Full Name

Adam

Alias

Prince Adam

The Beast
Beast
Master
Young Master

Origin

Beauty and the Beast

Occupation

Prince of an unnamed French kingdom

Powers / Skills

Control of subjects

Strength
Survival skills
Claws
Fangs
Durability
Acrobatics
Stealth
Speed
Leadership
High intellect

Hobby

Ruling over his kingdom (formerly).

Pleasing Belle (currently).

Goals

Break his curse.

Protect Belle (all succeeded).

Crimes

False imprisonment

Abuse
Extortion
Poaching
Attempted murder

Type of Villain

Tragic Anti-Villain

“

Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a young Prince lived in a shining castle.

Although he had everything his heart desired, the Prince was spoiled, selfish, and unkind. But then, one winter's night, an old beggar-woman came to the castle, and offered him a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold. Repulsed by her haggard appearance, the Prince sneered at the gift and turned the old woman away. But she warned him not to be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within. And when he dismissed her again, the old woman's ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful Enchantress.

The Prince tried to apologize, but it was too late, for she had seen that there was no love in his heart. And as punishment, she transformed him into a hideous Beast, and placed a powerful spell on the castle, and all who lived there. Ashamed of his monstrous form, the Beast concealed himself inside his castle, with a magic mirror as his only window to the outside world. The rose she had offered was truly an enchanted rose, which would bloom until his 21st year. If he could learn to love another, and earn her love in return, by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time. As the years passed, he fell into despair, and lost all hope. For who could ever learn to love a Beast?

„

~ Opening narration of the Beast.

“	So, you've come to stare at the Beast, have you?!	„
	~ Beast's rage prior to confronting Maurice for invading his castle.

“	At least I got to see you... one last time...	„
	~ The Beast after his redemption.

Prince Adam, better known as the The Beast, is the titular deuteragonist of Disney's 30th full-length animated feature film Beauty and the Beast (which is based on the 1756 French fairytale of the same name by the late Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont), as well as its direct-to-video sequel and midquel Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas and Beauty and the Beast: Belle's Magical World and various comic series. He also appeared in the 2017 live action remake film and theatrical adaptations of the story.

In the story, he is a selfish prince who was known for ruling his kingdom with an iron fist until he was cursed by an enchantress for his behavior, serving as villainous protagonist until he learned the error of his ways before his heartfelt redemption.

He also appeared in works such as House of Mouse, Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse and Mickey's House of Villains as a hero, the Kingdom Hearts franchise as an on and off protagonist/antagonist and in Mickey Mouse (2016) as a minor antagonist.

In all of his animated and video game appearances, he was voiced by Robby Benson. In the live action film, he was voiced/portrayed by Dan Stevens, who also played David Haller in Legion, Sir Lancelot in Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb and David Collins in The Guest.

Personality[]

When the Beast first appeared, he appeared to be very irrational, short-tempered, stubborn and hostile, especially to his own servants. He also found himself in conflict with his hideous exterior, making him an insecure person in nature as he felt ashamed of his actions against the Enchantress and that no one would love him for who he is on the inside, even despising his abusive father for raising him to become an arrogant ruler.

Despite his hostile nature, the Beast appears to have a kind and imaginative side, as he was willing to care for others, especially for Belle and the servants. He is also capable of remorse, as he felt guilty in scaring Belle out of the West Wing and letting her father Maurice go without letting her say goodbye to him. He is also shown to empathetic, as he sympathized with Belle over her treatment as a village outcast and the loss of her mother (who died succumbing to a plague), similar to how his own mother died succumbing to an illness. He is also shown to be a courageous fighter, as he brutally fought against a pack of wolves to rescue Belle, even stopping Maestro Forte from crumbling the castle down with his music by destroying his keyboard and defeating Gaston LeGume in combat following Belle's return.

After rescuing Belle from the wolves, he changes himself for the better, becoming a more civilized and calm person in nature. He even let Belle go free so that she can save Maurice from freezing to death, even though he feared he may never see her again and remain a beast forever. Once the curse is finally broken following Gaston's death, the Beast (turned back into the handsome Prince he was) retains his peaceful nature, even reuniting with several of his servants (who too have turned back to normal) with a hug.

Powers and Abilities[]

Being transformed into his namesake, the Beast was known to have special abilities:

Superhuman Strength: Being capable of superhuman strength, the Beast is able to pick up and carry full-grown men like Maurice and Gaston, even more capable of fighting against a wolf pack in spite of being outnumbered. He is also capable of ramming down or lifting up hard objects with ease, as he managed to destroy the dungeon door and Forte's keyboard to stop Forte from destroying the castle.
Enhanced Speed and Agility: The Beast is able to move faster than ordinary humans as he is capable of climbing and jumping from greater distances. This was shown when he jumped from one floor to the next while confronting Belle for her refusal to come over to dinner and the time when he was able to climb to the balcony following his fight against Gaston.
Enhanced Durability: The Beast is shown to be durable as he is able to withstand attacks such as the wolf attacks, Forte's magic and Gaston's arrows, despite feeling great pain at these times.
Enhanced Healing: The Beast is able to heal faster from minor to moderate injuries as he was able to recuperate from his fight with the wolves within a few days and withstand Forte's magical energy. However, he succumbed to his fatal injuries inflicted by Gaston before the latter died, though the Beast would later be revived after the spell was broken thanks to Belle expressing her love for him.
Enhanced Senses: Due to his senses being enhanced, the Beast was capable of tracking down Belle in the woods when she was in danger by scent and listening in on conversations from several feet away from other people.
Claws and Fangs: The Beast possessed razor-sharp claws and fangs that enabled him to either rip, smash or bite through soft objects (such as thick rugs, curtains, portraits and books).
Stealth: The Beast was shown to be adept at stealth as he was capable of keeping himself hidden without anyone spotting him. This was shown when he witnessed both Belle and Maurice entering his castle without catching their attention, even at the time when he spotted Belle going into the West Wing against his orders, as well as surprising the wolves when coming to rescue Belle, and posing as a gargoyle in order to successfully sneak on Gaston.

Trivia[]

In a deleted scene, it's implied that Beast hunted and ate like a predator after his transformation, as evident by the fact that there's a skeleton of a dead animal seen in the west wing.
The Beast made a cameo as one of the Sultan's toys in Aladdin, which was released a year after Beauty and the Beast.
Laurence Fishburne, Val Kilmer, Mandy Patinkin, and Regis Philbin were all considered for the role of Beast during production of the original film, though the role was finally given to Robby Benson.
The Beast was not a villain because he was just an antagonist and was not one of the Disney Villains.

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