Hank's mutation is in fact among the most radical of all currently known alpha-level mutants. He initially declined to pose for me, on the grounds that he was busy with work, and legitimately so. Though officially a combat-team member, Hank's medical and biochemical research occupies most of his waking hours.The photograph shown here is what might be politely called a "trick of the light." Hank's true appearance is only nominally homonid. Born with oversized hands and feet, he was presumed to be acromegalic until he encountered Professor Charles Xavier. In his late teens, Henry's secondary mutation manifested, and his body transmuted into his current, heavily-furred form.
In spite of the change, though, Henry has earned a Master's degree in Medicine and a Doctorate in Biochemistry. Most of his on-campus work was accomplished with the assitance of holograms which mimic his previous appearance. A certain amount of research has gone into aging Henry's public features as time passes, and the current image is approximately what he would, under other circumstances, have looked like.
This technology is available to only a very few people with radical physical mutations. It remains staggeringly expensive and frequently impratical. Everyone with whom Henry works on a day-to-day basis is familiar with his "real" face, and he seldom uses the holograms except in public. He offered this, though, as his "human" face, and I accepted. It is less an illusion than a translation, the least terrifying presentation of the X-Men's most dedicated pacifist and intellectual.
Sinclair: Do you ever worry that it's a lie?
HM: The illusion of my humanity? I think a certain number of people would perceive it as a kind of fraud, possibly a very disturbing one. There's something very worrisome to the public about an invisible mutant. And yet everything becomes clear at the first touch.
Sinclair: Furry?
HM: Extremely. [offers an arm] Robert [Drake] told me, when he was still a child, that I reminded him of the cookie monster. I was devastated by the changes I had undergone. I didn't expect that I would be able to attend university beyond some introductory distance-learning classes, and while I understood that I could more or less self-educate if I needed to, a university education was something that I wanted desperately.
Sinclair: How long was it before you found out you'd still be going?
HM: I spent six months essentially confined to the Westchester estate. Charles had always more or less allowed us free rein within the community, and I had been used to going out several times a week. I must have consumed a third of the library during that time, and I know I consumed enough antidepressants to last the rest of my life.
Sinclair: Should I ask about the tattoo?
HM: [chuckles] That, in fact, dates from after my transformation, but I added it to my own image, since it is as much a part of me as my skin. Bobby persuaded me that body art would add a certain je ne said quoi to my personal aura. He began the suggestion with the first drink, and after the eighth, I was convinced that he might have a point.
Sinclair: Furry, well-educated mutants get drunken tattoos?
HM: I remain grateful that it wasn't somewhere more embarrassing. The skin over the tattoo was shaved, and until the fur grew back in, it was very noticeable. Even Scott was amused. He's an evil man, no matter what anyone may tell you. His wit may be excessively dry, but there's something perversely childish about the man.
Sinclair: Interesting words, considering he's your boss.
HM: I've known Scott since he was a frightened, blind child, and both he and I know that the X-Men primarily demonstrate their love through mockery. It's expected. Thick skin is essential if one plans to make a life in this community.