Hellboy is a superhero created by Mike Mignola for Dark Horse Comics. Hellboy’s real name is Anung Un Rama and he was brought to Earth to end life as we know it. However, the half-demon was discovered as a baby by the Allied Forces and was adopted by Professor Trevor Bruttenholm who loved him like a son.
Hellboy, with his red skin, horns, and tail, was kept in secret for some time by the B.P.R.D (Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense). Hellboy later joined the international non-governmental agency as a lead agent, where he used his demonic abilities to fight crimes of the supernatural order.
Hellboy is often seen in the comic book series with his B.P.R.D colleagues: Abe Sapien, Elizabeth ‘Liz’ Sherman, Roger, Kate Corrigan, and his foster father, Buttenholm. Since Hellboy was raised among humans, he is taught the difference between good and evil, resulting in him making morally sound decisions. Even after learning his origin and destiny, Hellboy continues to fight for justice. While not your average take on a superhero, Hellboy is more than deserving of the title.
Here are the 15 Mind-Blowing Things You Didn’t Know About Hellboy.
15. Hellboy III Would Have Had Liz Going Up Against Hellboy
The success of the first two Hellboy films would have seemingly paved the way for a third movie. Initially, Guillermo Del Toro’s involvement with The Hobbit hindered the development and production of Hellboy 3. Even after Del Toro departed from The Hobbit, the director didn’t return to the Hellboy franchise.
In a Reddit AMA, Del Toro revealed that the third Hellboy would contain a fulfillment of Hellboy’s “inevitable destiny, to become the beast of the Apocalypse and having him and Liz face the sort that part of his nature.”
Del Toro added that the character’s duality as a half-human, half-demon and how it affected his relationship with Liz would have made for “a very interesting ending to the series.”
14. The Story Behind Hellboy’s Big Right Hand
Fans who’ve only seen the Hellboy movies and haven’t read the comics may be confused as to why Hellboy has one hand that is bigger than the other. The reason is that his right hand is actually an artifact.
The Right Hand Of Doom is believed to be the hand of a spiritual being known as Anum. It is believed to be the sacred object of Hyperborea that created and then bound the dragon Ogdru Jahad. It is an artifact of immense value and the stone object is said to be the key that could bring about Ragnarok (basically the end of the world).
The hand was passed down through many generations to Hellboy’s demonic father Azzazel. Azzazel chopped off his newborn son’s hand and replaced it with The Right Hand of Doom before sending his son to Earth. Hellboy grows to protect this oversized hand and uses its powers for good.
13. The Reason Hellboy Was Rejected By DC Comics
Hellboy was born to Sarah Hughes in 1681. Hughes was a woman who practiced witchcraft and this lead her to summon a demon. Surprisingly, she then proceeded to fall in love with said demon.
While her affair with the demon would later bring her nothing but misery, it did result in the birth of her third child. This turned out to be Hellboy. Being a half-demon, his ensuing birth resulted in a burst of flames and Hughes died shortly after.
This was the origin story that Hellboy creator, Mignola, pitched to the board of directors at DC Comics who, at the time, were thinking of expanding their plethora of heroes. They intended to introduce some new superheroes via their Vertigo Comics label. It is said that the directors loved Hellboy, but didn’t like the fact that the character centered so heavily on hell.
12. Hellboy’s Met Everyone From Batman To Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Despite Hellboy not being part of DC Comics, he has has met the DC heroes Batman and Starman. The three heroes met in a two-issue comic book miniseries.
In the first issue, “The Golden Age Starman”, Starman, otherwise known as Ted Knight, is abducted by Neo-Nazi Skinheads. This prompts Hellboy and Batman to team up to rescue him. In the second issue, Hellboy teams up with the new Starman, Jack Knight, to find Ted Knight and bring his captor to justice.
Hellboy has also met with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, albeit briefly. The half-demon made an appearance as a gladiator in a dimension where Buffy and Angel were captured and forced to fight. According to Mignola, he and Buffy creator, Joss Whedon, talked about doing a proper crossover between the two characters, but Whedon’s busy schedule prevented that from happening.
11. Hellboy’s Girlfriend Wasn’t Liz In The Comics
Unlike the movies, Hellboy’s paramour in the comics isn’t Liz Sherman, the pyrokinetic who works alongside him at the BPRD. Instead, Hellboy only has one love interest in the comics: Alice Monaghan.
Hellboy first met Alice when she was a child. She had been kidnapped by the fairies and was raised as their child since they couldn’t have any of their own. Alice remained with them until Hellboy rescued her. As a result of her time spent with the fairies, Alice can now see them even though they remain invisible to most humans.
Alice and Hellboy reunite several decades later when Alice is an old woman. Surprisingly, Alice looks far younger than expected as she ages slower than other humans. This allows her to maintain her relationship with Hellboy.
10. Hellboy’s Human Destiny
One of the biggest twists for Hellboy fans was the revelation that the red-skinned superhero was actually a descendant of King Arthur. In the latter-half of The Wild Hunt miniseries, it was revealed that not only did Hellboy have a destiny to rule hell, but he also had another destiny that had to do with the human part of him.
It turned out that his mother, apart from being a witch, was different for another reason. Sarah Hughes was actually the daughter of Mordred, the son of King Arthur.
Hellboy also found out that since he was the first male descendant of Mordred, he was the rightful King of England and that he alone would be able to draw Excalibur from the stone.
9. Hellboy Can Only Be Killed On One Condition
Hellboy has superhuman strength that stems from his powers as a demon. Not only is Hellboy incredibly strong, he also possesses what is known as the healing factor, which allows him to recover from injuries no matter their severity.
Hellboy has also been shown to work out frequently and some of his strength stems from keeping himself in top shape. As a result, the half-demon is able to hurl objects from incredible distances and can survive heavy gunfire.
His right arm, which is dubbed The Hand of Doom, also holds immense powers, allowing Hellboy to essentially destroy the world if he pleases. It is also thought that the superhero can’t be killed unless he is evil. While other demons can be killed by holy objects, Hellboy can remain unaffected as long as he is good. This is due to his human side that stems from his mother.
8. Hellboy’s Weird Ageing Process
Hellboy doesn’t age like humans. He is shown to be two years old when he tries pancakes (his favorite food) for the first time, but he appears much older than that. In fact in 1954, when he was just 10 years old, the superhero had already begun to look like a fully grown man.
While this strange way of ageing is quite unusual to humans, it is revealed in the comic series that this ageing system is identical of that of other supernatural beings in the Underworld.
The lifespan of demons is said to be in decades and in the Hellboy movie, the B.P.R.D describes it as ageing in “reverse dog years”. Throughout the course of his life, Hellboy spends most of his time in an adult body.
7. His Original Design
Funnily enough, Hellboy was created at the 1991 Great Salt Lake Comic-Con where creator, Mike Mignola, drew a demon and wrote “Hellboy” on the monster’s belt. The creature was quite unlike Hellboy, as it was covered in hair, had wings, and wore a belt with fish and crabs on it.
The comic writer didn’t plan to do anything serious with the creature, but it eventually became the basis for the red half-demon. According to Mignola, the character was inspired by his own father who worked as a cabinet maker.
Mignola’s father would often tell him stories of horrific work accidents in a gruff, nonchalant manner. This way of speaking would become a well-known characteristic of Hellboy.
6. He has Met multiple Celebrities
Hellboy has been considered an important person by many celebrities in the comic series. The President initially asked Professor Broom to conceal Hellboy’s identity and, in return, be provided with a bigger building for the B.P.R.D. However, his identity was revealed to many trusted celebrities.
Albert Einstein flew to New Mexico to meet with him and ended up spending an enjoyable evening with Hellboy, finding him utterly delightful. Hellboy even compared the hairstyles between Professor Broom and Einstein, stating that he liked Einstein’s hair better.
Another famous person that Hellboy met in the comics was Joseph Stalin. Initially, Stalin thought Hellboy was a hoax, and thought that the pictures he’d seen of him must be fake. Upon meeting Hellboy, Stalin was enamored by the superhero’s horns, which left Hellboy feeling quite uncomfortable.
5. His Hellish Family
Hellboy has a very complicated family. Not only is his father Azzazel one of the Dukes of Hell, but his mother was also an English witch in the 1570s. Although they’ve never played a big part in the Hellboy comic series, Hellboy has two other human siblings: a brother that grew up to be a pastor and a sister that became a nun. Sadly, both were killed while trying to protect their mother from Azzazel.
Hellboy also has another sister named Gamori, a demon who first appeared in Mignola’s “Hellboy: The Midnight Circus” comic book. Gamori plotted to execute her brother in 1948, but was forbidden by her uncle, Astaroth.
Soon after the deaths of Gamori’s brothers, Lusk and Gamon (Hellboy’s jealous half-brothers), Gamori sent the Furies to punish Hellboy as she believed that he was responsible for her brothers’ demise.When The Furies found that Hellboy was innocent, they punished Gamori for lying to them, driving her mad.
4. He Ends Up Living In Hell.
It’s no secret that Hellboy was summoned by Nazi cultivists, lead by Grigori Rasputin, to destroy the world. However, what’s interesting is that it’s his destiny to annihilate Earth – something the superhero is constantly trying to prevent.
Hellboy is destined to be The Beast of the Apocalypse and his possession of the key to Ragnarok, in the form of the Right Hand of Doom, makes that even more probable. Mike Mignola recently concluded the critically acclaimed Hellboy in Hell series, which served as a sort of goodbye to the character.
In the series, Hellboy accepts his destiny as the ruler of hell and spends his life ensuring that Earth is safe from all types of malevolent supernatural forces.
3. He Has Extensive Knowledge of Myths
Batman may have taken the title of The World’s Greatest Detective in comics, but Hellboy is also a pretty savvy investigator. Known as The World’s Greatest Paranormal Investigator, Hellboy’s position at the B.P.R.D allows him to investigate things beyond a human’s capability.
Hellboy has the ability to understand ancient languages as well as languages of mystical or magical origins. Due to his status as Lead Agent of the B.P.R.D, Hellboy was dubbed an honorary human. This allows him to.
Since Hellboy is a half-demon, he also has a working association with supernatural beings. Hellboy has a decade’s worth of experience dealing with supernatural forces. Hellboy carries many holy relics and special items that can be used against the metaphysical.
2. Hellboy once appeared on Cartoon Network
While Hellboy has been seen in animated series before, one of the character’s most memorable appearances was in an episode of MAD. The half-demon appeared in the Cartoon Network show where he advertised a product called “Left Hand of Doom”.
While the boy in the ad keeps requesting a left-handed pair of scissors, Hellboy keeps trying to sell his own product. The Hellboy in the cartoon resembled his movie version and he even had the boots that fans have seen in the films and not the comics.
Interestingly though, MAD decided not to have Hellboy use his name (though they did write HB on his coat). Instead, he is referred to as “Red” in the cartoon, a name that may have been picked up from the Hellboy movies.
1. Hellboy was set to play a supporting role in an Abe Sapien film
After the success of Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Universal Pictures asked Hellboy scribe, Peter Briggs, to write a spin off centered around Prince Nuada. While Abe Sapien was set to be the lead in Hellboy: Silverlance, Hellboy was to play a supporting role.
The film was to be centered heavily on Nuada’s adventures, including his first meeting with Mister Wink during the Spanish Inquisition and his rivalry with a fairy courtier. The film was originally planned once it seemed like Hellboy III was off the table. However, after Guillermo Del Toro left The Hobbit, Hellboy III seemed back on track.
Of course, the film was eventually scrapped even after the decision to not make Hellboy III which is sad, given that the film’s reception was also going to determine whether other Hellboy universe films could be made.
Are there any mind-blowing things about Hellboy that we missed? Let us know in the comments!
