In Dark Horse Comics, there is no character more iconic than Hellboy. Created by Mike Mignola, Hellboy is a demon raised by humans who works with the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense (B.P.R.D.) to protect the world from the monsters that go bump in the night. Mignola based his expansive universe on Grimm’s fairy tales, world mythologies, monster movies, classical literature, and pulp action magazines and comic books. While Hellboy himself is a totally original character, many of the other heroes and villains in the Mignolaverse are copycats or modernized homages to classic characters and monsters that have remained relevant for decades or even centuries.
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Mike Mignola’s hit comic book universe, centered on Hellboy, features many characters inspired by some of the most iconic literary and film monsters in Western history. This list won’t include direct adaptations of pre-existing characters like Frankenstein, Baba Yaga, or the Crooked Man. Additionally, reinterpretations of real people, such as Grigori Rasputin, won’t be included either
7) Vladimir Giurescu
As a hero who has battled countless monsters, it was only a matter of time until Hellboy fought the Lord of the Vampires. Vladimir Giurescu was empowered by the goddess Hecate to be her child and minion. Everything about Vladimir, from his backstory, appearance, and actions, was clearly meant to reflect those of the most iconic vampire of all time, Dracula. Even his name, Vladimir, and design are references to Vlad the Impaler, a real-life 15th-century ruler of Wallachia who was the direct inspiration for Dracula. Like Dracula, Vladimir turned innocent women into his corrupted vampire brides. Additionally, Vladimir attempted to create a secret empire in England during the 1880s, only to be beaten by a Witchfinder, a plot very similar to that of the original Dracula by Bram Stoker. In the book, Dracula also wanted to create a vampire empire in England, but he was ultimately defeated by the vampire hunter Abraham Van Helsing. Vladimir Giurescu perfectly merges the real and fictional aspects of the original Lord of Vampires.
6) Agent Howards
Agent Ted Howards was originally a regular human B.P.R.D. agent until his destiny was revealed to him during a mission. While searching an occultist’s hideout, Howard grabbed a mystical sword that linked him to his ancestor, a barbarian warrior named Gall Dennar. After waking up from a coma, Agent Howards would use the ancient sword to be a more prominent and powerful B.P.R.D. agent. The sword ties Howard to one of the most famous warriors in literature, as it originates from an ancient race that lived in the mystical empire of Hyperborea thousands of years ago. This fictitious fantasy country also serves as the setting for Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Barbarian book series. Like Agent Howards and his ancestor Gall Dennar, Conan is a huge, honorable, and mighty warrior hero who brandishes a giant sword and fights all manner of villains and monsters. Essentially, Agent Howards is the Conan of the modern age.
5) Ogdru Jahad
Out of all the terrifying monsters and warlocks Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. have fought over the years, the big bad of the entire Mignolaverse is inarguably the Ogdru Jahad. These near incomprehensible beasts of pure destruction are the Dragon of Revelation and are destined to bring about the end of the world known as Ragnarok. Hellboy’s Right Hand of Doom is the key that will free the Ogdru Jahad from their eternal prison so that they may destroy the Earth. On top of drawing inspiration from Babylonian and Egyptian mythologies, these massive, seven-headed dragon-like entities are primarily based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft. The creator of the subgenre of Lovecraftian Horror, Lovecraft’s stories center on creatures beyond our dimension of such unimaginable power that to even look at them is to risk madness. These Old Ones take on truly terrifying forms, and evil occults will oftentimes try to bring them to our world, which will bring about the apocalypse. Everything about the Ogdru Jahad, from its evil cult and warlock followers and the threat of doomsday, is a near direct translation of many of Lovecraft’s best works.
4) Roger the Homunculus
The B.P.R.D. recruits many benevolent supernatural creatures into their ranks, and Roger the Homunculus is among their best agents. Roger is an artificial humanoid created by a medieval alchemist from clay, blood, and herbs. When the B.P.R.D. discovered Roger, he was outfitted with a generator in his chest to keep him from entering a comatose state. Roger is a kind, childlike, and curious being. As a super-strong artificial humanoid brought to life, Roger the Homunculus draws on two similar creatures from literature and mythology. Given his strong, childlike personality and being a creature made by humans, Roger clearly is inspired by the Frankenstein’s Monster from both the original Mary Shelley novel and the Universal film. Additionally, Roger’s design and nature as an entity partially made of clay are heavily influenced by the Golem, a creature from Jewish folklore that’s also an animate clay sculpture.
3) Lobster Johnson
Mike Mignola drew heavily on Golden Age pulp adventure and superhero comic books for his characters and artwork. Nowhere is that more apparent than with Lobster Johnson. This costumed crimefighter fought Nazis and mobsters in New York during the 1930s, whom he would kill and brand with his claw symbol on their foreheads. Although Lobster Johnson died in 1939, he periodically returns as a spirit to help Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. on supernatural cases. Lobster Johnson’s design, his more lethal approach to crime, the enemies he fought, and the time period in which he lived all suggest that he is a homage to the world’s very first superhero, the Phantom. Created in 1936 for a comic strip, the Phantom is widely considered to be the first costumed crimefighter and who inspired the superhero genre. Like most pulp adventure heroes at the time, the Phantom had no problem killing his enemies. The Phantom also wore a dark purple suit, a design that clearly inspired Lobster Johnson’s look.
2) Liz Sherman
Elizabeth “Liz” Sherman is a core member of B.P.R.D.’s field team and a close friend of Hellboy. When she was just 11 years old, Liz’s latent pyrokinetic abilities manifested, and she accidentally killed her entire family. Since then, Liz has tried to control her pyrokinetic abilities. At first glance, Liz’s appearance and powers seem to draw from Marvel Comics’ Jean Grey, aka Phoenix, who is also a redhead who constantly struggles to control her fire-adjacent abilities. However, Liz is most directly a homage to Charlie McGee, the protagonist of Stephen King’s sci-fi thriller book Firestarter. Liz and Charlie have the same pyrokinetic abilities, which manifested around the same age and accidentally caused significant destruction. The biggest difference between the two fire-starting women is their relationships to secret government agencies. Charlie went on the run from The Shop, an organization that wanted to weaponize her. In contrast, when the B.P.R.D. took Liz in, she saw it as an opportunity to learn to control her unstable powers.
1) Abe Sapien
If Hellboy is the Mignolaverse’s number one character, Abraham “Abe” Sapien easily comes in second place in terms of popularity and characterization. Originally, a human during the late 1800s, Langdon Everett Caul was turned into an amnesiac amphibious humanoid by an occult ritual. In the modern day, he would become one of the B.P.R.D.’s top agents. If his appearance and amphibious abilities didn’t make it very obvious, Abe was based on the Gill-Man from the 1954 classic Universal monster movie The Creature from the Black Lagoon. Their scaly, green skin, webbed hands, and ability to breathe underwater line up almost perfectly. Additionally, Abe’s origin as a human who becomes an aquatic monster draws a striking parallel to H.P. Lovecraft’s novel The Shadow Over Innsmouth, in which villagers mutate into fish people by the ancient Deep Ones. However, the biggest difference is that the Gill-Man and fish people are hostile creatures, whereas Abe is a sophisticated and kind individual who has never lost his humanity.
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