The first trailer for Hellboy offers audiences a proper glimpse at the highly-anticipated cinematic reboot of the classic Dark Horse Comics series. Created by Mike Mignola, Hellboy centers around the adventures of a demon who was raised by a clandestine government agency (The B.P.R.D. - Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense) who are tasked with defending the world against paranormal menaces and trained to be a living weapon against the forces of darkness.
The 2019 Hellboy film is largely based upon a story from the comics, The Wild Hunt, and will be truer to the comics in terms of its script and appearance, according to Mike Mignola, who has taken a more hands-on approach to this film than he did the previous Hellboy movies.
Related: What Song Is In The Hellboy Trailer?
The Hellboy trailer is full of subtle nods to the original comics that Hellboy devotees are sure to appreciate. The lengthy teaser also provides a look at all of the major players in the film and offers a taste of the action to come. Find out the story secrets and more in our Hellboy breakdown.
25. The Forever War
The Hellboy trailer opens on an ominous note as we see two figures in the distance, walking through a dimly lit cave. We then hear two voices. The first describes a warning that something was coming. The second talks about a "forever war" and how any hope of it ending lies in the "strong right hand" of the person he's speaking to. Presumably both speakers are referring to Hellboy, who is a figure of prophecy in the comics.
24. Excalibur
It doesn't take a degree in Celtic mythology to guess the identity of the sword in this stone, which Hellboy discovers in a half-flooded underground cave. The sword is Excalibur - the legendary sword of King Arthur. Hellboy briefly wielded Excalibur in the comics while facing the forces of Nimue, The Blood Queen. This would seem to confirm that he will do the same in the film.
23. Demons In The Sky
The Hellboy trailer then treats us to this breath-taking image of several winged figures flying over what appears to be a British museum. Presumably, these are demons of some kind, as the creatures look like fallen angels (i.e. winged humanoids) and they are definitely hostile to the humans on the street.
22. Hellboy Is On The Side Of Humanity
The trailer makes it clear to those who aren't familiar with the previous films and comics that Hellboy is on the side of humanity, despite his demonic appearance. This is made clear when one of the SWAT officers forming a perimeter around the museum reflexively takes a shot at Big Red. This leads to Hellboy angrily shouting "I'm on your side!"
21. Ian McShane as Professor Broom
The Hellboy trailer goes on to show Ian McShane in the role of Professor Broom - the BPRD member who first discovered Hellboy as an infant and acted as a foster father to the boy. Their relationship is far from that of a loving father and son, however, as Hellboy later notes that his "father" got him guns instead of Legos.
20. The Secret Base In London
Much like the MI6 of James Bond, the BPRD apparently maintains secret bases behind false store-fronts in the middle of major urban areas. In this case, we see Hellboy and company attempting to access a secret base hidden within a fish and chips shop called Codswallop. There's a rather brilliant pun here Americans might not get, as Codswallop - while sounding like the name of a fish restaurant - is a British slang term meaning "nonsense." That is also a fair description of what most people would consider the business of the BPRD.
19. BPRD - Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense
The Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense is officially called out a moment later. We see the emblem of the BPRD - a fist gripping a sword enclosed in a circle with the organization's name - painted on the floor of the secret base. This will be a familiar sight to fans of the Hellboy and BPRD comics.
Page 2: Hellboy's Weapons, The Wild Hunt & More of Our Trailer Breakdown
18. Hellboy Was Made Into A Weapon
While Hellboy is a hero by training, he harbors no illusions as to how he is viewed by the BPRD. He angrily accuses Professor Broom of making him into a weapon as we see Hellboy effectively killing several supernatural menaces. Professor Broom replies that he just wanted to turn Hellboy into "the best you." This hints at the complicated relationship between Hellboy and Professor Broom.
17. Big Baby
Hellboy's trademark gun, the Big Baby, makes an appearance in the trailer too. An over-sized six-shooter sized specifically to Hellboy's over-sized right-hand, the Big Baby fires small rockets rather than standard rounds. You can see it in action throughout, causing plenty of explosive bloodshed.
16. The Wild Hunt
We briefly see Hellboy on horseback with four people wearing high-tech backpacks brandishing spears, led by a figure wearing a helm with antlers. Taken directly from the comics, this is the Wild Hunt - an event organized by members of a secret society called the Osiris Club, whenever giants are said to awaken in the wilds of England (which Hellboy is shown fighting later in the trailer). The hunt is named and modeled after the Wild Hunt of Celtic legend.
15. Sasha Lance As Alice Monaghan
The Hellboy trailer also gives us a glimpse of Sasha Lane as Alice Monaghan. Saved from baby-snatching fairies as an infant by Hellboy, Alice has a unique talent for being able to see through the glamours used by the fae as well as those magicians who draw power from a connection to fairies. Doubtless, this will make her invaluable to the BPRD as they go up against Nimue, who was once known as the Lady of the Lake.
14. The Osiris Club
Thought not identified by name in the trailer, the group of well-dressed British gentlemen questioning Hellboy about his hand are probably the Osiris Club. A secret society in the original Hellboy comics, the Osiris Club know a bit more about the truth of various supernatural evils than other gentlemen's clubs who claim to be privy to cosmic secrets. In the storyline The Wild Hunt, it is the Osiris Club who summon Hellboy to England to assist them with fighting giants as the action of the story opens.
13. The Right Hand Of Doom
One of the gentlemen questions Hellboy as to the purpose of his giant stone hand. He says "it smashes things real good." Comics fans know Hellboy's right hand as the Right Hand of Doom - an artifact of great power that holds the key to bringing about the end of the world.
Page 3: The Monsters, The Real Villain & More of the Hellboy Trailer Breakdown
12. The Elevator Gag
As Hellboy describes how his stone right hand is good for smashing things, we see him put it into action. While in the middle of using an elevator, it becomes stuck. One punch seems to fix things for a moment, until the elevator suddenly drops to the ground floor.
11. Hell
Perhaps not coincidentally, the shot of the elevator crashing downward leads to what seems to be an image of Hell. Not surprisingly, Hell is a location of some importance in the Hellboy comics, being a part of the character's name. Given that part of The Wild Hunt's story involves the politics of Hell, it seems likely we will see quite a bit of it in Hellboy.
10. More Demons
The Hellboy trailer then shows several scenes of various monsters, many of which will be missed if one blinks. Among these are a boar-headed creature who is seen in more detail later, a creature resembling some sort of demonic bat and a giant with an axe-blade for one hand and a sword-blade for an arm.
9. A BPRD Secret Base
The Hellboy trailer goes on to show us what appears to be some sort of secret base in an alpine region; there's a helicopter landing at this installation and Hellboy entering unaccosted by the various officials and people in suits standing in the entry hangar. This would suggest that the base belongs to the BPRD.
8. Milla Jovovich as Nimue, The Queen of Blood
The Hellboy trailer offers us several looks at Milla Jovovich as Nimue. The primary villain of the Hellboy movie (and The Wild Hunt on which it's based), Nimue is a powerful sorceress who was once known as the Lady of The Lake but has been called the Queen of Blood since she began worshiping the Ogdru Jahad - the chief evil of the Hellboy franchise.
7. Baba Yaga
At one point we see Hellboy falling out of a house, which seems to be rising up on top of a great feathery mass. This is the home of the witch Baba Yaga, who in the classic Slavic mythology lived in a house that rested on top of two giant chicken feet. Baba Yaga is a character of some importance in the mythology of the Hellboy comics and appeared in The Wild Hunt, offering her aid to Hellboy for a price.
6. Daniel Dae Kim as Major Ben Daimio
Daniel Dae Kim shows up several times in the Hellboy trailer as Major Ben Daimio. A highly decorated member of the USMC, Major Daimio was recruited to the BRPD after being declared legally dead following his troop's encounter with something strange. It would later be discovered that Major Daimio had become host to a supernatural entity which gifted him with amazing recuperative powers. We don't get to see these powers on display in the trailer, but they'll probably come up at some point in the film.
Page 4: The Villain Plot & Hellboy's Destiny In The Final Part of the Trailer Breakdown
5. The Giants
The later half of the trailer shows Hellboy in battle with the giants The Osiris Club asked him to assist in fighting. The battle is not going well, as Hellboy is blind-sided by one giant and sent flying in a scene that will seem familiar to anyone who battled giants in Skyrim.
4. The Codswallops Receptionist With A Machine Gun
The bona fides of the lady at the counter at Codswallops are confirmed later in the trailer. More than just a receptionist, we see her wielding a machine gun to deal with some unseen menace. Clearly, the woman is a highly trained BRPD agent used to guard the front door. It is also makes clear that the forces of Nimue discover the BPRD's secret base at some point in the film. It bears mentioning that the receptionist is played by Laila Morse, who is famous for her role as Mo Harris on the BBC soap opera EastEnders and also being Gary Oldman's sister.
3. Gruagach of Lough Leane
Hellboy can be seen fighting a boar-headed monster at several points in the trailer, but we get our clearest look at this beast near the end as it is standing next to a portal along with Nimue. This is Gruagach of Lough Leane - one of Hellboy's most persistent enemies in the comics, Originally a shape-shifting member of the Daoine Sidhe (the nobility of the fae), he became trapped in the body of the last of the Fomorian Giants after his first encounter with Hellboy. His quest for revenge acted as a prelude to the events of The Wild Hunt in the comics and it seems Gruagach will have a major role to play in the Hellboy movie as well.
2. "You've Arrived Just In Time."
The penultimate scene of the trailer has Hellboy sarcastically asking Nimue if he is interrupting something. Nonplussed, she replies that Hellboy has "arrived just in time." In the original Wild Hunt comic book, Nimue was a follower of the Ogdru Jahad - the great Dragon of Revelation, who would bring about the end of the world. Since the key to freeing the Ogdru Jahad is the Right Hand of Doom and it is reportedly Hellboy's destiny to free the Ogdru Jahad, Nimue requires Hellboy's presence if her goals in the movie are anything like those of her comic book counterpart.
1. Hellboy Wears The Apocalypse Crown
The end of the trailer shows Hellboy wielding a flaming sword, while a crown of fire sits atop his head. Fans of the comic will recognize this as the Apocalypse Crown - a demonic artifact they confers the power to become the Biblical Beast of The Apocalypse that brings about the end of the world in accordance with the prophecy of the Book of Revelation. The crown usually sits invisible atop the head of the demon who wears it, unless revealed by special circumstances. It has no physical weight and Hellboy was not even aware that he possessed it for most of his life. Something will clearly bring it out in Hellboy.
