Kirsty Cotton (played by Ashley Laurence) battled Pinhead in the first two Hellraiser movies, but in the comics, she later became a Cenobite herself. Most recurring horror villains have that one true nemesis that gives them their greatest, most memorable cinematic challenges. A Nightmare on Elm Street's Freddy Krueger has Nancy Thompson, Halloween's Michael Myers has Laurie Strode, Friday the 13th's Jason Voorhees has Tommy Jarvis, and Hellraiser's Pinhead has Kirsty Cotton.
Kirsty got dragged into the dark world of the Cenobites thanks to her evil uncle Frank, who manipulated Kirsty's stepmother Julia into helping him regenerate his flesh after escaping from Hell, and later used Kirsty's father Larry as a replacement skin suit. Kirsty initially solved the Lament Configuration inadvertently - or so she says, Pinhead always had his doubts - and only escaped her own fate of eternal torment by promising to help them find and recapture Frank.
Kirsty escaped Hellraiser with her life, but crossed paths with Pinhead again in Hellbound: Hellraiser 2, when she ventured into Hell to rescue her father. She didn't succeed, but she did again manage to avoid death at Pinhead's hooks, this time by reminding him of his forgotten humanity. Kirsty also appeared later in Hellraiser: Hellseeker, once again bargaining with Pinhead for her life and soul. In the Hellraiser comics from Boom! Studios though, she went down a different path.
Hellraiser Turned Movie Hero Kirsty Cotton Into The New Pinhead
From 2011-2012, around the time the Hellraiser movies were suffering the indignity of Dimension Films' exceptionally awful Hellraiser: Revelations, Boom! Studios put out a 20-issue series of Hellraiser comics. This series was made with the approval and participation of creator Clive Barker, marking his first time writing for Pinhead and Kirsty since the original 1987 film. In issue #8 of the comics, a long-term story arc pays off with Kirsty agreeing to take over as overlord of Hell in Pinhead's place, with Elliot Spencer being restored to humanity.
While that might sound crazy based on Kirsty's role in the Hellraiser films, the comics are set decades after Kirsty and Pinhead's first encounter, and both have grown tired of their lives. Kirsty had fallen in love and assembled a group called the Harrowers to try and end Pinhead and the rest of the Cenobites for good, but her attempt failed, and more people Kirsty loved died and ended up trapped in Hell in the process. Meanwhile, Pinhead was sick of being a Hell Priest, and wanted to become human again. This necessitated a trade. Kirsty agreed, and vowed to change things in Hell from within, while also being reunited with her fallen comrades.