History Film / Hellboy

->''"As you entered the lobby, there was an inscription: 'In the absence of light, darkness prevails.' There ''are'' things that go bump in the night, Agent Myers. Make no mistake about that. And we are the ones who bump back."''

In the final days of WWII, the Nazis and Grigori Rasputin open a portal to the Void, attempting to summon the Ogdru Jahad to destroy the world. Allied soldiers, with the help of occult expert Trevor Bruttenholm, destroy the portal, but not before something comes through: a baby demon. Dr. Bruttenholm adopts him and names him "Hellboy".

Sixty years later, Hellboy is one of the best agents in the US government's top-secret Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense, alongside Abe Sapien (a fish-man with psychic powers) and Liz Sherman (a pyrokinetic who vacillates between wanting to be on the BPRD and wanting to be a normal human). They're joined by NaiveNewcomer FBI agent John Myers, who was chosen specifically by Dr. Bruttenholm (himself dying of cancer) to provide the moral support for Hellboy to become a man.

It's been a few years since the last movie. John Myers has been (literally) ReassignedToAntarctica. Hellboy and Liz are an OfficialCouple, but their relationship is going through a rough patch. Hellboy, chafing under the bureaucratic leadership of Tom Manning, decides to [[TheUnmasquedWorld break the Masquerade and reveals himself to the public]]--but [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer the public's reaction]] is far less pleasant than he expects. To rein Hellboy in, the BPRD upper brass sends Johann Krauss (a [[ISeeDeadPeople spirit medium]] who's been reduced to ectoplasm) to take leadership of the team.

Meanwhile, Abe Sapien meets a nice elf girl, Princess Nuala of Bethmoora, and they hit off quite well. Unfortunately, her twin brother Prince Nuada has declared war on humanity. He plans to reawaken the Golden Army--invincible automatons that nearly drove humanity to extinction the first time they were used--and he kills just about everyone who stands between him and the crown that would allow him to control the Army.

It falls to Hellboy and his pals to stop Prince Nuada, but given the way humanity's been treating them lately, our heroes can't help but feel a little sympathy for the genocidal jerkass.

* AdaptationDecay -- Abe Sapien becomes TheEmpath StraightMan. Roger and Kate Corrigan (important characters in the comics) are absent. Hellboy and the BPRD are (poorly-kept) secrets. Hellboy and Liz are a couple. See AlternateContinuity, below.
* AdaptationDyeJob -- Liz Sherman has black hair now.
* AdaptationExpansion -- Trevor Bruttenholm's relationship with Hellboy (as father-son) gets a lot more focus here than in the comics.
* AdaptationalBadass -- In the graphic novels, Kroenen was just a [[GasMaskMooks gas-masked Nazi]] with a MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate. The first movie turned him into a Surgery Addicted [[ClockworkCreature Clockwork]] [[StupidJetpackHitler Nazi]] [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot Cyborg Assassin]] with a taste for [[BladeBelowTheShoulder arm blades]]... ''and'' a Morally Ambiguous Doctorate.
* AffablyEvil -- Rasputin allows Professor Bruttenholm a moment to prepare for his death and assures him that it will be quick. And it is. Kroenen generally preferred efficiency over sadism anyway, but still. Considering that the professor was seriously ill, it may even have counted as a MercyKill. Their little theology discussion beforehand, while decidedly antagonistic, was still very civilized.
* AlasPoorVillain -- The death of the plant elemental.
** Prince Nuada [[spoiler: and his sister Nuala]] - As the heir to the third race (Elves, Goblins and Humans) when he says, "We die and the world will be poorer for it." he's speaking the truth.
* AllMythsAreTrue -- the premise of the series.
* AllOfTheOtherReindeer -- "Hey Hellboy! You ugly!"
* AllTrollsAreDifferent -- The trip to the Troll Market in the second movie illustrates this point magnificently.
* AlternateContinuity -- Mignola said in one of his interviews that he felt that the way he did Hellboy was just one interpretation, and he didn't want the movie to be a rehash of that, so he let Del Toro interpret the franchise his own way for the movies.
* AlwaysSaveTheGirl -- Averted in the first film (Hellboy saves the world instead of Liz, [[TakeAThirdOption then saves Liz anyway through sheer badassery]]); justified with Liz in the second (given how well HB's been able to ScrewDestiny so far, Liz's decision to save him--even though he's prophesied to end the world--makes sense) but played mind-bogglingly straight by Abe Sapien.
* TheAntiChrist -- Hellboy, though he's not too keen on the idea and becomes an AntiAntiChrist.
* ArthurDent -- Agent Myers.
* AscendedExtra -- Trevor Bruttenholm and Karl Ruprect Kroenen get a ''much'' larger roles here than in the original comics.
* AsteroidsMonster / ExplosiveBreeder -- Sammael. It lays a ''lot'' of eggs, and every time it gets killed, two of those eggs hatch and immediately grow to adulthood. Nothing short of firebombing all the adults ''and'' all the eggs simultaneously can stop them.
* AstralProjection -- Johann Kraus's ability... or rather nature.
* AudienceSurrogate -- Agent Myers. Most viewers agreed that one was not necessary, hence his absence from the second film.
* BadAss -- Hellboy.
** BadassBookworm -- Abe Sapien.
* BadassLongcoat -- Hellboy in the standard-issue BPRD trenchcoats. Kroenen in his Nazi trenchcoat.
* BaitAndSwitchTyrant -- Dr. Krauss in ''The Golden Army''.
* BazaarOfTheBizarre -- Troll Market.
* BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy -- Grigori Rasputin as master mystic. Granted, even many of his contemporaries thought there was something weird about him.
* BigBad -- The Ogdru Jahad.
* BiggerOnTheInside -- Rasputin's Tomb; Fairy cities (Troll Market, Bethmoora) seem to operate exclusively on this principle.
* BindingAncientTreaty -- In the second movie, the elvish prince bases his war plans on humanity's breach of one of these.
* BittersweetEnding -- The ending of the second movie. [[spoiler: Nuala kills herself to stop her brother from stabbing Hellboy in the back. Regardless of whether you interpreted her sacrifice as [[HeroicSacrifice heroic]] or pointless, it was still pretty bitter.]]
* {{BFG}} -- The Big Baby in ''The Golden Army''.
** The Samaritan in the first movie - its bullets are large enough that they hardly even qualify as 'bullets' anymore, being more akin to small artillery shells.
* BladeOnAStick -- Nuada's preferred weapon.
* BodybagTrick -- Used by Kroenen to infiltrate BPRD headquarters.
* BookEnds -- The first movie begins and ends with a monologue asking "What defines a man?"
* BrainsAndBrawn -- Abe and Hellboy, especially in the first movie.
* BrokenAngel -- The dying plant elemental.
* BrotherSisterIncest -- [[WordOfGod Del Toro's DVD commentary]] states that Nuada and Nuala had something going on, and the library scene had [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything rather]] ''[[IncestYay interesting]]'' [[IncestYay implications]].
* BullyingADragon -- Yeah, throw rocks at the pre-teen pyrokinetic. Real smart, kids.
* CameBackWrong -- Rasputin returns from the Void with no eyes and an EldritchAbomination in his stomach.
** Not wrong as far as his side is concerned: 'Every time I died, a [[BodyHorror little more of the master came back with me.]]'
* CaptainErsatz -- [[strike:[[TheElricSaga Elric of Melnibone]]]] Nuada of Bethmoora.
* TheCastShowoff: Ron Perlman and Doug Jones both actually have decent singing voices, which makes their hilarious, slightly off-key duet fall squarely under StylisticSuck

* ChannelHop -- A rare film example; switched from Sony Pictures to Universal.
* ClockPunk -- So, so much.
* ClockworkCreature -- Karl Ruprecht Kroenen is a clockwork Nazi. Also, the Golden Army is NighInvulnerable because they are made of giant wind-up gears and can piece themselves together.
* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: In the second film, the Golden Army glows red once they are activated by Prince Nuada. When Johan takes control of one soldier, it glows blue. How else would you know it's him and he's good?
* CombatTentacles -- Behemoth uses them in its fight with Hellboy.
* CosmicHorror -- The Ogdru Jahad.

* CrossoverCosmology -- Much like the original comics. Devils, Lovecraftian horrors, fairy-tale creatures, and {{God}} is implied to exist as well.
* CrowningMomentOfAwesome -- In the first movie, Hellboy brings Liz back to life by intimidating death.
* CrowningMomentOfFunny -- In the first movie, the rooftop conversation Hellboy has with a nine-year-old about love. In the second, movie, the heartfelt cover of the song "[[spoiler: I Can't Smile Without You]]," without a doubt the greatest duet ever put to film.

* CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming --

-->'''Prof. Bruttenholm:''' [[ShutUpHannibal I already know what to call him. I call him ''son.'']]

* DarkIsNotEvil -- Hellboy himself, though the villains try to convince him that he ''should'' be evil.

* DepletedPhlebotinumShells -- Specially-made bullets with holy water, garlic, white oak, silver shavings... "the works".
* DescriptionCut -- Tom Manning states on TV that the BPRD does not exist. The film immediately cuts to an establishing shot of BPRD headquarters.
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu -- Hellboy's standard M.O. Also, given Hellboy's true name and nature, this probably applies whenever someone punches ''him'' out.
* DodongoDislikesSmoke -- The death of the Behemoth.

* TheDragon -- Karl Ruprect Kroenen to Rasputin. Mr. Wink to Nuada. [[spoiler:He dies rather quickly for a Dragon, though.]]
* DrowningOurRomanticSorrows -- "You're in love. Have a beer."
* DualTonfas -- The bladed version is Kroenen's weapon of choice.
* DullSurprise -- Selma Blair's portrayal of Liz Sherman. Justified, as she's supposed to be depressed and heavily medicated due to her tragic past, and she gets better in the second film.
* ElaborateUndergroundBase -- Rasputin's crazy ClockPunk mausoleum.
* EldritchAbomination -- Ogdru Jahad, Sammael, and Behemoth ([[AllThereInTheManual that thing that crawled out of Rasputin's stomach]]).
* EnsembleDarkhorse -- Kroenen.
* EvenEvilHasStandards -- Kinda. In the first movie, after revealing his plan to the Professor as well as the knowledge that they would kill him afterwards, Rasputin asures him that his death will be quick and painless. Seconds later, Kroenen swiftly stabs him through the back of his neck, at the top of the spinal cord, killing him instantly.
* EverythingsCuterWithKittens - Hellboy loves kittens. There's even a scene in the second movie where he's supposed to be spying on a troll, but disobeys orders and breaks cover to prevent her from eating a kitten.
* EvilAlbino -- Prince Nuada.
* TheEvilPrince -- Nuada again.
* ExtranormalInstitute -- The B.R.P.D.'s offices. Taken to a ludicrous level in the first act of ''The Golden Army''.
* EyelessFace / EyesDoNotBelongThere -- The Angel of Death: eyes on its wings instead of its face.
* EyesOfGold a feature of the elves in the sequel.
* TheFairFolk -- Prince Nuada of the elves. And [[FluffyTheTerrible the tooth fairies]].
* FakeCrossover -- A series of TV ads for ''The Golden Army'' showed Hellboy interacting with James Lipton, {{Chuck}}, and the GhostHunters, and appearing in ''AmericanGladiators'' and a [[TheMoreYouKnow PSA]].
* FantasticFragility -- Destroy or disassemble the Golden Crown, and the Golden Army [[KeystoneArmy becomes inert.]]
* FantasyKitchenSink.
* FertileFeet -- Fertile ''blood'' in this case.
* FishPeople -- Abe Sapien.
* {{Flanderization}} -- Tom Manning. In the first movie, while not a very good field leader, he was still a competent bureaucrat; he and Hellboy butted heads but ultimately gained a bit of respect for each other, and bonded over cigars. The second movie made him almost completely incompetent, and reduced him to bribing Hellboy with cigars to keep him in line.

* FluffyTheTerrible -- Mr. Wink, and perhaps the Tooth Fairies in ''The Golden Army''.
* FragileSpeedster -- Prince Nuada, especially in comparison to Hellboy.
* FridgeLogic -- The second movie in particular has {{plot hole}}s you could drive a garbage truck through. See [[{{JustBugsMe/Hellboy}} IJBM]] for a complete list.
* GasMaskLongcoat -- Kroenen
* {{Geek}} -- Abe Sapien. "Ooh, goggles! Yay! I ''must'' try them on."
* GentleGiant -- Hellboy loves cats.
* {{Ghostapo}} / StupidJetpackHitler -- The first movie doesn't even start to show off the Nazis' capabilities with a ''[[ClockPunk Clockwork Nazi assassin]].'' WorldWarII was simply the public face of the decades-long "Occult Wars" which began shortly after WorldWarI and lasted until the Allies finally killed Hitler - ''in 1958.'' Only Mignola knows how [[AmericaSavesTheDay America Saved The Day]].
* GogglesDoNothing -- partially played straight, with Abe's eyepieces; partially subverted.
* GratuitousGerman -- Johann Krauss, whenever he feels like insulting someone.

* HalfIdenticalTwins -- Nuada is a WhiteHairedPrettyBoy, Nuala is a WhiteHairedPrettyGirl.
* {{Hellgate}} -- Rasputin's portal to the Void.
* {{Hellhound}} -- Sammael.
* [=~Hey, It's That Voice!~=] -- In the second movie, Krauss is voiced by Seth [=MacFarlane=], creator of ''FamilyGuy'' and ''AmericanDad''.
* HistoricalVillainUpgrade -- Rasputin, obviously, though his villainy didn't start until after his historical death.
* HitMeDammit -- In the first movie when Liz needs to get her flame on.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard -- [[spoiler: Mr Wink dies this way ]] in the second movie.
* HostageForMacguffin -- In ''The Golden Army''. Abe Sapien, you GenreBlind fool.
* HoYay -- It says something about the writers (or maybe the actors) that the most romantic scene in the either of the films is two dudes getting drunk and singing "Can't Smile Without You" to each other.
* HugeGuyTinyGirl -- Hellboy and Liz.
* HumansAreBastards -- In the second movie, pretty much every normal human outside the BPRD treats Hellboy and his group like unstable monsters. [[spoiler:This is probably why they quit.]] Which is strange, given that a lot of people were quite enthusiastic about Hellboy in the first.
* HumansAreMorons -- Also in the second film, human civilization apparently just ''forgot'' about a treaty they made with mythical races to not impede on their territories. Prince Nuada takes serious offense to how forgetful we have been.
* HunterOfHisOwnKind -- HB gets guilt-tripped over this in the second film.
* ICallItVera -- HB's HandCannon is named the Samaritan, and his {{BFG}} is named Big Baby.
* IJustWantToBeNormal -- Liz in the first movie.
* [=~I'm Not Hungry~=] -- HB gets passive-aggressive when he realizes Myers is putting the moves on Liz.
* ImplausibleFencingPowers -- Kroenen is capable of deflecting bullets at his attackers and {{Diagonal Cut}}ting stone statues. Prince Nuada is shown bisecting water droplets in midair.
* IntangibleMan -- Krauss outside of his suit. [[RuleOfFunny Used for an amusing sequence]] [[CurbStompBattle when he beats up Hellboy]] [[ImprobableWeaponUser using locker doors]].
* JackBauerInterrogationTechnique -- Hellboy tends to overdo it, throwing his witnesses across the room before he's gotten any information.

* JustKeepDriving -- The first movie has two examples in rapid succession. One when Myers falls into traffic and is nicked by a car. Another when Hellboy saves him by launching an oncoming car out of the way with his stone fist.
* KeystoneArmy -- the Golden Army.
* KillerRabbit -- the tooth fairies.

--> '''Hellboy:''' Yeah right. He bit off part of my tail!
* KillItWithFire -- Liz uses this alot, obviously.

* KindheartedCatLover -- At least in the movies. This can be a more supernatural version of a character keeping a dog, since cats are more mysterious and occult.
* LikeABadassOutOfHell: Rasputin in the first movie.

* LoveTriangle -- In the first film between Liz, Hellboy, and Myers (who seems to vacillate between trying to reconcile Liz and Hellboy and falling for Liz himself.)
* {{Masquerade}} -- In the first film Hellboy, the BPRD, and the occult are all kept secret from the public, and one of Tom Manning's jobs is to appear on TV and deny that they exist.

** TheUnmasquedWorld: In the second movie Hellboy reveals himself, which causes Tom Manning no end of grief.
* MalevolentArchitecture -- Kroenen's LivingLabyrinth (actually [[BiggerOnTheInside Rasputin's Tomb]]) comes complete with SpikesOfDoom and SmashingHallwayTrapsOfDoom.
* MechaMooks -- The Golden Army, though unlike your normal {{mooks}}, they're all [[ImplacableMan Implacable Bots]] and NighInvulnerable.

* {{Muggles}} -- every supernatural entity's opinion of ordinary humans, including BPRD agents.
* NaiveNewcomer -- John Myers.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast -- Karl Ruprecht Kroenen, Ogdru Jahad, Anung Un Raman (the last a subversion).

* NatureSpirit / PhysicalGod -- The plant elemental.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero -- Hellboy, on several occasions.
* NinjaPirateZombieRobot -- In the first film, Kroenen is a Nazi clockwork assassin who can sprout blades from his [[strike:wrists]] sleeves.
* NoOSHACompliance -- The furnaces of Bethmoora.
* NotSoDifferent -- Dwelt on.
* "{{Oh crap}}" -- HB's had so many of these moments that this is literally a CatchPhrase.
** However, his best one [[spoiler: is an unspoken one]], at the end of ''The Golden Army'' [[spoiler: Liz reveals she's carrying twins, Red's face is PRICELESS]].

* TheOtherDarrin: In ''The Golden Army" Abe is now voiced by his actor, Doug Jones, rather than David Hyde Pierce. Unlike other versions of this trope it apparently wasn't due to scheduling differences, but the fact that Pierce felt Jones' performance was strong enough that there was simply no ''need'' to hire a separate voice actor. He may have been right, some people didn't really notice the change or it never bothered them if they did.
* OurAngelsAreDifferent -- Not as out-there as the ones from the comics, but the second film's Angel of Death borrows from Arabic myth and has [[EyesDoNotBelongThere its eyes on its six wings instead of its face]].
* OurElvesAreBetter -- Well, Prince Nuada thinks so. And he is capable of [[ImplausibleFencingPowers splitting a water droplet with his spear.]][[hottip:* :Though the RoyalGuards still ended being CannonFodder against him regardless of species.]] That said, Hellboy and his crew have a [[ScrewYouElves different opinion.]]

* PeripheryDemographic -- The first film received a good review from [[http://www.pluggedin.com/videos/2004/Q1/Hellboy.aspx Focus on the Family]], of all people.
* PetTheDog -- In several instances Prince Nuada was kind to members of species other than the humans he despises, including a dog. {{Justified}} by the fact that his big problem is with humans overrunning the planet and pushing out other species.
* PicturePastiche -- A brief video clip of Hellboy copies the famous film footage of Bigfoot.
* PowerTrio -- Hellboy, Liz, and Abe.
* PromotedToLoveInterest -- Liz Sherman; she was more like a little sister to HB in the comics.
* PsychicPowers -- Abe Sapien is telepathic and able to read the past of objects and places, probably to allow them to do an InfoDump for the audience without it seeming too awkward.
* PunchPunchPunchUhOh -- Hellboy and Mr. Wink. Also, Hellboy and Krauss against the Golden Army.
* PullingThemselvesTogether -- The Golden Army.
* PutOnABus: Myers' assignment to Antartica in the second film.
* RasputinianDeath -- Well... Rasputin. And he's still not technically dead.
* ReallyBigGun -- Hellboy's not a very good shot, but The Samaritan uses really big bullets.

* ReassignedToAntarctica -- ''Literally.'' Poor, poor John Myers.

* RedRightHand -- Left hand, too.

* RedOniBlueOni -- In ''The Golden Army'' notably, Hellboy's brashness and emotional volatility contrasts with Abe Sapien's apprehensive thoughtfulness. As it happens, Hellboy's nickname is 'Red' while Abe's is 'Blue'. [[spoiler: As a result, they also make a great singing duo]]

* RedShirt -- Just about any non-main character who has the gall to tag along with the main characters on their missions isn't coming back.
* RemovingTheEarpiece -- Done twice by HB in the first movie. The second time, it leads to several redshirts getting killed while he couldn't be reached.
* RocksFallPartySplits -- The first film has a variation with raising walls.
* RockThemeNaming -- The various BPRD redshirts are all named for minerals.
* RocketPunch -- Mr. Wink.
** Crosses over with ArtificialLimbs.
* TheRightHandOfDoom -- Of course.
* ScrewDestiny -- Hellboy was born to bring about the Apocalypse. After Agent Myers reminds Hellboy that he has a choice, Hellboy tells Rasputin what he thinks of his destiny [[spoiler:by ripping off his own horns and stabbing Ras in the gut with them.]]
* SequelNonEntity -- Myers' absence from the second movie is explained by his [[ReassignedToAntarctica reassignment to Antarctica]].

* SmokingIsCool -- Hellboy is constantly smoking cigars; the second film even included a disclaimer that the smoking was for artistic effect and not an endorsement of smoking.

* SpyFromWeightsAndMeasures -- BPRD's headquarters are disguised as a waste disposal facility; the transports for HB and Abe are disguised as garbage trucks.
* TheStinger -- Halfway through the credits of the first film, there's the punchline of a BrickJoke.
* TheStoic -- Hellboy.
* StoryboardingTheApocalypse -- Rasputin gives a vision of Hellboy causing the end of the world.
* SympathyForTheDevil -- Hellboy and the audience come to see that Prince Nuada has some legitimate grievances against humanity. He's still a complete dick in how he responds.
* {{Synchronization}} -- Prince Nuada and Princess Nuala.
* TastesLikeFriendship -- Baby Ruth bars in the first movie. Also, milk and cookies from a nine-year-old kid.
* TheTeamNormal -- John Myers, in the films. And then he gets [[spoiler: [[PutOnABus transferred to Antarctica in the second movie!]] ]]

* ThisIsGonnaSuck -- See OhCrap above.
* ThoseWackyNazis -- Ilsa and Kroenen.

* TheTunguskaEvent -- Rasputin's giant rock, sent to Earth by the Ogdru Jahad, was the cause of the Tunguska explosion.
* TurnInYourBadge -- [[spoiler:HB and pals hand in their belts and (most of) their guns to announce their resignation from the BPRD.]]
* TwinTelepathy -- Prince Nuada and Princess Nuala. Exaggerated, since this is constantly active, leading Nuada right to Nuala.
* UngratefulBastard -- In the second movie, most bystanders immediately go accuse the B.P.R.D. as freaks after ''just having been saved from [[strike:{{Cloverfield}}]] [[strike:[[PrincessMononoke The Nightwalker]]]] a plant elemental!''

* UrbanLegend -- Hellboy and the BPRD, until he goes public.
* VillainTeleportation -- Used by Rasputin.
* VisualEffectsOfAwesome -- And without the [[CrackIsCheaper absurdly bloated budgets]] of today's blockbusters!
* YourMileageMayVary -- On everything from the quality of the {{Spin Off}}s to character interpretations.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen -- ''Golden Army'' originally ended with a SequelHook involving [[spoiler:Roderick Zinco (from the comics) obtaining Kroenen's severed head, traveling to a secret Nazi safehouse in the Arctic, attaching it to a massive robot body, and Rasputin's ghost manifesting before them. It was included as a motion comic on the Golden Army DVD.]]

* WifeHusbandry -- Hellboy & Liz.
* YawnAndReach -- {{Lampshaded}}.

* YouSaidYouWouldLetThemGo --

->''As you entered the lobby, there was an inscription: "In the absence of light, darkness prevails." There'' '''are''' ''things that go bump in the night, Agent Myers. Make no mistake about that. And we are the ones who bump back.''

* NinjaPirateZombieRobot -- In the first film, Kroenen is a Nazi clockwork assassin who can sprout blades from his wrists.

* BrotherSisterIncest -- [[WordOfGod Del Toro's DVD commentary]] states that Nuada and Nuala had something going on, and the library scene had [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything rather]] [[IncestYay ''interesting'']] [[IncestYay implications]].

* HeyItsThatVoice -- In the second movie, Krauss is voiced by Seth [=MacFarlane=], creator of ''FamilyGuy'' and ''AmericanDad''.

* TheCastShowoff: Ron Perlman and doung Jones both actually have decent singing voices, which makes their hilarious, slightly off-key duet fall squarely under StylisticSuck

* BaitAndSwitchUmbridge -- Dr. Krauss in ''The Golden Army''.

* AudienceSurrogate -- Agent Myers.

* AllOfTheOtherReindeer

It's been a few years since the last movie. John Myers has been (literally) ReassignedToAntarctica. Hellboy and Liz are an OfficialCouple, but their relationship is going through a rough patch. Hellboy, chafing under the bureaucratic leadership of Tom Manning, decides to [[TheUnmasquedWorld break the Masquerade and reveals himself to the public]]--but the public's reaction is far less pleasant than he expects. To rein Hellboy in, the BPRD upper brass sends Johann Krauss (a [[ISeeDeadPeople spirit medium]] who's been reduced to ectoplasm) to take leadership of the team.

* GratuitousGerman -- Johann Krauss, whenever whenever he feels like insulting someone.

** Prince Nuada [[spoiler: and his sister Nuala]] - As the heir to the third race (Elves, Goblins and Humans) when he says, "I die, and the world becomes a lesser place for it." he's speaking the truth.

* MythologyGag -- This being ''Hellboy'', several.
-->"Trolls, as you know, live under bridges, and our sources indicate..."
-->"Hey, genius. And there's 200 bridges in the city of New York."

* HumansAreBastards -- In the second movie, pretty much every normal human outside the BPRD treats Hellboy and his group like unstable monsters. [[spoiler:This is probably why they quit.]]

* HoYay -- It says something about the writers (or maybe the actors) that the most romantic scene in the either of the films is of two dudes getting drunk and singing "Can't Smile Without You" to each other.

->''As you entered the lobby, there was an inscription: "In the absence of light, darkness prevails." There '''''are''''' things that go bump in the night, Agent Myers. Make no mistake about that. And we are the ones who bump back.''

->''As you entered the lobby, there was an inscription: "In the absence of light, darkness prevails." There '''are''' things that go bump in the night, Agent Myers. Make no mistake about that. And we are the ones who bump back.''

->''As you entered the lobby, there was an inscription: "In the absence of light, darkness prevails." There ''are ''things that go bump in the night, Agent Myers. Make no mistake about that. And we are the ones who bump back.''

It's been a few years since the last movie. John Myers has been ReassignedToAntarctica. Hellboy and Liz are an OfficialCouple, but their relationship is going through a rough patch. Hellboy, chafing under the bureaucratic leadership of Tom Manning, decides to [[TheUnmasquedWorld break the Masquerade and reveals himself to the public]]--but the public's reaction is far less pleasant than he expects. To rein Hellboy in, the BPRD upper brass sends Johann Krauss (a [[ISeeDeadPeople spirit medium]] who's been reduced to ectoplasm) to take leadership of the team.

* LiterallyShatteredLives: Prince Nuada.