The brand new Hellboy film has finally been released, and oh boy, it’s getting some
hellish reviews.
Sorry, I had to.
Hey, to be fair, Gueillermo Del Toro’s previous Hellboy films, or at least the first one,
is hard to top, friends.
This one stars Stranger Thing’s David Harbour as big red, and is a reboot of the Hellboy
franchise.
While some critics are totally panning it, Harbour’s performance has been getting some
pretty decent praise.
Whether or not you feel the same way about the film as the internet does, some of you
might be scratching your heads concerning what went down in the movie, and what the
ending means for the future of the series.
So we’re here today to break it down for you, and explaining that ending and post credit
scene.
And we’re going to try to keep spoilers minimal, but be warned – there are spoilers
for the movie in this video, friends!
The final scene of the film features Hellboy, Alice Monaghan and Ben Daimio six months later
working as a team for the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, investigating something
called the Oannes Society that’s got some serious illuminati vibes going on.
They go around slaughtering everyone at this base until they happen upon a storage facility
of sorts.
And here’s where it gets interesting.
They happen upon a glass tube that is filled with water and has a plaque on it that reads
something very interesting – Ichthyo Sapien.
A webbed hand from within hits the glass.
Those familiar with the comics or the previous Del Toro films knows this means one thing
– the introduction to Abe Sapien, who previously in the Del Toro movies was played by iconic
monster actor Doug Jones & voice by David Hyde Pierce.
In the comics, Abe Sapien’s origin is directly connected with the Oannes Society, meaning
it’s likely that if there is a sequel to the film, this Abe will be much more true
to the comics than his previous adaptation.
Ichthyo Spaien is the name given to him by the Society as his species designation.
His character, also created by Hellboy creator Mike Mignola, first appeared in 1994’s Hellboy
Seed of Destruction, where his origin tells of him being a Victorian scientist in the
19th century named Langdon Everett Caul.
Caul became involved with the society, an occult organization, who believes that life
and knowledge come from the sea.
He’s involved in an arcane ritual with them that turn him into that Ichthyo Sapien, and
the society seal him in a suspended animation tube in a hidden laboratory beneath a hospital
in Washington DC.
The lab was abandoned during the American civil war, and he wasn’t found until 1978,
with no memory of his previous life.
He takes the name Abe after seeing the piece of paper with his species name on the tube,
which was dated April 14th, 1865 – the day of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination.
In the comics, he is taken to the BPRD for research, but in this film, the BPRD find
him instead of random workers who stumble upon the lab site.
So what does this all mean?
Well, if a sequel happens, Abe is going to likely play a major role in it.
This could also mean that perhaps the series may attempt to tackle the Hellboy story arc
Plague of Frogs, in which Abe Sapien ends up discovering his past life after having
a vision.
Regardless of how it pans out though, based off of the way Abe has been set up in this
scene, we can expect a slightly different version of the character if a sequel were
to be made.
THE POST CREDIT SCENES Now what about those post credit scenes?
There’s two of them that played after the film had finished.
The mid credits scene brings us to a cemetery with a drunk Hellboy, with Red mourning the
death of Trevor Bruttenholm, his adoptive father played by Ian McShane in the film.
His grieving is interrupted by the ghost of Lobster Johnson, who is played by Thomas Haden
Church.
Lobster appeared earlier in the film during a flashback sequence pertaining to Hellboy’s
origins, fighting Nazis.
So why has Lobster come to visit Red?
Well he comes with a warning – evil is coming.
Hellboy is like okay cool, and just wants to see the ghost’s Lobster Claw weapon on
his glove.
Cute.
This appearance of Lobster’s ghost could mean that if a sequel were to happen, it’s
likely that Lobster may reappear; in the comics he does, and is fully capable of using his
claw and shooting guns in battle.
Plus with a star like Thomas Haden Church, the possibility of the character reappearing
is a pretty decent one.
The post credit scene gives us more of a glimpse as to what this inevitable incoming evil could
be.
It opens with Baba Yaga making a deal with someone off screen to take down Hellboy.
Earlier in the film itself, we were introduced to the witch character, who has an obsession
with getting Hellboy’s eye.
The deal she strikes with this unseen character is for them to get Hellboy’s eye and in
exchange she will let them die.
What on earth does that mean?
Well, that implies the character she’s speaking to is someone who can’t die, and if we’re
going off of the comics here, the chances are that it’s like Koschei the Deathless
that she’s speaking to.
The Deathless is an immortal mercenary who Baba Yaga actually uses in the comic to attempt
to assassinate Hellboy in the Darkness Falls story arc.
He’s a merc who has been killed and revived, and because of this his soul is separated
from his body and he can’t die.
His soul is also hidden inside a goat, which is pretty darn hilarious.
Baba Yaga tells him in the comics that she’s hidden the goat, hence why he’s willing
to go after Red for her.
So what does that mean?
Well, it’s incredibly likely that the Deathless will be making an appearance in the sequel,
but it’s probably fair to assume that he won’t be the main antagonist of the movie.
So, what do you all think?
What were your thoughts on the Hellboy film?
If a sequel happens, which comics to you think they’ll adapt, considering Mike Mignola
has been playing a much larger role with these reboot soon to be series?
And how do you think this Abe will fair in comparison to Doug Jones & Del Toro’s previous
take on the character?
Share all of your thoughts with us in those comments below!
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In the meantime though, thanks for watching friends!
I’ll catch you all in the next video!