Hellboy
Movie, 2019, The 2019 reboot, Set in Mexico and Britain
Hellboy is #5 of 6 in release order and #5 of 6 in chronological order in the Hellboy.
The story
Hellboy comes to England, where he must defeat Nimue, Merlin's consort and the Blood Queen. But their battle will bring about the end of the world, a fate he desperately tries to turn away.
Hellboy recap
Hellboy (2019) reboots the series with David Harbour as a Hellboy hunting Nimue, a sorceress cut to pieces by King Arthur who is being stitched back together. Neil Marshall directed it, and the story draws on The Wild Hunt, Darkness Calls and other Mike Mignola comics. After a bloody job in Tijuana, Hellboy is sent by his adoptive father Trevor Bruttenholm (Ian McShane) to help the Osiris Club hunt giants in England; the club turns on him. He is saved by Alice Monaghan (Sasha Lane), a medium he rescued from fairies as a baby, and partnered with Ben Daimio (Daniel Dae Kim), an M11 soldier who hides a were-jaguar curse. Nimue (Milla Jovovich), helped by the pig-faced changeling Gruagach and the witch Baba Yaga, wants Hellboy as her king. Merlin tells Hellboy he is the heir of Arthur and offers him Excalibur. Stands alone; it ignores the del Toro films.
Hellboy ending explained
Hellboy ends with Nimue killing Bruttenholm in London and Hellboy pulling Excalibur in rage, letting demons out of Hell; Alice channels Broom's spirit to pull him back, and he beheads Nimue. Six months later, Hellboy, Alice and Daimio raid a cult and find Abe Sapien's tank. The film bombed, Marshall later disowned it, and its teased sequel never came; a second reboot, Hellboy: The Crooked Man, followed in 2024.
Post-credits scenes
Yes. Hellboy has a mid-credits scene in which the ghost of Lobster Johnson comforts Hellboy at Broom's grave, and a post-credits scene in which Baba Yaga sends a force after Hellboy.
Where to watch Hellboy
Hellboy is streaming on Netflix in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 5.3/10, Rotten Tomatoes 17%
Where it fits
- Release order: after Hellboy II: The Golden Army, before Hellboy: The Crooked Man.
- Chronological order: after Hellboy II: The Golden Army, before Hellboy: The Crooked Man.
What to watch before Hellboy
In release order, the essentials before Hellboy (2019) are Hellboy (2004), Hellboy Animated: Sword of Storms (2006), Hellboy Animated: Blood and Iron (2007), and Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008).
Cast
- David Harbour as Hellboy / Anung Un Rama
- Milla Jovovich as Vivienne Nimue, the Blood Queen
- Ian McShane as Trevor "Broom" Bruttenholm
- Sasha Lane as Alice Monaghan
- Daniel Dae Kim as Ben Daimio
- Thomas Haden Church as Lobster Johnson
- Stephen Graham as Gruagach (voice)
- Douglas Tait as Gruagach
- Sophie Okonedo as Lady Hatton
- Alistair Petrie as Lord Adam Glaren
- Brian Gleeson as Merlin
- Penelope Mitchell as Ganeida
Directed by Neil Marshall.