Hellboy Teaser Trailer Breakdown & Analysis

The debut trailer for director Neil Marshall's Hellboy reboot provides the first substational look at the new cinematic vision for Mike Mignola's beloved comic book character. Depicting a more violent incarnation of the supernatural hero than seen in Guillermo del Toro's two films, it also leans more heavily into irreverent humor than its predecessors, setting the demon-hunting action to Billy Idol's "Mony Mony" reminiscent of trailers for Deadpool and Guardians of the Galaxy.

Drawing influence from the comic miniseries Darkness Calls, The Wild Hunt, and The Storm and the Fury, the film will, of course, feature characters, objects and settings familiar to longtime readers of Hellboy and B.P.R.D. We call out some of them in the trailer breakdown below.

Apocalyptic Destiny

The trailer begins with ominous shots of an underground lake with the mythical sword buried into a stone. Ian McShane's Trevor Bruttenholm launches into a voiceover describing his adopted son as either the last hope or cause of the impending apocalypse: "If there's ever an end to this forever war, it will be because of you and your strong right hand."

That's a reference to Hellboy's Right Hand of Doom, a massive stone fist given to him by his father, the demon Azzael. The hand was grafted on to the infant demon to help bring about the apocalypse on Earth if ever unleashed to its true potential, making it the target of many nefarious figures over the years.

London Calling

Much of the trailer unfolds in London, with the city's landmarks serving as the setting for fights between its titular hero and new, hellish threats. The British headquarters of Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense is then shown hidden within a chip shop known as Codswallop.

This new setting moves the action firmly into Europe after the previous films saw the agency using New York City as its base of operations, while the comics has the agency headquartered primarily in Fairfield, Connecticut. The B.P.R.D. was formed in 1944 as a joint organization of the United States and United Kingdom by Professor Trevor Bruttenholm to protect the world from occult threats. With Hellboy depicted as a newcomer to the British division, he is ostensibly overseas for a new assignment with the agency's European branch.

Ben Daimio Joins the Fight

Making his live-action debut is B.P.R.D. operative Ben Daimio, portrayed by Daniel Day Kim. Unlike his depiction in the comics, this version of Daimio appears to be British rather than American.

Introduced in 2004 in B.P.R.D.: The Dead #1 by Mignola, John Arcudi and Guy Davis, the character was a Japanese-American soldier killed by a jaguar cult in the Bolivian jungle. Resurrected by a mystical jaguar spirit, Daimio retains a gruesome facial scar from his death, seen prominently in the trailer.

Welcome, Alice Monaghan

Another key figure straight from comics is Sasha Lane's Alice Monaghan. Debuting in 1995's Hellboy #6 by Mignola, Alice was kidnapped by fairies as an infant before before being returned to live among humans years later. She is a key figure in Nimue's bid for power, when Queen Mab passes the mantle of Queen of the Fairies to her following her murder at Nimue's hands. It's Alice who ultimately encourages Hellboy, in the comics, to wield the sword Excalibur to defeat the Arthurian witch once and for all.

While Alice's role in the reboot is still unknown, given Nimue's presence as the main antagonist, she will likely be a key figure in the witch's apocalyptic plot. And with Hellboy tasked to rescue Alice from the fairies in her first comic appearance, the hero will likely be tasked by the B.P.R.D. to protect her from the encroaching forces of darkness.

NEXT PAGE: Hellboy Faces Giants and Witches

The Good Samaritan Reloaded

As hell breaks loose in the streets of London, Hellboy opens a case containing an intimidating-looking sidearm with several cartridges for ammunition. This is a reimagining of sorts of his weapons from the Guillermo del Toro films, The Good Samaritan from the 2004 original and Big Baby from 2008's Hellboy: The Golden Army.

In the comics, Hellboy uses a variety of weapons, including sidearms, but the named guns originated with the del Toro films. But while his guns in the previous films were oversized revolvers, his new gun appears to be more of a compact, one-handed shotgun, though its demon-hunting capabilities and potential holy origins are still unknown.

Introducing Nimue

Seen briefly in two instances in the trailer is Milla Jovovich as primary antagonist Nimue. Created by Mignola and Duncan Fregedo in 2008's Hellboy: The Wild Hunt, the character was a lover of King Arthur's trusted wizard Merlin who used his spells to empower herself and imprison him, taking on the title the Queen of Blood.

While it is unknown if the cinematic incarnation of Nimue shares the same Arthurian origins as her comic book counterpart, she appears to be using Hellboy in her plot to plunge the world into an apocalypse. When the stone-fisted hero confronts her towards the end of the trailer, the powerful witch remarks that his arrival is right on time. Given the predominantly British setting of the film, King Arthur's legacy and legend will likely inform much of the film's overall plot.

Right Hand of Doom, Meet Gruagach (Or Grom)

The tusked face that only a mother could love is either the boar-headed Fomorian giant Grom, or the fearsome fairy Gruagach of Lough Leane. Let us explain: Introduced in the 1995 story "The Corpse," by Mignola, Gruagach was the changeling left in place of the infant Alice when she was abducted by the fairies. In his first encounter with Hellboy, he was swallowed by Grom, who was defeated, and shrunken, by the hero.

Gruagach's spirit then took control of Grom's mind, allowing him to remain on the mortal plane to attempt to exact revenge against Hellboy, again and again. Gruagach plays a role in the miniseries Darkness Calls, The Wild Hunt, and The Storm and the Fury, from which the film draws inspiration.

The Return of the Thule Society

Briefly seen as the action unfolds in the trailer is group of masked Nazi officers witnessing a fearsome display of lightning. Given their protective headgear and association with the Third Reich, they are likely to be led by longtime Hellboy villain Dr. Karl Ruprecht Kroenen.

Introduced by Mignola as a low-level Nazi scientist wearing a protective bodysuit and mask after suffering a horrible accident, the character was reimagined by Guillermo del Toro in the films as Hitler's top assassin and member of the German occult organization the Thule Society. That modification was subsequently adopted by the comics. Given the scientist's appearance in the trailer, the society may be poised to make a return in the remake either in a flashback sequence or working with Nimue.

Baba Yaga's House

You weren't imagining things: Hellboy falls from a house perched atop enormous chicken legs. It's the mobile home of Baba Yaga, the legendary witch from Russian folklore, and one of the more powerful magical figures in Hellboy canon.

Introduced in the second Hellboy miniseries, 1996's Wake the Devil, the cannibalistic Baba Yaga was responsible for the disappearance of several children. Following her defeat, Baba Yaga retreated to a pocket dimension, but returned to play a role in The Storm and the Fury.

A Legendary Sword

After confronting Nimue at the end of the trailer, Hellboy is seen emerging with his horns fully grown, no longer shaved down to stumps, a clear sign that he has embraced his devilish destiny and serve as a harbinger for the apocalypse. Perhaps more interestingly, are the crown of flame and the flaming sword, Excalibur, which Hellboy has wielded in the comic books.

Opening on April 12, 2019, director Neil Marshall’s Hellboy stars David Harbour as Hellboy, Ian McShane as Trevor Bruttenholm, Milla Jovovich as Nimue, Sasha Lane as Alice Monaghan, Penelope Mitchell as Ganeida and Daniel Dae Kim as Ben Daimio.