As a longtime comic book fan, it had been a long time since I had seen a film I wanted to see more of. I wasn’t a big fan of the last Hellboy film, and had not been a fan of the original trilogy at all. I had been thinking about doing a Hellboy movie post for a while, but really didn’t know how to start. I decided on a phrase I read from a comic book review site, about how the comic book Hellboy was a perfect example of what Marvel had been trying to do for years. It was a simple question, but a tough one to answer. Was this Hellboy a Marvel character? DC property? Both? So, I picked a title for this blog post
If you have ever seen the movie Hellboy, you know this dark and gritty character is a creation of the comic book giant Marvel. He is a big guy with a tail, a guy with a tail. He has been a constant in the Marvel series from the very beginning. In fact, he is one of the original characters created for Marvel Comics, along with the likes of Spider-Man, the X-Men and the Avengers.
This film trilogy is one of the most important, celebrated, and beloved comic book movies of all time. It’s also one of the most divisive. On one hand, it’s a beautifully executed film, with a superb cast that includes Ron Perlman, Jeffrey Tambor, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, and John Hurt. The action scenes are kinetic, the special effects are spectacular, the story is compelling, the music is incredible, and the film is laced with numerous homages to the comic book giant’s giant history.
Hellboy appeared in 1993, decades after virtually every other famous comic book hero with a lengthy history, yet he was an immediate success, and his 30-year career will undoubtedly go down in history books. Many people wonder whether Hellboy is a Marvel or DC character because of his popularity.
Dark Horse Comics, an independent publisher distinct from both DC Comics and Marvel, owns the Hellboy character. He was first presented to DC Comics, and although he has interacted with DC characters, he is from a totally other fictional world.
The focus of today’s post will be on who owns Hellboy. You’ll learn which fictional world he belongs to and which publishing company controls the character’s rights. You’ll also discover if Hellboy has interacted with other worlds. Let’s get started!
Who Is Hellboy’s Owner?
Hellboy was created by Mike Mignola and first appears in comic books in 1993. Hellboy’s ascent to mainstream fame was very unusual in the comics industry, since a character who is just 30 years old had already featured in three live-action films (two of which were portrayed by Ron Pearlman and one by David Harbour), two animated films, and numerous computer games.
Of course, if Hellboy were a DC or Marvel character (a good example is Gorr the God Butcher, who is scheduled to feature in the fourth Thor film despite being a totally new character), this wouldn’t be so odd, but he isn’t! Hellboy, in particular, does not belong to any of the two main fictional worlds.
Mike Mignola came up with the main idea for the comic book in the early 1990s and pitched it to DC Comics. DC Comics liked the concept and particularly the character, but they didn’t like how much of the comic was about Hell, so they requested Mignola to alter it.
Mignola couldn’t (or wouldn’t) accomplish it, so he withdrew and moved to Dark Horse Comics, where his comic was accepted just as he had envisioned it, and the rest is history.
Dark Horse Comics owns Hellboy as a result.
Is Marvel or DC Comics the owner of Dark Horse Comics?
The structure of American comic book publishing is quite obvious — the two main companies are DC Comics and Marvel Comics, with DC additionally holding Vertigo Comics. They aren’t, however, the only important publishers. Dark Horse Comics has been an independent publisher since the 1980s, alongside Image Comics.
Dark Horse Comics was established on February 4, 1986 as an independent comic book publisher. Despite not being anywhere close to DC Comics or Marvel, it is among the biggest comic book publishers in the United States, as is Image Comics, the third largest.
Hellboy, The American, The Mask, Boris the Bear, and comic book adaptations of popular properties such as Alien, Conan, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Star Wars have all been published by Dark Horse Comics.
Is Hellboy a Marvel or DC Comics Character?
Hellboy is well-known for his numerous crossovers, despite being a Dark Horse Comics character. H.P. Lovecraft, one of the most significant horror writers in history, is one of the most important authors with whose work he has crossed over; Lovecraftian horror is a recurrent subject in Hellboy’s tales.
Has Hellboy influenced other comics, particularly those released by DC Comics and Marvel? He has, but not as often as you would expect. Allow me to explain.
Hellboy has never collaborated with any Marvel title or character, according to Marvel. We believe this is owing to the fact that Hellboy is too dark and gritty for Marvel’s editors, thus a crossover event was not in the cards.
DC Comics, on the other hand, is a totally different tale, since the publisher is renowned for its dark(er) themes and grim storylines. Hellboy has collaborated with DC Comics, and here’s how it went.
The comic book in question is Batman/Hellboy/Starman, which was released in 1999. It only had two flaws. Hellboy and Batman joined up in the first issue to rescue Starman from a gang of neo-Nazis (if you know your Hellboy, you know he really dislikes them).
In the second, Hellboy and Starman team up to fight Suggor Yogeroth, a demon that appears like he belongs in an H.P. Lovecraft tale.
The tales were written by James Robinson and drawn by Mike Mignola, and they remain to this day the only official Hellboy/DC crossover.
Hellboy is also a playable character in Injustice 2, a video game based on the DC Comics universe.
The main character of the Hellboy franchise is a supernatural demon who’s called a “Hellboy” for short, whose name is played by actor Ron Perlman. Hellboy was created by comic legend Mike Mignola, who based the character on the 13th century Germanic hero Sigurd, who was also known as “Sigurd the Dragon Slayer.” He’s also known as “Kinder der Toten” in the German language.. Read more about hellboy 4 and let us know what you think.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hellboy part of DC or Marvel?
Hellboy is part of the DC Universe.
Is Hellboy owned by DC?
Hellboy is owned by both DC and Dark Horse comics.
Is Hellboy a Marvel movie?
No, Hellboy is a movie from the Dark Horse comics company.
