Hellboy

A 2004 American superhero film based on the eponymous Dark Horse Comics character created by Mike Mignola. Directed by Guillermo del Toro, the story begins in 1944 when Nazis, aiming to change the course of the war, conduct an occult ritual led by Grigori Rasputin (Karel Roden) to open a portal to another dimension. Allied forces, led by Professor Trevor Bruttenholm (Kevin Trainor in youth, John Hurt in later years), interrupt the ritual, but a demonic creature — Hellboy (Ron Perlman) — emerges from the portal. The professor adopts Hellboy, who grows up to become an agent of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (B.P.R.D.), protecting the world from supernatural threats. In the present day, Hellboy, alongside his team, including empath Liz Sherman (Selma Blair) and amphibious man Abe Sapien (Doug Jones, voiced by David Hyde Pierce), confronts the resurrected Rasputin, who plans to bring about the apocalypse by using Hellboy to release the seven gods of chaos. Hellboy grapples with inner demons and the choice between his predestined fate and humanity. The film blends elements of fantasy, action, and horror, exploring themes of destiny, free will, and self-identity.