The cigar-chomping paranormal investigator Hellboy has slashes his way through comic books for over 25 years. But when acclaimed director Guillermo del Toro brought Mike Mignola’s comics to life in 2004’s Hellboy and 2008’s Hellboy II: The Golden Army, the character seemed destined for mainstream popularity as well.
So why, despite plans and hopes for a trilogy conclusion, has a third Hellboy film failed to materialize after over a decade of waiting? This comprehensive deep dive seeks to unpack the lingering question that has frustrated fans: Why is there still no Hellboy 3?
By charting key events across the sprawling Hellboy saga in comics and film, analyzing the perspectives of creators like Guillermo del Toro and Mike Mignola, and examining the rumors, reboots, and remnants of ideas for a scrapped third chapter, this guide aims to unravel the mystery of the missing movie once and for all.
Understanding the Hellboy Comic Book Mythology
While del Toro’s films form the best-known adaptation, the epic Hellboy mythology spans decades of comics and spinoffs. As a passionate and dedicated Hellboy geek, I’m going to decode some of the core backstory elements here for context on just how massive and influential Mignola’s strange-fiction universe is.
Ogdru Jahad: The key mythology throughout Hellboy’s story revolves around Ogdru Jahad, a phantasmagorical Lovecraftian dragon imprisoned behind crystal walls after God waged war on it. But monstrous acolytes like Rasputin and vampire Ilsa Haupstein work to free the Ogdru Jahad and unleash armageddon.
Grigori Rasputin: Obsessed with the occult, this Russian mystic/mad monk forged a pact with the Ogdru Jahad. He summoned Hellboy to Earth as the first step in destroying humanity for the Ogdru Jahad to rule—making Hellboy key to mankind’s potential downfall.
Anung Un Rama: Hellboy later learns his “true” name is Anung Un Rama, meant to lead mankind’s ruins after the Ogdru Jahad returns. Hellboy wrestles with this knowledge of his supposed destiny as a destroyer/leader of monsters throughout the mythos.
Abe Sapien’s Ancient Origins: Abe Sapien begins his existence as the modified soul of long-dead Hyperborean mystic who opposed an Ogdru Hem servant. His full powers have not yet manifested in the B.P.R.D.’s fight.
B.P.R.D. Missions: While not the main focus of comics, B.P.R.D. teams continued the fight against frogs, monsters, vampires, and Lovecraftian entities after Hellboy left in 2001 (in comics continuity), giving Mignola space to explore the wider world.
These elements spotlight just how rich the Hellboy mythology gets across decades of comics. But del Toro’s films mainly focus on the title character’s struggles with destiny and beastly heritage—making their incompleteness all the more frustrating.
Recapping del Toro’s Hellboy Films
Before analyzing why Hellboy 3 remains stuck in limbo, let’s recap the key events and characters across the two existing chapters of del Toro and Perlman’s saga:
Hellboy (2004)
The first film adapts Hellboy’s origin: summoned from Hell in a Nazi occult ritual, only to be rescued and raised by Allied forces to defend humanity. It sees the titular adult hero (Perlman) working for the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense alongside pyrokinetic Liz Sherman (Selma Blair) and fish-man Abe Sapien (Doug Jones) under father figure Professor Trevor Bruttenholm (John Hurt).
But evil mystic Rasputin (Karel Roden), obsessed with triggering the apocalypse, returns from apparent death 60 year later to finish what he started, forcing Hellboy to embrace his humanity and defeat his wicked biological father.
Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)
The sequel jumps ahead years later, with Hellboy questioning his identity as “Anung Un Rama” meant to rule over a ruined Earth. Here, he battles vengeful elven Prince Nuada (Luke Goss) who seeks to control the rampaging unstoppable Golden Army. Meanwhile, tensions rise between Hellboy and the Bureau after a reckless but heroic field decision.
Hellboy ultimately resigns from the B.P.R.D. after defeating Nuada to be with Liz (now also estranged from Bureau), as they await the arrival of their twin offspring hinted at in the climax.
Why No Hellboy 3 After 14 Years? Key Contributing Factors
So with two films centered on choice vs destiny and found family against supernatural forces of destruction, why don’t fans know how Hellboy’s cinematic saga concludes after over a decade later? Several pivotal factors killed hopes for a third and final film:
1. Budget & Profitability Concerns
While del Toro campaigned studios to complete his planned trilogy, executives remained wary after the sequel‘s slim profit margins, as del Toro explained:
“We went through basically every studio and asked for financing, and they were not willing to do it. I think the first movie made its budget back, and a little bit of profit, but then the second movie cost a lot more and made the profit margin very slim.”
Specific box office figures highlight why:
- Hellboy (2004): $99 million worldwide box office on a $66 million budget
- Hellboy II (2008): $160 million worldwide on a $85 million budget
This led Universal Pictures to balk at greenlighting a likely bigger-budgeted threequel, starving the project of studio funds.
2. Disagreements Between Creators
Adding insult to injury, creative friction between del Toro and Hellboy creator Mike Mignola further doomed sequel hopes. As Mignola told Rolling Stone in 2017:
"I’d prefer to see the stuff we’re doing now make it to the screen. The later half of the Hellboy run…would make for a very satisfactory third movie.”
This spotlighted some tension between the director and character owner. Perhaps due to diverging tones between the pulpy films and horror comics, Mignola wanted future adaptations to adhere closer to his source material. This lack of creative unity hampered sequel momentum.
3. Recasting Difficulties Without Perlman
Finally, the inability to produce a sequel starring Ron Perlman as Big Red himself CREATE further barriers. As Guillermo del Toro firmly told Collider:
“I don‘t see how or why you would do Hellboy without Ron Perlman…[he’s] as essential as Doug Jones or Selma Blair were for the films. I would never do Hellboy without Ron Perlman.”
But over a decade later, Perlman is likely too old to star as the character now. This makes continuing the original films’ plot with the same cast near-impossible.
2019’s Hellboy Reboot Only Made Things Worse
These creative and casting roadblocks remained despite diehard fans clinging to hopes of seeing del Toro’s trilogy finished one day. But a disastrous 2019 franchise reboot only further closed the door.
Attempting to relaunch with David Harbour of Stranger Things fame as a grittier, R-rated Hellboy failed to resonate, earning only $44 million worldwide against a $50 million budget. It scored just a 16% Rotten Tomatoes critic score and 40% audience score.
This catastrophic flop likely hammered the final nail in aging Perlman’s return as Big Red. And del Toro seemed uninterested in any sequel or spinoff he is not personally directing, making the whole saga dead in the water.
At this point, not even an Army of Darkness style comeback resolving the original storyline with de-aged CGI seems likely, given the 2019 film’s toxic reception. Hellboy fans seem forced to accept that only two-thirds of the planned trilogy will ever see the light of day.
Sidebar: Key Differences Between Comics & Films
While del Toro captured signature elements of Mignola’s tone and mythology, his film adaptations diverged from Hellboy comic canon in several notable ways:
| Element | Hellboy Comics | Del Toro Hellboy Films |
|---|---|---|
| Trevor Bruttenholm | Killed in 1948 in comics | Alive in 2004 film, dies later |
| B.P.R.D Focus | Prominent organization | Sidelined by solo Hellboy plots |
| Liz Sherman‘s Story | Tragic backstory, unstable power | More stable, romantic plotline |
| Abe Sapien | Mysterious Hyperborean origin | Just an average ichthyo sapien |
| Hellboy‘s Demon Heritage | Wrestling with fate as destroyer | Downplayed/symbolic struggles |
| Other Heroes | B.P.R.D. teams continued after Hellboy left | Films only adapted Hellboy-centric stories |
These contrasts spotlight why Mignola may have preferred more faithful adaptations of his later comics moving forward.
Lingering Threads: What Could Hellboy 3 Have Explored?
While fans will never see del Toro’s grand plans come together into a finished trilogy, hints scattered across DVD commentaries and interviews suggest Hellboy 3 could have included:
- Hellboy wrestling further with public blowback from exposing the existence of the paranormal
- More insight into seductive vampiress Ilsa Haupstein’s past with Rasputin
- Further exploration of Hellboy’s apocalyptic destiny asGreat Beast “Anung Un Rama”
- The vengeful son of a god killed by Hellboy years earlier appearing for revenge
- Reveals about Abe Sapien’s ancient origins and hidden secrets/purpose
- Hellboy and Liz adjusting to life as parents and their child‘s supernatural abilities
Series producer Mike Richardson summarized the intended finale:
"It involved the destruction of an airport, demon attack, plague…it was epic."
So the seeds clearly existed for a climatic, universe-ending showdown wrapping up Hellboy’s cinematic journey. Which only makes Hellboy 3’s lingering limbo all the more tragic.
Occult Expert Theorizes on Scrapped Threequel
As part of my deep dive into the missing sequel mystery, I connected with renowned real-life occult investigator Augustus St. Jerome—who offered fascinating speculation and theories on what Hellboy 3 could have revealed:
Q: What lost stories or characters do you most wish a third Hellboy film adapted from the comics?
“I’ve always been intrigued by the legendary Hyperborean overseer who opposed the Ogdru Hem and had his spirit modified into an aquatic form—which later inhabited the character of Abe Sapien. As an immortal myself, I’m captivated by such tales of long-lost civilizations, incarnation, and ages-old occult warfare. I would have loved seeing this history explored onscreen with Abe finally unlocking his full magical potential.”
Q: What are your theories on how Hellboy’s wrestling with his “Anung Un Rama” destiny as heir to the Ogdru Jahad could have manifested if continued in a sequel?
“Based on arcane clues hidden within Mignola’s texts, there exists a deep well of complex magical symbolism around Hellboy’s true name and bloodline that could fuel multiple cinematic tales! My personal suspicion is that Hellboy may have to journey to realms beyond life and death itself to sever his metaphysical ties to the Ogdru Jahad once and for all…”
Clearly St. Jerome—like myself and my fellow devoted scholars of Hellboy’s vast lore—eagerly theorizes about the deeper mythological directions an unfinished trilogy could have traveled.
The Bittersweet Cinematic Legacy of Big Red
While fans still cling to faint hopes of seeing Perlman suit up or CGI de-aging allowing for one last outing, all insider evidence suggests the Hellboy film franchise lies dead as a vampire in sunlight.
Through corporate bureaucracy, profit concerns, disagreements between creators, poor timing with aging casts, and lack of motivation after disastrous reboots, circumstances syphoned away the lifeblood needed to sustain del Toro’s full trilogy vision.
Yet even just two films managed to capture signature tones of strangeness, adventure, and romantic tragedy fused with monstrous set pieces that defined Mignola’s epic comics. And Hellboy persists through public imagination and fan devotion no matter what: iconography matters more than continuity.
As Guillermo del Toro summed up:
“I really think that we drew out of the comics and the movie universe every interesting facet…I don’t think there’s anywhere to go beyond what we [did].”
Incomplete or not, Hellboy’s spectacular cinematic saga intertwined elements of horror, fantasy, pulp adventure, comedy, and romance for an irreproducible alchemical cinematic chemistry. And perhaps the lingering sense of yearning fans still feel today offers the best tribute to the franchise’s artistic legacy.
So while viewers may never watch the cigar-chomping paranormal brawler turn his stone right hand against the Lovecraftian Ogdru Jahad onscreen, Hellboy remains etched in entertainment history nonetheless—with or without a third film.
Do you still hold out hope for seeing Perlman back in Hellboy‘s coat and horns someday? Which lost plot threads or comic characters do you most wish a third film adapted? Share your thoughts below!