An Underrated $170m 2008 Comic Book Movie Is Streaming On May 1 & You Should Watch It Before The Reboot

Hellboy II: The Golden Army is coming to streaming in 2024, opening up new prospective viewers to the $170 million comic book movie. While the primary focus of comic book adaptations has historically always been on DC and Marvel’s main superhero roster, there are a range of comic books outside of this group that have garnered stellar movie and show iterations over the years.

While this is best viewed in modern times with popular comic book adaptations like The Boys and Invincible, this isn’t solely a cutting edge event. This is made perhaps best clear by the first adaptation of the much beloved Hellboy graphic novel series, which is now becoming easier to watch than ever before with an upcoming 2024 release.

Hellboy: The Golden Army Is Available On Max In May

Hellboy II: The Golden Army hits Max’s streaming catalog on May 1, 2024, 16 years after it first released on August 20, 2008. The second release in Guillermo Del Toro’s Hellboy series – and its final release after a prospective third movie, Hellboy III: Dark Worlds, was canceled in 2017 due to funding difficulties – Hellboy II: The Golden Army sees its demonic protagonist face off against magical forces that are amassing to destroy humanity.

While Del Toro’s Hellboy series isn’t a totally comic-accurate iteration – most notably placing Liz Sherman and Hellboy in a romantic relationship that they never delve into within the comics themselves – it does mark the strongest adaptation of the iconic Dark Horse comic release to date. This is exemplified with Hellboy II: The Golden Army, which further explores the idea of a grittier take on supernatural and magical creatures being real, and how their history could and would tie into humanity’s own.

Alongside this comes a delicate blend of action, comedy, and character development that make the eccentric Hellboy cast some of the most endearing comic book figures in the genre’s history. This is helped by the movie series’ stellar cast, which includes the likes of Ron Perlman as the titular hero, and John Hurt as Hellboy’s father.

Hellboy’s Second Reboot Is In The Works

Hellboy was rebooted once after Hellboy II: The Golden Army, with David Harbour taking over from Ron Perlman in the main role for the 2019 Hellboy. However, this movie saw a lackluster reception, both in its box office and its reviews, with the Rotten Tomatoes critic score for the movie sitting at a less than stellar 18%.

As such, in the following years the franchise became set up for a new reboot, with a February 2023 announcement revealing the new series would start off with Hellboy: The Crooked Man – a title that directly references an iconic Hellboy comic storyline. With the new reboot set to reignite interest in the franchise and its unique depiction of cryptids and folktale creatures, the time to watch Hellboy II: The Golden Army is perhaps better than ever, allowing viewers to get into the swing of the world before its cinematic rebirth.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army

In the sequel to 2004’s Hellboy, the title character works with the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense to track down mythical artifacts and prevent a prince from using them to claim the world for himself.

Director

Guillermo del Toro

Release Date

July 11, 2008

Cast

Ron Perlman , Selma Blair , Doug Jones , Jeffrey Tambor , John Hurt , John Alexander , James Dodd , Luke Goss

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