Paramount+ Just Added One of the Best Comic Book Movies of All Time (Not Made By Marvel Or DC)

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October 1st saw Paramount+ add Guillermo del Toro’s widely acclaimed Hellboy movie from 2004. It’s ironic that Hellboy came onto the service as the Blade films left, considering del Toro was directly involved in the Marvel vampire trilogy as well, having served as the director of Blade II. Disappointingly, though, Hellboy II: The Golden Army didn’t join its predecessor on the trip to Paramount+.

GDT’s Hellboy Movies Are All-Timers

Del Toro’s Hellboy is one of the best comic movies of all time, perfectly blending elements of action, sci-fi, and fantasy into an endlessly compelling story. The film also boasts an all-star cast, led by Ron Perlman, Doug Jones, and Selma Blair.

Part of what makes Hellboy such a great movie to many is the same thing that a lot of Hellboy comic fans have been rightly disappointed by since the film was released. As awesome as this Hellboy take is as a standalone movie, it is a massive departure from Mike Mignola’s iconic comic book series.

The Hellboy comic is not at all the big sci-fi action epic depicted in the movie. It’s actually rooted more in folk horror and mystery, and the movie honestly couldn’t feel more different. That is obviously a point of frustration for some, but it also created a second take on the Hellboy story that is equally as engaging for a totally different audience. And of course, there are plenty of folks who like the comics and movies in equal measure.

The Hellboy Franchise Is a Roller Coaster

After Hellboy, del Toro returned for Hellboy II: The Golden Army, which is regarded just as highly as its predecessor, if not more so. However, neither of those two films were enormous box office hits, so del Toro and Perlman never got the chance to finish out a trilogy. Since they walked away, the Hellboy film franchise has been a real letdown.

Horror director Neil Marshall took the helm of a Hellboy reboot in 2019, with David Harbour starring as the titular character. On paper, there couldn’t have been a better duo for Hellboy, but production issues and creative differences between Marshall and Lionsgate led to an abysmal final product that most fans hated (though Harbour was still great in the role). That outing obviously didn’t get a sequel, leaving room for another creative team to come in and try another, even smaller take on the source material.

Director Brian Taylor rebooted Hellboy yet again with the 2024 release Hellboy: The Crooked Man, which aimed to be a lot closer to the folk horror trappings of Mignola’s comic series. Unfortunately, the film was met with mixed responses from both critics and fans, and failed to make a real dent in its budget (thanks to a same day VOD release).

So even if you wish del Toro’s Hellboy films had been more accurate to the beloved comic series, they remain the only genuinely good take on the material released to this point. For now, fans will continue wondering if somebody else will ever be able to deliver on the promise of another solid Hellboy adaptation.