Netflix Has A Forgotten Superhero Blockbuster That’s Secretly Building The MCU
By Chris Snellgrove | Published
Right now, Marvel has high hopes that the upcoming films will be the same Spider-Man: A New Day again Avengers: Doomsday it can bring back the magic (not to mention the audience) of their first-time cinema. Fans and executives alike are trying to figure out what exactly made the old Marvel movies so popular The Man of Steel again Captain America very nice, but it turns out that the answer is just a click away. The first one Hellboy (2004) is now streaming on Netflix, and it was secretly a huge influence on the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Before Hellboy turned out, the most successful superhero films focused on a flawed hero: Christopher Reeve’s Superman was a godlike boy, for example, while Michael Keaton’s Batman was the pinnacle of human perfection. Wesley Snipes’ Blade, on the other hand, was the ultimate vampire again the ultimate fighting champion. While we get flawed characters to adapt to the comics a bit more (like Black Men or Spider Man), those flaws were used more for cheap laughs than any real character development.
Birth of a Mighty Hero
In Hellboyhowever, the flaws are rooted in the hero of Ron Perlman’s name: he is a real demon who came to our world only because of the Nazis experimenting with dark science. Even as he protects humanity from the horrors of the Eldritch, he must ask himself if he is humanity’s savior or another monster that will eventually need to be put down. Oh, and his girlfriend is a super-powered firecracker who lives in a mental institution for fear of hurting anyone with her extraordinary abilities.
Rather than being a sad sack, however, the titular hero Hellboy embraces crude humor as a form of coping mechanism, uttering sarcastic remarks even when locked in a life-and-death battle. In retrospect, this is clearly inspired by Marvel, which launched its cinematic universe with a similarly troubled hero who embraces both redemption and humor. Remember, Tony Stark started out as an alcoholic, war profiteer before becoming the man who would ultimately save the universe (or at least, part of it) from Thanos.
Join The Trauma Club
Hellboy he has effectively led the way when it comes to on-screen heroes who use comedy to deal with their trauma; after this, Guillermo del Toro’s film proved to be a hit, Marvel bit the director’s style with various flawed heroes who still use humor to combat trauma. This was true of many important Avengers, including Black Widow, Hulk, and Captain America. With these characters, Marvel sent a message: the age of the flawless hero is over, and the age of the relatable flawed hero has begun.
The first one Hellboy has undoubtedly influenced the MCU in other important ways as well, including the seamless integration (seriously, this movie still looks good) of CGI and working effects that would later become a hallmark of James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy movies. Additionally, this previous film helped prove that there was a large market for dark comic book adaptations. Outside Hellboywe may never have mature fare like Marvel Captain America: The Winter Soldier or Avengers: Endgame.
Outcasts, Gather!
Finally, Hellboy it arguably helped to make sense of having very different characters working together; previously, superhero ensembles like the X-Men featured heroes with a shared origin and purpose (the X-gene and protecting humanity, respectively). Hellboy he brought together a demon, a firestarter, a fish man, and a government researcher and pitted them against a Nazi, a mystic, a cyborg, and a water monster. Everyone has very different skills, backgrounds, and motivations, making this a precedent The Avengersthe syndicated film that finally made the MCU a cultural phenomenon.
This will be the year we find out that Marvel’s gamble pays off; which means, if measured more, on a bigger budget Avengers: Doomsday he can bring back the magic of The end of the game or if the studio will release a flop so bad it destroys the entire cinematic landscape. Fortunately, it’s easy enough to stream Hellboy on Netflix and get lost in a warm, fuzzy conversation inspired by the glory days of the MCU. Be warned, though: the modern Marvel slop will be very disappointing after revisiting this masterpiece by Guillermo del Toro!
