Fans of the Hellboy comics and films have waited an awfully long time for a new movie. While the return of the character to the big screen didn't quite happen the way many hoped or expected, the return is almost here regardless. Hellboy creator Mike Mignola was certainly one of those people who wanted to see Hellboy return and David Harbour was the actor who brought him back to life. Maybe that's why the two shared a moment at the film's New York City premiere which Harbour calls "weirdly touching." Check out both images below.
While the moment might have been weirdly touching, it also meant the pair were touching weirdly. The first image posted by David Harbour to Instagram shows him posing with Hellboy creator Mike Mignola in a fairly standard and comfortable pose. The second image is the one Harbour refers to in his post, with his hand on Mignola's chest. It is a fairly odd looking image, which is likely why the Hellboy actor felt the need to explain himself.
It may sound slightly odd to have such an emotional reaction to a character who is a literal demon, but then, if Hellboy is a character that's important to you, it doesn't need to be explained. Harbour was clearly touched by having the chance to play the iconic character, and he has Mike Mignola to thank for that. If the worst thing that happens is awkward looking photo, it's not a problem at all.
Whether the rest of us will have the same reaction to Hellboy remains to be seen. After several years of attempts by Guillermo del Toro to complete his own Hellboy trilogy, fans learned that any chance of that was officially gone when it was revealed that instead, the character would be rebooted. A darker, and more horror inspired version, closer to the original comic, was promised. And the new movie is rated-R, so at least some of that idea appears to have been executed.
Hellboy will have its work cut out for it at the box office. The film is sandwiched between the more light-hearted (though not entirely family friendly) Shazam!, which is going into its second weekend, and the blockbuster movie more than a decade in the making, Avengers: Endgame, coming out in a couple weeks. Hellboy as a character certainly doesn't have the following of either the Marvel or DC heroes. At the same time, that makes Hellboy a more unique entry in the parade of comic book based movies, and that alone might be enough to help it stand out.
Clearly, Hellboy was a labor of love for the people involved. Whether the rest of us will have such an emotional reaction will be revealed when the new Hellboy debuts tomorrow night.
