Thread by @Richmond_Lee

Mr Wink is a foil to Hellboy himself. They have a lot in common! They're both scary monsters with super strength and giant right hands who are self conscious about their appearance. Hellboy kills Mr Wink without a second thought because he's so indoctrinated into the human world.

https://twitter.com/paulkomoda/status/1431766331989188612

Mr Wink is Prince Nuada's subordinate, but also his friend. Nuada is horrified when he finds out Mr Wink is dead and swears revenge. Meanwhile in the first film, Hellboy's Boss tells him he's a subhuman monster just like the ones they hunt.

Mr Wink lost his arm in the fight against humans. It was replaced with his current mechanical arm. Hellboy was born with the "right hand of doom" that will one day act as a key to the apocalypse.

Mr Wink is a cave troll who chooses to follow Prince Nuada to fight against humans. They are best friends. Hellboy is a royal prince of hell, but was brought to the human world as a baby and now knows no other world. He desperately wants to be accepted into this world.

Hellboy 2 is actually conscious of Hellboy's royal status. It's the reason why Prince Nuada can't refuse Hellboy's challenge to the right of the crown at the climax of the film.

Mr Wink and Nuada have a good relationship. Nuada even encourages him to not be ashamed of his appearance.

Tho it's initially presented as just a fun fight, Hellboy vs Mr Wink is one of the most important scenes in the movie. They have so much in common! But Hellboy kills him without a second thought because he has yet to fully grasp that monsters are people too (& he's a monster!)

Hellboy 2 (SPOILERS AHEAD) starts with Hellboy finally getting his fondest wish and revealing himself to the human world that he's always wanted to be accepted by.

The movie sets up Nuada as the villain. But he's incredibly sympathetic. He has every reason to hate humanity and desire revenge. His mission is righteous, he just happens to be on the opposing team.

By the end of the film Hellboy gets over this childish desire for popular acceptance, realizes what he actually cares about (just his friends and family) and he quits his job in disgust.

I remember when Hellboy 2 first came out in theaters. A lot of people didn't like it as much as the first film. Many people I talked to just didn't seem to understand Nuada. They felt he wasn't a compelling villain.

For me it's one of my alltime fav films. It's the best Hollywood superhero film by far in my opinion. And it's quite unusual in that it's actually about the hero losing his faith in the system that he's been faithfully serving his whole life.

The movie is about everyone finally getting what they've always wanted and dealing with the fallout. Abe falls in love (and experiences loss). Hellboy reveals himself to the world but finally realizes his family is more important. Liz already had all this shit figured out.

There's a scene where the angel of death asks Liz if she'd rather save humanity or her husband (and future father of her children). She chooses her family over all of humanity. It's not the moral choice, but it's the honest one.

This scene is SO DAMN GOOD

This is the root of all conflict right here haha. It's so plainly stated.

I love how the goblin blacksmith is characterized. He's a super genius who created the golden army. But also just very simple and singleminded about small pleasures. Laser focused on them.

Also, how awesome was that angel? "Biblically accurate angels" is a meme now. But when Hellboy 2 came out they were unheard of in movies.

Anyway Hellboy 2 is rad as hell. One of my favorite movies. The story, the characters, the visuals, the imagination on display is stunning. I love it!


(clip is spoilery, but it might convince you to watch the movie if you haven't)

More Hellboy 2 spoilers:

"And you sister. Are you at peace with your king's verdict?"

"I am brother. I am."

This exchange means a lot more upon a second viewing, once you know that they share such a close bond that when he dies, she will as well.

A lot of the magical creatures in Hellboy don't reason like people. They are fundamentally different in nature. They have inhuman priorities. Most of Nuada's family are prepared to peacefully pass into oblivion.

Ironically Nuada's desire for justice and revenge is extremely human-like. He even acknowledges it in this scene!