Why Hellboy Proves That Your Destiny Is In Your Hands - Comic Deep Dive

He was born to end the world.

But he chose to save it instead.

Hellboy’s destiny was written long before he walked the Earth: summoned in fire, branded Anung Un Rama, and given the Right Hand of Doom to bring about the apocalypse. But destiny didn’t win. Choice did.

In this episode of Disassembled: Heroes and Villains, we dive into the paradox of Hellboy:

– His infernal origins and the prophecy tied to his name

– The burden of carrying the Right Hand of Doom

– His struggle between monster, man, and protector

– Why choosing humanity over fate made him one of the greatest heroes in comics

Because Hellboy proves that fate is not the end of the story.

It’s only the beginning.

🔥 New episodes of Disassembled: Heroes and Villains every Thursday

📩 For sponsorships and business inquiries: handsomecomics@gmail.com

🎙 Written and hosted by Tom Bedford | Handsome Comics

Chapters

• 0:00 What If You Were Born to End the World?
• 0:54 You Are Not Your Origin
• 5:36 Purpose Is Chosen, Not Given
• 7:54 Call To Action
• 8:48 Real Strength Is Restraint
• 13:23 Be Careful What You Accept as Destiny
• 17:26 From Hell and Back

Transcript

0:00

WHAT IF YOUR ENTIRE LIFE HAD ALREADY BEEN DECIDED? WHAT IF THE WORLD SAID YOU WERE BORN TO DESTROY IT? HELLBOY DIDN'T CRAWL OUT OF HELL BY ACCIDENT. HE WAS SUMMONED, MARKED, DESTINED TO BRING ABOUT THE APOCALYPSE. HIS NAME, ANUNG UNREMA, WAS CARVED INTO PROPHECY. HIS RIGHT HAND OF DOOM, A KEY TO THE END OF EVERYTHING. AND YET, HE BECAME SOMETHING ELSE. NOT A DESTROYER, NOT A CONQUEROR, BUT A PROTECTOR. HE FOUGHT FOR PEOPLE WHO FEARED HIM. HE CRACKED JOKES WHEN THE WORLD DEMANDED SILENCE. HE DEFIED THE GODS, THE MONSTERS, THE VERY BLOOD IN HIS VEINS. ALL TO CHOOSE A DIFFERENT PATH. BECAUSE THE GREATEST ACT OF HEROISM IS IN SAVING THE WORLD. IT'S REFUSING TO BECOME THE MONSTER EVERYONE SAYS YOU ARE. THIS IS DISASSEMBLED, HEROES AND. VILLAINS, AND TODAY WE EXPLORE THE STORY OF A DEMON FORGED IN HELLFIRE WHO CHOSE TO BURN FOR SOMETHING GREATER. BECAUSE WHAT IF YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO SMASH THE CHAINS OF DESTINY AND REWRITE YOUR STORY? TO UNDERSTAND THE WEIGHT OF HELL DEFIANCE, YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THE DEPTH OF HIS ORIGIN. HE WASN'T JUST BORN INTO DARKNESS, HE WAS FORGED FOR IT. THE SON OF A WITCH AND A DEMON PRINCE, TORN FROM HELL BY FLAMES, AND SUMMONED TO EARTH THROUGH NAZI SORCERY UNDER THE BANNER OF THE APOCALYPSE. HIS VERY NAME, ANUNG UNREMA, WAS A PROPHECY. UPON HIS BROW IS SET A CROWN OF FLAME. THE RIGHT HAND OF DOOM WAS NEVER MEANT TO PROTECT THE WORLD, IT WAS A KEY TO END IT. AND YET, HE NEVER USED IT FOR ITS INTENDED PURPOSE. BECAUSE FROM THE VERY BEGINNING, HELLBOY DID SOMETHING NO ONE EXPECTED. HE QUESTIONED WHAT THE DESTINY HE MEANT, AND IN DOING SO, HE TAUGHT US SOMETHING ETERNAL. YOU ARE NOT THE SINS OF YOUR FATHER, YOU ARE NOT THE SYMBOLS OTHERS ATTACH TO YOU, AND YOU ARE NOT BOUND TO THE FIRE YOU WERE BORN FROM, UNLESS YOU CHOSE TO BE. BECAUSE PROPHECY DOES NOT DEFINE THE SOUL, AND HELLBOY, AGAIN AND AGAIN, PROVED HE WAS SOMETHING ELSE ENTIRELY. HELLBOY WASN'T BORN, HE WAS SUMMONED. TORN FROM THE FIRES OF HELL BY ARCANE RITUALS AND BLOOD-SOAKED PROPHECY, HE ARRIVED ON EARTH NOT AS A CHILD, BUT AS A WEAPON. A HARBINGER, A MEANS TO AN END. THE YEAR WAS 1944. THE WORLD WAS ALREADY ON FIRE, AND IN THE CHAOS OF WORLD WAR II, A LAST-DITCH OCCULT EXPERIMENT BY RASPUTIN BROUGHT FORTH SOMETHING FAR WORSE THAN ANY BOMB OR BATTLEFIELD. WHAT STEPPED THROUGH THE PORTAL WASN'T JUST A DEMON, IT WAS A PROPHECY WRAPPED IN RED FLESH. A NUNG UNRA MA, THE NAME ITSELF WAS AN OMEN, A WARNING, BECAUSE HELLBOY WASN'T SUPPOSED TO LIVE A LIFE, HE WAS SUPPOSED TO END ONE. THE STONE HAND HE BORE, NOT JUST THE MUTATION, IT WAS THE RIGHT HAND OF DOOM, A COSMIC RELIC, CHISELED FROM THE HAND OF A FORGOTTEN WATCHER, MEANT TO UNLOCK THE GATES OF AN APOCALYPSE, RAGNAROK MADE MANIFEST. BUT FROM THAT MOMENT, PROFESSOR BRUTON HOLM LOOKED INTO HIS EYES, NOT WITH FEAR, BUT WITH COMPASSION, SOMETHING CHANGED. BECAUSE INSTEAD OF BEING CHAINED TO PROPHECY, HELLBOY WAS RAISED WITH PURPOSE. NOT TO RULE, NOT TO DESTROY, BUT TO LEARN, TO QUESTION, TO PROTECT. AND FROM THAT MOMENT ON, HE DID SOMETHING NO ONE EXPECTED OF A MONSTER. HE ASKED, IN SEAT OF DESTRUCTION, THE TRUTH IS LAID BARE. RASPUTIN RETURNS AND CALLS HIM BY HIS TRUE NAME, A NUNG UNRA MA, AND TRIES TO AWAKEN THE FIRE WITHIN, TO REMIND HELLBOY THAT HE IS THE BEAST OF THE APOCALYPSE, THE ONE WHO WILL BRING THE OGDRU JAHAD INTO THE WORLD AND SET IT AFLAME. BUT HELLBOY DOESN'T OBEY, HE DOESN'T UNLEASH DESTRUCTION, HE PUNCHES RASPUTIN IN THE FACE, AND THAT'S HELLBOY IN A NUTSHELL. EVERY FIST OF REFUSAL, EVERY BATTLE OF CHOICE, BUT IT DOESN'T STOP THERE. IN WAKE THE DEVIL, HE'S CONFRONTED AGAIN, THIS TIME BY HECATE, THE GODDESS OF THE UNDERWORLD. SHE CALLS HIM A CREATURE OF DARKNESS, OFFERS HIM A THRONE OF SHADOW, TELLS HIM IT'S TIME TO EMBRACE WHO HE TRULY IS. BUT AGAIN, HE SAYS NO. NOT BECAUSE HE DOESN'T FEEL THE PULL, NOT BECAUSE IT WOULDN'T BE EASIER, BUT BECAUSE THE TRUTH IS MORE POWERFUL THAN PROPHECY. HE DOESN'T WANT IT. EVEN WHEN HE LEARNS, YEARS LATER, THAT HIS BLOODLINE TRACES BACK TO THE VERY FOUNDATIONS OF BRITAIN, TO THE LEGENDARY KING ARTHUR HIMSELF. EVEN WHEN HE IS TOLD HE COULD RULE NOT JUST HELL, BUT EARTH. HE REFUSES THE SWORD, HE REFUSES THE CROWN, BECAUSE. HELLBOY ISN'T TRYING TO BECOME ANYTHING GREATER THAN WHAT HE ALREADY IS. HE'S TRYING TO STAY TRUE TO WHO HE'S CHOSEN TO BE. NOT A KING, NOT A DESTROYER, BUT A MONSTER WHO PROTECTS THE WORLD, EVEN WHEN THE WORLD DOESN'T TRUST HIM. EVEN WHEN THE DEMONS AND DEVILS CALLED HIM BROTHER. EVEN WHEN DESTINY CLOUDS AT THE EDGE OF HIS SOUL, WHISPERING YOU WERE MADE FOR MORE. BUT MORE DOESN'T ALWAYS MEAN BETTER. AND SOMETIMES, CHOSEN ONE IS JUST ANOTHER WAY TO SAY PAWN. AND THAT'S WHAT MAKES HELLBOY DIFFERENT. HE NEVER LETS PROPHECY DO THE THINKING FOR HIM. HE DOESN'T WEAR THE CROWN. HE SNAPS IT IN HALF. BECAUSE THE TRUTH IS, YOU ARE NOT YOUR ORIGIN. YOU ARE NOT YOUR BLOODLINE. YOU ARE NOT YOUR PROPHECY. AND YOU ARE NOT THE WORST THING SOMEONE ONCE CALLED YOU. YOU ARE THE CHOICES YOU MAKE, AND HELLBOY MADE HIS AGAIN AND AGAIN. WITH EVERY CASE HE INVESTIGATED, WITH EVERY PERSON HE SAVED, WITH EVERY VILLAIN HE REFUSED TO BECOME. HE TOOK THE HAND THAT WAS MEANT TO DESTROY THE WORLD, AND USED IT TO HOLD IT UP INSTEAD. AND IN THAT IS REDEMPTION. THAT'S THE START OF SOMETHING FAR MORE POWERFUL THAN FATE. THAT'S AN IDENTITY, EARNED, NOT INHERITED. AND HELLBOY EARNED HIS, WITH EVERY FIST AND SHOT THROWN. BUT DEFIANCE ALONE DOESN'T MAKE YOU HUMAN. WALKING AWAY FROM PROPHECY IS ONE THING. CHOOSING WHAT TO WALK TOWARDS IS SOMETHING ELSE ENTIRELY. BECAUSE. HELLBOY DIDN'T JUST REJECT THE APOCALYPSE. HE EMBRACED SOMETHING HARDER. SOMETHING MESSIER. HE CHOSE PURPOSE. NOT ONE HANDED DOWN BY KINGS OR CARVED INTO STONE, BUT ONE BUILT DAY BY DAY, CASE BY CASE, CHOICE BY CHOICE. IN THE FIELD WITH THE BPRD, AND THE QUIET MOMENTS WITH LIZ AND ABE, AND THE WAY HE LISTENS, THE WAY HE FIGHTS, THE WAY HE CARES. EVERY TIME SOMEONE TRIES TO DRAG HIM BACK INTO LEGEND, HE PULLS HIMSELF DEEPER INTO HUMANITY INSTEAD. BECAUSE FOR HELLBOY, THE MISSION WAS NEVER ABOUT BECOMING SOMETHING GREATER. IT WAS ABOUT PROVING HE COULD BE GOOD. AND THAT KIND OF PURPOSE, IT CAN'T BE GIVEN. IT HAS TO BE CHOSEN. HELLBOY DOESN'T LOOK LIKE A HERO. RED SKIN, SAWED OFF HORNS, A TAIL, A MASSIVE STONE HAND. YOU DON'T SEE COMPASSION IN THAT SILHOUETTE, BUT IT'S THERE, BURIED. BECAUSE UNDERNEATH THE MYTH AND THE MONSTER, THERE'S SOMETHING STUBBORNLY, FIERCELY HUMAN. HE EATS PANCAKES, HE LOVES CATS, HE CRACKS JOKES IN THE MIDDLE OF LIFE OR DEATH BATTLES, AND HE NEVER STOPS ASKING, AM I DOING THE RIGHT THING? AND THAT'S WHAT MAKES HIM DANGEROUS TO THOSE WHO THREATEN THE HUMAN WORLD, NOT HIS STRENGTH, HIS CONSCIENCE. HE JOINS THE BUREAU FOR PARANORMAL RESEARCH AND DEFENSE NOT TO COMMAND IT, BUT TO PROTECT THE PEOPLE NO ONE ELSE WOULD, NOT BECAUSE HE OWES THE WORLD ANYTHING, BUT BECAUSE HE CHOOSES TO. TIME AND AGAIN, HELLBOY IS OFFERED POWER. HECATE CALLS HIM THE RIGHTFUL HEIR TO HELL'S THRONE. RASPUTIN INSISTS HE WAS FORGED FOR THE END TIMES. EVEN THE WILD HUNT REVEALS HIS ARTHURIAN BLOODLINE, OFFERING HIM THE SWORD, THE CROWN, THE CHANCE TO RULE. BUT HE DOESN'T WANT THE THRONE. HE DOESN'T EVEN WANT THE LEGACY. HE JUST WANTS TO DO THE WORK. TO PUNCH THE MONSTER, SAVE THE KID, FINISH THE JOB, AND GO HOME. BECAUSE HELLBOY UNDERSTANDS SOMETHING THE PROPHETS NEVER COULD. GREATNESS DOESN'T COME FROM PROPHECY. IT COMES FROM PERSEVERANCE. AND PURPOSE. PURPOSE ISN'T HANDED DOWN FROM ON HIGH. IT'S BUILT FROM THE GROUND UP. IN THE RELATIONSHIPS YOU FIGHT TO PROTECT, LIKE ABE SAPIEN AND LIZ. SHERMAN, THE ONLY FAMILY HE'S EVER KNOWN. IN LIZ, HE SEES SOMEONE WHO CARRIES FIRE LIKE HE DOES, AND STILL CHOOSES WARMTH. AND ABE, A FRIEND WHO DOESN'T NEED WORDS TO UNDERSTAND HIM. AND THE FATHER WHO RAISED HIM, NOT AS A WEAPON, BUT AS A SON. IN EVERY MISSION HE TAKES, NOT BECAUSE IT'S HIS DESTINY, BUT BECAUSE IT'S RIGHT. IN THE WILD HUNT, WE SEE THIS CHOICE BROUGHT TO ITS CLIMAX. THE TRUTH OF HIS BLOODLINE IS LAID BARE. THE SWORD OF KING ARTHUR CALLS TO HIM. THE DRAGONS RISE. THE END BEGINS. BUT HELLBOY DOESN'T TAKE THE SWORD TO RULE. HE TAKES IT TO KILL THE DRAGON. AND WHEN IT'S DONE, HE CASTS THE BLADE ASIDE, BECAUSE IT WAS NEVER ABOUT BECOMING KING. IT WAS ABOUT DOING WHAT NEEDED TO BE DONE, EVEN IF NO ONE WOULD EVER SING SONGS ABOUT IT. AND THAT SHOWS HOW THE STORY OF A HORNED DEMON WITH A REVOLVER AND A MASSIVE FIST RELATES TO OUR LIVES. YOU ARE NOT YOUR ROLE. YOU ARE NOT YOUR EXPECTATIONS. YOU DON'T HAVE TO FOLLOW THE PATH OTHERS CARVE FOR YOU. YOU CAN CARVE IT ON YOUR OWN. HELLBOY DIDN'T CHOOSE POWER. HE CHOSE PEOPLE. HE CHOSE COMPASSION. HE CHOSE TO KEEP SHOWING UP, EVEN WHEN THE WORLD LOOKED AT HIM LIKE A MONSTER. AND IN DOING SO, HE BECAME SOMETHING NO PROPHECY COULD CONTAIN. A BEING OF PURPOSE, FORGED BY CHOICE AND NOT FATE. BEFORE WE CLOSE THE CASE ON THE DEMON WHO CHOSE TO DEFY DESTINY, MAKE SURE TO FOLLOW OR SUBSCRIBE TO DISASSEMBLED HEROES AND VILLAINS ON YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST APP. EVERY WEEK WE DIG INTO THE STORIES OF MONSTERS, LEGENDS, AND ICONS TO UNCOVER THE POWER THEY WIELD AND THE PURPOSE THEY FIGHT FOR. AND NEXT WEEK, DISASSEMBLED DEEP CUTS RETURNS, TO PEER INTO A MIRROR UNIVERSE WHERE AUTOBOTS RETIRE AND. DECEPTICONS RISE AS UNLIKELY HEROES, A WORLD TWISTED BY PARANOIA, A WAR BORN OF BETRAYAL AND A LEGEND SHATTERED. WE EXPLORE THE TRANSFORMERS' DARKEST TIMELINE, SHATTERED GLASS. THEN WE TURN TO A CREATURE BORN FROM RAGE AND REDEMPTION, A FATHER, A MONSTER, A SYMBOL OF ADDICTION AND RESISTANCE. ON HEROES AND VILLAINS, WE FACE THE EVER-CHANGING LEGACY OF MARVEL COMICS' VENOM. AND IF YOU WANT TO HELP DECIDE WHO WE COVER NEXT, BE SURE TO VOTE IN THE HANDSOME COMICS. YOUTUBE COMMUNITY POLL EVERY WEDNESDAY. NOW, BACK TO THE FLAMES AND THE FISTS THAT REFUSE TO FOLLOW HIS DESTINY. IF HELLBOY'S STORY TEACHES US ANYTHING, IT'S THIS. CHOOSING YOUR PATH ISN'T THE END OF THE BATTLE. BECAUSE ONCE YOU'VE REJECTED PROPHECY, ONCE YOU'VE CARVED OUT YOUR OWN PURPOSE, THERE'S STILL THE QUESTION OF HOW YOU'LL WIELD THE POWER THAT'S LEFT IN YOUR HANDS. AND FOR HELLBOY, THAT POWER WAS UNLIKE ANY OTHER. THE RIGHT HAND OF DOOM, A KEY NOT JUST TO HIS IDENTITY, BUT TO THE END OF ALL THINGS. AT EVERY TURN, THE WORLD DEMANDED HE USED IT. MONSTERS, GODS, EVEN FATE ITSELF CALLING FOR HIM TO RAISE THE HAND AND UNLOCK RAGNAROK. BUT TRUE STRENGTH ISN'T FOUND IN UNLEASHING DESTRUCTION, IT'S FOUND IN HOLDING BACK. BECAUSE POWER IS SEDUCTIVE. ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S ANCIENT, COSMIC, AND WORLD-ENDING. AND HELLBOY CARRIES THAT KIND OF POWER RIGHT ON THE END OF HIS ARM, FORGED FROM THE HAND OF THE WATCHER WHO BOUND THE OGDRU JAHAD IN AGES PAST. IT'S NOT JUST STONE AND SINEW, IT'S A KEY, A WEAPON, THE FINAL PIECE IN A CATACLYSMIC DESIGN. IN EVERY FORCE THAT'S EVER TRIED TO CLAIM HIM, RASPUTIN, HECATE, NAMU, THEY ALL SAY THE SAME THING. THAT HIS POWER IS MEANT TO BE USED, THAT IT'S HIS PURPOSE, HIS DESTINY. BUT WHAT IF THE TRUE MARK OF A HERO IS REFUSING TO OPEN THE DOOR? BECAUSE HELLBOY NEVER USES IT. NOT ONCE. NOT WHEN HE'S OUTMATCHED, NOT WHEN HE'S DYING, NOT EVEN WHEN THE WORLD IS QUITE LITERALLY ENDING. AND THAT RESTRAINT, THAT REFUSAL TO BECOME WHAT THE WORLD DEMANDS, THAT'S WHAT MAKES HIM DIFFERENT. THAT'S WHAT MAKES HIM STRONG. IN THE STORM AND THE FURY, THE PROPHECY FINALLY CATCHES UP. NAMU, THE QUEEN OF BLOOD, RISES AS A VESSEL OF THE OGDRU JAHAD. THE END IS HERE. THE LINES BETWEEN MYTH AND APOCALYPSE BLUR. THE SKY BURNS AND THE EARTH TREMBLES. HELLBOY DIES. HE GIVES EVERYTHING. HIS STRENGTH. HIS SOUL. HIS LIFE. TO STOP NAMU. TO HOLD THE LINE. AND EVEN AS THE DRAGON SCREAMS FOR RELEASE, EVEN AS THE WORLD BEGS HIM TO FULFILL THE ROLE ETCHED INTO HIS FLESH, HE DENIES IT. HE DIES WITH THE RIGHT HAND STILL CLENCHED, UNUSED, UNCORRUPTED. BECAUSE POWER, WITHOUT PURPOSE, JUST LEADS TO AN INEVITABLE END. AND HELLBOY REFUSES TO BECOME A GOD OF RUIN. INSTEAD, WE FOLLOW HIM INTO HELLBOY IN HELL, A METAPHYSICAL JOURNEY, A RECKONING OF IDENTITY. NO LONGER DRIVEN BY MISSIONS OR PROPHECY OR THE EXPECTATIONS OF OTHERS, HE WALKS THE UNDERWORLD ALONE. HE MEETS HIS FATHER, FIGHTS SPECTERS OF HIS PAST, WITNESSES THE BROKEN MACHINERY OF DAMNATION ITSELF, AND WHEN HE'S FINALLY OFFERED THE THRONE OF PANDEMONIUM, THE SEAT OF POWER HIS BIRTHRIGHT HAS SUPPOSEDLY BEEN LEADING HIM TO ALL ALONG, HE BURNS IT DOWN. NOT IN RAGE. NOT IN CONQUEST. BUT IN RELIEF. HELLBOY DOESN'T WANT TO RULE HELL. HE DOESN'T WANT TO REMAKE IT IN HIS IMAGE. HE WANTS TO BE FREE. AND THAT IS WHERE REAL STRENGTH LIES. NOT DOMINATION. NOT CONTROL. BUT RELEASE. LETTING GO OF THE CROWN. THE THRONE. THE WEAPON. LETTING GO OF THE PAIN THAT SHAPED YOU. LETTING GO OF THE EXPECTATIONS THAT TRY TO DEFINE YOU. AND WHEN HE DOES, THE CHAIN BREAKS. THE HAND THAT WAS MEANT TO OPEN THE GATES TO THE END, IT FALLS LIMP. ITS PURPOSE DENIED. ITS POWER BURIED. BECAUSE IN THE END, HELLBOY'S GREATEST ACT WAS IN SAVING THE WORLD. IT WAS REFUSING. NOT TO END IT. HE WALKED INTO HELL, NOT AS A KING, NOT AS A DESTROYER, BUT AS A MAN WHO KNEW WHEN NOT TO FIGHT. AND THAT IS WHERE HIS REAL LEGEND LIES. NOT IN THE LIVES HE REFUSED TO UNMAKE. BECAUSE THE GREATEST STRENGTH IS NOT IN HOW HARD YOU HIT. IT'S IN KNOWING WHEN TO PUT YOUR FIST DOWN. WE DON'T GET TO CHOOSE HOW WE'RE MADE. NOT THE WOUNDS WE CARRY. NOT THE BATTLES WE INHERIT. NOT THE BLOODLINES WE'RE BORN INTO OR THE SHADOWS THAT COME WITH IT. HELLBOY DIDN'T ASK FOR THE RIGHT HAND OF DOOM. HE DIDN'T ASK TO BE SUMMONED INTO THE WAR BY A CULTIST WHO SAW HIM AS A WEAPON. HE DIDN'T ASK FOR A LEGACY OF FIRE AND DAMNATION. WRITTEN IN ANCIENT TONGUES BEFORE HE EVER SPOKE A WORD. BUT DESTINY ISN'T AN EXCUSE, IT'S A QUESTION. AND HOW YOU ANSWER IT, THAT IS WHAT DEFINES YOU. BECAUSE IF A HALF-DEMON WITH THE APOCALYPSE WIRED INTO HIS DNA CAN CHOOSE TO FIGHT FOR A WORLD THAT FEARS HIM, WHAT'S STOPPING US? WE'D LIKE TO TELL OURSELVES WE'RE STUCK. THAT WHO WE ARE, WHAT WE'VE BEEN THROUGH, LOCKS US INTO A PATH WE DIDN'T CHOOSE. BUT THE TRUTH? YOU CAN BE SHAPED BY TRAUMA WITHOUT BEING RULED BY IT. YOU CAN BE FORGED IN FIRE AND STILL CHOOSE WHAT YOU BURN FOR. HELLBOY WASN'T JUST REBELLING AGAINST PROPHECY, HE WAS REJECTING EVERY VOICE HE HEARD. A VOICE TO TRY TO TELL HIM WHO HE HAD TO BE. AND ISN'T THAT SOMETHING WE ALL NEED TO DO? MAYBE YOU WERE RAISED IN A HOUSE WHERE ANGER WAS LOUDER THAN LOVE. MAYBE YOU WERE HANDED ROLES INSTEAD OF PURPOSES. TOLD TO BE THE STRONG ONE, THE SILENT ONE, THE PROVIDER, THE PROTECTOR, WITHOUT EVER BEING ASKED WHAT YOU BELIEVED IN. BUT JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE BORN INTO FIRE, DOESN'T MEAN YOU HAVE TO SPREAD IT. YOU CAN BREAK THE CYCLE. YOU CAN BE THE KIND OF MAN WHO CARRIES POWER WITHOUT PRIDE. WHO LEADS WITHOUT CONTROL, CHOOSES GRACE OVER DESTINY, BECAUSE DESTINY ISN'T A SCRIBE TO YOU, IT'S THE PATH YOU CHOOSE. SO AS WE STEP INTO THIS FINAL CHAPTER, LET'S STOP ASKING WHO HELLBOY WAS MEANT TO BE, AND START ASKING, WHO DO YOU CHOOSE TO BECOME? BECAUSE THE FIRE THAT FORGED YOU DOESN'T HAVE TO DEFINE YOU, NOT IF YOU LEARN HOW TO CARRY THE HEAT WITHOUT LETTING IT CONSUME YOU. HELLBOY WAS BORN TO END THE WORLD. THAT WAS THE PLAN, THE PROPHECY, THE GRAND DESIGN. SUMMONED THROUGH FLAME, BRANDED WITH THE MARK OF THE BEAST, GIVEN THE KEY TO THE APOCALYPSE IN THE FORM OF A STONE FIST. EVERYTHING IN HIS STORY. EVERY WHISPER OF FATE. EVERY VISION OF FIRE AND RUIN TELLS US THIS CREATURE WAS MADE FOR DESTRUCTION. AND YET, HE CHOOSES SOMETHING ELSE. HE CHOOSES TO PROTECT. NOT BECAUSE HE'S TRYING TO PROVE THE PROPHECY WRONG, BUT BECAUSE HE NEVER ACCEPTED IT IN THE FIRST PLACE. HELLBOY ISN'T REBELLING AGAINST FATE OF DEFIANCE, HE'S REJECTING THE ENTIRE IDEA THAT FATE GETS THE FINAL WORD. AND THAT'S WHERE HIS TRUE POWER LIES. WE LIVE IN A WORLD OBSESSED WITH DESTINY, WITH CALLING, WITH CHASING SOME DIVINE SIGN THAT TELLS US WHO WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BECOME, BUT THERE'S A DANGER IN MISTAKING EXPECTATIONS FOR PURPOSE. THERE'S A DANGER IN THINKING YOUR BLOODLINE, YOUR BACKGROUND, YOUR PAIN MUST DEFINE YOUR FUTURE. HELLBOY'S ENTIRE ARC TELLS US OTHERWISE. HE WAS LITERALLY CREATED TO BRING ABOUT THE END. AND INSTEAD, HE SAVES LIVES. HE MAKES FRIENDS, HE EATS PANCAKES, HE LOVES CATS, HE FIGHTS MONSTERS IN THE DARK. NOT BECAUSE IT'S IN HIS NATURE, BUT BECAUSE IT'S IN HIS HEART. THINK ABOUT THAT. BECAUSE THERE'S A GOOD CHANCE YOU'VE BEEN TOLD WHO YOU ARE TOO. MAYBE YOU WERE RAISED TO BELIEVE YOU HAD TO FOLLOW IN SOMEONE ELSE'S FOOTSTEPS. TO BE A PROVIDER. TO BE HARD. TO BE QUIET. TO BE STRONG. TO NEVER SHOW WEAKNESS. NEVER ASK QUESTIONS. NEVER STEP OFF THE PATH CARVED FOR YOU. BUT MAYBE, JUST MAYBE, THAT PATH ISN'T YOURS TO WALK. HELLBOY HAD EVERY EXCUSE TO GIVE IN. EVERY REASON TO BELIEVE THE LIE. TO ACCEPT THE CROWN, WIELD THE SWORD, FULFILL THE ROLE OTHERS KEPT PUSHING ON HIM. BUT HE DIDN'T. BECAUSE HE KNEW SOMETHING MOST OF US FORGET. YOUR ORIGIN IS NOT YOUR IDENTITY. YOUR TRAUMA IS NOT YOUR TRUTH. YOUR PROPHECY IS NOT YOUR PRISON. IN THE WILD HUNT. WHEN HELLBOY LEARNS THAT HE'S NOT JUST THE BEAST OF THE APOCALYPSE, BUT A DESCENDANT OF. KING ARTHUR HIMSELF, IT DOESN'T SOLVE THE PROBLEM. IT COMPLICATES IT. BECAUSE NOW, HE'S NOT JUST CARRYING ONE LEGACY, HE'S CARRYING TWO. THE DEMON AND THE KING. THE DESTROYER AND THE DELIVERER. THE END AND THE BEGINNING. THE ALPHA AND THE OMEGA. AND STILL, HE DOESN'T LET THAT DEFINE HIM. HE DOESN'T GRAB POWER TO SETTLE THE SCORE. HE DOESN'T WEAR THE CROWN TO JUSTIFY HIS PAIN. HE DOESN'T TAKE THE THRONE TO PROVE HE'S BETTER THAN THE MONSTER THEY MADE HIM OUT TO BE. HE JUST DOES HIS JOB. HE SAVES THE GIRL. HE SLAYS THE DRAGON. AND WHEN IT'S OVER, HE CASTS THE SWORD ASIDE. BECAUSE IT WAS NEVER ABOUT RULING. IT WAS ABOUT PROTECTING. AND THAT'S SOMETHING WE NEED TO HEAR. ESPECIALLY IN A CULTURE THAT GLORIFIES BECOMING SOMETHING. BECOME SUCCESSFUL. BECOME POWERFUL. BECOME DOMINANT. BECOME UNFORGETTABLE. BUT THE ONES WHO MAKE A DIFFERENCE, THEY DON'T BECOME GODS. THEY BECOME SERVANTS. THEY DON'T CHASE TITLES. THEY CHASE TRUTH. AND THAT TRUTH, IT ISN'T GLAMOROUS. IT ISN'T PERFECT. IT DOESN'T ALWAYS MAKE SENSE. BUT IT'S REAL. IT'S IN HOW YOU SHOW UP FOR YOUR FAMILY WHEN YOU'RE EXHAUSTED. IT'S IN HOW YOU CHOOSE INTEGRITY WHEN NOBODY'S WATCHING. IT'S IN HOW YOU BUILD SOMETHING MEANINGFUL. NOT BECAUSE YOU WERE TOLD TO, BUT BECAUSE YOU BELIEVE IN IT. HELLBOY WAS MADE IN FIRE. BUT HE CHOSE WHAT TO BURN FOR. NOT LEGACY. NOT PROPHECY. NOT THE APPROVAL OF SOME COSMIC FORCE. HE CHOSE PEOPLE. PEOPLE. AND ISN'T THAT THE MODEL WE SHOULD BE FOLLOWING? TO BE MEN WHO DON'T LET OUR CIRCUMSTANCES DICTATE OUR CHARACTER? TO BE FATHERS, HUSBANDS, MENTORS, NOT BECAUSE IT EARNS US GLORY, BUT BECAUSE IT MAKES US GOOD. HELLBOY DOESN'T PREACH. HE DOESN'T QUOTE SCRIPTURE. HE DOESN'T LIVE IN A MONASTERY OR RECITE HOLY VOWS. BUT HE EMBODIES SOMETHING SACRED. SACRIFICE. SERVICE. GRACE. HE DOESN'T JUST FIGHT MONSTERS. HE FIGHTS THE MONSTER HE WAS TOLD HE HAD TO BE. AND MAYBE THAT'S THE FIGHT THAT MATTERS THE MOST. SO IF YOU'RE LISTENING TO THIS, WONDERING IF YOUR PATH IS ALREADY CARVED, IF YOU'VE BEEN TOLD YOUR PAST DISQUALIFIES YOU, THAT YOUR MISTAKES DEFINE YOU, THAT YOUR STORY IS ALREADY WRITTEN, LET HELLBOY REMIND YOU, YOU CAN WRITE A NEW ONE. YOU DON'T HAVE TO BECOME WHAT THE WORLD EXPECTS. YOU DON'T HAVE TO CARRY THE CROWN, THE SWORD, THE BURDEN. YOU JUST HAVE TO KEEP SHOWING UP, YOU JUST HAVE TO CHOOSE SOMETHING BETTER, BECAUSE EVEN IF YOU WERE FORGED IN FIRE, YOU STILL GET TO CHOOSE WHAT YOU BURN FOR. AND THAT CHOICE, THAT'S WHAT MAKES YOU MORE THAN THE WEAPON THEY WANTED. IT MAKES YOU WHOLE. IT MAKES YOU HUMAN. THANK YOU FOR WALKING WITH US THROUGH THE HELLFIRE FORGE JOURNEY OF HELLBOY. THROUGH THE PROPHECIES THAT BOUND HIM, THROUGH THE BATTLES THAT TESTED HIM, THE CHOICES HE MADE WHEN NO ONE ELSE BELIEVED HE HAD ONE. WE'VE SEEN A CREATURE BORN FOR THE END OF DAYS CHOOSE TO PROTECT LIFE INSTEAD. A WEAPON SHAPED BY FATE, BREAK THE MOLD AND FORGE HIS OWN SOUL. AND IN THE SILENCE BETWEEN WARS AND DESTINIES, HE TEACHES US SOMETHING FAR DEEPER. THAT REAL PURPOSE ISN'T FOUND IN PROPHECY, IT'S FOUND IN CHOICE. THAT STRENGTH ISN'T DEFINED BY WHAT YOU CAN DESTROY, BUT BY WHAT YOU PROTECT. HELLBOY DOESN'T DENY HIS PAST, HE CARRIES IT, HE WRESTLES WITH IT, AND STILL, HE MOVES FORWARD. NOT TO PROVE A POINT, NOT TO WEAR A CROWN, BUT TO DO WHAT'S RIGHT. BECAUSE SOMETIMES, THE GREATEST ACT OF REBELLION IS BECOMING THE MAN NO ONE EXPECTED YOU TO BE. SO BEFORE WE GO, ASK YOURSELF, WHAT STORY ARE YOU STILL LETTING DEFINE YOU? WHAT ROLE HAVE YOU BEEN HANDED THAT YOU NEVER ASKED FOR? BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT THE SUM OF YOUR TRAUMA, YOU'RE NOT THE PROPHECY THEY WROTE FOR YOU, YOU'RE NOT THE FIRE THEY TRIED TO BURN YOU WITH, YOU'RE THE ONE WHO GETS TO CHOOSE WHAT YOU BURN FOR. SO CHOOSE WELL, CHOOSE WITH GRACE, CHOOSE WITH COURAGE, CHOOSE TO BE HUMAN, EVEN WHEN THE WORLD TELLS YOU TO BE SOMETHING ELSE. SO STAY BRAVE, STAY GROUNDED, AND AS ALWAYS, STAY HANDSOME. AND REMEMBER, YOUR STORY IS STILL BEING WRITTEN, AND START A NEW CHAPTER WITH THE CHOICES YOU MAKE TODAY.