Grigori Rasputin

The infamous historical mystic Grigori Rasputin appears in Hellboy as a sinister occultist who orchestrated a secret Nazi ritual near the end of World War II, summoning the infant demon Hellboy to Earth — setting in motion a dark destiny he intended to exploit.

Few figures in Mike Mignola's dark mythological universe cast a longer shadow than Grigori Rasputin, who made his sinister entrance in the landmark Hellboy: Seed of Destruction #1 in 1994 — a debut that is itself a key collector's issue and the opening salvo of one of Dark Horse Comics' most celebrated franchises. Brought to comics life by Mignola and John Byrne, this interpretation of the infamous historical mystic became a cornerstone of the Hellboy mythos, his presence woven through Hellboy, B.P.R.D., and beyond across nearly three decades of storytelling. He haunts the same pages as Hellboy, Abe Sapien, Liz Sherman, and Trevor Bruttenholm — as compelling a roster of paranormal investigators as comics has to offer — lending those encounters a weight that only a truly formidable presence can provide. For anyone diving into the rich, folklore-soaked world of Dark Horse horror, Rasputin is exactly where the darkness begins.