Herman von Klempt

Herman von Klempt is a deranged Nazi scientist whose head was preserved in a glass jar, allowing him to survive long after his body was lost. He serves as one of Hellboy's most grotesque recurring villains, pursuing occult and scientific schemes from within his gruesome life-support container.

A severed Nazi head in a jar has rarely been so unforgettable — Herman von Klempt is one of the most deliciously sinister figures in Mike Mignola and John Byrne's Dark Horse universe, debuting in 1994 at the dawn of the modern Hellboy mythology. Over nearly three decades, this Copper/Modern Age creation has haunted the pages of Hellboy, B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth, and even the affectionate parody Itty Bitty Hellboy, proving that a truly iconic villain leaves a mark far beyond his page count. He keeps extraordinary company — sharing adventures with Hellboy himself, the enigmatic Grigori Rasputin, Liz Sherman, and Abe Sapien — placing him squarely at the dark, occult heart of Mignola's sprawling cosmos. If you're exploring the weird, war-haunted corners of the Hellboy universe, von Klempt is exactly the kind of gloriously strange character that reminds you why this world is unlike anything else in comics.