Abraham Sapien , born Langdon Everett Caul , is a fictional character in the comic book series Hellboy , created by Mike Mignola . He takes his name from " Ichthyo sapien ", the fanciful species designation chosen for him by his colleagues in the 19th-century Oannes Club, and from Abraham Lincoln , on whose assassination date the Oannes Club abandoned Abe's body in a suspended animation tank beneath a Washington D.C. hospital, leaving only a cryptic note as explanation. He is occasionally referred to as an "amphibious man."
45-465: In addition to his regular appearances in Hellboy and B.P.R.D. , Sapien has also starred in his own comics, with trade paperback collections and omnibus editions including The Drowning , The Devil Does Not Jest and Other Stories , Dark and Terrible and Lost Lives and Other Stories . Sapien began his life as Langdon Everett Caul, a Victorian scientist and businessman who became involved with
90-551: A broken arm. Rasputin's vengeful spirit appeared before him and prophesied that Sapien will one day be speared to death. In Plague of Frogs , Rasputin's prediction came true when Sapien was impaled by a spear and apparently killed by one of the Ogdru Jahad's followers. Sapien appeared to die and had an out of body experience that brought him to his former life in antebellum America. Witnessing his past self's actions, Abe entered Caul's body prior to his transformation, creating
135-578: A custom built facility in Fairfield , Connecticut . It maintains strong links to various branches of the US military to this day. It is a private organization that receives funding from several major governments (mostly the United States and United Kingdom , although other countries including Canada , Japan , France , and Italy have been mentioned). Professor Bruttenholm served as director until
180-424: A dolphin-like frontal lobe that enables him to transmit and receive electro-psychic information in the same way that cetaceans use sonar . He also has an encyclopedic knowledge of the occult and holds paranormal expertise rivaled only by Professor Bruttenholm . Additionally, he is unable to survive out of water for long periods without a collar-like apparatus that provides water to his gills. Sapien appeared in
225-628: A more monstrous form. In Gods , Abe was shot by a psychic girl named Fénix, in whom the BPRD has shown interest. According to Professor O'Donnell, Fénix is equal to the ancient Hyperborean shamans who keep the Ogdru Hem for entering in Earth after Hyperborea's fall using the Vril energy. Fénix says, before shooting Abe, that she knows who he is, implying that she figured Abe's condition as an evolved form of
270-404: A new story cycle began, the series was retitled B.P.R.D.: Hell on Earth, then two years later when the series hit its 100th issue, it was restructured as an ongoing monthly comic. This was done for many reasons, most notably to make the reading order simpler to the uninitiated. B.P.R.D. began as a series of miniseries, but it also had an ongoing numbering on the inside cover of its issues. For
315-440: A secret facility in the middle of Siberia. Abe Sapien is one of the characters appearing in two straight-to-DVD Hellboy Animated films, Hellboy: Sword of Storms and Hellboy: Blood and Iron , in which he is voiced by Doug Jones . This version of the character, although similar to the movie Sapien, is much more like his comic book counterpart, showing signs of neither the psychic abilities nor breathing apparatus. However, he
360-443: A spiritual/mystical time loop before Abe returned to live in the present, where he made a fast recovery and began to do research into his past life. As a result, Abe learns of Edith Howard, Langdon Caul's wife, who drowned herself out of madness. She had become a specter, who was finally exorcized after she attempts to have Sapien resume his life as Caul. In Garden of Souls , Sapien was contacted by Panya, an ageless mummy trapped by
405-599: A tube of water in the hidden laboratory beneath a Washington, D.C. hospital until such time as he was fully formed. Forced to abandon the site by the outbreak of the American Civil War , the Society never found occasion to return for Caul, and there he stayed until he was found by workmen in November 1978. With no memory of his life before, the icthyo sapien received a new name from a piece of paper attached to
450-557: Is also capable of surviving wounds that would be fatal to humans. Abe Sapien had an internal numbering on the inside cover from its second issue onwards. When the series became an ongoing series in 2013, an ongoing numbering was present on the cover, which reset back 1. However, the internal numbering is still present on the inside cover. In the 2004 film adaptation, Hellboy , Sapien is portrayed by Doug Jones , and voiced by an uncredited David Hyde Pierce who refused credit out of respect for Jones's performance. This version of Abe has
495-408: Is at its peak underwater. Lately, by his own admission, Abe has been having an intuition of danger, always knowing something bad is going on before it happens with little to no proof. In the films, he displays a genius -level intelligence, and has psychic intuition, making him adept at telepathy and psychometry . However, his strength is not increased, while he has superhuman speed underwater. He
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#1732797347401540-497: Is far faster, more agile and stronger than humans in the films, allowing him to fight giant creatures that only Hellboy is thought to be strong enough to fight. Abe is a playable character in Hellboy: The Science of Evil with Doug Jones reprising his role. Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense The Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (the B.P.R.D. or BPRD ) is a fictional organization in
585-607: The B.P.R.D. comic series, and in 2014 the Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. series. In the Hellboy comics, the B.P.R.D. was founded in 1945 by Professor Trevor Bruttenholm to combat various occult threats uncovered in operations against Nazi Germany . It initially had strong links to the United States Army Air Forces and was based at a military airbase in New Mexico , but in 1947 later relocated to
630-497: The Oannes Society, an occult organization who believed in life and all knowledge having come from the sea. After retrieving a strange jellyfish-like deity from an underwater ruin, Caul and the other members performed an arcane ritual that inadvertently ended with the creature's release and Caul being turned into an ichthyo sapien . Believing him to be Oannes reborn, the society sealed the developing icthyo sapien's body in
675-409: The comic book work of Mike Mignola . The B.P.R.D. originally appeared in the Hellboy comics and has since become a major part of its expanded universe , where it was supposedly founded by the United States and United Kingdom governments, and charged with researching the occult , paranormal and supernatural , and also defending against their dangers. In 2002, Dark Horse Comics launched
720-415: The 100th issue the internal numbering shifted to the front cover as the series became a monthly ongoing comic. Most of the B.P.R.D. comics have been collected by Dark Horse as trade paperbacks : In all ways this appears to be another regular B.P.R.D. trade save for the details on the spine that indicate it is the first in a new line. Only one has been published so far, but there are plans for more in
765-583: The Abe Sapien series, Abe traveled through the US on a quest to prove he was not part of the apocalypse and avoid the BPRD (fearing death and dissection from Devon's influence), first travelling to the Salton Sea to inspect the Ogdru Hem there, then back to Texas where he was shot and finally to the undersea temple where Langdon Caul found the relic that transformed him. Because of his appearance and heroism, Abe
810-455: The American military, and Abe Sapien revealed to be an example of the next stage of the frog's evolution. Finally, Liz Sherman exhausted all of her powers in destroying the underworld alliance. This inadvertently caused massive volcanic disasters across the world, devastating Malaysia and causing the destruction of Borneo (wiping out the nations of Indonesia and Brunei ), and also causing
855-479: The Black Flame was partially telling the truth. Abe was the "Adam" of the race of man to replace the old after the apocalypse but not instrumental in it and most of all not connected to the Ogdru Jahad and the frogs. Abe was psychically contacted by Shonchin, who revealed that the jellyfish entity was an ancient hyperborean shaman of the right hand, who transcended to that form after being martyred by worshipers of
900-633: The Bureau threatened by both an alliance of the frogs, the Black Flame, and creatures from the Hollow Earth, united to bring about an apocalypse and the birth of a new human race; and also the villain Memnan Saa, who abducted Liz in an attempt to use her powers to conquer the Earth so he could prevent the Apocalypse. This crisis saw half of Munich destroyed, the Bureau discredited in the eyes of
945-642: The New Men first mentioned in Hellboy: Conqueror Worm by Rasputin. While Abe rejected the idea, many of the BPRD field agents are now wary of him, most notably Andrew Devon; in New World , there is visible tension between Devon and Abe implying that Devon thinks Abe should be much more closely monitored. A vision of the future in King of Fear by Liz Sherman showed that, by that time, Abe will have
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#1732797347401990-557: The Oannes Society. Members of the society were sequestered away on a hidden island in Indonesia , their now-withered psychic forms contained in cyborg bodies. Aware of the imminent apocalypse, the society was determined to save at least some of mankind's spiritual essence, and were poised to use bombs to cause massive tidal waves which would devastate the southern hemisphere. The souls of those killed could then be harvested by
1035-428: The Society in vat-grown bodies made expressly for the purpose, granting them god-like powers. Horrified, Abe managed to single-handedly destroy the society and escape with Panya, and in so doing finally came to terms with the ghosts of his past; he was truly a separate identity from Langdon Caul, who would likely have agreed willingly to the society's plan. Abe has since fully returned to the BPRD and continues to be one of
1080-404: The black goddess. This revelation finally confirmed to Abe that he was a gestalt of the shaman and Caul (a combination of hyperborean and man), destined to usher the next race of man, a amphibious race with a connection and innate knowledge of the Vril. In The Devil You Know , following the destruction of the Ogdru Hem, the apocalypse resumed after the destruction of a powerful demon when Rasputin
1125-517: The climax of Seed of Destruction , Sapien was possessed by the spirit of long-dead whaler Elihu Cavendish. Cavendish was a contemporary of Langdon Caul, who killed the mad monk Rasputin , foiling his plans to unleash the Ogdru Jahad to destroy the world. During the subsequent "Girescu affair" during Wake the Devil , Abe and a fellow agent were led into a trap which left the agent dead and Abe with
1170-580: The cost of his own life, his and Hecate's spirits called upon Liz to cleanse the damaged Earth of the Ogdru Jahad's corruption, releasing her full power, reducing the earths surface to a smoking cinder so Hellboy could enter Hecate (as an iron maiden) and his blood remade the world anew. Abe's spawn survived Liz's cleansing and left the sea to occupy the land where they found Liz in a hyperborean crystal. With his second transformation to his current form, Abe's strength, agility, and speed has significantly increased, performing feats never seen before by him. His speed
1215-562: The destruction of his new body, while Abe is shot in the head by a panicked psychic girl named Fenix. Fortunately for the B.P.R.D., they gain new allies as well in the form of the Russian Special Sciences Service (S.S.S.), with their director Iosif Nichayko. Unfortunately, Zinco and the last remnants of Project Ragnarok inadvertently resurrect a new and more powerful Black Flame, who proceeds to take control of New York and reawaken many slumbering Ogdru Hem all over
1260-419: The events of King of Fear , the world enters an apocalyptic era as natural disasters and vicious monsters crawl out of the Earth. Society is pushed to the brink of madness as many new cults arise to worship the creatures, while other supernatural forces begin shifting their plans in response to the global chaos. The B.P.R.D. agents face their own struggles during this time - Johann claims revenge on Ben Daimio for
1305-822: The exceptions of China and the CIA . The Bureau was the United States' only defense against an onslaught of frog creatures (originally featured in Seed of Destruction ). Though the "frogs" began operating on the East Coast, they spread west on both sides of the US-Canada border. To cut costs, the Bureau moved from its traditional headquarters in Connecticut to an abandoned research facility in Colorado . This facility
1350-438: The film's 2008 sequel, Hellboy II: The Golden Army , in which he was played by Doug Jones who provides his speaking parts. He doesn't wear his breathing apparatus as much in this film, and he shows his marksman skills in the film. He is also the one who discovers Liz's pregnancy in the mission where Hellboy is revealed to the world. He falls in love with the elf Princess Nuala, which leads to his helping Prince Nuada by giving him
1395-541: The frog monsters. Abe is last seen in a helicopter, being treated for his bullet wounds. Devon witnesses the shooting, but lies when asked regarding it later. In Monsters , it is revealed that Abe's condition in the BPRD headquarters suddenly worsened, and, despite putting him on life support to keep his body alive, he suffered extensive brain damage. His doctors declared him brain dead. However, he miraculously recovered, but began mutating further: he grew taller, his limbs and neck lengthening, and his nose receded, all while he
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1440-459: The future. There is also a series of trade paperbacks collecting the Hell on Earth cycle: There is also a series of trade paperbacks collecting The Devil You Know cycle: Dark Horse have also released a series of omnibus editions: The Bureau appeared in the 2004 film Hellboy and its 2008 sequel Hellboy II: The Golden Army , both directed by Guillermo del Toro , where it differs from
1485-590: The globe. Abe recovers from his near-fatal wound in time to see the world in an even worse state than last he saw, and he goes AWOL from the B.P.R.D. to go on a journey of self-discovery. Liz regains her powers and rejoins the B.P.R.D., while Johann transfers his spirit into the WWII Sledgehammer suit and together they fight the Ogdru Hem as they run rampant. Eventually they take on the new Black Flame in New York, but their victory only proves hollow as one of
1530-443: The late 1950s when he stepped down to return to field work. The current director is Dr. Thomas Manning . Over the years, the Bureau has added several agents with "enhanced skills" to its ranks including Hellboy in 1952, Liz Sherman in 1980, and Abe Sapien in 1981. The B.P.R.D. is a well known and respected organization that has excellent relations with most international governments and United States government agencies , with
1575-616: The leader of the frogs. Together they raised the gigantic Katha-Hem (one of the Ogdru Hem , the 369 spawn of the Ogdru Jahad ) which ran rampant across the American heartland until Liz Sherman used an ancient artifact to amplify her pyrokinetic powers a thousandfold. After Katha-Hem was destroyed, the frog monsters dragged the Black Flame into a vast pit and the invasion appeared to come to an end. A series of incidents—featured in The Warning , The Black Goddess , and King of Fear —saw
1620-463: The magical crown piece (to control the Golden Army) for her safety, but Princess Nuala kills herself to prevent Nuada from killing Hellboy. While mourning her loss, he decides to follow Liz and Hellboy in leaving the B.P.R.D. In the 2019 reboot film Hellboy , Abe appears on the final scene of the film having been discovered by Hellboy, Alice and Daimio inside his stasis tank which is located on
1665-461: The most trustworthy agents. However, in King of Fear , Abe led a return mission into the Hyperborean underworld and was confronted by the supervillain the Black Flame, who had gathered a vast army of frogs and Hyperboreans to usher in the apocalypse. The Flame revealed that Abe was going to be the epicenter of this new Earth and that he was a fully evolved version of the frog monsters: one of
1710-555: The rise of a large, immobile monster in California, spewing out a gas across America and Mexico that mutates people. In the wake of this new crisis, the United Nations Security Council drafted the Bureau to work directly for them, with "blank cheque" funding. A vision of the future shown in King of Fear showed the apocalypse had triumphed over this larger, more heavily armed B.P.R.D. In the wake of
1755-459: The seven Ogdru Jahad lands in Kansas, spawning an army of Ogdru Hem as it tears its way across the land. Johann ends up sacrificing himself to defeat the dragon, paralyzing all the Ogdru Hem around the world and giving the world a moment of peaceful respite. The Bureau made its first appearance in the pages of the Hellboy miniseries Hellboy: Seed of Destruction (4 issues, March–June 1994) and
1800-481: The tube, dated the day of Abraham Lincoln 's assassination (April 14, 1865). Abe Sapien was taken to the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (BPRD) for a grueling round of research by curious BPRD scientists and was saved from vivisection by an empathetic Hellboy . Thereafter, Abe entered the ranks of the BPRD as a valued field agent, embarking on his first mission with Hellboy in 1979. At Cavendish Hall, during
1845-415: Was a major part of the comic until Hellboy leaves the B.P.R.D. at the end of Conqueror Worm . At this point the B.P.R.D. series began, following the agents of the B.P.R.D. such as Abe Sapien, Liz Sherman, Roger and Johann Krauss. B.P.R.D. was once considered a "series of miniseries", with each story reading as a stand-alone story easily enough, but over time, an overarching story began to develop. When
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1890-413: Was brought back to the physical world, revealed to have become host to the power of the destroyed Ogdru Jahad's power. He was confronted by Abe, Liz and the recently resurrected Hellboy in the streets of New York, where Abe was quickly killed by Rasputin breaking his back. Abe's body fell to the bottom of the river, where Ichthyoplankton flowed out of a wound across his chest. After Hellboy killed Rasputin at
1935-512: Was comatose. Abe eventually awakened, discovered his transformation, and stumbled into the empty monitor room, to discover the world in apocalypse while he was out. Panya confronted Abe, telling him what happened and that Hellboy has died. Taking Panya's advice, Abe fled the BPRD, stealing a truck, to go out on his own and discover if he is involved in the apocalypse. Kate Corrigan, highly desiring her friend's return, sends agents to bring him home but eventually give in due to more pressing matters. In
1980-462: Was last used to house Nazi scientists who defected to America after World War II . As such, the facility contains vast quantities of secret files that the B.P.R.D. has yet to explore. The frog monster invasion reached its peak during the events of The Black Flame during which a Neo-Nazi madman adopted the persona of the World War II era supervillain the Black Flame and insinuated himself as
2025-419: Was seen as something as prophet in a growing religion humanity was creating to deal with the "Hell on Earth". Abe although was not the only one looking into his origin, Gustav Strobl was magically weakened due to the turmoil in hell caused by Hellboy and became desperate and disillusioned by the fact it was nearly the end of everything and he didn't have significant part to play. Sensing Abe was important, both men
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