Abraham Sapien
From Hellboy Wiki
| Abraham Sapien | |
 | |
| Alias(es) | Langdon Everett Caul, Abraham Sapien, Mr. Blue, Blue |
| Appeared in | Hellboy Hellboy II: The Golden Army |
| Actor | Doug Jones |
| Gender | Male |
| Species | Ichthyo sapiens |
| Family | Edith Howard (wife) |
| Occupation | Paranormal Investigator for the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense |
| Creator | Mike Mignola |
Abraham "Abe" Sapien (Born:Langdon Everett Caul) is a paranormal investigator. He is often an ally of Hellboy.
Abe is a humanoid amphibious creature. He has a pair of gills on his neck, allowing him to breath underwater, but also has a set of normal human lungs allowing him to stay above and out of water for long periods. However, he does need to regularly “get wet” to keep him from becoming too weak. Abe possesses webbed hands and feet, and has large, bright eyes that help to see in murky, thick water. He has distinctive black/blue stripes vertically overlapping his forehead in a shape reminiscent of a “V”, and is an incredibly good Olympic-level swimmer, thanks to his athletic and peak-conditioned body.
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[edit] Character Biography
[edit] Former life
Abe was formerly Langdon Everett Caul, a powerful married businessman involved with a strange cult in the Victorian Era. At a secret meeting, witnessed by the future Abe in spirit form after being killed with a spear, Caul and other gentlemen perform an arcane ritual that accidentally releases a strange jellyfish-like deity. Abe's spirit merges with his former self and the two become one, transforming Caul into an Ichthyo sapien. Ironically, Abe’s spirit bonded with his past incarnation to become the modern Abraham Sapien, demonstrating a pre-destination paradox. His associates in the past place him into a water casket beneath St. Trinian’s Hospital in Washington D.C., where he rests undiscovered for decades.
B.P.R.D.: The Dead reveals that Caul's wife, Edith Howard, went mad and drowned herself. However, her spirit remained, haunting their house until Caul's return. She tricks the modern-day Abe Sapien into believing he is Caul once again. However, Abe breaks through the illusion and Edith's spirit is exorcised, leaving Abe with the memory of a wife he could never know.
[edit] Modern Discovery
Decades later, the yet-to-be-named Abe Sapien was found inside a capsule filled with water within an ancient long-lost chamber beneath the St. Trinian’s Hospital. Found by a group of plumbers, the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense quickly intercepted the hibernating creature, and named it “Abraham Sapien,” in reference to the old message written on his casket: April 14th 1865; the date of President Abraham Lincoln’s death.
Abe tells Johann Krauss in the BPRD-comic "Hollow Earth" that his first memories, when he was in the BPRD used for experiments, were terrifying. Then Hellboy came in the room and that was the first thing he saw that was not scary. Hellboy told the doctors to shut down the experiments, because "they never stop until someone says "enough"".
Abe became a prominent agent of the B.P.R.D. from that day forward, developing a friendly aquaintance with fellow more-than-human agent Hellboy. He also became good friends with Liz Sherman, a pyrokinetic agent with uncontrollable fire powers. Abe loves rotten eggs and classical music, espeacially Vivaldi's Il cemento dell'armonia.
[edit] The Cavendish Hall affair
In the Hellboy story Seed of Destruction, Abe Sapien accompanied Hellboy and Liz Sherman to the haunted and ancient Cavendish Hall, to investigate the mysterious death of Hellboy’s mentor, Professor Trevor Bruttenholm, by a plague of frogs.
Abe wears a disguise consisting of a large mustache, beard and a trench coat with hat, to disguise his inhuman features from the elderly Mrs. Cavendish, who, unbeknownst to he and his companions, is being used as a pawn by the immortal monk Grigori Rasputin to lure Hellboy into fulfilling his original purpose as the harbinger of the apocalypse.
After interrogating Mrs. Cavendish with not much success, Abe decides to investigate the surrounding area, now underwater due to centuries of the sinking of the land which the manor is built on. Discarding his cumbersome disguise, Abe dives out his guest bedroom window and into the murky, disgusting lake. After exploring for a few minutes aimlessly, Abe came across the sight of two of the mutated Cavendish children dissapearing into the water with their deceased mother, Mrs. Cavendish.
He warily stepped backwards, despite feeling an odd sense of kinship with the creatures, and accidentally stumbled upon an old room containing the body of Elihu Cavendish. Suddenly, Abe was struck to the ground, and then was possessed by the dead man’s spirit, guiding his actions in order to exact vengeance on Rasputin for his family’s suffering.
Arriving in time to stop Rasputin from summoning the Seven Gods of Chaos and awakening the monstrous demonic entity Sadu-Hem, the possessed Abe harpooned Rasputin trough the chest, and dived into the air, snatching away the unleashed Liz, who began to utterly destroy the old ruins with her unprecedented fire powers. Now back under his own mental self, Abe took Liz and helped her escape the ruins, while Hellboy stayed behind for one last discussion with his alleged creator…
Afterwards, Abe and Liz shared their odd experiences during the time that Hellboy was fighting Rasputin and the magically transformed Cavendish children. When Abe asks Hellboy about what happened during his brief moment with the dying Rasputin before escaping the exploding ruins, Hellboy stays silent, a grim look of unease in his eyes.
[edit] The Guirescu affair
Sometime after the Cavendish Hall mission, Abe was summoned to a B.P.R.D. meeting along with agents Hellboy, Liz Sherman, Bud Waller, Leach, and Kate Corrigan. Director Tom Manning explained the latest mission: to investigate three different sites; one of which may be the castle of Vladimir Guirescu, a vampire with Nazi connections, whose body has recently been stolen by his followers and is to be resurrected the following night on the full moon. Abe is assigned with the first team consisting of him and agent Clark, to investigate Site 2.
Aboard a B.P.R.D. airplane en route, Abe approached Hellboy, having noticed Hellboy’s disturbed reaction when Manning brought up the Nazi connection. He tried to comfort his friend, but Hellboy insisted he was fine, and was soon dropped out the cargo door via a (malfunctioning) rocket pack over Site 1.
After touching down on Szentes Castle, both Clark and Abe witnessed a massive explosion come from the distant Castle Guirescu. Abe merely responded with a dry, “Hellboy’s blowing things up again…” After confirming their site to be a dead end, both Abe and Clark set out to a nearby Romanian town to search for Hellboy, whose tracking belt signal was detected in that area. The two arrived at a decrepit church, following the belt’s signal, and when they entered the holy building they saw a reverend standing before them, stiff as a board and holding Hellboy’s stolen belt. Realizing too late that it was a set-up, both Clark and Abe fell through the collapsing floorboards and into a trap of massive stakes, which fatally impaled Clark and Abe barely managed to avoid the deadly spikes.
Rising up with an injured left arm, Abe was then confronted by the vengeful ghost of Rasputin. The visage told Abe that he would be speared to death in the near future by a servant of Rasputin, in retribution for his (Rasputin’s) murder at Abe’s possessed hands. The spirit then left him, sparing him for the time being, as Abe grimly contemplated the mystic’s words…
[edit] The Garden of Souls
In the 2007 mini-series B.P.R.D.: Garden of Souls, Abe Sapien is contacted by Panya, an ageless mummy trapped by The Oannes Club. The Club proves to be made up of Abe's former associates, who are sequestered away on a hidden island in Indonesia. Trapped in cyborg bodies, the club occupy themselves with growing new bodies for themselves. They plan to use bombs to cause massive tidal waves which would kill most of the people in the country, (whose souls could then be harvested by the Club) but Abe manages to single-handedly destroy the entire club and escape with Panya.
[edit] Abilities
Abe is an extremely talented swimmer, with a natural affinity to water. He can breath both above and in water, but can only stay out of water for about a week, And must soak his skin regularly. Abe has great reflexes and boasts an excellent physique, contributing to his fluid movements and ballet-like motions while swimming. An elegant and awe-inspiring creature, Abe Sapien is also a talented gunsman, often using a standard Colt. Pistol, and has a fond relationship with Hellboy and Elizabeth Sherman. His personality is somewhat passive and sarcastic, but is also a contemplative and peaceful being, giving advice and comfort to distressed friends.
[edit] Allies and Enemies
[edit] Allies:
- Hellboy: A red-skinned demon with a right hand made of stone. He was summoned to Earth as a child to be the catalyst for the upcoming Apocalypse, but was rescued by American soldiers and raised to become a force for good. A B.P.R.D. agent, Hellboy is a good friend and partner of Abe’s.
- Liz Sherman: A pyrokinetic, this brooding, somber woman has the psychic ability to create and manipulate fire. However, she suffers from guilt and a lack of self-confidence over her unstable and often downright dangerous ability. When she was a child, she accidentally killed her parents with her powers, and has since always been haunted by her failures and mistakes.
- Roger the Homunculus: An abnormally large, human-sized artificial man created from blood and herbs, both mixed in a jar with horse manure. Roger was discovered by Liz Sherman’s party during the Guirescu Affair, and was accidentally revived inside the secret laboratory he was built in by Liz, who had curiously reached into a hole in his chest, whose fiery abilities sparked the creature to life. Abe Sapien saved the creature from the B.P.R.D.’s unethical experiments by freeing him, who would later go on to prove himself a hero and gain Agent status as a good friend of Hellboy.
- Tom Manning: The Special Projects Director of the B.P.R.D. and Abe’s boss. He is the one who usually briefs Abe and his fellow agents on their new missions.
- Kate Corrigan: An expert agent of the B.P.R.D. She is often on hand to give support and strong-willed advice, as well as criticism. An expert of the occult, Kate is a very dear friend and partner of Abe’s friend Hellboy.
[edit] Enemies:
- Grigori Rasputin: An undead mystic who claims to be the official messenger of the terrible cosmic entity, the Ogdru Jahad, and is completely devoted to bringing about the end of days, by any means. He was under the employs of the Nazis in the mid-forties when he summoned Hellboy to Earth, intending him to be the leader of Rasputin’s forces in the coming apocalypse. During the Cavendish mission, Abe Sapien was possessed by the vengeful spirit of Elihu Cavendish, and while under the ghost’s influenced harpooned Rasputin, killing his physical form. As a result, Abe is now yet another thorn in Rasputin’s side.
[edit] Appearances in Other Media
Abe Sapien, being a fan favorite, has been adapted into various other media, most prominently film and animation.
[edit] Film franchise
Most prominently, the 2004 film directed by Guillermo del Toro featured Abe Sapien as an important character, played by Doug Jones beneath extensive makeup and CGI-enhancement, but dubbed by an uncredited David Hyde Pierce.
In the film, Abe Sapien possesses unique psychic abilities, and requires a water-breathing device when out of the water for long periods of time. He is portrayed as having a rather passive personality, and has a sibling-like relationship with the more direct, “beat stuff into submission, ask questions later” philosophy of Hellboy.
Sapien appeared in the film's 2008 sequel, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, in which he was played and voiced by Doug Jones. He doesn't wear his breathing apparatus as much in this sequel, and he shows his marksman skills in the film. He is also the one who discovers Liz's pregnancy whilst instinctivley protecting her during an attack from tooth faeries. He falls in love with the elf Princess Nuala, which leads to his helping Prince Nuada by giving him the magical crown piece (to control the Golden Army) for her safety.
Abe's more comedic side is touched on in the film also. The fact that he doe not remember his past life means he is completley inexperienced with love and relationships, and finds himself at a loss of how to act around Nuala. However, he finally tells her how he felt as she dies in his arms at the end of the film, through telepathy.
[edit] Hellboy Animated
Second most prominently, Abe is a main character alongside Hellboy and Liz Sherman in the animated feature-length movies that compose the Hellboy: Animated continuity. Two films have been released so far that star Abe, voiced by Doug Jones, as a cast member:
- Hellboy Animated: Sword of Storms, in which he and Liz Sherman become stranded on a rocky island during a supernatural hurricane and must battle a reawakened Japanese dragon spirit.
- Hellboy Animated: Blood and Iron, where Abe is given a much larger action-packed role.
Abe also appears in the graphic-novella series books Hellboy Animated: The Black Wedding and Hellboy Animated: The Judgement Bell.
[edit] Trivia
Originally, Hellboy was to be a member of a superhero team Mignola conceived. In the conceptual drawing for the planned team, featuring a more monstrous, taller Hellboy, you can see Abe Sapien among the teammates.
Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, who is an acknowledged major fan of Mignola’s work, personally claims that Abe is his favorite “Hellboy” character.
