Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense

The Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (the B.P.R.D. or BPRD) is an organization charged with protecting America and the world from the occult, paranormal and supernatural. It retains the services of several supernatural persons, including Hellboy. The BPRD originally appeared in the Hellboy comics but has also been featured in many stories under the BPRD title.

History[]

The B.P.R.D. was founded in late 1944 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. By 1947, the Bureau relocated to a custom built facility in Fairfield, Connecticut. It maintains strong links to various branches of the United States Armed Forces 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 like Canada, Japan, France, and Italy have been mentioned).

Professor Bruttenholm served as director until the late 1950s when he stepped down to return to field work. The current Director is Dr. Thomas Manning. Since the 1970s, additional paranormal agents have joined the ranks, such as Liz Sherman, Abraham Sapien, Johann Kraus, and Ben Daimio. This has become necessary to maintain the high profile of the Bureau, especially in light of the departure of their flagship agent, Hellboy, in 2001.

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 the exceptions of China and the CIA.

Plague of Frogs[]

The Bureau was initially the United States' only defense against an onslaught of frog creatures. Though the 'frogs' originally began operating on the East Coast, they spread west on both sides of the US-Canadian border. To cut costs, the Bureau moved from its long-time headquarters in Connecticut to an abandoned research facility in Colorado. This facility was last used to house Nazi scientists who defected to America after World War II. As such, the facility contains vast amounts 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. A Nazi madman called the Black Flame insinuated himself as the leader of the frogs, and together they raised Katha-Hem (one of the Ogdru Hem, the 369 spawn of the Ogdru Jahad) from the ground. The beast ran rampant across the American heartland until Liz Sherman used an ancient artifact to amplify her pyrokinetic powers a thousandfold. After she burned Katha-Hem alive, the frog monsters dragged the Black Flame into a vast pit and the invasion came to an end.

Hell on Earth[]

The B.P.R.D. has recently become an international organization with support from the United Nations. This is due to the major Ogdru Hem activity occurring throughout the world. The Bureau has also been unable to rely on their enhanced talent agents as of late. Former Team Captain Ben Daimio fled the Bureau after causing the death of several agents. Agent Liz Sherman is currently missing following her destruction of the frog army and the Black Flame at Agartha. Agent Abe Sapien is currently on the run after awakening from a 4 month coma brought on by severe injuries. His time spent in a coma has left him transformed and his fellow agents even more suspicious of him and his role in the end of the world. Due to this lack of enhanced talent agents, the more traditional agents have had to step up as the world falls apart.

Agents[]

Enhanced Talents Agents[]

Hellboy — World's Greatest Paranormal Detective, Beast of the Apocalypse
Abe Sapien — icthyo-humanoid, formerly Langdon Caul
Liz Sherman — pyrokinetic
Johann Kraus — ectoplasmic physical medium (deceased)
Fenix Espejo — psychic
Dr. Izar Hoffman — psychic
Sidney Leach — psychically detects and manipulates metal (possibly retired)
Captain Ben Daimio — team leader, were-jaguar (deceased)
Roger — homunculus (deceased)
Panya — ageless mummy and psychic (deceased)
Ashley Strode — exorcist (deceased)
Ted Howards — wields Hyperborean sword connected to a prehistoric human (deceased)

Human Agents — Present Day B.P.R.D.[]

Dr. Thomas Manning — director (deceased)
Dr. Kate Corrigan — former liaison to enhanced talents agents, later field director (deceased)
Professor James Henry O'Donnell — occult specialist (deceased)
Pauline Raskin — former field agent, responsible for training new agents
Andrew Devon — field agent, later field director (deceased)
Carla Giarocco — field agent (deceased)
Nichols — field agent
Rebecca Gervesh — field agent
Agent Tian — field agent (deceased)
Russell Enos — field agent (deceased)
Joseph Vaughn — field agent (deceased)
Nastassja "Stazz" Hansen — field agent (deceased)
Salvatore Tasso — field agent (deceased)
Professor Trevor Bruttenholm — former director (deceased)

Human Agents — 1940s B.P.R.D.[]

Professor Trevor Bruttenholm, director
Tim Clark
Jacob Stegner, field agent (1947, 1948)
Simon Anders, field agent (1947, 1948, Vampire)
Archibald Muraro, field agent
Margaret Laine, secretary
General Norton Ricker, U. S. Military
Mac, the dog
Dr. Howard Eaton — (deceased) — (appears in 1946, Bishop Olek's Devil)
Frank Russell, field agent (deceased) — (appears in 1947)
Gabriel Ruiz, field agent (deceased) — (appears in 1947)

Human Agents — 1950s B.P.R.D.[]

Professor Trevor Bruttenholm, director
Margaret Laine, assistant director of operations
Woodrow Farrier, field agent
Archibald Muraro, field agent
Susan Xiang, psychic field agent
Myron Linneberg, intelligence consultant (former CIA)
Jacob Stegner, field agent (deceased as of 1956)
Agent Gustafsson, field agent — (appears in 1956)
Agent Hendricks, field agent — (appears in 1956)
Agent Hinojosa, field agent — (appears in 1956)
Agent Murphy, field agent — (appears in 1956)
Victor Koestler, field agent - (active as of 1964)
Robert Amsel, field agent (traitor) (deceased as of 1952)

Human Agents (Supporting, background, or deceased)[]

Dr. Matthew Roddel, scientist
Dr. Michael Cobb, scientist
Dr. Arnold Platt, scientist (deceased)
Doris, medical doctor
Peter, techie responsable for overseeing the Oannes' superhuman bodies
Jim, techie
Lloyd, mechanic — Wake the Devil
Izzy Kemper, cult expert, linguist
Garrett Omatta, psychic medium
Josh Ecton, psychic
Agent Lashley, field agent — The Black Flame
Agent Navarro, field agent — The Black Flame
Catlett, field agent — War on Frogs
Agent Swanson, field agent
Agent Helton, field agent
Agent Kinsley, field agent — Saturn Returns
Agent Brandaux, field agent (deceased)- Wasteland
Cris Peters, field agent (deceased) — The Pickens County Horror
Agent Lehane, field agent (deceased) — The Abyss of Time
Bud Waller, field agent/mechanic (deceased) — Wake The Devil
Scott Clark, field agent (deceased) — Wake The Devil
Lieutenant Bradley, field agent (deceased) — War on Frogs #2
Demers, field agent (deceased) — War on Frogs #2
Agent Varadi, field agent (deceased) — War on Frogs #2
Agent Kohler, field agent (deceased) — War on Frogs #2
Agent Whitcomb, field agent (deceased) — War on Frogs #2
Bernie D'Andrea, field agent (deceased) — War on Frogs #2
Agent Bama, field agent (deceased) — War on Frogs #2
Agent Ferguson, field agent (deceased)
Agent Musgrove, field agent (deceased) — The Killing Ground
Agent Holcombe, field agent (deceased) — The Killing Ground
Agent Pratt, field agent (deceased) — The Drowning
Agent Hampton, field agent (deceased) — The Drowning
Agent Van Fleet, field agent (deceased) — The Drowning
Wilson, pilot (turned into a frogman, presumed deceased) — Plague of Frogs
Possibly The Finn, a friend of Hellboy's
Hamilton, field agent (deceased) — Hellboy Animated
FBI Special Agent John Myers, Hellboy liaison - Hellboy (2004 film)
Clay, field agent (deceased) — Hellboy (2004 film)
Agent Lime, field agent (deceased) - Hellboy (2004 film)
Agent Moss, field agent (deceased) - Hellboy (2004 film)
Agent Quarry, field agent (deceased) - Hellboy (2004 film)
Agent Stone, field agent (deceased) - Hellboy (2004 film)
Agent Flint, field agent (deceased) - Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008 film)
Agent Steel, field agent (deceased) - Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008 film)
Agent Marble, field agent (deceased) - Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008 film)
Michael Clark, field agent (deceased) - Hellboy (2019 film)
Virginia Payne, field agent (deceased) - Hellboy (2019 film)
Esteban Ruiz, field agent (deceased) - Hellboy (2019 film)
Agent Madison, field agent - Hellboy (2019 film)
Agent Strode, field agent - Hellboy (2019 film)
Agent Taylor, field agent - Hellboy (2019 film)