James Henry O'Donnell
Gender	Male
Species	Human
Occupation	Consultant to the B.P.R.D.
First Comic Appearance	B.P.R.D.: Plague of Frogs #2

Professor James Henry O'Donnell is a ward of the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense.

History Edit

James Henry O'Donnell was once a work reknowned expert on Ancient Languages with a special interest in the occult; teaching the subject at the University of Columbia. He was also an informal consultant to the B.P.R.D. who occassionaly liased with Trevor Bruttenholm.

Professor's O'Donnells life change drastically in 1987 when news reached Bruttenholm that world famous necromancer Alessandro Divizia had died. Divizia was regarded to have one of the most impressive library collections in the world and Bruttenholm wished to get hold of it in order to further expand the Bureau's knowledge base. Unable to get away, he asked James O'Donnell to investigate the late-necromancers mansion and the collection - accompanied by a reluctant Hellboy. Once there the two were seperated - the exact circumstances remaining a mystery as only O'Donnell was privy to what truly happened. The Professor found himself in a secret room in the mansion, observing a ritual conducted by a dozen cloaked figures; the ghosts of some of human histories most notorious and well known occultist scientists. As Hellboy did battle with a strange, minotaur monster that manifested in the mansion, O'Donnell found himself alone with the ghosts of the occultists; including the spirit of Divizia. As the ritual became more intense and chaotic they shed their skins to reveal fly like monsters beneath - all the while surrounding the professor.

What happened to O'Donnell after is unknown to the Bureau. After burning down the house in his battle with the minotaur, the professor was found by Hellboy wandering alone down the road a day later - his mental state having severely deteriorated. Since then the Professor has been barely lucid most of the time - rambling to himself and others and neglecting his own care. No longer capable of looking after himself he has become a ward of the Bureau; Bruttenholm would blame himself for O'Donnell's predicament.

Abilities and attributes Edit

Professor O'Donnell was once a foremost scholar on ancient languages and the occult. Since the incident in 1987, despite his illness, his knowledge has increased tenfold. Now an expert in everything from alchemy, tarot, numerology, necromancy to the secret histories of the Ogdru Hem and the Hyperborean peoples he has shown the ability to recite entire texts from memory, even texts that nobody has seen or read in hundreds of years. He has become an invaluable asset to the B.P.R.D despite his difficulties staying on topic and expressing himself to others.