Nichayko's predecessor as the boss of Russia's S.S.S. could hardly be less like the hazmat suited zombie in appearance and yet prefigures his combination of superficial charm, supernatural power and suspicious motivations, all the more so considering her main era in control of the organisation was during the Cold War, with the S.S.S. a sort of supernatural K.G.B. for the Soviets. Much of the appeal of Varvara as a character comes from the huge difference between her appearance and her true self. Taking on the appearance of a young girl, Varvara is, in actual fact, a centuries old demon first summoned to assist the armies of Peter the Great and sticking around through a fascination with mankind and their capacity for violence. This combination of look and inner self has essentially resulted in a character with enormous authority and experience and the behaviour of a spoilt, bratty child. The way she fixates on Professor Bruttenholm as her "favourite human" doesn't ever seem entirely positive.
18. Alice Monaghan
50 year old Irish redhead Alice is the only love interest that Hellboy has had in 20 years of comics (although the movies are different, of course). For that reason alone, she deserves a place on this list, but she also interestingly bookends the major events of his storyline. On one of his earliest adventures set in the 1950s Hellboy rescued baby Alice when fairies tried to replace her with a changeling and raise her themselves as they could have no children of their own. Alice was left with the ability to continue to see fairies, much to her parents' distress, and eventually reunited with Hellboy as all the threads that had been begun in her first appearance brought about the climax of his narrative of witches and fairies.
