Hellboy: 20 Easter Eggs And References Explained
11. Merlin
Swapping a forest grave for one miles underground, Merlin - cursed to permanently exist on Earth until its end - managed a significantly more important role in the film than he did within all the comics combined.
This is because Merlin's role is blended with Morgan Le Fay's from the comics - as in the comics it's Morganna who tells Hellboy of his blood relation to King Arthur, and his destiny to wield Excalibur. Strangely, the other difference between the two is that his curse is broken in the film - as his summoning of the mythical sword takes up the last of his magic, turning him to dust.
While it's a shame we miss out on all the spooky glory Morgan Le Fay provides in the comic, it's perhaps best that Merlin takes this role instead, as one of the key criticisms surrounding Hellboy is how cluttered its storyline was already.