Mythical creatures that can shift into animals or perhaps exist in a half-human, half-animal form abound in fiction and fantasy worlds. We frequently only hear stories and fables about werewolves, vampires, and unicorns, despite the fact that there are many such magical animals.
Let’s take a look at the account of a were-jaguar who resurrected from the dead with incredible abilities after a battle with a mystical cult. Benjamin Daimio was a character in the Hellboy comic series created by John Arcudi and Guy Davis.
Daimio had a very normal life as a US marine official until a horrific event turned his life completely upside down. Even a tragic injury couldn’t break his spirit, as he resurrected in a new form and proudly displayed his battle scars while working with the B.R.P.D. Let’s go back in time and look at his debut appearance in a comic book!
The first comic appearance and origins explored
Benjamin Daimio was introduced in the B.R.P.D. Comics – The Dead [Vol 1], wherein we see his first appearance and the story behind him joining the B.R.P.D. While the members of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense [B.R.P.D.] investigate a case of frog monsters, Thomas Manning brings them some footage of a morgue. The group plays the footage, and we see that the video is of a doctor talking about a unique medical case.
However, there is something unsettling going on in the background, as a body from the morgue seems to be moving and coming back to life. The dead body manages to get itself out of the body bag and emerges with a dead, deformed body. The doctor is quite stunned to witness the dead man come back to life, while the dead man asks the doctor about their whereabouts.
While Thomas Manning pauses the video, the rest of the team wonders how the man in the video is related to the current frog monster crisis. Thomas tells them that they will be relocating to an old government facility in Colorado to work on the frog problem. He also reveals that the dead man in the video is ‘Ben Daimio’ who will be their new Field Commander. He tells them that Benjamin used to be a Marines officer, and he has been working as an informal consultant to the B.R.P.D. ever since his accident.
Liz Sherman protests against ‘Captain Zombie’ joining the team and brings up the video footage where Daimio rose from the dead. At the same time, Daimio appears in the office and makes a formal introduction. He also addresses the conversation in the room and reveals that he was dead but only for three days. He does not seem offended by Liz’s comments and is quite eager to get to work. The team gets acquainted with Daimio, and they soon prepare to leave for Colorado.
In the second issue, the B.R.P.D. the team settles in Colorado while the ‘giant frogs’ problem becomes a major source of their worries. While the rest of the team looks into it, Johann Kraus, an officer that moved to Colorado, seems quite distracted in their new place. He wanders the corridors of the building, and eventually, Daimio and Liz accompany him to the basement. Much to their surprise, they find a frightened old man living in an isolated room in the building.
Over the next issue of the comics, Daimio and Liz interrogate the old man and learn that his name is Gunter Eiss. Gunter worked as a physicist in Germany and later came to America, where he was trapped in this sealed room after an explosion. He had no way of escaping, and he survived for years in the room while living on insects, mushrooms, and spiders. While Daimio gets to know about Gunter, Johann wanders around the place and comes across a room with electrical equipment and a television.
He tries to fix some of the equipment when the T.V. turns on, and the ghosts of five German scientists appear on the screen. Though taken aback, Gunter communicates with them in German, and they have a conversation. Soon after, these scientists make their way out of the screens and fly into the room in terrifying ghostly forms.
In the next issue, Daimio tries to get a hold of the ghosts when he comes across Gunter once again. The physicist claims to have a device that can open a portal to heaven, and he turns the device on. Before Daimio can even approach Gunter, the physicist’s body explodes due to the machine, and a strange creature bursts from within his body. The creature grows into a towering monster, and Daimio looks around for a weapon to contain it.
Daimio tries to control the creature, while Johann appears at the scene with some aid. They work together to turn off Gunter’s machine, thereby closing the portal that led to the creature’s appearance. Once the portal is closed, it causes an explosion that destroys the monster and leaves behind a shell of Gunter’s human body. Daimio kills off whatever is left of Gunter as a precautionary measure. Since Gunter has now been killed, the five ghosts of German scientists also get their revenge, and they soon leave the place, which brings an end to this problem.
Early life and how he joined the B.R.P.D.
Benjamin Daimio was born into a military family, and his father carried out many missions for the military in Vietnam. Later, he himself became a U.S. Marines official and dedicated his entire life to serving the country. Daimio was soon promoted to the rank of Captain, and things were going quite well in his career until a tragic incident that happened in 2001.
Benjamin was sent on a rescue mission to the Bolivian Jungle along with his squad of 8 officials. They were searching for a group of nuns who were kidnapped and held hostage by a political organization known as the ‘True Path.’ Though ‘True Path’ did not carry out such violent activities, the officers were still ordered to investigate the workings of the organization, which led them to venture into the Jungle. However, here they discovered that the actual gang behind the kidnapping was a secret cult that resided in the Jungle and worshiped a native Jaguar God. The cult ran many illegal activities and was responsible for killing and attacking many tribes and locals that lived in the area.
Benjamin and his team of officials launched into a fight with the cult members, which led to many of the officers getting injured or even killed. Eventually, Ben had a strange supernatural encounter with the Jaguar God himself. He could sense the spirit of a giant jaguar and started seeing strange visions. The spirit told him that his new life was about to begin, which shook Ben to the core as he fell to the ground. Presumed dead, Ben was taken to the morgue, where his body was supposed to get an autopsy in three days. However, he emerged alive from his body bag in the morgue and thus began his new life.
After waking up from the dead, he did not have any adverse side effects and only had a gash on his face, which he wore like a battle scar. He also discovered his newfound powers, and soon after, Ben began working as an informal consultant to the B.R.P.D.
Benjamin Daimio in the Hellboy reboot movie and the controversies
Benjamin Daimio’s character was also written into the 2019 reboot of the Hellboy movie. The movie was the third live-action film in the Hellboy franchise, and it was centered around the plot of the Hellboy comics, especially ‘Hellboy in Mexico’, ‘Darkness Calls’ ‘The Wild Hunt’, etc.
Portrayed by Daniel Dae Kim, Benjamin Daimio is introduced in the movie when Hellboy gets into trouble during one of his missions while working for the B.R.P.D. Though Daimio helps Hellboy and even travels with him back to the police headquarters, he appears to have a secret vendetta against Hellboy. Daimio gets his hands on a specialized bullet that will kill Hellboy, and he keeps it safe while the group figures out their next move. We also get a glimpse into Daimio’s life story as he talks to a group member ‘Alice’ and we learn more about his past and how he survived a demonic jaguar attack.
As the movie progresses, Daimio joins hands with Hellboy and Alice to fight against the fairy goddess ‘Nimue’, who intends to use Hellboy to start an apocalypse. The trio works together and decapitates Nimue, and Daimio also discards the special bullet intended for Hellboy.
Though Daniel Dae Kim portrayed Daimio, he was not the first choice for the character’s on-screen portrayal. Initially, Ed Skrein was cast to play Daimio, but this caused quite a controversy as Daimio’s character is a Japanese-American, and fans were quite vocal as they talked against the whitewashing of an Asian character. Lloyd Levin, the producer of the Hellboy franchise, clarified that they cast an English actor only because they had created an English background for Daimio in the adaption as the movie was set in the U.K. After facing backlash, the producers finally rectified their mistake and went back to the comic book version of Daimio. They then cast Daniel Day Kim to play the role of Daimio, who was a better representation of the character.
What makes him so powerful?
Benjamin Daimio was an ex-marine officer, which gave him quite an advantage in hand-to-hand combat or any battle-like situations. With years of military experience, he could wield a large number of weapons and had quite an advantage in physical fights. However, he had no additional powers or supernatural abilities in his human form.
On the other hand, Ben possesses a significant number of animalistic powers in his Jaguar form. He has super speed and strength, just like a Jaguar, and he can heal from any injuries at a very rapid rate. Moreover, he could also dodge attacks in the form of bullets or knives and was immune to almost all means of physical aggression. However, Daimio could be brought down with weapons that were wielded with magic and he was not immune to supernatural weapons.
Conclusion
With his years of experience as a military officer, Ben Daimio makes up for a crucial part of the B.R.P.D. Daimio is a force to reckon with, and his mere presence in the B.R.P.D. captivates the reader’s attention. He is quite a team player and is an essential character who adds a lot of interest to the comic’s storylines!