Can anyone possibly top the unparalleled manliness of Ron Perlman? That’s pretty tough to do. I’ll just say, even before I saw him in an actual movie, I heard his iconic voice from the classic Teen Titans cartoon. That’s when he was the voice of Slade. A little fun fact, the reason he was called Slade is because his comic alias wasn’t considered appropriate for a children’s cartoon. If you’re not familiar with DC Comics, which everyone should be because it’s awesome, then I’ll tell you about Slade Wilson. He’s pretty much the same character in the Teen Titans cartoon as he is in the comics, but he doesn’t use the name Deathstroke. Does that sound like a name you would hear in a cartoon? Probably not, but that didn’t matter because they got Ron Perlman to voice him. And my god, just hearing him speak any line was all kinds of intimidating. As a kid, his voice sent the chills down my spine. And since Ron Perlman proved he could be a scary villain (Blade 2 is another example), he would quickly prove that he could be a hero as well. I’m speaking, of course, about his role as Hellboy. Back in 2004, he and Guillermo del Toro made one of the most underrated comic-based movies ever. At least enough people watched it so a sequel could be made. Hellboy 2: The Golden Army was a good sequel with lots of action and a stellar performance from Ron Perlman once again.
After that, we fans were eagerly waiting for a third movie. Sadly enough, that never happened. Guillermo del Toro just never got to it and Ron Perlman would only come back if del Toro returned. As time went on, it seemed like the chances of Hellboy 3 were getting slimmer and slimmer. We would eventually get another Hellboy movie, but not the one we wanted. In 2019, we got somewhat of a Hellboy reboot with David Harbour starring as the monster-hunting, six pack-loving demon. Okay, so in all fairness, David Harbour was pretty good in the role. He was funny, he was big, and delivered on some intense action scenes. The problem was, he just wan’t Ron Perlman. And yes, that is a vital difference. Just go watch all three Hellboy movies and you’ll understand why it’s just so hard to separate Ron Perlman from the character. I think we all appreciated the valiant effort David Harbour made to make this character great in 2019, but unfortunately, his Hellboy was in a movie with an uninteresting plot and poor script. That also shows the difference when Guillermo del Toro isn’t directing.
Can you have a third Hellboy movie without Ron Perlman or Guillermo del Toro? I’d like to think so, but I think when it comes to Hellboy, these two are the main ingredients to make that recipe work. Since the 2019 movie bombed, it looks like we won’t be seeing a sequel in the future. Not that anyone is asking for one, but I think Hellboy is too cool of a character to not see in another movie again. And you know what? I’ll take David Harbour again, but he needs the right script and director to work with. What if he actually got to do a sequel with Guillermo del Toro? That would be pretty bonkers, but let’s talk about the chances of the original Hellboy possibly returning. Ron Perlman has seemingly left the role of Hellboy behind him, but in a recent interview with Variety, he did confirm that he’s willing to come back for the fans. And yes, he’s well aware of his age. The man is 71 and still looks like he could knock out a few youngsters. When he isn’t Hellboy, he’s Clay Morrow, the true President of the Sons of Anarchy motorcycle club. You could probably argue that is his signature role. It’s just impossible to mention Ron Perlman without bringing up Clay Morrow.
But again, he’s 71 and he mentioned how that is stopping him from pursuing another Hellboy movie. But even though he’s not eager to reprise the role again, he said he owed it to the fans and that it would be an epic conclusion to the story he and Guillermo del Toro started. Let’s just take a minute and respect how much appreciation Ron Perlman has for this character. On top of that, he’s fully aware of how much the fans love Hellboy and is willing to return just for them. That is the main reason why he was the perfect actor to play the character. Now given that he is 71, we should ask ourselves if he is physically capable of playing Hellboy again. It has obviously been a while since he’s played Hellboy and that does matter. I remember when David Harbour was posting his post-workout photos when he got the role. He had a lot of work to do and by the time he had to start shooting, he put on some muscle. Needless to say, he’s much younger than Ron Perlman, so working out was easier for him.
But you know what? I don’t think Ron Perlman needs to do some crazy workouts in order to look as big as Hellboy. Guillermo del Toro did an amazing job at using more practical effects in his movies, but if a third movie were to happen, he might have to use more CGI. I have a feeling he’ll use a small combination of both, with make-up and practical effects being the more preferred method. That’s okay, and if Ron Perlman needs a stand-in, which he probably will, they’ll bring in the make-up. What we need the most is Guillermo del Toro’s direction and Ron Perlman’s voice and mannerisms. If we can have that, just one more time, we’ll be satisfied. I really don’t think his age matters too much. But he does need Guillermo del Toro. That man can do some serious wonders with make-up and practical effects. I have faith in a third Hellboy movie, but only if both men return. What are your thoughts, Hellboy fans? Do you think Ron Perlman will return for the third movie. That is one trilogy that needs to have that conclusion.Sons of Anarchy
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