Rasputin the Mad Monk

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Rasputin's story begins in 1895, when he allowed Baba Yaga to hide a fragment of his soul in the roots of Yggdrasil, granting him immortality. After his historical assassination on December 16, 1916, the Ogdru Jahad contacted and revived him, enlisting him as their mortal agent. He soon partnered with the Nazis to develop occult methods for ending World War II through Project Ragna Rok, though he never intended to help them win—he merely used their resources to pursue his own goal: triggering the apocalypse to create a new Eden. In 1994, after decades in a meditative state in the Arctic Circle, Rasputin resurfaced and lured Hellboy to the Cavendish estate to free the Ogdru Jahad. Hellboy refused, and Rasputin attempted to siphon power from Liz Sherman into Sadu-Hem, but Abe Sapien impaled him while under the influence of Elihu Cavendish's ghost. Liz's flames incinerated Sadu-Hem, and Rasputin was reduced to a skeleton and destroyed. He later reappeared as a ghost, directing Ilsa Haupstein to place herself in an enchanted iron maiden and prophesying that Abe Sapien would suffer the same death as he did. After visiting Baba Yaga at Yggdrasil, Rasputin declared he would continue trying to make himself a god. He counseled Inger von Klempt, but she was executed by Lobster Johnson. Rasputin then attempted to command Hecate, who destroyed his ghostly form; his remnants retreated to Yggdrasil's roots, where Baba Yaga gathered his soul into an acorn. The acorn was later thrown through a crack in Yggdrasil into Hell. In The Devil You Know, Rasputin was resurrected as the newest avatar of the Ogdru Jahad, reanimating every Ogdru Hem on the planet. He snapped Abe Sapien's spine, swatted Liz Sherman aside, and tore off Hellboy's right hand before Hellboy snapped his neck. Hellboy then collapsed and died of blood loss. The Ogdru Hem eradicated most of humanity before Hellboy's severed hand stopped them; humanity fled underground while Icthyo Sapiens repopulated the surface from Abe's corpse.

In Their Own Story

The snow fell silently over the frozen lake where the body had been recovered decades prior. Inside the cold storage unit, the eyes snapped open, glowing with a sickly violet hue. The Mad Monk did not breathe; he simply waited. He heard the footsteps of agents approaching, their boots crunching on ice that should have melted long ago. Rasputin smiled beneath his rotting skin, knowing that while they hunted monsters, they were walking into a trap set by history itself.

Reader's Guide

Grigori Rasputin is a supervillain in the Hellboy comic series, created by Mike Mignola and John Byrne. He is based on the real-life Russian mystic and serves as the second archenemy of Hellboy after the Ogdru Jahad. His fictional biography begins in 1895, when he allowed Baba Yaga to hide a fragment of his soul in Yggdrasil's roots to become immortal. After his assassination on December 16, 1916, the Ogdru Jahad revived him as their mortal agent. He then worked with the Nazis on Project Ragna Rok, using their resources to trigger the apocalypse. In Hellboy: Seed of Destruction, he conducted a ritual during World War II to summon the means for the Ogdru Jahad to destroy Earth, but the summoning accidentally brought Hellboy to the Allies. After decades in a meditative state in the Arctic Circle, he resurfaced in 1994 and lured Hellboy to the Cavendish estate. Hellboy refused to free the Ogdru Jahad, so Rasputin tried to siphon Liz Sherman's power into Sadu-Hem. Abe Sapien impaled him, and Liz's flames incinerated Sadu-Hem, reducing Rasputin to a skeleton. In Hellboy: Wake the Devil, he reappeared as a ghost, directing Ilsa Haupstein to enter an enchanted iron maiden and prophesying Abe's death. In Hellboy: Conqueror Worm and Darkness Calls, he counseled Inger von Klempt, but she was executed by Lobster Johnson. Hecate destroyed his ghostly form, and Baba Yaga placed his soul in an acorn, which was later thrown into Hell. In B.P.R.D.: The Devil You Know, Rasputin was resurrected as the Ogdru Jahad's avatar, reanimating every Ogdru Hem. He snapped Abe's spine, swatted Liz aside, and tore off Hellboy's right hand before Hellboy snapped his neck. Hellboy died of blood loss, and the Ogdru Hem eradicated most of humanity until Hellboy's hand stopped them.

Did You Know?

• Rasputin was created by Mike Mignola and John Byrne, based on the real-life Russian mystic of the same name.
• He allowed Baba Yaga to take a fragment of his soul and hide it within the roots of Yggdrasil to become immortal.
• After his assassination on December 16, 1916, the Ogdru Jahad contacted and revived him as their mortal agent.
• In The Devil You Know, Rasputin was resurrected as the newest avatar of the Ogdru Jahad and tore off Hellboy's right hand before Hellboy snapped his neck.
• Rasputin's soul was placed in an acorn by Baba Yaga, which was later thrown through a crack in Yggdrasil into Hell.