The Violent Man

A demonic entity of the Appalachian Mountains who trades protection for souls.

The Crooked Man is a supernatural entity haunting the Appalachian Mountains, as depicted in the 2024 film Hellboy: The Crooked Man. He is a demonic figure who makes pacts with humans, granting them protection in exchange for their souls. The Crooked Man draws power from captive souls and the area's mines, and can assault victims with traumatic visions. He is served by a horde of demonic servants and is ultimately vanquished when Hellboy and Tom Ferrell, aided by Bobbie Jo Song's dispelling of the souls feeding him, destroy him.

Quick Facts

Nature: Supernatural entity
First appearance: Hellboy: The Crooked Man (2024 film)

Lore & Background

The Crooked Man is a supernatural entity who haunts the Appalachian Mountains. He makes pacts with humans, such as the one he made with Tom Ferrell when Tom was a child. Tom used a black cat carcass to make a pact with the Crooked Man: whatever bone Tom held once the entity arrived would become his lucky bone. However, Tom was terrified by the sight of the Crooked Man and discarded the lucky bone, but it would always return and kept him safe from harm. Tom realized his actions enabled the Crooked Man to cross over to Earth, and he vowed to confront and destroy him. The Crooked Man draws power from the town's mines and from captive souls, which Bobbie Jo Song was able to dispel with magic, weakening the demon and enabling his defeat.