Golden Army Crown

Lore & Background

The Golden Army Crown was created by a goblin blacksmith who offered to build King Balor an indestructible mechanical army. Encouraged by his son Prince Nuada, Balor accepted. When the Golden Army devastated humanity, Balor regretted his actions and formed a truce with humans. As part of the truce agreement between elves and humans, the crown to command the Golden Army was split into three pieces.

Angered by this decision, Nuada left the elf kingdom in exile. The crown can only be worn by one of elven royal blood. In the present day, Nuada begins gathering the pieces: he retrieves the first piece at an auction by unleashing tooth fairies that eat the crowd, then kills his father Balor to collect the second piece. His twin sister Princess Nuala escapes with the final piece.

The crown is ultimately destroyed when Liz uses her pyrokinesis to melt it, but the Golden Army itself remains intact and is not permanently deactivated.

Reader's Guide

The Golden Army Crown is the key to commanding the indestructible mechanical army built by the goblin blacksmith. It can only be worn by one of royal blood. The crown was split into three pieces after King Balor regretted using the army against humanity. To activate the Golden Army, all three pieces must be reunited and worn by a royal. In the film, Prince Nuada gathers the pieces by killing his father and hunting his sister. Hellboy, as a member of Hell's royal family, is able to challenge Nuada for the right to command the army. The crown is ultimately destroyed by Liz Sherman's pyrokinesis, melting it and deactivating the Golden Army permanently.

Production and Visual Design

Guillermo del Toro wrote and directed Hellboy II: The Golden Army from a story he co-wrote with Mike Mignola. The film was released in the United States on July 11, 2008. It received a nomination for Best Makeup at the 81st Academy Awards. The production budget was $82.5–85 million, and it grossed $168.3 million. Ron Perlman starred as Hellboy, armed with a new gun called 'The Big Baby' which fires flare-like bullets. Doug Jones played multiple roles including Abe Sapien (providing his own voice this time, unlike the first film where David Hyde Pierce dubbed him), the Angel of Death, and the Chamberlain. John Alexander and James Dodd shared the role of Johann Krauss, with Seth MacFarlane providing the voice after Thomas Kretschmann's voice didn't mesh well with the mechanical sound effects.

Plot and Mythological Conflict

The plot begins with a 1955 bedtime story where Trevor Bruttenholm tells young Hellboy about an ancient war between humans and magical creatures. A goblin blacksmith builds King Balor an indestructible mechanical army, but when it devastates humanity, Balor regrets his actions and forms a truce. His son Prince Nuada leaves in exile, and the crown is split into three pieces. In the present, Nuada gathers the pieces: retrieving one from an auction by unleashing tooth fairies, killing his father for the second, while his twin sister Nuala escapes with the third.

Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. track the tooth fairies to a secret troll market under the Brooklyn Bridge. Nuada summons an elemental forest god against Hellboy. Nuala is taken under B.P.R.D. protection but Nuada tracks her using their magical bond. After Hellboy is critically wounded by Nuada's spear, Liz and Abe take him to the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland where the Bethmoora goblin leads them to the Angel of Death.

The Angel removes the spear shard after Liz pleads for Hellboy's life. The goblin leads the team to the Golden Army's resting place where Nuada awakens the army. Hellboy challenges Nuada for command, defeats him, but Nuala commits suicide to stop her brother. Liz melts the crown with her pyrokinesis, deactivating the Golden Army.

Character Arcs and Emotional Depth

Selma Blair's Liz Sherman is described as more engaging in the sequel, with the actress saying she was 'eager to come and play Liz with a little more vibrancy.' Liz is looking to the future more and has to 'buck up' when things happen. She discovers she is pregnant but swears Abe to secrecy. When Hellboy is critically wounded, she pleads for his life before the Angel of Death, who warns her that Hellboy will doom humanity if he lives and that she will suffer the most from it.

She reveals to Hellboy that he will be a father, giving him a reason to live. Doug Jones described Abe Sapien as having 'a love interest' with Princess Nuala, saying 'his love life is something that's never been tapped into before... just like a 13-year-old with his first crush.' Abe psychically shares his feelings with Nuala before she dies. Luke Goss's Prince Nuada is described as not evil but 'driven by an ethic that was instilled by the person he has problems with, that is, his father.' The film ends with Hellboy, Liz, Abe, and Johann resigning from the B.P.R.D., with Liz indicating they will have twins.

Legacy and Franchise Trajectory

Hellboy II: The Golden Army was released to generally positive reviews from critics, with praise towards its fantasy atmosphere and the cast's acting performances. It grossed $168.3 million against a production budget of $82.5–85 million. The film received a nomination for Best Makeup at the 81st Academy Awards. The franchise was rebooted in 2019 with a new film simply titled Hellboy, released by Lionsgate. Following the critical and commercial failure of that film, a second reboot was announced in 2023 titled Hellboy: The Crooked Man, which itself was a critical and commercial disappointment.