While visiting the set of Hellboy in Bulgaria, there’s yet another exciting difference with this reboot; Hellboy has some new, very interesting new teammates to play with. Fans of Mike Mignola’s comics already know that there were dozens of agents alongside Hellboy in the B.P.R.D., or Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. So those fans might be scratching their heads to learn that one of Hellboy’s most prominent teammates in this film is Captain Benjamin “Ben” Daimio, a Field Team Commander that never actually shared a frame with Hellboy in the comics. During the scene we observed being shot, it was clear to see not only why Daimio chosen for this adaptation, but what actor Daniel Dae Kim brings to the project.

Daimio is a strong enough character on his own as a prominent leader in the B.P.R.D. spinoff comics, and his assertive alpha personality translates to the film adaptation as well. When explaining why they settled on Daimio for the reboot, producer Lloyd Levin explains, “If you look at this story from Hellboy’s point of view, Daimio becomes a really great foil within that story. Whether he was in the Wild Hunt [graphic novel] or he wasn’t, to bring him into the story felt really kind of organic. There are a lot of characters to look at, and we looked at every character, but Daimio’s a really great mirror character for Hellboy in a lot of ways.”  Kim expands on the dynamic between his character and Hellboy by adding, “It’s sticky. They’re teammates but they’re not necessarily on the same side. It takes a little while for the two of them to come to a working relationship, and by the end, they find a good one.”

Kim was actually cast later than most in the film, due to the original casting choice of Ed Skrein for a character with clear Asian lineage. The backlash was loud and abrupt, but Skrein’s gracious stepping down from the role allowed for recasting that rang more faithfully to the comics. On the casting backlash, Levin expands, “The public conversation was the same conversation that we had. We felt we made a mistake. When we started this, and we started talking about Daimio, it was years ago. We’d already established a story, where the story takes place in the U.K., so we were creating Daimio as giving him an English background. We kind of lost track of who he was in the comic books, and we made a mistake. And Ed was very, very gracious. It was something we felt we had to, and wanted to, correct.” Through the recasting process, Kim came up very quickly with Levin explaining, “We looked at a broad list when we decided we had to cast it more faithfully as the character was written and his ethnicity. When we saw Daniel on the list, we went pretty much directly to him.”

When asked about his view on the casting backlash, Kim states, “I’d heard about the controversy even before I knew I was going to be a part of this project, and this casting came in as the last one in a long line of examples of a similar issue. No, not a similar issue, the exact same issue. So, when I heard what the producers did and what, in particular, Ed [Skrein] did, I was really deeply moved and very impressed. It’s not often that someone takes that kind of responsibility and something that has a direct effect on his livelihood, and so I couldn’t give him more credit for taking the stand that he did. Because it enabled me to do job, of course, but I think what it says about the business and the issue at large is much more important.” With Kim being the top choice during the recasting process, the audition process was simple; a conversation with director Neil Marshall to see if they fit together collaboratively. When pressed on what that conversation entailed, Kim answers, “One of the things I really enjoyed about it is that he didn’t want to rely too much on CG. He really wanted to make this project as practical as possible when it came to the stunts and effects, and for an actor, I don’t want to generalize for actors, but for me it was appealing because I can always tell when there’s a disconnect between the actor and the world around him or her. Acting in front of a blue screen is not ideal. When you can have a person in front of you or when you can live in the scenery of the set, that’s better for me. So when I heard he wanted to emphasize those things, it went a long way. I also liked what he said about the themes that he was exploring, and he seemed to be a really generous director. That all proved to be true.”

The recasting not only follows the source material more closely, but it marks a historic cinematic occasion; the first Asian comic book character on the big screen. It’s something that Kim doesn’t take lightly, sharing, “I feel a lot of pride, I do, and not for myself. I feel a lot of pride because I think this is the very first Asian character from a comic book, correct me if I’m wrong, but there’s definitely not one in the Marvel universe, or DC universe. So if this is the first time Asian Americans are being represented on screen, that’s something to be proud of. Most comic book heroes were created in the ‘50s, and that was a time when diversity was not a thing. But now it is, and so there really is a question about when we will see more diverse actors portraying comic book heroes. Again, that goes back to the question of being respectful to the source material while at the same time being able to take risks and chances, making it your own. I wonder if that’s going to come to pass in the comic book world. “

Speaking with Kim in between takes on the scene during the set visit, he was in full makeup, which meant Daimio’s prominent facial scarring on display. As faithful as this adaptation seems to be toward the comics, this is one area that’s more understated. Daimio’s scarring is horrific on page, but a bit more palatable to the eye on screen. Joel Harlow discusses his creation of Daimio’s look versus the comics with, “Yeah, I mean that’s a little more horrific. Because you know he is a main character, and so he’s got to be someone that’s not so off-putting when you look at him that you don’t want to look at him. I think we’re kind of tempering that with his look on the page with his look.”

Those scars hide an extremely fun backstory that makes Daimio a welcome addition to Hellboy. When asked how Kim feels about Daimio’s scars he jokes, “It’s nice to have scars on the outside, when most of my scars are on the inside.” Kim laughs before adding, “It is interesting, though, to have a manifestation of the conflict that’s inside of him. I don’t know how much you know about the character, but he’s constantly trying to hide a lot of his true nature. So it’s interesting to me that he’s got something that’s inescapable on his face and it affects every part of how he interacts in the world. It’s something, like race in fact, where even though you may not think about it, everyone else looking at you is aware. I find it an interesting metaphor.”

Make no mistake, though, while artistic liberties may be taken this is foremost constructed with Mignola’s input. Kim contemplates on how he takes the source material and gives his own spin to it, stating, “In working on Hawaii Five-0 I had a similar question, I think the answer really all stems from respect, you know if you respect the source material then the decisions you make and the choices you make can be your own. But at the same time it will be done in the right spirit.”

Between the scars indicating a mysterious past and picking up on his distaste toward the supernatural in the scene he was shooting, Kim explains of his character, “His journey is, I think as a character, is to stop hating himself. I think he has a lot of resentment toward himself and what has happened to him. So his relationship to the supernatural is one where he’s been adversely affected by it, and he’s also very cynical that something good can come of it. So that’s what’s coming through in this scene. He acknowledges it as a part of this world, but he wants to have as little to do with it as possible, and he believes it’s only used for bad. So we’ll see how that goes for him.”

It’s clear that Kim, and his character, belong in this world that Marshall has created. With comic book films, the inevitable question of sequel potential comes up. With Daimio’s origin story only being introduced in Hellboy, Kim was asked on the desire to return to the role. He answers, “Yeah, I mean, once I started researching what the life span of this character was and what it entailed, I was really interested in exploring it. His story continues in a really interesting, dramatic way. Without spoiling anything, the conclusion of it is one that I’d really like to get to. It’s a really clearly defined journey, and we’re only in the first step of it.”

Hellboy returns on April 12, 2019.