Benjamin Daimio is a fictional
comic book
A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
character who appears in
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops know ...
books featuring
Hellboy
Hellboy is a fictional superhero created by writer-artist Mike Mignola. The character first appeared in ''San Diego Comic-Con Comics'' #2 (August 1993), and has since appeared in various eponymous miniseries, one-shots and intercompany crossover ...
and the
Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense
The Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (the B.P.R.D. or BPRD) is a fictional organization in the comic book work of Mike Mignola, founded by the United States of America, United States and United Kingdom governments, charged with research ...
, of which Daimio is an employee. Created by
Mike Mignola
Mike Mignola (; born September 16, 1960) is an American comics artist and writer best known for creating ''Hellboy'' for Dark Horse Comics, part of a shared universe of titles including ''B.P.R.D.'', '' Abe Sapien'', '' Lobster Johnson'', '' Wit ...
,
John Arcudi
John Arcudi is an American comic book writer, best known for his work on ''The Mask'' and ''B.P.R.D.'', and his series '' Major Bummer''.
Early life
Arcudi grew up in Buffalo, New York. He attended Columbia University as an English major and de ...
and
Guy Davis, Daimio first appeared in ''
B.P.R.D.: The Dead #1'' (December 2004). A
formerly dead United States Marine
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
, Daimio suffers from a curse that transforms him into a horrific
jaguar-like creature.
A version of Daimio appeared in the 2019 film reboot of ''
Hellboy
Hellboy is a fictional superhero created by writer-artist Mike Mignola. The character first appeared in ''San Diego Comic-Con Comics'' #2 (August 1993), and has since appeared in various eponymous miniseries, one-shots and intercompany crossover ...
'' played by
Daniel Dae Kim
Daniel Dae Kim (born Kim Dae-hyun ( ko, 김대현); August 4, 1968) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Jin-Soo Kwon in ''Lost'', Chin Ho Kelly in '' Hawaii Five-0'', Gavin Park in ''Angel'', and Johnny Gat in the '' Saints Ro ...
.
Fictional character biography
As revealed in the second issue of ''B.P.R.D.: The Universal Machine'', Captain Ben Daimio was a
Japanese-American
are Americans of Japanese ancestry. Japanese Americans were among the three largest Asian American ethnic communities during the 20th century; but, according to the 2000 census, they have declined in number to constitute the sixth largest Asi ...
who was the former leader of a squad of 8
U.S. Marines
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
assigned to a rescue mission in the
Bolivian jungle (numbered D16F8-4188) on June 10, 2001, to save the
nuns apparently captured by a fundamentalist group called the True Path, though the True Path was a peaceful political group that never engaged in violent activities beforehand. The mission went awry when the true culprits, a native
jaguar cult who murdered the nuns, attacked the group. Shortly thereafter, a shapeless entity made itself known and slaughtered them until only Daimio remained, the incident leading him to be severely scarred on the left side of his face. He then collapsed and died from his injuries, while he received horrific visions of a giant jaguar-like spirit who told Daimio that his new life was to begin. Three days later, Daimio's corpse was recovered and scheduled for autopsy. However, he returned to life just prior to the procedure, cutting his way out of his body bag. After a brief period of recovery, Daimio was transferred to
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense. It was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase ''The Pentagon'' is often used as a meton ...
's Special Ops and began acting as an informal consultant to the
Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense
The Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (the B.P.R.D. or BPRD) is a fictional organization in the comic book work of Mike Mignola, founded by the United States of America, United States and United Kingdom governments, charged with research ...
.
In 2004 after
Dr. Kate Corrigan and
Abe Sapien
Abraham Sapien, born Langdon Everett Caul, is a fictional character introduced in the comic book series ''Hellboy'', created by Mike Mignola. He takes his name from "''Ichthyo sapien''", the fanciful species designation chosen for him by his c ...
requested leave during ''B.P.R.D.: The Dead'' Daimio left the Pentagon and joined the B.P.R.D as Field Team Commander. He spearheaded the relocation of the Bureau from Fairfield,
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...
to the mothballed Center for Defense Research and Development in the
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
mountains a secret facility he became aware of during his time in the Pentagon. The move was not without difficulties and Daimio's blunt attitude, callousness and preference for force over diplomacy caused friction within the team, particularly with
Liz Sherman
Elizabeth Anne "Liz" Sherman is a fictional character appearing in the ''Hellboy'' comic book series created by Mike Mignola. A firestarter, she becomes a ward of the B.P.R.D. at age 11 after burning her family to death in a traumatic accident ...
.
Daimio still displays serious facial trauma from the events that killed him in 2001, including a gaping tear in his left cheek and missing left ear. It is unknown whether he has refused reconstructive surgery, or if such surgery has proved impossible due to his unclear medical status. After the events of ''The Dead'', Daimio has begun undergoing medical treatments with an apparition he calls "Chinaman". These mysterious treatments seem linked to a bizarre, monkey-like specimen in a jar Daimio recovered that had once belonged to his grandmother, an Imperial Japanese agent known as The Crimson Lotus. The embalmed creature appears identical to one Daimio saw in his visions just before his death in the jungle.
In ''B.P.R.D.: Killing Ground'', after years of faithful service to the Bureau, Daimio's loyalty was called into question by
Johann Kraus
Johann Kraus is a fictional character in the comic book series ''Hellboy'', created by Mike Mignola. He is featured in the comic book '' B.P.R.D.'', published by Dark Horse Comics. Kraus is a disembodied ectoplasmic spirit with psychic abiliti ...
, who uncovered Daimio's relation to the Crimson Lotus and resulted in Daimio beginning to act erratically, which led to his supposed death by a mysterious invader who launched a rocket at his room. However, Daimio emerged from the flames as a monstrous,
jaguar-like creature which twice attempted to kill Liz Sherman, but was thwarted first by Abe Sapien and Agent Devon, and then by Johann Kraus, whose ghostly spirit was in possession of a superhuman host at the time. However, before escaping, Daimio tore off the jaw of Kraus' host body, effectively killing it, but leaving Kraus' spirit unharmed.
The final issue reveals that Daimio was changed by the jaguar spirit while he was in Bolivia, causing him to involuntarily transform into a were-jaguar at night. His treatments with the "Chinaman" were supposed to suppress this transformation, but eventually it became too strong and he could no longer contain it. It is also revealed that he caused all of the deaths inside B.P.R.D. headquarters during this mini-series, contrary to the initial belief that it was a rampaging
wendigo
Wendigo () is a mythological creature or evil spirit originating from the folklore of Plains and Great Lakes Natives as well as some First Nations. It is based in and around the East Coast forests of Canada, the Great Plains region of the U ...
. Guilt-ridden with his actions, Daimio is last seen in the Colorado wilderness, standing before the now released Wendigo, Daryl, as revealed in ''B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth: The Long Death'', as Johann tracked him down to the Canadian wilderness. After having approached Daryl, Daimio lost control of his transformation and attacked the normally placid Wendigo in his were-jaguar form. This forced Daryl to fight back. After an extended fight, the were-jaguar walked away after having seemingly slain Daryl, only for the Wendigo to recover and launch a surprise attack. Daimio was killed by the Wendigo off-panel, though it is unknown if his spirit inhabits his killer.
In other media
Ben Daimio appeared first time in the
''Hellboy'' reboot where he was portrayed by
Korean American
Korean Americans are Americans of Korean ancestry (mostly from South Korea). In 2015, the Korean-American community constituted about 0.56% of the United States population, or about 1.82 million people, and was the fifth-largest Asian American ...
actor
Daniel Dae Kim
Daniel Dae Kim (born Kim Dae-hyun ( ko, 김대현); August 4, 1968) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Jin-Soo Kwon in ''Lost'', Chin Ho Kelly in '' Hawaii Five-0'', Gavin Park in ''Angel'', and Johnny Gat in the '' Saints Ro ...
.
References
External links
Hellboy Zone Dark Horse Comics.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Daimio Ben
Comics characters introduced in 2004
Dark Horse Comics film characters
Fictional Federal Bureau of Investigation personnel
Fictional United States Marine Corps personnel
Fictional military captains
Fictional characters with post-traumatic stress disorder
Hellboy characters
Dark Horse Comics superheroes
Characters created by Mike Mignola
Fictional Japanese American people
Fictional therianthropes