Katherine Corrigan is a fictional character from the ''

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 crossovers ...

'' and '' B.P.R.D.'' comic book series published by

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 known ...

and 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 ...

. Her appearance is based on Mignola's wife, Christine. Within the world of the comics, dubbed the "Mignola-verse", Corrigan acts as B.P.R.D. field leader to "enhanced" agents including

(before abandoning the Bureau),

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 co ...

, Roger the Homunculus,

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 acciden ...

and

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 ...

History

Dr. Kate Corrigan first appeared in ''The Wolves of St. August'' (set in May 1994) as a foil to Hellboy. She is described as a professor of history at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

(specializing in

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...

) before she joined the B.P.R.D. in 1984 as a consultant. She is said to have written sixteen books on folklore and

occult The occult, in the broadest sense, is a category of esoteric supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving otherworldly agency, such as magic and mysticism a ...

history, including the confessions of

Isobel Gowdie Isobel Gowdie was a Scottish woman who confessed to witchcraft at Auldearn near Nairn during 1662. Scant information is available about her age or life and, although she was probably executed in line with the usual practice, it is uncertain whe ...

. In it, she and Hellboy investigated the

mass murder Mass murder is the act of murdering a number of people, typically simultaneously or over a relatively short period of time and in close geographic proximity. The United States Congress defines mass killings as the killings of three or more pe ...

s in the small

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

an village of Griart. Kate uses her extensive knowledge of folklore to deduce that the village must be St. August and that the killings are being performed by

werewolves In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (; ; uk, Вовкулака, Vovkulaka), is an individual that can shapeshift into a wolf (or, especially in modern film, a therianthropic hybrid wolf-like creature), either purposely ...

. She encounters her first

ghost A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...

on this mission, as well as a werewolf that nearly kills her before being slain by Hellboy. Corrigan was promoted to a regular cast member of ''B.P.R.D.'' during the ''Plague of Frogs'' arc. In the book, she serves as the special liaison to the 'enhanced talents' agents, or those that command

superhuman The term superhuman refers to humans or human-like beings with enhanced qualities and abilities that exceed those naturally found in humans. These qualities may be acquired through natural ability, self-actualization or technological aids. Th ...

abilities. These include such prominent characters as

, and

. Corrigan was the featured star of the mini-series ''B.P.R.D.: The Universal Machine''. Seeking to restore Roger the homunculus to life, Kate was captured by an ageless marquis who wished to trade her for Roger's corpse. She was able to escape by destroying a ring belonging to

King Solomon King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

, which held the

demon A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, ani ...

Marchosias In demonology, Marchosias is a great and mighty Marquis of Hell, commanding thirty legions of demons. In the Ars Goetia, the first book of ''The Lesser Key of Solomon'' (17th century), he is depicted as a wolf with gryphon's wings and a serpent's t ...

in thrall. The demon razed the marquis' treasures and carried him off to

Hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location in the afterlife in which evil souls are subjected to punitive suffering, most often through torture, as eternal punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hell ...

. Kate barely escaped with her life, her mission a failure. Corrigan coordinates an investigation with inspector Bruno Karhu when the war on frogs brings the BPRD to Munich, Germany. Bruno asks Corrigan out on a date in the remains of a decimated Munich, beginning a long distance relationship between the two. Corrigan turns a mission to Austria into a date/road trip with Bruno and the two stay in touch with one another via video chat. Moments after learning of the death of Hellboy, Carrigan receives a call from Bruno in which he ends their relationship because he feels it is "too complicated" for him.B.P.R.D.: An Unmarked Grave Dr. Kate Corrigan is slain during the final attack on the B.P.R.D. headquarters after the evacuation, having stayed behind to look after Panya.

In other media

* Kate was one of the main characters of the straight-to-

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

animated film Animation is a method by which image, still figures are manipulated to appear as Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent cel, celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited ...

'' Hellboy: Sword of Storms''. She was voiced by

Peri Gilpin Peri Gilpin (born Peri Kay Oldham; May 27, 1961) is an American actress. She portrayed Roz Doyle in the television series ''Frasier'' and Kim Keeler in the ABC Family television drama ''Make It or Break It''. She is due to reprise the role of R ...

. * Kate also appeared in the sequel '' Hellboy: Blood and Iron'' but had a much smaller role and only briefed the agents on their mission. She was once again voiced by

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Corrigan, Kate Hellboy characters Fictional professors Fictional characters from New York City Comics characters introduced in 1993 Characters created by Mike Mignola Female characters in comics