Guillermo del Toro’s 2004 Superhero Classic Is Coming to Netflix — Here’s When

Netflix is kicking off 2026 by pulling a very specific lever: Guillermo del Toro's Hellboy is finally landing on the service. If you have been waiting for the perfect excuse to revisit Ron Perlman in full red makeup cracking wise at monsters, here you go.

When and where to watch

Per What's on Netflix, the 2004 Hellboy starts streaming on New Year's Day, January 1, 2026.

• Netflix date: January 1, 2026
• World premiere: Mann Village Theater on March 30, 2004
• Theatrical release: April 2, 2004
• Box office: $99.3 million worldwide on a $66 million budget (Box Office Mojo)
• Reception: Rotten Tomatoes — 81% critics, 66% audience; Metacritic — 72 metascore, 7.0 user score

What this one is about (and why it still works)

Del Toro's Hellboy adapts the Dark Horse Comics antihero into a pulpy, creature-feature world that actually feels lived in. The setup: a demon baby gets hauled into our world during World War II and is rescued by the Allied Forces. He grows up to be Hellboy, a gruff, cigar-chomping good guy working for the Bureau of Paranormal Research & Defense. His day job includes teaming with Abe Sapien, a psychic merman, and Liz Sherman, who can set the room on fire just by existing. Together, they chase down paranormal nasties until a resurrected sorcerer shows up and tries to kickstart the apocalypse by nudging Hellboy toward the destiny he was literally born for.

The comic DNA

The movie pulls its story and tone from Hellboy: Seed of Destruction, the first miniseries to properly launch the character at Dark Horse. Mike Mignola developed and illustrated the comic, and John Byrne (yup, the X-Men and Fantastic Four legend) scripted that arc. You can feel it on screen: chunky shadows, weird folklore, and a hero who looks like he should be the villain but would rather punch one.

Who made it (and who you're watching)

Guillermo del Toro wrote and directed, and he co-wrote the story with Peter Briggs. The cast is stacked where it counts: Ron Perlman as Hellboy, Selma Blair as Liz Sherman, Doug Jones as Abe Sapien, plus John Hurt and Rupert Evans. Perlman in particular remains one of those perfect comic-book-to-screen fits — the kind you stop arguing about once you see it.

The franchise ripple effect

This film did not end up a one-and-done. It spun off a direct sequel, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, and later inspired two separate reboots: 2019's Hellboy and 2024's Hellboy: The Crooked Man. Mileage varies on the reboots, but the del Toro/Perlman era is the baseline a lot of fans still measure against.

Bottom line: if you missed Hellboy the first time or just want a cozy, monster-forward comfort watch with style to spare, set a reminder for January 1. What's on Netflix flagged the date, and it's a smart way to start the year: with a big red hand and a bigger attitude.