Liz Sherman: The Holy Spirit
Elizabeth Anne Sherman—better known as Liz—was born in Kansas City on April 15, 1962. She plays a very important role in the Hellboy series because she is the embodiment of the Holy Spirit as well as faith. (Christians believe that God is actually a trinity, three “persons” or aspects or agents in one: God the Father, God the Son [Christ], and God the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost has been imagined as a dove and as flames.) Liz displays several powers that pair nicely with the Holy Spirit as well as her character. Most importantly, Liz has “pyrokinesis,” which is the ability to control fire with her mind. Her first accidental use of pyrokinesis, which was terrible, came at the age of 11—she burned down a city block, killing 32 people including her family. Because of this tragedy Liz devotes her life to the B.P.R.D., where she meets and eventually works alongside with Hellboy, fighting the good fight for Christianity.Like Hellboy, Liz is constantly associated with Christian imagery, especially the crucifix: she is always pictured wearing a cross around her neck. Liz embodies faith by following Hellboy and the B.P.R.D., by doing her job effectively, and fighting for good. She countlessly saves her fellow teammates. Yet Liz is more than a one-dimensional figure who shows the attributes of good faith. She also demonstrates that as a follower you can be a good Christian but you can also be shaken at certain times. In her 23 years working for the B.P.R.D., Liz has quit and rejoined 13 times. These actions show that it is okay to doubt, to have a rocky faith at times—as long as you come back, everything will be alright. As Liz herself says, "Where else am I gonna go?" She knows her place is fighting for good and embracing her role in the B.P.R.D., and in the process confirming that Christianity is the true religion. Being a devoted follower helps to calm all others. Another aspect of Liz that makes her a very prominent Christian figure is her her eventual discovery of the ability to have apocalyptic visions, which she develops after the death of Hellboy. Apocalyptic visions are a major theme in Christianity, often given to prophets (making them a critical part of the religion and providing some very interesting sections of the bible). In the series Liz has a recurring vision that the B.P.R.D. will be destroyed and that all her friends will die. This puts tremendous stress upon her faith, testing whether or not she is able to help the people she loves and the institution that she is faithfully devoted to. After all this discussion of the B.P.R.D as a contemporary versions of the institution of Christianity, next I will examine the rest of the B.P.R.D and how the members display the themes and attitudes needed to protect Christians and Christianity from the evils of the world.
