Ben Daimio
Encyclopedia
Ben Daimio is a fictional character in the Dark Horse Comics
universe. He works for the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense
.
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 Pentagon
Special Ops and began acting as an informal consultant to the B.P.R.D
.
In 2004 - after Dr. Kate Corrigan
and Abe Sapien
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
to the mothballed Center for Defense Research and Development in the Colorado
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
.
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, a Nazi 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
who uncovered Daimio's relation to the Crimson Lotus, resulting with Daimio began to act erratically and 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
. Daimio's current activities are unknown, but he was last seen in the Colorado wilderness, standing before the now released wendigo.
----
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
universe. He works for the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense
Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense
The Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense is a fictional organization in the comic book work of Mike Mignola, charged with protecting America and the world from the occult, paranormal and supernatural. It maintains the services of several supernatural persons, including Hellboy. The B.P.R.D...
.
Fictional character biography
As revealed in the second issue of B.P.R.D.: The Universal Machine, Captain Ben Daimio was the former leader of a squad of 8 US MarinesUnited States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
assigned to a rescue mission in the Bolivian jungle
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
(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 Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
Special Ops and began acting as an informal consultant to the B.P.R.D
Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense
The Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense is a fictional organization in the comic book work of Mike Mignola, charged with protecting America and the world from the occult, paranormal and supernatural. It maintains the services of several supernatural persons, including Hellboy. The B.P.R.D...
.
In 2004 - after Dr. Kate Corrigan
Kate Corrigan
Kate Corrigan is a fictional character from the Dark Horse Comics universe, featured in the comic book series Hellboy and BPRD written by Mike Mignola, et al. Her appearance is based on Mignola's wife, Christine.-History:...
and Abe Sapien
Abe Sapien
Abraham "Abe" Sapien is a fictional character in the comic book series Hellboy, created by Mike Mignola. He takes his name from "Icthyo sapiens," the fanciful species designation chosen for him by his colleagues in the 19th-century Oannes Club, and from Abraham Lincoln, on whose assassination date...
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
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
to the mothballed Center for Defense Research and Development in the Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
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
Liz Sherman
Elizabeth 'Liz' Sherman is a fictional character appearing in the Hellboy comic book series created by Mike Mignola.-Fictional character history:...
.
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, a Nazi 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
Johann Kraus is a fictional character in the Hellboy universe, created by Mike Mignola. He is featured in the comic book B.P.R.D., published by Dark Horse Comics....
who uncovered Daimio's relation to the Crimson Lotus, resulting with Daimio began to act erratically and 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
Jaguar
The jaguar is a big cat, a feline in the Panthera genus, and is the only Panthera species found in the Americas. The jaguar is the third-largest feline after the tiger and the lion, and the largest in the Western Hemisphere. The jaguar's present range extends from Southern United States and Mexico...
-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
The Wendigo is a mythical creature appearing in the mythology of the Algonquian people. It is a malevolent cannibalistic spirit into which humans could transform, or which could possess humans...
. Daimio's current activities are unknown, but he was last seen in the Colorado wilderness, standing before the now released wendigo.
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