Johan Kraus

Childhood

Johan Kraus was born in Germany in the city of Stuttgart in 1946. One year after the second world war . Already at the age of ten, he realized that he has an incredible gift, thanks to which he is able to see the souls of people whom no one notices. Possessing strong psychic abilities, Johan nevertheless could not communicate with otherworldly creatures and even more so help them. Indeed, many of the ghosts apparently saw in the boy the ability to communicate with his family and friends. First upset, Kraus decided, no matter what, to rectify this situation and began to devote all his time to the study of spiritualism. Spiritualistic philosophy, which studied the nature of origin and the fate of spirits, as well as their relationship with the material world .

Medium Career

Soon he had a mentor - an elderly German woman, Analysis Stein, thanks to whom Johan met many famous spiritualists and mediums, and also gained access to a variety of occult teachings. Without sharing the direction chosen by the group and the attitude to secret knowledge, Kraus completely broke all ties with his mentors. Distinguishing himself from his colleagues by a significantly greater intelligence and ingenuity, Johan was able to independently learn to communicate with the dead and, in time, mastering the abilities available to him, he was able to send his ectaplasmic form from the body outside the material world. At twenty-five, Kraus opened his own office in Munich , becoming one of the most respected and honest mediums, as one of the strongest among all existing ones.

Change

In 2002, in the Chinese city ​​of Changdong, the government owned warehouse was completely robbed. A skillful, but very greedy thief, who wanted to have forbidden knowledge, discovered a jade figurine, thereby creating an outburst of psychic energy that consumed the souls of all living beings within a radius of a hundred kilometers and sends a shock wave throughout the etheric plan, intangible environment, habitat of spirits. At this very moment, in another place, Johan Kraus conducted a spiritualistic session with his family, who wanted to talk with his late relative. With the ability to contact the dead and visit the other world, Johan left his body, came into contact with the spirit of the deceased Chinese boy, begging for help. Unfortunately, a shock wave from psychic energy passed through the child and was released from Kraus’s body, killing people nearby and depriving him of his physical shell. The ectoplasmic form of Johan survived after the destruction of his body, but realizing that in the near future it could completely dissolve, Kraus turned to the best specialists according to a planetary survey at the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense. At first, he was kept in a transparent tank until a special suit was created to protect his disembodied form.

Kraus has the ability to communicate with spirits and provide them with temporary physical forms so that they can talk with non-mediums.

Kraus has limited ability to control the body, which allows him to master any form without a soul. He temporarily inhabited the corpses of humans, the dog and the moose, using them as last-minute containers for his vulnerable form.

It was once believed that Johan was vulnerable to mental attack and his ectoplasm could be perceived by stronger spirits, but it was found that he was immune to possession and could gain dominance over evil spirits - even over Graphic Hems.

The only protection against dispersion that Johan enjoys is his protective suit B.P.I.O., but as soon as the suit receives damage, he must find a new container for his essence or he will cease to exist.

Johan Kraus appeared in the 2008 film Hellboy 2: The Golden Army . ^[1] In the credits of the film, his name is spelled Johann Krauss. His movements were provided by British actors John Alexander and James Dodd, and Seth MacFarlane performed his voice. Thomas Kretschmann was previously selected for voice but was replaced. ^[one]

Kraus is the head of the department of ectoplasmic research B.P.I.O. in Washington, DC, and goes to the Bureau’s headquarters to take command of the group after Hellboy embarrasses the Bureau and government, revealing itself to the public.

The reason for his condition is not explained, but he hints that this is due to the loss of the woman he loved - the bride or wife, whose ring he still carries with him. He said his protective suit was designed by former B.P.I.O. Trevor Bruttenholm (Hellboy's foster father). According to the film’s commentary, Guillermo del Toro stated that in the planned story for the third film, Hellboy and Kraus will also have a story with Nazi scholar Karl Ruprecht Krenen.

Kraus immediately impresses Abe Sapien and Tom Manning as a skilled and effective agent, while Hellboy does not like him, perhaps because he feels overshadowed and perhaps because, as Hellboy himself says, Johan’s name “sounds German ... to me don't like the Germans. ”

Kraus is punctual and has the habit of acting "according to the charter." Guillermo del Toro said in a commentary that he used the character to express his idea of ​​the ideal bureaucrat: lacking a face, body, or some kind of individual identity. This is a departure from the comic book version, where Kraus is portrayed as rather compassionate and sensual, often playing a related role in relation to the rest of the team.

Both in the comic book and in the film adaptation, Johan can leave the costume at will, but it is not clear how long he can do this without dissipating; as soon as he separates from the suit, his ectoplasm form can physically manipulate objects (it was demonstrated when he gives Hellboy a thrashing in the B.P.I. locker room with many lockers) or can be used for teleplastics (from the Greek τηλε (far) + πλαστειν (in form or forms); the word "ectoplasm" comes from the same root), which allowed him to temporarily reanimate dead creatures and control mechanical objects or living things. He uses this talent for a big effect near the climax of the film, when he captures the body of one of the soldiers of the Golden Army and uses it to fight with others.

Outside of his protective suit, he looks like a grossly humanoid form in a disheveled ghostly form.

When Liz Sherman and Abe decide not to obey orders and take the dying Hellboy to Prince Nouad, Kraus first forbids them, but changes his mind remembering his own lost love. Having decided to support the renegades, he helps Liz and Abe steal the Bureau’s plane in order to find the prince, takes part in the battle with the Golden Army and leaves B.P.I.O. together with his new comrades.

In the comments on the DVD, director Hellboy 2 Guillermo del Toro argues that Johan's helmet design was an unused idea for Master Chief in the unreleased film Halo .