Ron Perlman is not just Hollywood’s Hellboy. His career is made on the foundation of multiple comic book characters he portrayed on screen. Here’s some of his greatest works.
The Hulk – Iron Man
The Hulk was mostly voiced by Neal McDonough in the Nineties animated Marvel productions. Before McDonough, it was Ron Perlman who portrayed the Hulk and even lent his voice for Bruce Banner in the Iron Man animated series as well as the short-lived Fantastic Four animated series. His portrayal of the Jade Giant is widely regarded to be more nuanced and relatable.
Big Mike – The Punisher: Dirty Laundry
The Punisher: Dirty Laundry is available for free to watch on YouTube. It sees Thomas Jane as Frank Castle. But the star performance comes from Ron Perlman, who plays the clerk of a store in the movie. The video is just 15 minutes long and yet Big Mike makes the most out of it. If you like Ron Perlman’s acting, you have to give The Punisher: Dirty Laundry a shot.
Orion – DCAU
While we mostly remember Perlman as the voice of Clayface in the DC Animated Universe, one underrated character we forget is that of Orion, Son of Darkseid. Ron Perlman did voice Clayface for the two part Secret Society Episode in Justice League, but he also lent his voice for Orion in Justice League and Justice League: Unlimited. Orion’s complex relationship with his father, whom he was destined to kill, was explored in depth thanks to Perlman’s magic.
Sinestro – Green Lantern The Animated Series
Sinestro only appeared in one episode of the cult-classic Green Lantern The Animated Series show. The episode showed Sinestro’s turn to evil as he embraced the power of the Yellow Power of Fear. Sadly the show was cancelled and all Sinestro’s Perlman ended up doing was leave us hanging after hyping things up to Kingdom Come. If only they had allowed him to return in some way.
Clayface – Batman The Animated Series
Clayface was an original character developed for the animated show. The villain became so popular that the comic books decided to embrace the character in all its glory. Ron Perlman’s voiceover was the reason for Clayface’s success. It takes a special kind of talent to make people fall in love with a monstrosity. Ron Perlman used whatever screen time he had at his disposal to give us an unforgettable performance. Without Perlman, we might have never seen Clayface again other than the originally planned two-part Batman The Animated Series episodes.
Hellboy – Hellboy
Perlman took a sabbatical from all DC and Marvel shows. He joined the Dark Horse Universe as Hellboy in the 2003 movie of the same name. This would also be Perlman’s breakout role. Playing the horned monster hunter with the right hand of doom, Perlman became infamous as the face of the red-skinned demonic vigilante. The actor went on to play the character once more in a sequel and numerous animated spin-offs that followed. He even went on to lend his voice to play the character in a video game. David Harbour inherited the mantle of the Hellboy from Perlman but it is the latter who will always be remembered for the iconic role.
Slade – Teen Titans
Slade from the Teen Titans animated series was the stuff of nightmares. We might go on to say that Perlman’s Slade was the best DC animated villain they ever made or will ever make. Perlman’s eerie bass voice combined with the aura of mystery that always surrounded the villain whenever he made an appearance was what made him such a legendary super villain. Perlman voiced Slade (who was never once referred to as Deathstroke in the series) with such tenacity and icy cold ruthlessness that even some viewers were taken aback while watching him talk.
