Gabriel Van Helsing
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| Gabriel Van Helsing | |
|---|---|
 Hugh Jackman as Gabriel Van Helsing |
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| First appearance | Van Helsing: The London Assignment (2004) |
| Last appearance | Van Helsing (film) |
| Created by | Stephen Sommers |
| Portrayed by | Hugh Jackman |
| Information | |
| Aliases | Gabriel Van Helsing, The Monster Hunter, The Left Hand of God |
| Gender | Male |
| Family | Van Helsing Family |
| Spouse(s) | Unknown |
| Children | Unknown |
| Relatives | Unknown |
Gabriel Van Helsing is a fictional character in the 2004 film Van Helsing, the animated prequel Van Helsing: The London Assignment, and other media. He is portrayed in the film by actor Hugh Jackman, and was created by writer/director Stephen Sommers.
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[edit] Character Background
Van Helsing's name was changed from Abraham to Gabriel by his creator, screenplay-writer and director Stephen Sommers.
The character has lost his memory, and has only clues to his history and true identity. Throughout the film Van Helsing numerous references are made to the archangel Gabriel, the "Left Hand of God," and the fact that Van Helsing has nightmares about horrific battle scenes throughout history that hint at a supernatural lifespan. At the end of the film, Count Dracula claims that it was a younger Van Helsing who murdered him centuries before, thus beginning the cycle which resulted in Dracula becoming a vampire. Also, in the film Van Helsing mentions to his friar sidekick Carl that he remembers a battle with the Romans at Masada in the year 72 A.D.
[edit] Job
Gabriel feels deep guilt over his job as monster slayer for the Vatican Holy Order. He complains to Cardinal Jinette that he is a murderer, killing monsters which were once good, decent people. He wants badly to quit, but by the end of the film story he realizes that it is his destiny to be the protector of the world from this kind of evil.
[edit] Comrades
- The Vatican's brilliant weapons expert, Friar Carl, assists Van Helsing. Carl's traits of sheepishness, occasional cowardice and tendency to whine can annoy the vampire-hunter, but Carl was instrumental in helping kill Dracula.
- Anna Valerious is the last of her family, bound by an ancient vow to kill Count Dracula. Toward the end of the film they begin to have a romantic interest in each other. Van Helsing is ordered to help her fulfill the vow.
- Frankenstein's Monster is also a companion and ally.
[edit] Antagonists
- Count Dracula (Van Helsing) is a 450 year-old vampire. He was once the son of Anna Valerious' ancestor, Valerious the Elder, but was killed by Van Helsing. Dracula's spirit made a pact with the devil for vampire powers and eternal life as an undead blood-drinker. Valerious the Elder vowed that his descendants would never enter Heaven until Dracula was slain from their land. Dracula's quest is to animate his undead children and increase his vampire family, and he uses his brides, Dr. Frankenstein, Igor, werewolves, and Duergar to achieve his ambitions.
- The Brides of Dracula, Verona, Marishka and Aleera.
- The Wolf Man Velkan Valerious is not a true villain because werewolves have no control over their transformations, and thus cannot distinguish a friend from prey. As a werewolf, he is under compulsion to Dracula's will and is forced to do whatever Dracula tells him to do. A topic of debate is Dracula's control over werewolves. Dracula can fully control werewolves after the 12th stroke of midnight on the night of their first full moon (this is why Velkan could not kill Dracula and why Carl is asked to kill Van Helsing if he is not cured by the 12th stroke of midnight)
Velkan is actually bitten by the original Wolf Man, and he becomes a werewolf himself. Velkan then bites Van Helsing, who becomes the next Wolf Man.
- Igor is Dr. Frankenstein's former lab assistant who betrayed him to Dracula.
[edit] Weapons
Van Helsing carries a series of Steampunk-Universe-type weapons and gadgets which he uses in battling monsters. What follows below is a short overview of all of Gabriel's tools and gadgets in the Van Helsing universe.[citation needed]
[edit] Handheld Buzz Saws (Tojo Blade)
These are electronically-operated circular saw blades which can be held by a hand, and then pumped to full power by a lever which is shown in the film being repeatedly pressed faster and faster by Van Helsing. These blades are very sharp, easily cutting through flesh and bone, and can also be tossed in order to pin someone up against a wall who is a few feet away, as demonstrated in the movie when this happens to Igor.
[edit] Crossbow
This is a highly advanced crossbow that can fire many arrows in rapid succession, due to gas propulsion, like some machine guns. It can spring open and be ready for use, as shown when Van Helsing in the movie pulls it out of a bag, and the crossbow's head snaps open, in order to fire at Dracula's Brides. It does need to be reloaded, and its arrows can be dipped in holy water and fired at vampires, killing them. This was demonstrated when Van Helsing killed Marishka, one of the brides of Dracula. She was the first one of the brides to face her downfall.
[edit] Vampire Bomb
This weapon was invented by Carl. According to him, it can generate the same amount of light energy as the sun. Similar to a weapon in Blade II, it is an unstable combination of bottled magma from Mount Vesuvius and pure alkaline from the Gobi Desert. It generates a powerful heat intensity, and can instantly vaporize many vampires within a big area of the bomb as shown when the bomb cleanses an entire mansion full of vampires.
[edit] Grappling-Hook Gun
This gun can fire a very long and powerful rope with a barb on the end which apparently is so powerful it can travel across a massive river and still pierce a tree trunk on the other side. It can also be used as an offensive weapon, demonstrated in the beginning of the film when Van Helsing fires it into the chest of Mr. Hyde to pull him down from the roof of Notre Dame Cathedral. Van Helsing also uses this to escape Castle Frankenstein with Anna and to get away from her werewolf brother.
[edit] Firearms
Van Helsing has what appears to be a flintlock pistol. You see it when he reaches for it upon meeting Anna, and when he was about to kill the Frankenstein monster. He also has two revolvers, usually loaded with silver bullets, which he uses to kill Velkan, a werewolf at the time. Additionally, when he visits Frankenstein Castle for the first time, he carries a short barreled, pump action shotgun or rifle.
[edit] Video game weapons
In addition to the grappling hook, Tojo blades (upgrade: frosty blade), revolvers (upgrade: silver bullets blessed in Holy Water), and crossbow (upgrade: explosive tips), Van Helsing uses more weapons, some of which are seen in the movie, in the video game. Most of these weapons have ammunition upgrades which can be used as long as there are points on the ammo bar.
- Shotgun: double-barreled shotgun for close range. Ammo upgrade: more powerful blasts.
- Scimitars: twin swords. Ammo upgrade: fiery blades.
- Lightning gun: Shoots blasts of lighting. Similar weapons held by Igor in the movie. Ammo upgrade: shoots a stream of lighting rather than balls.
- Gattling gun: primitive machine gun. Seen in the Orders armory; Van Helsing comments: Why can't I have one of those?" Ammo upgrade: fires one powerful blast instead of rapid firing bullets.
- Elephant gun: Super-powerful, double-barreled rifle. Kills most foes with a single blast. Only unlockable through completing all bonus challenges. No ammo upgrade.
[edit] Physical appearance
Van Helsing has long, dark brown hair. He also stands at about 6 feet'2 1/2 inches tall. He wears a billowing black duster, and wears a hat resembling a fedora. As a werewolf, Van Helsing becomes considerably taller and muscular. His fur is black and he becomes a rampaging beast even more powerful than the Count Dracula himself.
[edit] Inspirations
The first and most obvious is the character from the original book Dracula by Bram Stoker, Abraham Van Helsing, a doctor who helps vanquish the vampire in the story. Other major influences for the character (which some critics have argued as being derivative) are Indiana Jones, Simon Belmont, James Bond, Wolverine(Also played by Hugh Jackman), and Batman.[citation needed]
The concept of a character fighting Pablo DeSantis monsters, and his relationship with Frankenstein, is similar to the movie The Monster Squad.
[edit] Other Appearances
Gabriel Van Helsing also appeared in the animated prequel Van Helsing: The London Assignment, documenting his encounters and relationship with Mr. Hyde before the live-action movie. He is the protagonist of the Xbox video game based on the film, and also was in a spin-off comic book Van Helsing: Beneath the Rue Morgue, telling of an adventure that takes place in between events of the movie Van Helsing, in which Gabriel encounters Dr. Moreau and his hybrid creatures.
