Since 1995, she’s Director of Field Operations of The Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense.
Dr. Kate Corrigan first appeared in The Wolves of St. August (set in May 1994) as a foil to Hellboy. She is described as a professor of history at New York University (specializing in folklore) before she joined the B.P.R.D. in 1984 as a consultant. She is said to have written sixteen books on folklore and occult history, including the confessions of Isobel Gowdie. In it, she and Hellboy investigated the mass murders in the small European village of Griart. Kate uses her extensive knowledge of folklore to deduce that the village must be St. August and that the killings are being performed by werewolves. She encounters her first ghost on this mission, as well as a werewolf that nearly kills her before being slain by Hellboy.
Corrigan was promoted to a regular cast member of B.P.R.D. during the Plague of Frogs arc. In the book, she serves as the special liaison to the ‘enhanced talents’ agents, or those that command superhuman abilities. These include such prominent characters as Abe Sapien, Liz Sherman, and Johann Kraus.
Corrigan was the featured star of the mini-series B.P.R.D.: The Universal Machine. Seeking to restore Roger the homunculus to life, Kate was captured by an ageless marquis who wished to trade her for Roger’s corpse. She was able to escape by destroying a ring belonging to King Solomon, which held the demon Marchosias in thrall. The demon razed the marquis’ treasures and carried him off to Hell. Kate barely escaped with her life, her mission a failure.
Kate has appeared as a supporting cast member in most of the modern-day B.P.R.D. mini-series.
Relationship with Hellboy
Kate is probably Hellboy’s closest friend. Kate, who was first a consultant for the B.P.R.D, was proded into being a field agent by Hellboy. They did her first investigation together. Kate is extremely close to HB and would probably be the first to stop if something was wrong with him and get him to spit it out. She is one of the only people to know HB’s deepest secrets.
In other media
- Kate was one of the main characters of the straight-to-DVD animated film Hellboy: Sword of Storms. She was voiced by Peri Gilpin.
- Kate also appeared in the sequel Hellboy: Blood and Iron but had a much smaller role and only briefed the agents on their mission. She was once again voiced by Peri Gilpin.