this article is about the comicbook character - for the American criminal see Tom Manning (prisoner)

Tom Manning is a fictional character from the Dark Horse Comics universe. He is director of the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense.

Manning has classically been portrayed as a stuffed-shirt bureaucrat who refuses to trust the paranormal members of his agency, even though their presence is critical to the successful defense of the planet. In recent years, Manning has softened his approach to his superhumans; Roger the Homunculus, for example, was promoted to leader of his own squad even though Manning, at one point, had a bomb placed in Roger's chest as a precautionary measure.

Manning, perhaps smarting from the defection of Hellboy from the Bureau, recently refused to accept the resignation of Captain Ben Daimio after a disaster that claimed Roger and his team. In this way, Manning has developed from a cold administrator to a leader that places the needs of his agents over the needs of the Bureau.

Other Media

In the movie Hellboy (portrayed by actor Jeffrey Tambor), Tom Manning initially dislikes Hellboy until Hellboy saves Manning's life, and then teaches Hellboy how to properly light up a cigar. Much like in the original graphic novel, Manning is more of a bureaucrat and politician than supernatural investigator. He is also instrumental in debunking the conspiracy theories which surround the agency and the involvement of the U.S. Government/FBI - he is first seen in the film ridiculing a photograph of Hellboy on a talk show. Tambor will reprise the role for the film Hellboy 2: The Golden Army.

Manning also appears in Hellboy: Blood and Iron voiced by Jim Cummings.

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