Helga von Bulow

"I am not planning anything. I'm doing it, I am getting that dagger."

―Helga von Bulow discussing the Dagger of Warding with Zemph.

Helga von Bulow
Country of Origin	Germany
Date of Death	1943
Age	Medium
Hair	Brown
Eyes	Blue/White (injured eye)
Sex	Female
Nationality	German
Race	Caucasian
Occupation	SS-Standartenführer (SS-Colonel) Oberst (Colonel) Head of the SS Paranormal Division
Fate	Deceased: torn apart by Olaric
Portrayer	B.J. Ward
Appearance(s)	Return to Castle Wolfenstein

Standartenführer Helga von Bulow is the quaternary antagonist of Return to Castle Wolfenstein. She is the head of the SS Paranormal Division and was in charge of the garrison at Wulfburg. She is known to have lost an eye due to a debacle involving the undead in 1939.

Background

A loyal disciple of the high priestess Marianna Blavatsky, Helga was a capable leader but made too many careless decisions that jeopardized the safety of her troops. While the all-female Elite Guard squad remained fanatically loyal to her, the male soldiers under her command were skeptical of her abilities.

Cursed Sands

Helga, displeased with Major Gerhard Wechsler disregarding the mission to recover some ancient tablets sealed away within an underground tomb in Ras el-Hadid, flew to Egypt to take the control over the mission by herself. Upon successfully finding the tablets, Helga contemptuously brushed aside fears of an excavation team member that the tablets were protected by a curse. She took the tablets, delightedly remarking that Himmler was going to be very pleased.

As Helga and her bodyguards moved through the catacombs, they were pursued by B.J. Blazkowicz and Agent One. Despite their best efforts, the two men could not prevent Helga from reaching the airfield first and getting away. Receiving orders from HQ to follow her, Agent One and Blazkowicz stole a Junkers Ju-52 transport plane and flew to Germany in pursuit. As they neared the castle, German anti-aircraft guns opened fire on the stolen aircraft, severely damaging it. Agent One managed to perform a crash-landing well enough that both men lived, but they were knocked out. Helga arrived soon after, personally leading a team of soldiers sent to investigate. Upon discovering the two agents were still alive, Helga remarked "Not for long," and ordered her men to bring the agents back to the castle for a brutal interrogation by Zee.

Return to Castle Wolfenstein

Working with scientist Prof. Zemph, Helga discovered the corpse of the Third Dark Knight in the Wulfburg Church and ordered Zemph to perform the extraction process. When informed of Blazkowicz's arrival, Helga ordered her Elite Guard to deal with him while she and Zemph retreated out of the church.

Arriving at the Tomb of Olaric, Helga desired to acquire the Dagger of Warding, believing that it would help the Nazi war machine. Zemph, however, warned her of the dire consequences of taking the dagger and pleaded her to stop but Helga made up her mind and shot Zemph dead with her Luger. Taking the dagger, Helga beheld the monstrous form of Olaric rising from his grave. Before she could react, Helga was brutally dismembered by Olaric as her body parts are all over inside the Tomb. Given the state of her remains, it is implied that she feebly attempted to shoot Olaric with her Luger pistol, as one of her arms was torn from its socket, only for Olaric to behead von Bulow, as her head appears to have been dismembered.

Personality and traits

This headstrong woman has studied under Marianna Blavatsky and does everything she can to help her teacher. Helga has become a leader in her own right, establishing the Elite Guards to further the cause of the SS Paranormal Division. While she has learned much from the Oberführer Blavatsky, von Bulow tends to be impetuous. She tries too hard, sometimes, running headlong into situations where discretion may be necessary.

Quotes

"Not for long! Bring them back to the Castle at once! They have an appointment with Dr. Zee!"

―Helga.

"Ha! I don't care, I've waited my whole life for an opportunity like this. I am not turning back now, for some cowering bookworm and his pointless fears!"

―Helga.

"Get out of my way, Zemph! Your feeble threats won't stop me."

―Helga.

Notes

• In the German version of this game, her name is Helga von Braun.
• Her surname implies that she is related to the Bülow noble family.
• Various letters give her rank as Oberst, even though she is a member of the SS and would be a Standartenführer, it can be assumed she served in both the SS and Wehrmacht.
• As von Bulow's corpse is not found until after the boss fight with Olaric has concluded, it is not uncommon for players to come to the conclusion that Olaric is Helga von Bulow, transformed somehow. This conclusion is seemingly supported by the fact that the "Eliminate Helga von Bulow" objective in the level is completed when Olaric is killed, not after the moment where Helga dies off-screen.

Appearances

Helga von Bulow appears in Return to Castle Wolfenstein and console-exclusive Cursed Sands campaign. Helga von Schabbs in Wolfenstein: The Old Blood seems to be based on her.

Gallery

Full body view.

Helga's remains in the Tomb.