The Asset (Amphibian Man)

The Asset is the titular character in the 2017 fantasy romance film The Shape of Water by Guillermo del Toro. The Asset is an amphibian-humanoid creature from the Amazon River and has been held captive at a secret goverment facility.

He is believed to be an Amazonian river god from Brazil. He was taken from the river before the beginning of the movie.

He was played by Doug Jones, an actor who is known for playing inhuman creatures in heavy special effects. Jones has also portrayed a similar creature in another Del Toro franchise: Hellboy (2004) and Hellboy II: The Golden Army, in which he was a fish man by the name of Abe Sapien. This similarity has lead to fan theories that the film The Shape of Water was inspired by the Hellboy universe.

History
Prior to the events of the film, the Asset was living in the Amazon, where the local people believed he was a god, and offered him tribute of flowers and food. It is mentioned that he was found in a South American river by Colonel Richard Strickland, and that he personally traveled with the creature to the research facility in Baltimore, which has lead to the creature's hatred of the man. Off screen, it is insinuated that while he was being moved from a portable tank to the one in the floor, he attacked Colonel Strickland, leading to the loss of two fingers on his left hand.

Curious about the creature, a mute heroine name Elisa Esposito discovers that it is a humanoid amphibian. She begins visiting him in secret, feeding him and teaching him to communicate with her. Though he is originally hostile with her as he is with all other humans, her gifts of hardboiled eggs eventually lead to him trusting her. The two form a close bond. It is shown he has learned several words from her, at least the words egg, music, you, me, together, and the phrases "are you okay" and "without me."

Seeking to exploit the creature to American advantage in the Space Race, General Frank Hoyt orders Strickland to vivisect it.

One scientist, Robert Hoffstetler—who is in truth a Soviet spy named Dimitri Mosenkov—pleads unsuccessfully to keep the creature alive for further study, stating that they could not learn anything if the creature was dead. He explains that due to the amphibian man's anatomy, they haven't been able to get a clear x-ray, but that they know he has two respiratory systems, one for air (which is limited to an hour), and one for salt water. In the end, both the US government, and the USSR want the amphibian man dead.

When Elisa learns of the Americans' plans for the Asset, she persuades Giles to help her free him. Mosenkov discovers Elisa's plot and chooses to help her.

Though initially reluctant, Zelda becomes involved in the escape, and with the four of them, they are able to successfully smuggle the amphibian man out of the building in a laundry truck.

Elisa keeps the Asset in her bathtub, adding salt to the water to keep him alive. She plans to release the creature into a nearby canal when it will be opened to the ocean in several days' time.

As part of his efforts to recover the Asset, Strickland interrogates Elisa and Zelda, but the failure of his advances toward Elisa hampers his judgment, and he dismisses them.

Back at the apartment, Giles discovers the Asset devouring one of his cats, Pandora. Startled, the Asset slashes Giles's arm and rushes out of the apartment. The creature gets as far as the cinema downstairs before Elisa finds him and returns him to her apartment.

The Asset touches Giles on his balding head and his wounded arm, and it is discovered that he can glow like a bioluminescent fish, presumably when he is healing, or when he is happy; the next morning, Giles discovers his hair has begun growing back and the wounds on his arm have healed. He deduces that this must be why the Amazonians worship him as a god.

Elisa and the Asset soon become romantically involved, having sex in her bathroom which she at one point fills completely with water.

Hoyt gives Strickland an ultimatum, asking him to recover the Asset within 36 hours. Meanwhile, Mosenkov is told by his handlers that he will be extracted in two days.

As the planned release date approaches, the Asset's health starts deteriorating. Mosenkov leaves to rendezvous with his handlers, with Strickland tailing him. At the rendezvous, Mosenkov is shot by one of his handlers, but Strickland shoots the handlers dead and then tortures Mosenkov for information.

Mosenkov implicates Elisa and Zelda before dying from his wounds. Strickland then threatens Zelda in her home, causing her terrified husband to reveal that Elisa had been keeping the creature.

Strickland searches Elisa's apartment and finds a calendar note revealing when and where she plans to release him.

At the canal, Elisa and Giles bid farewell to the Asset, but Strickland arrives and attacks them all. Strickland knocks Giles down and shoots the Asset and Elisa, who both appear to die.

However, the Asset heals himself and slashes Strickland's throat, killing him. As police arrive on the scene with Zelda, the Asset takes Elisa and jumps into the canal where, deep under water, he heals her.

When the Asset applies his healing touch to the scars on Elisa's neck, they open to reveal gills like his.

In a closing voice-over narration, Giles conveys his belief that Elisa lived "happily ever after" with the Asset.

Trivia

 * The creature design is heavily inspired by the film Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954), also known as the Gill Man. Michael Shannon's character says they picked it up in the Amazon river in South America, which is the setting of The Creature from the film.


 * Another popular parallel is Amphibian Man by Alexander Belayev and its adaptation, which also feature a love story between an amphibian man and a human woman, while the man is being hunted by the villains who want to exploit him.


 * Doug Jones spent three hours every day getting into the costume. According to him, it was nothing compared to previous costumes he has worn in other films by Guillermo del Toro.


 * It took over nine months to arrive at the look of the creature, and director Guillermo del Toro calls it the most difficult movie he and his team have ever designed.


 * Doug Jones also played Abe in Hellboy (2004), another amphibious character which shared similar looks
 * It was also theorized that The Shape of Water was meant to be an origin story for Abe Sapien, because of the similarity between the two sea monsters. However, this was soon debunked shortly after the release of the trailer.
 * The Asset's favorite food is hard-boiled eggs.
 * It is presumed that Elisa is now an amphibian woman living with the Asset in the Amazon, presumably married at last, as said in the end.