Al Simmons, aka Spawn, was created by Todd McFarlane in 1992 and helped pave the way not just for the success of Image Comics but also for a new age of independent superhero comics outside of DC and Marvel. Although Spawn clearly drew inspiration from pre-existing characters, his comics’ overall grimy, over-the-top, edgy, and horror aesthetic came together to provide a compelling and unique twist on the superhero genre. Of course, part of the appeal of Spawn and the rest of his colorful cast of characters is their costumes. The Spawn Universe is full of Hellspawn, angels, demons, and monsters with incredibly detailed and striking costumes that helped them stand out against the characters at DC and Marvel.
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Almost all the characters in Spawn comics are tied to either the forces of Heaven or Hell, leading to many overlapping design choices, such as chains, spikes, and dark color schemes. Still, McFarlane’s costumes for his characters are overall visually distinct and hint at their backgrounds and personalities.
10) Cy-Gor
Out of all the demons, angels, and monsters Spawn has battled over the years, easily the most distinctly bizarre is Cy-Gor. Michael Konieczni was originally a friend of Al Simmons. When Michael tried to expose that the billionaire Jason Wynn was behind Al’s murder, the villain forced Michael to be the first test subject of Project: SIM. The result was that Michael’s brain was put into the body of a giant gorilla outfitted with cybernetic implants. Just the concept of a cyborg gorilla is insane, but Todd McFarlane’s design of the mechanized ape does a great job playing into the body horror aspect of his character. One of Cy-Gor’s arms and legs is replaced with cybernetic prosthetics; he has surgical stitches, wires, and chains across his body; and the red eyes and razor-sharp teeth make him look like a truly feral beast. Cy-Gor is like a more animalistic version of Frankenstein’s Monster, and his appearance is equal parts humorous and terrifying.
9) Haunt
As an artist who famously worked on Spider-Man and Venom, Todd McFarlane eventually created his own amalgam of the characters, named Haunt. Originally debuting in his own series, Haunt has since moved to the Spawn Universe. When preacher Daniel Kilgore merged with his ghost brother Kurt, he manifested an awesome suit made of ectoplasm. This suit grants Haunt the power to create weapons and tendrils like Venom. Haunt’s white-and-black color scheme is a fun inversion of Venom’s classic look. He also has a cool spiral logo that references the web-like tendrils that Haunt uses to ensnare and impale his enemies. Unlike Venom, Haunt’s humanity isn’t entirely absorbed by the amorphous suit as his lower jaw is exposed. Additionally, this design choice makes Haunt’s mask look more like a skull, causing him to appear even more nightmarish. Haunt’s design harkens back to McFarlane’s previous work while still standing on its own as an awesome costume.
8) Deviant
Hailing from the year 2107, Deviant merges Hellspawn magic with cyberpunk technology. When Peter Cairn received leg prosthetics and nanites infused with necroplasm energy, he became a living Hellspawn. The Deviant’s character and design clearly are inspired by other futuristic legacy heroes like Batman Beyond and Spider-Man 2099. The hero’s suit takes Spawn’s classic costume and gives it a high-tech makeover. The sleek metal plating of the Deviant’s suit makes it look like power armor, tough yet mobile. At the same time, the black, white, and red color palette and layout clearly indicate that the Deviant is indeed a next-generation Hellspawn. The greater emphasis on wires, tubes, and glowing green parts in the leg area also acts as a subtle reminder that the Deviant’s legs are entirely prosthetic because of the additional components. The Deviant’s cape is also much smaller and sleeker than the original Spawn’s, once again playing into the suit’s heavier reliance on technology than magic. The Deviant’s costume is the perfect design for a Hellspawn of the future.
7) Violator’s True Form
Spawn’s archnemesis has two very distinctive designs: one human and one demonic. Although a lot of good things can be said about the Violator’s short, pudgy, and blue-faced clown human disguise, it’s his true form that really stands out. Violator has one of the most distinctive and spine-chilling designs among demons in comic book history. Instead of a standard demon with red skin, a tail, and hooves, Violator sports a large, spindly, and hunchbacked body with bumpy grey skin. The villain’s arms and legs are grotesquely and unnaturally long and have razor-sharp claws that he uses to eviscerate his victims. Violator also has a single, curved spike on his back that matches the two giant horns near his mouth. And of course, Violator’s face is the stuff of absolute nightmares. The soulless, bug-like red eyes are incredibly creepy, and the giant ever-grinning mouth with an extended lower jaw that’s filled with rows of sharp teeth all come together to create a monster that genuinely feels like it crawled its way out of Hell.
6) She-Spawn
Jessica Priest started as a cold and psychopathic assassin who killed Al Simmons under the orders of Jason Wynn. However, it was ironically after she was transformed into a Hellspawn that she became one of the Spawn Universe’s greatest heroes. As She-Spawn, Jessica’s costume is much more visually distinct than other Hellspawns, given the greater emphasis on red in the color scheme instead of black. The cropped biker jacket adorned with spikes and skulls is also a really cool design choice that adds a lot to her characterization as a gun-toting anti-hero. Most importantly, She-Spawn is by far the most human-looking of all Hellspawn. Instead of a rotting animated corpse, She-Spawn’s face is partially uncovered to reveal a woman who is still very much healthy and alive. Additionally, She-Spawn has large, flowing crimson hair that both further emphasizes her humanity and acts as a clever nod to the giant red capes of other Hellspawn.
5) Divine Spawn
When God and Satan’s war threatened to bring about the end of the world, Spawn had to undergo his most drastic transformation and costume change to beat them. Donning a design that was teased for nearly a hundred issues, Al takes on his Divine Spawn form after eating the forbidden fruit from the tree of life. This imbued Al with the power of Heaven itself. In this unbelievably overpowered form, Spawn could stalemate God and Satan simultaneously. Casting aside his iconic chains, spikes, and red cape, Divine Spawn trades them for a giant pair of angelic wings that radiate raw power and heavenly might. Additionally, Spawn’s spiked arms are replaced with gold armor plates. Still, Spawn retains his black suit to signify how he’s combining the powers of Heaven and Hell to be an unstoppable force. Overall, Divine Spawn’s costume signifies absolute purity of mind and soul, as Spawn combines the power of Heaven and Hell to save humanity.
4) Redeemer
When Spawn appeared on Earth, Heaven sought to create a warrior of equal and greater power that could smite him called Anti-Spawn or the Redeemer. As this angelic soldier takes on different hosts, it boasts new designs. And out of all of them, it’s when the Redeemer merged with the young Eddie Frank that it obtained its best costume. Unlike previous incarnations that more blatantly look like Heaven versions of Spawn, Eddie Frank’s Redeemer has a much more distinctive and imposing costume. The mix of gold and blue creates a visually appealing color palette that highlights the Redeemer’s nature as a heavenly being. And instead of a cape, the Redeemer is outfitted with giant angelic wings. The beautifully intricate engravings on the armor, mixed with the spiked cross placed onto the Redeemer’s mask, all come together to emphasize how it’s a mighty and threatening warrior who has come down from the extravagant Kingdom of Heaven to smite the wicked and unrighteous.
3) Medieval Spawn
Debuting in Spawn #9, Medieval Spawn was readers’ first introduction to Hellspawn of time periods different from the modern age. Sir John of York was a knight who, after being executed, was reborn as a Hellspawn. When he was eventually transported to the present day, his soul merged with that of a man named Marc Rosen. As one can probably guess, Medieval Spawn takes Al’s classic Spawn costume and applies it to a bulky medieval armor befitting a royal knight. The sheer size of Medieval Spawn’s armor, adorned with all manner of spikes and chains, makes him an incredibly imposing figure who radiates raw strength and brutality. The addition of a broadsword along with a shield adorned with the Spawn logo also makes his skill as a close-quarters warrior abundantly clear. Everything about Medieval Spawn’s design signifies his origin in the Middle Ages and his wielding the power of Hell.
2) Gunslinger Spawn
The most famous of Hellspawn from other time periods is Jermey “Javi” Winston, aka Gunslinger Spawn who naturally originates from the American Wild West. Javi was a priest who, after being framed for the murder of his family, was executed and resurrected as a vengeful Hellspawn. Like Medieval Spawn, Gunslinger Spawn’s costume harkens back to the standard Spawn costume but with a cowboy spin to it. Along with being a far leaner and taller version of Spawn, Gunslinger Spawn sports a giant, flowing red duster coat instead of a cape. Additionally, he sports a tall, wide cowboy hat adorned with skulls, along with large boots with spurs. And in case his name didn’t make it obvious, Gunslinger Spawn is armed to the teeth with firearms, with several gun holsters and bandoliers strewn across his body. Gunslinger Spawn manages to capture the sense of a seasoned and hardened loner, around whom many Wild West stories are centered.
1) Spawn
The costume that started it all, Al Simmons’ original Spawn costume, has become an icon and helped launch Image Comics off the ground. Todd McFarlane basically took some of the design elements of Venom and Batman and merged them with every anti-hero trope of the ‘90s to create a truly memorable outfit. When his employers murdered the assassin Al Simmons, he made a deal with the demon Malebolgia to become a Hellspawn in exchange for seeing his wife Wanda again. When Malebolgia went back on their deal, Al, now Spawn, swore revenge. Spawn’s costume has mostly remained the same for over 30 years. Spawn’s suit is a symbiotic creature called Leetha of the Seventh House of K and it gives him all manner of potent abilities. The black skintight suit is adorned with an insane number of spikes and chains, along with a seemingly endless red cape that Spawn can use to ensnare people. Spawn also has a giant “M” on his chest as a permanent reminder of how he sold his soul to Malebolgia. Everything about Spawn’s design conveys a threatening, horror-inspired anti-hero.
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