Spawn is one of the most recognizable superheroes outside of DC or Marvel Comics. One of Image Comics’ first and most successful comics, the Spawn comic series has run for over 30 years and amassed numerous spin-off comic titles, that have significantly expanded the Spawn Universe. Although the focus of the Spawn comics is on its main character and anti-hero Al Simmons, the series has introduced hundreds of other Hellspawns who emerged throughout human history. Hellspawns are typically deceased humans who, after going to Hell, are conscripted as foot soldiers of the demon Malebolgia’s army in his eternal war against Heaven. Hellspawns vary widely in form, with some embracing their monstrous transformations, while others rebel and become humanity’s primary protectors.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Hellspawns possess a vast array of abilities thanks to their living suits, which are composed of the hellish energy known as necroplasm. Among their many powers are super-strength, flight, weapon manifestation, telepathy, energy projection, regeneration, necromancy, and more. A group of the more powerful and benevolent Hellspawns have even joined together to become the anti-hero team, the Scorched to defend the world from the forces of Heaven and Hell. These are the most powerful, iconic, and three-dimensional versions of Spawn in Image Comics.
10) Plague Spawn
When Malebolgia sought to create foot soldiers for his war against Heaven, Plague Spawn was born. A prototype of Hellspawns, Plague Spawn, was birthed from the merging of two skulls — one belonging to a white demon and the other to a black angel. The result of was a rabid, nearly unstoppable monster that conquered Hell and slaughtered angels and demons alike before Malebolgia eventually succeeded in imprisoning Plague Spawn. Pieces of him were then used to create the living symbiotic suits all other Hellspawn wear. However, a massive rift in the space-time continuum allowed Plague Spawn to escape his prison, enabling him to effortlessly defeat the planet-conquering Omega Spawn. Loyal to none and feared by all, the Plague Spawn was the blueprint for all future Hellspawns.
9) Mandarin Spawn
Long ago, during the Southern Sung Dynasty in China, Chenglei was a deformed peasant who was sold to a corrupt governor to be tortured for entertainment. Upon his death, Chenglei made a deal with the demon Malebolgia and came back as the powerful Mandarin Spawn. In his new form, Mandarin Spawn slaughtered legions in revenge, but left the governor to spend eternity in a cage, unable to die. In the modern day, Mandarin Spawn made an army of demons to take over the world but was thwarted by the Scorched. He would eventually seek redemption by pledging his blade to Al Simmons to help protect humanity from the forces of Hell.
8) Monolith
The hulking Hellspawn known as Monolith expanded the Spawn Universe to the stars. Monolith, the first alien Hellspawn introduced, comes from a homeworld that was ravaged by interplanetary monsters known as Planet Eaters. As one of the last of his people, Monolith was forced to serve the villain Omega Spawn. Monolith reluctantly aided Omega Spawn in his crusade to conquer humanity, leading him to battle the numerous heroic Hellspawns of Earth. His physical strength is practically unmatched, demonstrated by his effortlessly defeating Al Simmons. However, sick of being Omega Spawn’s lapdog, Monolith betrayed his master and helped Earth’s Hellspawns defeat the villain. Since then, the towering alien has been a galactic anti-hero and a periodic member of the Scorched.
7) Omega Spawn
One of the first and most powerful Hellspawns, Omega Spawn is a gigantic intergalactic tyrant from the future who seeks to remake the universe in his nightmarish image. Long ago, Omega Spawn’s overwhelming power allowed him to nearly overthrow Malebogia and dominate both Hell and Earth. Eventually, Omega Spawn would see Earth as unworthy of his attention, and set his sights on taking over the universe. Over the centuries, Omega Spawn has destroyed and conquered countless worlds. When a space-time rift dragged Omega Spawn back to Earth in the modern day, he set his sights on conquering the planet until he could resume his cosmic crusade. Brimming with destructive necroplasm energy, Omega Spawn is one of Al Simmon’s most powerful foes.
6) Deviant
In the year 2107, a new Hellspawn emerged who combined cyberpunk technology with hellish sorcery to fight for the people of the dystopian Rat City. Peter Cairnn was a World War III soldier who, after losing his legs to a bomb, was outfitted with cybernetic prosthetics and nanites throughout his body. However, the bomb was of Hellspawn origins and charged with necroplasm. The resulting necroplasm energy infused itself with Peter’s nanites, giving him the powers of a Hellspawn. With his newfound powers, Peter became the vigilante known as the Deviant, battling against the corrupt, zealous Pharmatech Solutions (P.T.S.), an evil corporation that wants to learn how to replicate and weaponize his powers for their own sinister ends.
5) Medieval Spawn
Like Venom from Marvel Comics, Medieval Spawn is the combination of two beings working as one. The original Medieval Spawn was Sir John of York, a 16th-century knight. When Sir John was executed for unknowingly killing an innocent man, he was resurrected as a Hellspawn. Sir John was then transported to modern-day, thanks to the space-time rift, but was soon to be beheaded by Al Simmons. However, when a reporter named Marc Rosen studied the Hellspawn’s helmet, his soul bonded with Sir John’s. Now, whenever Marc puts on the helmet, Sir John and he work together as the heroic Medieval Spawn, who became a founding member of the Scorched.
4) Spawn (Jim Downing)
On the night Al Simmons took his own life, Jim Downing awoke from his coma, but with amnesia. Jim was one of the thousands of trapped souls that were infused with Al’s Hellspawn suit, which gave the anti-hero his hellish powers. As the last soul to leave the suit upon Al’s death, Jim became the new Spawn. As the new Spawn, Jim was infused with Al’s old suit and began using it to fight all manner of demons, angels, vampires, and supervillains. Despite wielding Al’s old suit, Jim still struggled to reclaim his lost memories and maintain control over the living suit. When Al returned to reclaim his suit, Jim abandoned the Spawn mantle and became an agent of Greenworld, a living planet and home to the goddess Gaia.
3) She-Spawn
Jessica Priest went from being one of Al’s most hated enemies to one of his closest friends. She and Al were mercenaries for the villain Jason Wynn. Acting on Jason’s orders, Jessica murdered Al to keep him quiet about Jason’s illegal operation. This act would lead to Al’s transformation into Spawn. Jessica became more of an anti-hero when she became friends with the heroic witch Nyx, who was eventually murdered by the villain Sinn. To resurrect her friend, Jessica tries to use a resurrection spell. Unfortunately, the spell didn’t work and instead transformed Jessica into a Hellspawn. Desperate to understand her new existence, Jessica went to Al for guidance. Now, fighting alongside Spawn as the anti-hero She-Spawn, Jessica became the founder and leader of the superhero team, the Scorched.
2) Gunslinger Spawn
One of the most popular Hellspawns in the Spawn Universe, Jermey “Javi” Winston is the great-grandfather of Al Simmons. Jermey was a priest in the Old West until a ruthless businessman killed his family to take their land. Jermey was framed for the murder and executed. Upon his death, Jermey made a deal with the demon Mammon and was resurrected as the Gunslinger Spawn. This cowboy Hellspawn then slaughtered everyone involved in his family’s murder and his own execution. He was then transported to the modern day by a space-time rift. Unable to get home, Gunslinger Spawn became a reluctant but essential member of the Scorched, thanks to his unparalleled marksmanship skills.
1) Spawn (Al Simmons)
The first and greatest of all the Spawns, Al Simmons, made Image Comics the major company that it is today. Al was a mercenary betrayed and killed by his employers. Once in Hell, Al made a deal with the demon Malebogia: in exchange for becoming the general of Hell’s army, Al would get to see his wife Wanda again. Of course, Malebolgia tricked Al, transporting him to Earth five years after his death, deformed and finding that Wanda had remarried. Naturally, Al swore revenge against Malebolgia and began a one-man war against Hell. Through his numerous exploits, he saved humanity countless times, even from the combined forces of Satan and God. Al’s tragic origin and incredible powers allowed his series to become the longest-running independent comic series in history.
What do you think? Leave a Comment below and join the conversation in the ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
Image Courtesy of Disney+ -
Image Courtesy of Hakusensha
