Todd McFarlane’s Spawn Animated Series Streaming on HBO

Spawn debuted as a downloadable character on Mortal Kombat 11 earlier this week, getting fans of the classic Image Comics character excited about him all over again. If you’re not a gamer, however, and want to fill the Spawn-sized void created by all of the Tweets about Mortal Kombat, there is some great Spawn content to enjoy while you’re stuck at home. The 1997 animated series, Todd McFarlane’s Spawn, is currently streaming on HBO Go and HBO Now, free to anyone with a subscription.

Todd McFarlane’s Spawn aired on HBO from 1997 to 1999, running for 18 total episodes over the course of three seasons. It even won an Emmy in 1999 for Outstanding Animation Program. It may be animated, but this Spawn series is every bit as mature and intense as any other Spawn content you could find. Well, with the exception of Mortal Kombat 11, which allows you to rip out the spines of other characters.

This version of Spawn was voiced by actor Keith David, who also lends his voice to the Spawn add-on in Mortal Kombat. The series also features performances from Michael Nicolosi, James Hanes, Dominique Jennings, James Keane, John Rafter Lee, Victor Love, Michael McShane, and Kath Soucie. Alan B. McElroy developed the series alongside Spawn creator Todd McFarlane.

The Spawn character has been a constant in comics for nearly three decades now, but the property has always had a difficult time getting adapted for other mediums. The live-action Spawn film has become something of a cult classic since its release back in the ’90s, but it wasn’t a huge success at the time. McFarlane has been trying to get a reboot into production for years, but to no avail. At one point, Jamie Foxx and Jeremy Renner were attached to star in the new film, with a script penned by McFarlane. Despite the star power there still hasn’t been much movement, if any, towards the project actually happening.

Fortunately, the Spawn animated series still exists, and is available to stream on HBO. You can also stream the series on Hulu if you have the HBO add-on.