Hellspawn
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- For the comic, see Hellspawn (publication).
A Hellspawn is a fictional creature from the popular comic book Spawn. The main character in the series, Spawn, is himself a Hellspawn.
[edit] Description
The Hellspawn are controlled by Malebolgia, the supreme master of the 8th layer of Hell, and are mainly used as an officer corps for his army of hell, although they were not created by Malebolgia and existed before him. Hellspawns are infused with dark energy, called necroplasm, when they are created, but this power is finite when outside of hell.
Most Hellspawns were once human, but were tricked into making a bargain with Malebolgia; He would agree to return them to Earth, if they promise to return later on and become a Lieutenant in his army of Hell. This deal usually backfires on the person, as Malebolgia normally sends them several years (or decades) into the future, after their deaths and clad in the Hellspawn's symbiotic armor. Their time on Earth is also limited, as it is tied to their limited energy source. Each time a hellspawn uses his powers outside of Hell, the clock which represents his energy counts down by one click. When the clock reaches zero, the hellspawn will automatically return to Hell.
[edit] Famous Hellspawns
- Al Simmons: As a human, he worked as a government assassin, until he had a change of heart. He was murdered by his partner, Chapel, and went straight to Hell. He made a deal with Malebolgia, who unknown to Simmons, sent him five years into the future. Simmons discovers that his face still bears the wounds of his assassination (he uses a shoe lace to stitch his face together) and that his wife has remarried to his best friend, who was able to give her something Simmons couldn't - a child. After refusing to use his powers to commit acts of terror on the world, Malebolgia sends another demon, Violator, to force Simmons, now called Spawn, to use up his power and return to hell.
- Medieval Spawn: As the name suggests, this was a hellspawn of a medieval era. He was a knight named Sir John of York, who fought during a civil war in England. He was released from service to Henry II after he and three others mistakenly killed the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas a Beckett (they mistook some angry words by the King as an order). He was killed on a battlefield in Ireland by the King's bodyguards as he approached King Henry for forgiveness. For his past deeds of killing (and enjoying it), John was sent to Hell, where he, like others made a deal with Malebolgia. He was returned to Earth, several years in the future and clad in medieval looking symbiotic armor. Upon realizing what had happened (which was helped along with him finding his own grave), John traveled throughout England, doing good deeds in the hope he would be redeemed. He was eventually slain by the demon hunter Angela.
- Cogliostro: A former hellspawn, he found a way to remove his armor, and thus ended the pact between he and his master. The reason Cogliostro is still alive is that he is stuck between heaven and hell. Heaven doesn't want him because he was once a servant of Hell. Hell doesn't want him because he betrayed them. At first, it seems that Cogliostro spends his time training any young hellspawn who will listen to him, in the hope that they will turn from the dark path. Later on it is revealed that Cogliostro is actually Cain, the biblical figure who killed his own brother out of envy. By that deed, he became the first man to go to hell, and the first to become a Hellspawn. He helps young hellspawns to fight their demon masters, in the hope that one day he can claim the throne of hell.
- Mandarin: A Hellspawn that appeared in China during the final years of the Sung Dynasty. His human name is Chenglei and suffered from a condition (elephantiasis) which left him heavily disfigured. When his village of Mhisi could not pay their tribute, Chenglei was given to the Governor instead. There he was used as entertainment, tortured and humiliated. Though Chenglei's condition may have limited physical harm to his body, he was killed when an arrow pierced a part of him that seemingly was free from the condition. Upon Chenglei's death bed, Mammon, acting as an emissary from Malebogia came and promised him the fulfillment of his desires. Chenglei later on returned as a Hellspawn, where he killed off all the people in the governor's palace except for one man, the palace storyteller, who had shown him kindness in his life. Chenglei was last seen by the storyteller riding alone, away from the slaughter. There were men, however, who swear that they saw the Hellspawn leading an army, with a beautiful concubine by his side, into Hell. There, legends state that he rules one of the circles of hell with his concubine-Queen by his side.
- Lord Covenant: A 12th Century knight killed in a holy crusade far from his homeland, who returns to Earth as a Hellspawn. As a plague of violence and turmoil cover the English countryside, the Dark Knight must choose whether to align himself with the innocent inhabitants of the once-thriving kingdom or with the malevolent forces of evil and corruption. Is killed by the Phlebiac Brothers, but saw a vision of his lost love and rejoined her in the afterlife.
- Gunslinger Spawn: A Hellspawn whose history is to be told in Spawn issues 174 and 175. Gunslingers history is revealed through the journal of Al Simmon's great father, Francis Charles Parker (Would later rename himself as Henry Thomas Simmons). There it is revealed that Gunslinger Spawn's human name is Jeremy Winston, a preacher known in the town of Bane as "Ol' Job". Ed Kemper, a wealthy businessman in the town attempted to seize Winston's land which lead to the death's of Winston's family. Winston was then framed for the crime and hanged without a trial. Before his death however, Winston was visited by Mammon who offered to give him the power to seek vengeance on all the people of Bane, those who had wronged him and his family and all those who had stood by and did nothing but allow the injustice that was committed against them. To be sure of the decision, Mammon waited until Ol' Job/Winston was in the face of death to see if he would change his mind. But Job was resolute in his decision and was resurrected as a Hellspawn. Within 24 hours he slaughtered every man, woman and child in the town of Bane except for Al Simmon's grand father who Mammon told Winston to spare and whom Job himself thought was innocent. After this Jeremy Winston descended into hell.
- World War One Spawn:
There are other hellspawn which are unlikely to belong to the normal comic's continuity. These include Daniel Llanso from the Curse of the Spawn spinoff, as well as Ken Kurosawa, Mangler, Cheveyo, and Caleb from the Shadows of Spawn manga.
- Shadows of Spawn:
These characters only appear in the Japanese Manga, Shadows of Spawn. It is unknown if these characters fit into the continuity of the American publication of Spawn.
-Ken Kurosawa : Once a gang member-for-hire; Kurosawa wished to be there for his sister, Mariko. He realizes that he is only brought back for Malebolgia's amusement and that his sister will be targeted because of it. He must protect her at all costs.
-Cheveyo : A mentor-like Spawn who has resisted Malebolgia for over five hundred years. Based upon the McFarlane toy, "Zombie Spawn". He thinks little of the minions of Hell and tries to destroy Kurosawa in their first meeting.
-Caleb : An 18th-Century pirate, Caleb is a vain, female Spawn. Her "need" for necroplasm continues to grow as she gets older, as she sucks Spawns dry from their power. She intentionally tries to kill herself in a battle with Cheveyo.
-Mangler : A wolf-like Spawn. It is unknown what time period it is from, however, Cheveyo explains that "even animals don't escape from Malebolgia's doing". It can communicate with Kurosawa through telepathy.
