WARNING: The following contains spoilers for King Spawn #1 on sale now from Image Comics.
The resurgence in popularity of Spawn has seen the Image Comics icon hit the ground running, unleashing legions of new titles to expand Al Simmons' universe. The most recent of these is the juggernaut King Spawn, which features a litany of Spawn characters and legendary talent. Among others, the Todd McFarlane and Robert Kirkman creation Haunt returns in a back-up story in King Spawn #1, by Sean Lewis, Todd McFarlane, Javi Fernandez, Stephen Segovia, Marcio Takara, Philip Tan, Brett Booth, Adelso Corona, Daniel Henriques, FCO Plascencia, Andrew Dalhouse, Marcelo Maiolo, Peter Steigerwald and Dave McCaig.
Haunt, the fusion of two brothers, one of whom is dead and both of whom hate each other, is a macabre McFarlane creation similar to Spawn himself. Having left the printed page for quite a while, Haunt now returns in King Spawn with a closer tie to Spawn than ever as the forces of Heaven and Hell target him for death. Here's a look back at who and what Haunt is and how he's again come back from the publication dead.
Who Is Haunt?
Haunt debuted in his eponymous book back in 2009, being co-created by Todd McFarlane and the author of The Walking Dead and Fire Power, Robert Kirkman. Much as Spawn is visually a combination of McFarlane creation Venom with the chains and cape of Ghost Rider and Dr. Strange, Haunt is also evocative of some spooky Marvel characters. His design and white color scheme are essentially Marvel's Anti-Venom, while his backstory is similar to that of the much more obscure Brother Voodoo.
Haunt is the combination of Daniel Kilgore and Kurt Kilgore, two brothers with vastly different lives. Daniel was an errant priest, while his brother Kurt was a secret agent. Killed by a rival agent, Kurt's ghost tries to get Daniel to protect his now widowed wife. During an altercation, Kurt's ghost seemingly fuses with Daniel when it tries to push him out of the line of fire, instead fusing the brothers together.
From then on, they're known as Haunt, who is made up of ectoplasm of magical origin. This sticky substance gives them razor-sharp claws, super strength and other enhanced physical capabilities. This is held back somewhat by Daniel's inexperience in the battlefield, though Kurt is always there in the back of his mind. With these new powers, they initially set out to work alongside the Organization that Kurt had previously belonged to.
Haunt Returns in King Spawn
While Haunt was initially heavily hyped due to its creators, the character faded into obscurity, and Haunt ended in 2013, with stories that tied it much more closely to the world of Spawn before its titular hero faded into obscurity.
That's finally changed in King Spawn #1 during a backup story featuring Daniel Kilgore and the current Redeemer. Daniel seems to be hitting it off with a new lady friend, but it turns out that she has ties to otherworldly sources. Both Heaven and Hell make it clear that they're hunting Haunt due to his having elements of both of their realms in his ectoplasmic body. Strung up on the wall of his apartment, Haunt is saved and healed by the Redeemer.
The Redeemer claims that this act of kindness is in repayment of something that Kurt Kilgore had done for him years before when he was still alive. Kurt's ghost manifests after Redeemer flies away, informing his brother that he has no clue who the Redeemer's unmasked and eyeless alter ego was. This presents a mystery and a central conflict that are sure to keep the brothers Kilgore haunting both King Spawn and the wider Spawn universe for years to come.