Spawn. There's no way you can pronounce that name without an accompanying death metal guitar riff and a vocal growl. He's a comic book character so edgy you can cut your own tongue and set it on eternal hellfire with a mere mention of his name, you heathen. Anyway, he's also one of the coolest antiheroes ever in comic book history; we can't get enough of him especially now that he's getting another film.
So, it's time to get more familiar with Todd McFarlane's comic book brainchild. The Spawn comic books have well, spawned many versions of the character throughout its heyday; it's time to know your Spawn (oof-- my tongue!). We have made a ranking based on their power, feats, or just how awesome they are just so you know which one can kick Satan's infernal posterior.
Updated July 23, 2020 by Darby Harn: With the recent announcement of the demonically awesome Spawn Kickstarter action figure, it's a good time to revisit this list. After all, most of the best alternate versions of Spawn originate from the legendary toy line (that's all the 90s line was for a good while). With that in mind, here are a few more alternate versions of Al Simmons that could possibly be toys again, or perhaps even show up in the potential live-action movie Todd McFarlane is planning.
14 Cyber Spawn
Cyber Spawn is, unsurprisingly, a cybernetic version of Al Simmons. Though this particular iteration didn't make it into the comic books like some other action figure concepts did, he did inspire later action figures (it's not a robot if it can't upgrade) and even an entire Cyber Unit subline of McFarlane Toys. The only thing cooler than a resurrected man with demonic powers is a resurrected man with demonic powers who happens to have his consciousness uploaded into a gigantic Robocop-type thing.
13 Commando Spawn
Commando Spawn is essentially Spawn with a lot of guns, but that's probably worse. Based on an action figure concept from the 90s that also got revisited a few times down the line, Commando Spawn is Al Simmons without his cape but with a sniper rifle, assault rifle, and a pistol. And grenades, too. Lots and lots of grenades. This particular version of the character sticks close to Simmons' military past and also the grim and gritty 90s, when everything was bigger than it needed to be.
12 Raven Spawn
Raven Spawn originated in the Hellspawn mini-series, as a villain to Al Simmons. Like most of his villains, there's little difference between them (they're all demons, essentially). Raven Spawn distinguishes himself from the pack, though. Raven Spawn basically works as an insanely powerful (and scary) Ringwraith from Lord of the Rings, being one of Malebolgia's Death Knights who returned to Earth to torment Al Simmons just because. He also appeared in the toyline in 2002's appropriately titled Alternate Realities.
11 Curse of Spawn
Curse of Spawn hails from an alternate future timeline. This version of Spawn isn't Al Simmons, but Daniel Llanso, set 400 years in the future. Like Al, he gets resurrected as a Hellspawn. His appearance is much more skeletal and frightening, however. He continues the battle against evil much like Al did, while also at the same time fighting it within himself. He first appeared in the comic book spin-off of the same name, from 1996.
10 Spawn X
If there was anything we could learn from DC extended universe (DCEU), it's that dark, serious superhero overtones and themes don't do (or sell) well with the masses. Todd MacFarlane, creator of Spawn understood this, so he authorized a PG comic book version of Spawn. The result was Spawn X from the Adventures of Spawn or the most Saturday morning cartoon version of Spawn you'll ever get.
It's a kid's version of a comic book made for adults, meaning it's inhibited as heck; at times it even tiptoes between the borderline of dark and campy. Still, it's Spawn alright. At least a neutered version of him who is less lethal and more, err, Christian. To make it weirder, Al Simmons (Spawn's alter ego) is intact here and not a disfigured undead.
9 Movie Spawn
Before Black Panther raised the banner of black superheroes and even a year before Blade made it into film, there was Spawn. Its first film adaptation was released in 1997 and starred Michael Jai White as Al Simmons/Spawn. Of course, no one celebrated the fact that White was one of the earliest black superheroes because A) Spawn is a terrible movie and B) Simmons looks like Freddy Krueger.
Despite the poor reception, it was still somewhat faithful to the comic books. Meanwhile, White wasn't a bad Al Simmons either at least in the physique department. Compared to Spawn X, Michael Jai White's Spawn has no reservations on ending those who deserve to be sent to hell where he's from though his reliance on guns just to kill normal humans is quite a puzzling direction choice. Speaking of a gun-toting Spawn...
8 Gunslinger Spawn
There's at least one comic book version of Spawn who's armed to the teeth with conventional human weaponry. However, it sort of discredits his subtlety as a creature of the night, which is why Gunslinger Spawn is more stylish and classy. It's a version of Spawn with guns done right but he's not exactly Al Simmons.
Gunslinger Spawn appeared in Spawn #174-175 and is a different person. His original name was Jeremy Winston and became acquainted with Al Simmons' grandfather, Francis Parker. Winston was lynched to death but the demon Mammon offered him a new chance in the afterlife by becoming his Hellspawn. Winston accepted and Gunslinger Spawn emerged then slaughtered the whole town that lynched him. He did leave only Francis Parker alive since Mammon commanded Gunslinger Spawn to spare Simmons' grandfather for some grand Hellspawn plans.
7 Japanese Spawn
Just like Wolverine, Spawn was popular enough as an antihero to be picked up by Japanese entertainment. Hence, they had their own version of Spawn officially licensed and made into a manga. Juzo Tokoro is both the writer and the artist of the 200-page manga adaptation.
As for the Japanese Spawn, his name is originally Ken Kurosawa, an impoverished street thug who does dirty fixer work for cash. Ken is eventually murdered by his own clients and in Al Simmons fashion, was brought back as a Hellspawn. The manga also set up the events of Ken's life to be in parallel with Al Simmons.'
6 Medieval Spawn
Medieval Spawn is a similar anomaly to Gunslinger Spawn; he was also a victim of society's harsh rules and punishments. His real name back when he was a human knight in 16th century England was Sir John of York. After mistaking his king's tantrums as a command to murder someone (and actually doing the deed), John of York was executed by his own lord.
Since he's pretty much a psychotic knight who enjoyed killing, he went to hell and Malebolgia took a liking to him. The demon who also made Simmons into Spawn turned sir John of York into a Hellspawn. His weapon of choice thereafter was a huge battle axe (sometimes a huge cleaver) and a shield. He still had the signature blood-red ripped tunic or mantle and the white and black armor.
5 Dark Ages Spawn
Long before Medieval Spawn started prowling the feudal wastelands of middle-ages England, there was already a more metal Hellspawn. He's designated as the Dark Ages Spawn and existed in 10th century Europe. The era was aptly called the Dark Ages as it follows after the downfall of the Roman Empire. Such a catastrophe pretty much left a power vacuum for vying "barbarian" warlords to fill in.
Before he became a Hellspawn, Dark Ages Spawn was initially known by the nickname Black Knight or Lord Covenant. While his name is pretty angsty and sinister, he's actually a champion of the people and would often come to the aid of peasants. Hence, when he became a Hellspawn, his biggest dilemma was whether to help innocent peasants from the onslaught of warlords or become the supreme warlord of Dark Ages Europe himself. Regardless of his choice, he was pretty badass.
4 Hellspawn
One would think that Spawn didn't need a darker version of himself-- he's already ominous enough. However, Brian Michael Bendis (yes, him) introduced another dimension to the Image Comics franchise in the form of Hellspawn. It's a spinoff of Spawn which deals in more adult and violent or realistic subject matters such as suicide or abuse.
As if that was needed; characters like the child-killer Billy Kincaid already took the cake when it comes to gloom in the mainstream Spawn. Still, Hellspawn was successful and made Spawn all the more compelling. The atmosphere was more twisted and nightmare-inducing and Spawn here is a lot less talkative and more shooty. Something's definitely more wrong with him in this spin-off.
3 Spawn
Of course, we wouldn't omit the original Spawn here, it's he who fired off this list, after all. Al Simmons, a CIA mercenary gets betrayed by his superiors and turned into Malebolgia's Hellspawn. It sets off a classic tale of revenge and one of the unlikeliest antiheroes ever. He's undead, defaced, and sad as heck after finding out his widow of a wife remarried.
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All that turned out to not be an accident, though. As we did mention earlier, Mammon, one of the greater demons of Satan machinated Simmons' eventual evolution into a Hellspawn, meaning it was destined. Throughout his tenure as a Hellspawn, Simmons' turned out to be one-of-a-kind. He often brushed and helped with the forces of heaven and did plenty of good for mankind.
2 Angel Spawn
Angel Spawn isn't exactly a different Spawn; he's also the same person as Al Simmons. The only difference is instead of the Broody McBrood tattered cape and Norwegian Heavy Metal band chains, he sports shiny angel wings! Frankly, it suited Spawn better and makes him look more like a conflicted badass; it's even something that would make Malebolgia utter words of blasphemy at that radiant fashion sense.
Anyway, Spawn got the awesome angel wings from the Mother herself; she's the creator of the universe and surpasses both Heaven and Hell in authority. During Simmons' tests to be worthy of humanity, Judas (the biblical Judas) stabs and kills Spawn. Apparently, he passes the test and Mother revived Spawn's lifeless body using the Forbidden Fruit. This gave him the angel wings and the power to defeat both God and Satan. Basically, the Mother made Spawn do the "Jesus" for a backpiece upgrade. It was beautiful... in a metal way.
1 Omega Spawn
This version is Spawn isn't treated as canon since it was never finished. Nevertheless, it's arguably the most terrifying and perhaps even the most powerful. The Omega Spawn is what would have happened if Malebolgia and Satan had their way with Al Simmons. In the Omega Spawn storyline, Satan gave Simmons' control of Hell and unlimited necro-power, this made him more powerful than both God and Satan.
The Omega Spawn's purpose? To combine the forces of Earth and Hell in order to defeat Heaven. For this to happen though, Hell had to conquer Earth first and that's what the Omega Spawn did. He unleashed all the villains imprisoned in Hell and sicced them all on the hapless mortals of Earth. The arc was never finished though and Omega Spawn was abruptly ended and dropped sadly (or luckily).