University of Panels

25: Spawn

(Al Simmons)

 

I admit that I've only recently gotten into Spawn, and that there is still a lot I don't know about the character, but from what I have read in SPAWN ORIGINS VOL. 1, he is a very fascinating character. Originally a government hitman named Al Simmons, he was killed in action by Youngblood member Chapel (this was made back when most of early Image Comics were dominated by Rob Liefeld). However because he had a strong bond with his wife, he made a deal with the devil to lead his army to combat God when armagedon came in exchange for being able to return to his loved one. The Devil cheated him however, as he was resurrected five years after his death, and his wife had remarried and had a son. His body was also reduced to a rotten corpse bound to a magiacl costume, and use of the powers he has gained threaten to dwindle the time he has left on Earth. Not only is this a well developed orgin for the character, but it's easy to feel Al's pain, as he made a desperate attempt to be with his loved one, but was cheated, making it impossible to be with her despite being brought back from the dead. I definetly look forward to reading more of his stories to see what development he further under goes. Plus his costume is just astonishing. He's like a combination of Venom (visual athetics) and Ghost Rider (demonic origins) when you think about it.