Spawn
Arguably, the most popular superhero franchise outside of DC and Marvel is Todd McFarlane’s Spawn. Created by McFarlane for Image Comics in 1992, the antihero spawned (pardon the pun) other comics and an entire franchise, which included a film in 1997 starring Michael Jai White as Al Simmons/Spawn and the inimitable John Leguizamo as the Violator.
If you’re unfamiliar with the character’s history, Simmons is killed by his partner and friend Chapel in a blazing inferno. His soul is then sent to Hell, because he knowingly killed innocent people while working for the CIA (the bugger!). Simmons then makes a deal with the evil being Malebolgia in exchange for his soul, so that he can see his wife, Wanda, again. However, with this deal comes a set of mystical superpowers – and Simmons ends up double-crossing the demons as well for good measure.
It’s safe to say that Spawn is likely to experience another major resurgence in popularity when the newest film – produced by Blumhouse and directed by McFarlane – is released in the near future. With a promise that it’ll be an R-rated affair, it’s sure to appeal to the longtime fans and attract more than a few newbies along the way, too.
