Heaven as The Enemy
A Look at Heaven's Role in the Spawn Universe
The 1990s can be classified as the Age of Anti-heroes. Following the success of graphic novels such as The Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen, the comic book industry saw a boom for anti-heroes that star in dark and gritty stories. Out of the plethora that were introduced during this era, none can match the significance and popularity of Spawn, created by Todd McFarlane and published by Image Comics. Al Simmons is an African-American man with a wife who works in the special forces. But when he’s betrayed by his superiors and killed, he ends up in Hell. While there, he’s offered the chance to become a Hellspawn, a soldier in Hell’s army stationed on Earth. Al agrees on the condition that he can see his wife again. While Hell keeps up its end of the bargain, Al finds himself on Earth 5 years after his death, and his wife has remarried and already has a kid. The story of Spawn is full of sorrow, regret, and anger. Hell is expected to be sadistic and cruel, but that realm isn’t the focus of this piece. There is perhaps no other comic that portrays Heaven as corrupt, violent, and terrifying as the version depicted in the Spawn comics.
Now, it’s expected for Spawn to fight against angels. There is logical sense for an Angelic warrior to want to fight and kill Hellspawn. They might be more violent than superhero comics from DC or Marvel, but that aspect of Spawn lore isn’t unusual. What truly makes this depiction of Heaven unique is the rather pessimistic portrayal of how both God and his angels view and treat the human race. It isn’t just demons or Hellspawn that angels kill. They will also kill humans if they get in the way or if they are perceived to be evil. However, they will also have no issue making alliances with some corrupt humans if it ultimately means achieving their goal of complete victory against Hell. Heaven also has a means of turning dead souls into soldiers, with that process being as equally painful and manipulative as Hell selecting Hellspawn. Other people have been brainwashed into serving Heaven through other means. Angels will also turn on each other if there is any perceived disobedience to Heaven’s orders.
Looking at all of this, it’s hard to reconcile the fact that these actions are made by what are supposed to be holy entities. The comics would even introduce arguably the most powerful, definitely the most violent angel of all, Zera. Also known as Queen of the Seraphim, the highest order of angels, Zera is considered so insane and bloodthirsty that she had to be locked away. Only freed when it’s believed that the final war between Heaven & Hell is finally here. This is a uniquely sadistic character in a Heavenly realm that’s already entirely focused on militaristic methods and violent means of combating Hell. This is a Heaven where God cast out a bunch of angels for refusing to take part in the original war with Hell. When one is confronted with so many examples of Heaven’s corruption, one has to wonder about the nature of this universe’s God. There are answers, but none of them are reassuring.
In this universe, God & Satan are twin brothers. They are constantly fighting with each other, neither one possessing the power to kill the other. They are the children of an entity called The Mother of Existence. She gave them a universe to share in the hopes that they could work together. God created humans, meant to be loyal to him alone. However, Satan gave them free will. This act started a war between Heaven & Hell, using Earth as their battleground and as their source of soldiers. In this universe, it doesn’t matter how good or bad you were. The afterlife utilizes a bartering system. Exchanging souls so that the other side can hopefully get some souls that will prove useful and give them an advantage. There are also methods where one side can try to steal souls from the other. When both sides believed the final war was here, God enacted a mass rapture to summon souls to Heaven. But instead of being treated to paradise, he forced the souls to occupy suits that would force them to fight. These are not choices made by a loving entity. This is a version of God who is just as corrupt and twisted as Satan, but hides behind an illusion of love simply as a means of propaganda.
Looking at all of this, one can interpret the conflict between Heaven & Hell as Todd McFarlane's critique of war. The ultimate depiction of how warfare and the means to fund and support it bring harm to everyone. One could also interpret this as Todd’s version of cosmic horror. Two entities rule over Earth and see humans as nothing more than interchangeable toys in a never-ending conflict. Each side either actively cheers on the suffering and destruction they are causing or is indifferent to the consequences of their actions. Just as long as they win, the ends justify the means.
We all subconsciously know what an anti-hero generally is, and we can identify whether or not a character fits into that role. There are a lot of superficial reasons why Spawn fits into this role. His dark persona, his willingness to kill others, and not to mention the anger that fuels him. His desire to hurt those who hurt him is more significant than any desire to protect the innocent. Al will sometimes utilize some of the same tactics as Heaven & Hell, but his ultimate goal is to free Earth from both realms. And this is a key part of what makes Spawn an anti-hero on a philosophical level. One of the purposes of an anti-hero is to serve as a voice of critique of social morals and reality. To push back against the rules made by an establishment and to take it upon themselves to fight back. Even Al’s selfish nature at times aligns with the philosophy of an anti-hero. Spawn is primarily fueled by anger over how both sides have manipulated and attacked him, so his personal motives take charge and drive him more than any other motivation.
This is why I feel that Spawn comics often don’t get their due. Yes, there are tropes and story beats that feel very influenced by the 1990s. But that era is influential to this type of anti-hero. It’s an era where many people are starting to wake up to the realization of the truth of real-world systems and what their true motivations are. Due to this realization, it’s understandable that a lot of people would feel angry and frustrated at the way things are. They feel a burning desire to see things change. Spawn is a representation of the feelings people have towards a corrupt, unjust society. The reason that the character has endured for so long is that there is still a relatable pathos that many can relate to. The forces that surround us can be monstrous, cruel, and sometimes incomprehensible. That’s why figures like Spawn exist. To perhaps inspire others to realize that now is the time to take action against such forces, by any means necessary.
