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Self Demonstrating / Spawn

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(If Spawn is channeling either Keith David, Kevin Michael Richardson or Michael Jai White, try not to piss him off. You'll live longer.)

It's said that an ending can sometimes be a beginning in disguise. In life, I was a hero. A Marine. A soldier serving God and country. Until I was betrayed and killed.

In death, I was reborn. The man once known as Albert Francis Simmons was no more. Now, I am Spawn.

I made my debut in my namesake comic in May of 1992, as an undead vigilante seeking only to reunite with my wife. But I became so much more.

I should start from the beginning, in a sense. My childhood was spent in Detroit, Michigan, me being the second-eldest of three children. Growing up, I joined the Marines and worked my way up to Lieutenant Colonel. Following a stint with the Secret Service, I was recruited into the C.I.A., where I joined a black-ops unit commanded by Jason Wynn.

He would be the one who orchestrated my death. I was betrayed by a person who I would take a bullet for, and was burned alive. But my death was just the beginning.

In Hell, the Devil himself, Malebolgia made me an offer I couldn't refuse: to join his army as a Hellspawn in exchange of me being able to see my wife again. I accepted the offer.

But Malebolgia tricked me.

Five years have passed since my death. Wanda had remarried my best friend, Terry Fitzgerald, and they both had a daughter together, Cyan. The life I knew was now gone, forever out of my reach.

So I made my home in the alleyways of Rat City. There, I found my calling, my purpose in my second life. I cleaned up the alleyways of the criminals who terrorized the homeless living there.

That was the beginning.

Oh, I've done many things as Spawn, troper. So many are my exploits, they are so long that I would take days to tell it all. But here are the key events. I took down Overt-Kill and fought off the likes of Angela and Jade, angelic beings who hunt Hellspawn like me. I almost caused the apocalypse by sleeping with Wanda and stopped it by sealing both God and the Devil away in order for them to hash out their grievances. I've pissed off both Heaven and Hell with my actions and have not regretted it. I've made friends and stood my ground against new enemies.

I've also made my mark in entertainment, troper. The animated series is quite possibly my best work. I also have a live-action film under my belt. Aside from a couple of video games, two specific events come to mind, both of them fighting games. My fighting game debut consisted of me searching for Soul Edge on Malebogia's orders. My most recent outing involves dealing with Kronika and her scheme to reset time. And despite our differences, the Shirai Ryu grandmaster and his Lin Kuei counterpart are both kindred spirits. It turns out they and their Thunder God have also met the billion dollar crusader as well. And that blasted clown is here as well. Not the one I'm used to, but nonetheless, I hate clowns, and the Dark Knight has warned me about him.

Everything comes at a price, troper. Remember that.

  • '90s Anti-Hero: You're stating the obvious, troper, bad publicity included.
  • Abusive Parents: I have my mother to thank for making me into what I would become in life.
  • All-Encompassing Mantle: My crimson cloak with its signature high collar covers my entire body, save for my head.
  • Anti-Hero: Batman and the Justice League have a strict no-kill policy. I don't. Just to be clear, the people I kill have it coming.
  • Arch-Enemy: Violator. How many times I gotta kill you?
  • Ascended Demon: For a time, I gained power that was superior to that of the Almighty and Satan. It wasn't permanent, though, but I used it to stop the Apocalypse.
  • Asshole Victim: As all my victims are basically the scum of the earth, no one'll miss them.
  • The Atoner: I've done many bad things working under Wynn. I consider this my second chance.
  • Badass Shroud: My shroud is an extension of me. I can even use it as a weapon, or either conceal or disguise myself. Very handy in extreme situations.
  • Badass Normal: In life, I was a government assassin. Now, as a Hellspawn, I retained my unique set of skills.
  • Bad Powers, Good People: My powers have been gifted to me by Malebogia himself. Yet, I am not evil.
  • Bed Trick: I was desperate to be with Wanda again. Hence, me using the power of the Shroud to disguise myself as Terry if only for a single night with Wanda.
  • Berserk Button: I fucking hate clowns. Even that "Ninja Mime" knows better than to push this one.
  • Big Brother Instinct: Hmm... back when I was alive, I had a younger brother. The local drug dealer sexually assaulted him, so in revenge, I stabbed the fucker to death. He was my first kill.
  • BFS: For a time, the Almighty had gifted me with a massive sword. I would later use it to trap both Him and the devil with it.
  • Big Good: Slowly am getting albeit more darker than most.
  • Blood Knight: If the forces of Heaven and Hell want a fight, they got one.
  • Body Horror: I'm nothing more than a glorified zombie; the end result of being burned to death and left to rot for five years. It's the main reason why I wear a mask.
  • The Cameo: I appeared briefly in a so-called "crossover" involving a super speedy small blue mammal and his friends. If that story had a more competent writer, I would've been done justice.
  • Cast from Lifespan: Everything comes at a price. That includes my powers. If my powers is spent, then I go back to Hell. In order to conserve my energy, I use firearms whenever possible.
  • Chain Pain: They're more than just a fashion statement. My chains can be used as weapons to rip and tear.
  • The Chessmaster: My finest moment. I played the forces of Heaven and Hell both for chumps, until they fell into my trap.
  • The Cowl: Sinister? Yes. Evil? No.
  • Dark Is Not Evil: I'm an undead assassin with a costume that is, for lack of a better term, a living demonic parasite. I did what I did just to get back to Wanda.
  • Dating Catwoman: What is it with me and angelic beings that want to either kill me or kiss me? The first was Jade, a bounty hunter, while the second was Angela, a Hellspawn-hunting angel. The latter is no longer in my universe.
  • Deal with the Devil: The most well-known aside from Johnny Blaze.
  • Decapitation Required: Ultimately, beheading me is the only way to stop me permanently.
  • Doom Magnet: According to Cogliostro, evil people are drawn to me like flies to shit.
  • Domestic Abuse: I loved Wanda. I just was not the best husband to her at times. That turned out to be a lie crafted by Malebolgia to drive me to suicide.
  • Driven to Suicide: I did kill myself. Fortunately, it didn't stick, and I returned as Omega Spawn.
  • Faustian Rebellion: (chuckles darkly) Bet Malebolgia didn't expect me to overthrow him in the long run, didn't he?
  • Glowing Eyes of Doom: Green, due in part to the necroplasm flowing within my body.
  • Good Is Not Nice: Am I a hero to the helpless? Yes, I am. Do I kill anyone standing in my way? Provided that they are the bad guys, then yes.
  • Guest Fighter: I made my mark in SoulCalibur II and later, Mortal Kombat 11.
  • Heartbroken Badass: (sighs) If I could take it all back, I would. I would have gotten out of that life sooner. Had that happened, I wouldn't have bargained with Malebolgia. I would still be alive, not an undead rotting corpse burned beyond recognition with this soul-sucking demon for a uniform. I would still be married to Wanda, and Cyan would be our daughter. Terry should count his blessings, as I won't lower myself and kill him. Perhaps with my reemergence, I could make those dreams a reality...Then Wanda died…
  • The Hero: Albeit more darker than others.
  • Hybrid Monster: Aside from being part demon, thanks to a past encounter with Bludd, I'm also part vampire.
  • I Did What I Had to Do: My excuse when I'm forced to face my past sins. Holding myself accountable for my actions in life is a major part of my story.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: I'm standoffish and gruff, but above all things, I'm a protector.
  • Laser-Guided Amnesia: Delusions can be a powerful thing, especially with Malebolgia pulling the strings. When he brought me back, he wiped my memories save for my military training and those of Wanda.
  • Love Makes You Evil: At first, I played this trope straight. But now, it's my love for Wanda and those I care about which allows me to retain what remains of my humanity.
  • Many Spirits Inside of One: The Legion of Lost Souls was sealed inside of me by the Mother of Existence. Six thousand damned souls that died around the same time as I did, thus increasing my power tenfold. It also explains that soul-sucking sorcerer's interest in me.
  • Mercy Kill: I understand, Jade. Why you had me kill you. You were tired of running, of fighting. You wanted an honorable death at the hands of a Hellspawn, to wipe away the stain of betraying Heaven. May your eternity in the Elysium Fields be ever peaceful.
  • Military Superhero: I prefer to rely on my military training and my personal cache of weapons. And believe me when I say I got a lot of guns.
  • Morality Chains: In life, both Terry and Wanda were this to me, if only barely.
  • Necromancer: Another skill to add to my skillset. When the entity possessing Cyan restores my powers, I stumbled onto this little trick. Controlling the dead and making my own personal army... no one saw that coming.
  • Never Hurt an Innocent: Pray that I don't catch you doing this, troper.
  • One Hero, Hold the Weaksauce: The stronger I become, the harder I am to kill. Lure me into a dead zone or use holy weapons? No dice. I even blew my head off, and that was ineffective. Touching holy weapons also had no effect.
  • Papa Wolf: I may not be the true father of Cyan, but I will make you wish for something as sweet as death's embrace should you harm a hair on her head.
  • Physical God: For a time. The Man of Miracles imbued me with the power to effectively cancel the apocalypse. As for Satan and God, I sent those two in an alternate universe in order for them to finally talk things out.
  • Powers Do the Fighting: Sometimes, I just stand in one place and let the cloak and chains do the dirty work.
  • Protectorate: The homeless denizens of Rat City refer to me as "The Guardian" once I ran the mob and criminals out of the area.
  • Red Is Heroic: While demonic in nature, I am a hero by choice.
  • Resurrected for a Job: I should have known that there was a catch when Malebolgia resurrected me. The more I killed, the more souls he harvested for his damned army.
  • Scary Black Man: Formerly a scary black man.
  • Sociopathic Hero: Feed a bad guy a bullet, and they won't be around to terrorize the populace ever again.
  • Spikes of Villainy: (chuckles) As I am a good guy, I turned this trope on its head.
  • Superpower Lottery: Oh, troper. You have no idea as to what I can do. Had it not been for specific limitations, I would be unstoppable.
  • Superhero Packing Heat: As my powers are limited, I prefer military-grade weaponry. What can I say? I was a commando in my former life.
  • The Symbiote: Would you believe me when I say that my suit is actually a demon? Its name is Leetha of the 7th House of K, and relies on a diet of souls to keep it sated.
  • Superman Substitute: In my recent adventures I have become something like this.
  • Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny: My journey has taken me to many different universes, some of them weirder than the last.
    • Malebolgia once sent me to retrieve a powerful sword called Soul Edge. As for what he wanted to do with it? Your guess is as good as mine.
    • I recently took part in those famous Mortal Kombat tournaments after so long. Finally got to show what I got against fellow specter Scorpion and the rest of the other kombatants fighting for the fate of the realms. After beating Kronika, I got Hanzo and Kuai Liang to lend me a hand in the fight against the Ten Hells. This is gonna be fun.
    • I was once pitted against that guy who's got a real vendetta towards the gods. Unfortunately for him, he just couldn't stack up against me.

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