# Spawn (1997)

> A murdered government assassin returns from the grave as a hellish warrior and reluctantly leads Hell's army.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/9595

## Facts

- Seasons: 3
- Episodes: 18
- Episode runtime: 25 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: animation, action, fantasy
- Created by: Todd McFarlane
- Network: HBO
- Cast: Todd McFarlane, Keith David, Richard Dysart, Dominique Jennings, Victor Love, James Keane, Michael McShane, John Rafter Lee
- TMDB rating: 8.0/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118475/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: graphic
- Tone: grim, brooding, cynical, violent, gothic

## What critics say

Audience reception is positive, with viewers appreciating the dark, adult-oriented take on the Spawn comic mythology and its mature animation.

## Synopsis

Spawn (1997-1999) is an American adult animated supernatural action series created by Todd McFarlane for HBO. Betrayed and murdered by his employer, a former government assassin named Al Simmons is resurrected as a Hell spawn, and he is forced into the role of reluctant leader of Hell's army. Keith David voices Simmons in his armored form as Spawn, with Richard Dysart as the wily Nicholas Cogliostro and Dominique Jennings as Wanda Blake among the principal voices. Across three seasons of eighteen episodes, the show builds its stories around a hero who wants nothing more than to return to the living world and his wife, while infernal politics, demonic rivals and his own tortured conscience stand in the way. Each season moves along a continuing thread of vengeance and damnation, giving the grim narrative a serialized shape. The look and feel draw on the gothic, violent sensibility of 1990s comic book culture, with a brooding, cynical register and mature themes. Fans of Batman: The Animated Series, Hellblazer and Castlevania will find resonance in its dark, morally tangled mythology and its adult treatment of superhero conventions.

## Shows like Spawn

- [Devil May Cry (2025)](https://ember.film/tv/153067)
- [Twilight of the Gods (2024)](https://ember.film/tv/82048)
- [Castlevania (2017)](https://ember.film/tv/62061)
- [Constantine: City of Demons (2018)](https://ember.film/tv/67453)
- [Devil Lady (1998)](https://ember.film/tv/41378)
- [The Maxx (1995)](https://ember.film/tv/50236)
- [Chainsaw Man (2022)](https://ember.film/tv/95339)
- [Deathstroke: Knights & Dragons (2020)](https://ember.film/tv/82136)
- [Creature Commandos (2024)](https://ember.film/tv/139282)
- [WildC.A.T.S: Covert Action Teams (1994)](https://ember.film/tv/9271)

---

Site overview: https://ember.film/llms.txt