Spawn's Origins Reveals a Surprising Connection To Sci-Fi Classic

Todd McFarlane's Spawn is one of the most successful independent comic characters in history, but long before he made his debut, the character looked a little different. McFarlane recently opened up about his initial inspirations for Spawn, which drew heavily from none other than Star Wars.

Speaking with Popverse, McFarlane talked about the 'proto-Spawn universe' he developed that later would lay the foundation for the existing Spawn universe. "I had this 40-page story, but it was set in sort of a sci-fi setting because, in 1977, this small little thing called Star Wars came along," McFarlane shared. "So all of a sudden I was like, 'Well, people like sci-fi. I got this idea. I'll put it out in space.'"

Spawn's Origins Were First Inspired by Star Wars

"The mechanics of it — of a guy that sort of made a deal with the devil came back for the love of his life — all of that was still there," McFarlane added. "I had just begun dating this lovely young lady named Wanda, whom I happily say I'm married to today, almost 50 years later."

The inspiration from Star Wars initially had an even larger impact on McFarlane, with Spawn's character design also being altered from the look fans have come to know and love. "His color palette was blue, blue, and black," McFarlane revealed.

"The reason was that he's out in space," he continued. "Those are cold colors, right? I changed it later on when we were getting closer to the Image one because I go, 'Oh, he's from Hell.' [...] If you're from hell, he should be red, you know? Sort of classic devil color."

It may be hard for some fans to imagine Spawn in anything but his classic red and black design. The eventual premise that McFarlane landed on sees Al Simmons, a CIA assassin, being murdered by his own bosses. He later returns as the demonic Hellspawn, struggling with his own fading humanity while dealing with balancing the wars of heaven and hell.

Over the years, Spawn has had several successful spin-offs and crossovers, including with characters such as Savage Dragon, Invincible, and three run-ins with Batman. From the Wild West to the 21st Century, Spawn's adventures have also been throughout time — but he's often seen solo, save for his demon companions. That, too, was almost very different.

"[Spawn] also had this sort of goofy sidekick in my story," McFarlane revealed. "His name was Saul and his last name was Lami. So his full name was Salami. He was sort of there to just go, 'Hey, you're being duped.' I would argue that Salami was the inspiration for Clown, years later. That short little guy that, every now and then, tries to instill humor where really the world is pretty dark."

McFarlane Says Original Spawn Story Was "Silver Surfer-ish"

McFarlane's Star Wars inspiration for Spawn led to the character feeling more like something fans of The Fantastic Four will be familiar with. "Again, remember, I'm 16," he said of Spawn's space-faring deal with the devil. "[There was] a typical big overlord trying to take over some of the planets. Spawn makes a deal with them, and they're supposed to be, I guess you could say, a little bit Silver Surfer-ish."

The character's next moves will be when Spawn '77 launches in September. A three-part miniseries, its story takes inspiration from McFarlane's initial vision, with Image touting it as "a completely new and exciting take on the fan-favorite character."

The first issue of Spawn 77 arrives in comic book shops on Sept. 9.