The groundbreaking nature in which the Spawn character exists in the realm of comics as a Black man becomes the subject of some impressive new fan art. For many audiences, even die-hard lovers of the character, it is oft forgotten that the Image Comics character started off as a Black person. Admittedly, it’s a fact that’s easy to forget when his entire costume covers him from head to toe. More often than not, he is depicted in his superhero form, which completely covers his face and skin throughout his body.
In his origin story, Spawn is introduced as Albert Francis Simmons, a native Detroiter who rises through the US Marine ranks to become a CIA assassin. Once he’s deemed too morally good for the job, his friend is hired to kill him, burning him alive and sending him to Hell, until Albert inevitably rises back among the living reincarnated as the Spawn that everyone knows and loves. Very little about his character, his origins, or his mannerisms explicitly depict him as a Black man, be it through stereotypes or otherwise. His casting as a Black man is practically colorblind, as his story can be told in more or less the exact same way with any other skin tone, but the fact that Spawn actually is a Black man is what makes the depiction so important. This is why it is equally important for casual readers and hardcore fans alike to be reminded of who Spawn looks like under the mask.
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