Spawn’s New Ruler of Hell Is One of the Franchise’s Biggest Status Quo Changes Ever

Summary

• After 33 years, Spawn #350 crowns a new ruler of Hell in an historic moment that changes the franchise forever.
• In an unexpected twist, Spawn’s ultimate plan involves Nyx becoming the Queen of Hell, not himself.
• Nyx’s rule brings consequences, as she banishes Spawn from Hell and sets the stage for future conflicts.

Warning! Spoilers for Spawn #350 ahead!History is being made, as for the first time in the Spawn comic series’ 33-year history, Hell finally has a new ruler. This development promises to forever change the direction of the franchise, and there’s no backing out from this massive upheaval of the status quo. In an extra long 50-page issue, the battle for the Throne of Hell commences in Spawn #350, and one character emerges victorious.

This started in 2000 when the first King of Hell, Malebolgia, was killed by the title character, Spawn in Spawn #100. While there have been unofficial and self-declared leaders of Hell since then, officially, the extraordinarily powerful Throne of Hell has sat empty – until Spawn #350 by Todd McFarlane, Rory McConville, Brett Booth, and Carlo Barberi.

Ruling Hell isn’t a ceremonial position; the throne is known to both empower and corrupt whoever manages to claim it. While there have been decades of theories about the identity of the next ruler, the character who actually claimed that title was entirely unexpected.

After the release of
Spawn
#100 by Todd McFarlane, Steve Niles, Brian Holguin, Angel Medina, and Greg Capullo, it was widely assumed Spawn would take the throne of Hell, but he never did.

Three Main Contenders Have Fought To Rule Hell

After years of build-up, Spawn, Clown, and Cogliostro have emerged as the final three candidates fighting for power. Spawn aka Al Simmons has had the opportunity to rule Hell in the past, but he declined the opportunity to seize power. Simmons had instead become a de facto ruler of Hell, intent on making it a utopia, until his betrayal by Cogliostro. However, now it’s do or die with Clown and Cogliostro rushing towards the throne and the immense power that comes with it. Due to this, Spawn no longer has the luxury of letting the throne be left alone.

By contrast, Clown aka “Violator” has been power-hungry since Todd McFarlane’s Spawn #2. Unlike Spawn and Cogliostro, Clown is a Hell-born demon rather than a Hellspawn and is convinced he’ll be the next king because of this. Given his status as a long-term, power-hungry “big bad” throughout the franchise, it goes without saying that Violator ruling Hell would benefit only him. Everything he does is for his own benefit. Not only that, but Clown has already done what no ruler of Hell has succeeded in by managing to defeat Heaven. If powered-up by the throne, he’d be an unstoppable force.

Lastly, Cogliostro, has made attempts for the throne in the past. In Spawn #9 by Todd McFarlane and Neil Gaiman, Cogliostro aka Sinn starts as Spawn’s mentor. However, Spawn isn’t the first person Sinn has betrayed. After all, he was the first murderer, Cain, with his victim being his brother. From the moment Sinn was turned into a Hellspawn by Malebolgia, he has thirsted for the throne. When he has unofficially seized power in the past, his immediate goal has been to invade Heaven. With Heaven already brought to its knees by Clown, conquering Earth would likely be his next goal.

The First Battle For Hell: Cogliostro vs. Clown

With this battle, Cogliostro and Clown’s millennia-long rivalry is finally coming to an end. They’ve been at odds with each other since Cogliostro became a Hellspawn, and the two have only worked together when it was mutually beneficial. Throughout the fight, Clown can’t help but brag about the destruction of Heaven in an attempt to show-up Sinn one final time. The venue for the final battle is fitting as the two fight to the death in front of the skull of their former mentor to claim his throne. In the end, Cogliostro puts Clown and their rivalry to rest.

The Second Battle For Hell: Spawn vs. Cogliostro

The fate of all of creation rests on this final battle for control of Hell. With Heaven defeated, nothing is left to stop Cogliostro, and both he and Spawn know this. Everything Sinn has done since arriving in Hell has led up to this point. Moreover, even when Spawn attacks Cogliostro with a weapon made specifically to kill him by Heaven’s celestial forge, Sinn refuses to die. To die would be to give up, and that has never been an option for him. Before either can lose, the battle ends for them.

A New Ruler Of Hell Is Crowned

A burst of green light signals the battle is over as a new ruler emerges. With Clown murdered and Spawn and Cogliostro still fighting, confusion ensues on both sides. No one understands who could have claimed the throne without anyone knowing. Those still fighting, such as Redeemer, immediately give up. After all, nothing more can be done. There is no denying the intense power of the throne, and thus, no reason to bother trying to change what has happened. There is nothing anyone can do but wait.

Even Sinn, who refusee death itself when staring it in the face moments ago, knows there is nothing left he can do. He is moments away from beating Spawn, but the fight ends as soon as he sees the throne is claimed. Although Cogliostro, Spawn, and Clown have all failed to claim the throne for themselves, one of the three still believes they have won. This is because one of the contenders for the throne has been hoping this would happen the entire time.

Spawn’s Ultimate Plan Is Revealed

Everyone believes he is going to finally rule Hell, but Spawn sitting on the throne has never and will never be an option.

Spawn has never intended to claim the throne for himself. In fact, five minutes before Cogliostro arrives, he has the opportunity to claim the throne but refuses to. Spawn’s real plan is kept a secret from everyone, including his allies, until he absolutely has to tell someone. Additionally, he waits to tell anyone until the last possible moment. Everyone believes he is going to finally rule Hell, but Spawn sitting on the throne has never and will never be an option.

Even those who know Spawn is their last hope fear what the corruption of Hell’s throne will do to him. His ex-wife, Wanda, who is allowing herself to be tortured for Spawn to become the King of Hell, begged him to find someone else to rule Hell. Not because she doesn’t trust Spawn, but because she knows how all-consuming the corruption of the throne can be. Spawn also doesn’t trust himself, which is why he doesn’t claim the throne after killing Malebolgia.

Spawn’s plan relies on finding someone who can claim the throne without being corrupted by it. This would be a near-impossible task. In order to claim the throne, one has to either be born of Hell or touched by it and turned into a Hellspawn. Demonic beings are corruptible by their very nature, even those like Spawn who fight to overcome it. However, he knows one person who wants nothing to do with the throne, and whom he believes can resist its influence: his longtime ally Nyx. Spawn just has to convince Nyx to do the one thing she desperately wants to avoid.

The Queen Of Hell Takes Her Throne

Despite her reluctance, Nyx does take the throne and in turn becomes the Queen of Hell. Her original plan is to stop Spawn, Cogliostro, and Clown all from taking the throne using any means necessary. Nyx knows none of them can resist the corruption of the throne. She herself is a Wiccan and, technically, neither Hellspawn nor Hell-born. However, she was once a Hellspawn due to having Spawn’s own symbiote at one time. This makes her touched by Hell and thus able to rule it. The fact that Nyx is not demonic means she may be able to withstand the influence of the throne.

Spawn Must Atone For His Sins

Nyx is now far more powerful than ever before, with the Throne of Hell empowering her.

Spawn is an antihero at his core, but even regular heroes are often criticized for the destruction they cause “saving the day.” For his battle for the throne alone, he’s disregarded the suffering of those he cares about. Spawn may not be aware of the pain he has caused, but Nyx is. As one of her first actions as Hell’s queen, she banishes Spawn from Hell. She says it’s to punish him for his pride and arrogance. For once, Spawn has to suffer the consequences of his mistakes.

At least, she says it’s a punishment for his actions, yet this may not be the case. When Spawn arrives on Earth from his banishment, he’s not the only one there. Jessica Priest has also been banished to Earth despite this supposedly being a punishment for Spawn. As Jessica notes, Nyx works for Greenworld. Now, with Heaven defeated and Nyx on the throne, there is nothing stopping her from controlling Heaven, Hell, and Greenworld. Punishment is an excuse to banish Spawn, so he can’t stop her from achieving her own goals.

Not only is Spawn banished, but he, Jessica, and everyone else find themselves unable to use their powers. This is also Spawn’s fault. While Spawn was in Hell, the Dead Zones have rapidly expanded and now cover all of Earth. As a result, no one has any powers. Plus, there is nothing stopping movement between Heaven, Hell, and Earth with all of Earth being a Dead Zone. All in all, it’s a recipe for disaster for Spawn and his allies.

In future comics, the inhabitants of Greenworld and Nyx are set to be the next major antagonists. Moreover, Nyx is now far more powerful than ever before, with the Throne of Hell empowering her. She doesn’t have to worry about Hell corrupting her because she is already corrupt. However, this does open up opportunities for Hell and Heaven to work together. After all, both are far too weak to resist Nyx on their own. With four more issues of Spawn already announced, Spawn will have to reduce the size of the Dead Zone and regain his powers.

Spawn
#350
is available now from Image Comics.