Todd McFarlane's Spawn is one of the reasons that the character is such a beloved figure, despite the fact that the animated series had less than 20 episodes during its original three-season run back in 1997. The show followed Al Simmons (voiced by Keith David), a government assassin who was betrayed by his employer and then resurrected as a Hellspawn so that he could reunite with his wife, Wanda Blake (Dominique Jennings). Tricked by Malebolgia, Spawn is forced to act as a leader of Hell's army. Despite being cancelled following the third season, the series was an excellent program that pushed animation to another level. Spawn could've simply been a popcorn blockbuster that sees the anti-hero taking down baddies each and every episode; however, the show goes deeper and darker than that. It's a complex series that superbly showcases why Spawn making the deal with Malebolgia was actually a big mistake.
Throughout the series, there's rarely a happy moment for the Hellspawn because it highlights why it's hell being on Earth. The show doesn't hold back on the grim and dark world that Al, Wanda, and the other characters live in, with one of the crucial aspects being that Spawn is unable to connect with his former wife. Throughout the first season, Spawn is forced to see that Wanda is not only married again, but has a 4-year-old named Cyan. The cruel part of this situation is that he can't even sit down and have a cup of coffee with his former lover. It's understandable why Spawn hasn't been able to cope with Wanda moving on. He was ruthlessly murdered, thus he never got the chance to even say goodbye to his wife. This is why Spawn is sulking for the latter portion of the first season, despite the fact that he's in a corrupt society that continuously kills the homeless — the only people that accept him. Plus, there's a psycho preacher (which is The Violator in disguise) and Billy Kincaid to deal with, but Spawn simply ignores this because he's too busy brooding over the fact that he got a raw deal when it comes to seeing Wanda.
The series never holds back on the violence and brutality that plaques Spawn's world, but that's not the central focus for the title character. When we first meet him, Al isn't a good person; he's a government assassin and in "A Made Guy," it showcases the moment when the devil considered him to be one of them, which followed his betrayal. This is Spawn's redemption arc and him being forced to watch his wife love another man, Terry (Victor Love), is a part of that process. That's what ultimately makes Todd McFarlane's show such a fascinating series. Spawn's growth throughout the series helps turn him into a decent person, as he repeatedly he does the right thing to protect the innocent.
However, the entire series is marked on the blurred lines between good and evil. Spawn is an assassin, after all, but he's also a loving man who does his best to protect his city from the faces of evil. His biggest hurdle is that he needs to understand that killing only serves to benefit Malebogia. This is why he never kills Jason Wynn (John Fafter Lee) and Jess Chapel (Ruben Santiago-Hudson), the two men responsible for his brutal death. Once Chapel and Spawn finally fight in the Season 2 premiere, "Home Bitter Home," the latter has a chance to finally get revenge on one of the men responsible for his assassination. However, Spawn opts to keep him alive because at that point, Chapel would rather die, and this way, Spawn feels that he'll truly suffer.
In a strange way, death represents peace. No one really wants to die, but at the very least, all the pain, suffering, and emotional turmoil ceases once life is over. Since Spawn doesn't kill Chapel, he becomes a broken man, haunted by what he's done and can't live with the scars of what Al has become. Chapel was driven by his thirst to kill, but Al/Spawn has shattered that illusion and the ex-mercenary is going through life in a meaningless manner.
Even Wanda and Terry have to deal with a similar fate. Once she unravels that Kyle Watson was set up to take the heat for a series of child murders, Wanda's life is in constant danger. It only gets worse when Terry digs deeper into the weapon's disappearance, and the poor man is forced to abandon his family after numerous threats.
In theory, Al is a nearly invincible monster who can kill his enemies with ease. He can eat, sleep, and breathe, but what's the point of living when you're alone? His face is a reminder of that horrific betrayal, and he isn't even able to step close to Wanda without freaking his former wife out. Spawn expertly carries this narrative throughout it's three seasons, and while the story was obviously not finished before the series was cancelled, the change of the title character was evident in the final season.
The first season showcases Spawn dealing with the realities of his situation. He's essentially Maleblogia's slave, so more souls like Billy Kincaid can go to hell. The second season saw some character development thanks to Cogliostro (Richard Dysart), who guides Spawn out of the darkness that he's seemingly trapped in. Season 3 gets deeper into Spawn's psyche and past, and though he does some shady things like disguise himself as Terry to make love to Wanda one last time, he understands that killing is only hindering what he wants, and makes the decision in the final episode that he's willing to do anything possible to get back his humanity.
Spawn is a crux between the gates of hell and heaven, showcasing that the anti-hero is suffering the consequences of his controversial past. The series does an incredible job of documenting its titular hero and his struggles to cope with the realities of his situation, highlighting that even though Spawn is living on Earth, maybe death would've been a better option.