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Violator (comics)
Encyclopedia
Violator is a fictional character
that appears in the Spawn
comic book
s published by Image Comics
. The character first appeared in Spawn #2 (May 1992) and was created by writer-artist Todd McFarlane
. He is the main antagonist of the comic issues 1-100 and later became a secondary antagonist in the recent issues. He is Spawn's most recognizable enemy.
In 2009, Violator was ranked as IGN's 97th Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.
, and his main purpose is to guide Hellspawns towards fulfilling Satan's desire: to cultivate Evil souls on Earth for Hell
's army. He has been Hell's guide for multiple Hellspawn
, his latest charge being the current Spawn, Al Simmons
. However, Violator views humanity as weak and so asserts that demons should lead the armies of Hell, not Spawn. Accordingly, much of his terrestrial activities, sanctioned by Hell or not, are aimed at proving his superiority to his master. The Violator's current disguise is that of The Clown, a 3'10" overweight, balding man with menacing face-paint. The Violator is not a demon to be taken lightly: he has shown many times that he is more than a match for a young Hellspawn. His hands are tied by his role, though, as he cannot kill a Spawn without an order from his superiors. His role is not to kill the Hellspawn, but to weaken them and cause them to waste their powers in wreaking havoc. His chief purpose is to groom and prepare the young Hellspawn for their service in Satan's army. He has been killed multiple times, each time to be returned to Hell and reanimated by his master.
At one point he is kept prisoner in a scientific facility seeking to weaponize his energies. Violator has to deal with an unexpected trip to hell, an insanely murderous angel and the facility's director of security, the stone-bodied Badrock.
After suffering a humiliating defeat in Hell during Spawn's return to claim the throne of the 8th sphere, the Clown reappeared on Earth on the order of Mammon
to wreak havoc in Spawn's life as part of the larger plan to give Nyx an opportunity to betray Al. He was a "mental adviser" to Jason Wynn
, his former contact and partner in the deal that cost Al Simmons his life. He helped Wynn regain his sanity and return to the NSA, but had other plans, rather than being charitable. He has assumed the dominant role in Wynn's psyche and when Wynn was vulnerable, hanging from a steel girder many stories up, he caused him to fall to his apparent death. Clown then took over Wynn's body and used it as his new vessel. He turned Wynn's body into a fanged, bloated parody of his former self. The Clown then began to attack and 'mark' citizens of Rat City
, turning them all into blue face-painted Clowns. It was revealed that the Violator was possessing hundreds of civilians and forcing them to run amok, committing acts of violence and vandalism, all with a smile on their faces. After their attacks brought Spawn
to the brink of death, leaving him bleeding and broken on the streets of Rat City in his Al Simmons persona, the Clowns vanished. The Violator has not been seen since, but has revealed that he has been turned loose on Earth with no strings attached, and it is only a matter of time before he returns to plague Spawn anew.
In Spawn #167, a new clown emerges, who is thin and agile, and fond of using knives. The clown hijacked the body of Barney Saunders, who had been having an affair with a married woman named Wilma Barbera. Trying to escape discovery by Wilma Barbera's husband, Barney Saunders jumped down the garbage chute only to be trapped there a couple of days before the bright light event (Spawn's destruction and recreation of the world), and was trapped in a garbage chute and doomed to be eaten alive by rats and roaches. The new clown easily escapes and frequently uses a knife to attack his enemies. He also can still change into his demon form when he wishes.
The Violator is revealed to be the cause of all the havoc of an apartment complex, freeing the residents of restraint and allowing them to fulfill their desires and violent urges. This allowed the Violator to create a portal to Hell from which the other Phlebiac Brothers could enter the world. Violator is confronted by Spawn, but easily gains the upper hand in the battle. Mere moments from Violator's victory, Barney Saunder's spirit gains control when his body sees his lover Wilma. Barney Saunders decides to go through the portal into hell, knowing that the only way to close the portal was to trap himself and Clown on the other side while he could still maintain control over his body. Barney reveals that he was angry at his lover for not coming to save him when he was starving in the garbage chute and takes her with him, stranding The Violator, Saunders and Wilma in Hell.
Clown has recently reappeared in New York City (how he escaped from Hell is unknown). It is Clown who finds the decapitated body of Spawn in the alleys, and it is he who tries to mask the dead zone created after Spawn's suicide. Clown tries hard to keep the Spawn's death a secret and kills anyone aware of the Spawn's demise. Clown plans to put together his own army to bring down the kingdom of Heaven (against the wishes of the "Elders", supposedly, very powerful rulers of Hell). He travels to Connectitcut to enlist the help of a fellow demon who now assumes the life of a human and is married to a human as well. Clown tries to convince the fellow demon (who has not yet been named) to join his own private army, but to no avail. Unfortunately for the nameless demon, Clown is not going to accept no for an answer. Clown gives the man two days to get his affairs in order before departing. The man, still defiant, looks in his cabinet to find the severed heads of his prize winning dogs and a note from the Clown reading, "I'm not Clowning around!"
Clown is absent for a while but then reappears in New York City to find an Angel crucified to a wall (done so by the newly ordained Hell Spawn). He is unaware that there is already a new HellSpawn and asks the Angel who pinned her to the wall, as he beats her with a crowbar. She laughs at his lack of knowledge about "What your side is doing, Mr. Clown," which angers Clown. He gives her a reason to fear him as he contorts his Clown face into that of the Violator. She says she is unafraid, to which he replies, "There are worse things than death, especially for an Angel," he then tears the wings from the helpless Angel's back.
After Jim and the Freak arrive on the scene, the Violator reveals himself. Though the Violator tells Jim he has the answers he seeks, it is made clear by the Freak, that the Violator is not on his side. When confronted by the truth, the Violator threatens Jim and the Freak. Before Jim can get any information from Violator, he retreats deeper into the alleys. The Violator goes to, "slaughter someone who could endanger my plans". The next scene, it is obvious that the Violator is switching between his two forms in order to trick Jim. Pretending the Violator is fighting the Clown.
The Clown emerges and claims that he has dispatched the Violator. The Freak curses the Clown, and then retreats in fear. The Clown and Jim are left alone. The Clown explains a little about Jim's newfound power. That his costume is alive and that there are ways of controlling it. He then laments over the angel's current insanity. He makes Jim believe that someone else had been behind this vile act, and not he. The Clown explains that he is Jim's ally, and that Jim should trust him in order to find the answers he seeks. Before the two can converse any longer, the Clown dashes away. Telling Jim that he has an appointment, and he'll see Jim around.
The Clown is nearly run down by Sam and Twitch's car, after running in front of it. The Clown is then pursued by the two detectives, after he urinates on their car. After being stopped by Twitch, and tackled by Sam, the Clown is taken to the pair's precinct (although this was obviously the Clown's plan). Clown is put into a cell with three other men. Clown sits beside and talks to the one he identifies as Claudio.
He tells Claudio that he wishes to have a conference with Claudio's boss. Claudio becomes defensive and asks why the Clown thinks the boss would want to see him. The Clown explains to Claudio that he is going to make his boss an offer he can't refuse. He proclaims that now that he has found a Spawn, he plans to combine his power, Spawn's power, and Claudio's boss' power in order to make the New Unholy Trinity.
An assortment of Violators appear in the Robot Chicken
episode "Celebutard Mountain" voiced by Seth Green
.
portrayed by John Leguizamo
in Clown form. His true demonic form was achieved by CGI
.
ese manga
Shadows of Spawn
as well as the Spawn spin-off mini-series Violator and the crossover Violator/Badrock
.
band Iced Earth
, from their Spawn-themed concept album The Dark Saga
.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
that appears in the Spawn
Spawn (comics)
Spawn is a fictional comic book superhero who appears in a monthly comic book of the same name published by Image Comics. Created by writer/artist Todd McFarlane, Spawn first appeared in Spawn #1...
comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
s published by Image Comics
Image Comics
Image Comics is a United States comic book publisher. It was founded in 1992 by high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their material without giving up the copyrights to the characters they created, as creator-owned properties. It was immediately successful, and remains...
. The character first appeared in Spawn #2 (May 1992) and was created by writer-artist Todd McFarlane
Todd McFarlane
Todd McFarlane is a Canadian cartoonist, writer, toy designer and entrepreneur, best known for his work in comic books, such as the fantasy series Spawn....
. He is the main antagonist of the comic issues 1-100 and later became a secondary antagonist in the recent issues. He is Spawn's most recognizable enemy.
In 2009, Violator was ranked as IGN's 97th Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.
Fictional character biography
Violator is the oldest and most powerful of five hell-born demons known as the Phlebiac BrothersPhlebiac Brothers
The Phlebiac Brothers are antagonists in Todd McFarlane's Spawn comic book series.They consist of the Violator, the Vindicator, the Vacillator, the Vaporizer, and the Vandalizer....
, and his main purpose is to guide Hellspawns towards fulfilling Satan's desire: to cultivate Evil souls on Earth for Hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
's army. He has been Hell's guide for multiple Hellspawn
Hellspawn
Hellspawn are fictional soldiers from Todd McFarlane's comic book series, Spawn. The main character in the series, Spawn, is himself a Hellspawn.-Description:...
, his latest charge being the current Spawn, Al Simmons
Spawn (comics)
Spawn is a fictional comic book superhero who appears in a monthly comic book of the same name published by Image Comics. Created by writer/artist Todd McFarlane, Spawn first appeared in Spawn #1...
. However, Violator views humanity as weak and so asserts that demons should lead the armies of Hell, not Spawn. Accordingly, much of his terrestrial activities, sanctioned by Hell or not, are aimed at proving his superiority to his master. The Violator's current disguise is that of The Clown, a 3'10" overweight, balding man with menacing face-paint. The Violator is not a demon to be taken lightly: he has shown many times that he is more than a match for a young Hellspawn. His hands are tied by his role, though, as he cannot kill a Spawn without an order from his superiors. His role is not to kill the Hellspawn, but to weaken them and cause them to waste their powers in wreaking havoc. His chief purpose is to groom and prepare the young Hellspawn for their service in Satan's army. He has been killed multiple times, each time to be returned to Hell and reanimated by his master.
Fighting for his life
His brothers turn on him at one point, sending him fleeing for his life through a New York city shopping district. He becomes briefly allied with a moral but naive vigilante.At one point he is kept prisoner in a scientific facility seeking to weaponize his energies. Violator has to deal with an unexpected trip to hell, an insanely murderous angel and the facility's director of security, the stone-bodied Badrock.
After suffering a humiliating defeat in Hell during Spawn's return to claim the throne of the 8th sphere, the Clown reappeared on Earth on the order of Mammon
Mammon (comics)
Mammon is a fictional character from the comic book Spawn. He is Spawn's former ally and is currently the primary antagonist, having replaced Violator in that role.-Background:...
to wreak havoc in Spawn's life as part of the larger plan to give Nyx an opportunity to betray Al. He was a "mental adviser" to Jason Wynn
Jason Wynn
Jason Wynn is a fictional character in the Todd McFarlane comic book series Spawn. Wynn is the director of the United States Security Group, an umbrella agency encompassing the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, and National Security Council...
, his former contact and partner in the deal that cost Al Simmons his life. He helped Wynn regain his sanity and return to the NSA, but had other plans, rather than being charitable. He has assumed the dominant role in Wynn's psyche and when Wynn was vulnerable, hanging from a steel girder many stories up, he caused him to fall to his apparent death. Clown then took over Wynn's body and used it as his new vessel. He turned Wynn's body into a fanged, bloated parody of his former self. The Clown then began to attack and 'mark' citizens of Rat City
Rat City
Rat City, also known as Mice City, is a colloquialism for the area of White Center, Washington, a small, low income suburb of West Seattle. White Center garnered a poor reputation due to its high crime rates and small homes. An alternate scenario for the moniker is that the name refers to the "rink...
, turning them all into blue face-painted Clowns. It was revealed that the Violator was possessing hundreds of civilians and forcing them to run amok, committing acts of violence and vandalism, all with a smile on their faces. After their attacks brought Spawn
Spawn (comics)
Spawn is a fictional comic book superhero who appears in a monthly comic book of the same name published by Image Comics. Created by writer/artist Todd McFarlane, Spawn first appeared in Spawn #1...
to the brink of death, leaving him bleeding and broken on the streets of Rat City in his Al Simmons persona, the Clowns vanished. The Violator has not been seen since, but has revealed that he has been turned loose on Earth with no strings attached, and it is only a matter of time before he returns to plague Spawn anew.
In Spawn #167, a new clown emerges, who is thin and agile, and fond of using knives. The clown hijacked the body of Barney Saunders, who had been having an affair with a married woman named Wilma Barbera. Trying to escape discovery by Wilma Barbera's husband, Barney Saunders jumped down the garbage chute only to be trapped there a couple of days before the bright light event (Spawn's destruction and recreation of the world), and was trapped in a garbage chute and doomed to be eaten alive by rats and roaches. The new clown easily escapes and frequently uses a knife to attack his enemies. He also can still change into his demon form when he wishes.
The Violator is revealed to be the cause of all the havoc of an apartment complex, freeing the residents of restraint and allowing them to fulfill their desires and violent urges. This allowed the Violator to create a portal to Hell from which the other Phlebiac Brothers could enter the world. Violator is confronted by Spawn, but easily gains the upper hand in the battle. Mere moments from Violator's victory, Barney Saunder's spirit gains control when his body sees his lover Wilma. Barney Saunders decides to go through the portal into hell, knowing that the only way to close the portal was to trap himself and Clown on the other side while he could still maintain control over his body. Barney reveals that he was angry at his lover for not coming to save him when he was starving in the garbage chute and takes her with him, stranding The Violator, Saunders and Wilma in Hell.
Clown has recently reappeared in New York City (how he escaped from Hell is unknown). It is Clown who finds the decapitated body of Spawn in the alleys, and it is he who tries to mask the dead zone created after Spawn's suicide. Clown tries hard to keep the Spawn's death a secret and kills anyone aware of the Spawn's demise. Clown plans to put together his own army to bring down the kingdom of Heaven (against the wishes of the "Elders", supposedly, very powerful rulers of Hell). He travels to Connectitcut to enlist the help of a fellow demon who now assumes the life of a human and is married to a human as well. Clown tries to convince the fellow demon (who has not yet been named) to join his own private army, but to no avail. Unfortunately for the nameless demon, Clown is not going to accept no for an answer. Clown gives the man two days to get his affairs in order before departing. The man, still defiant, looks in his cabinet to find the severed heads of his prize winning dogs and a note from the Clown reading, "I'm not Clowning around!"
Clown is absent for a while but then reappears in New York City to find an Angel crucified to a wall (done so by the newly ordained Hell Spawn). He is unaware that there is already a new HellSpawn and asks the Angel who pinned her to the wall, as he beats her with a crowbar. She laughs at his lack of knowledge about "What your side is doing, Mr. Clown," which angers Clown. He gives her a reason to fear him as he contorts his Clown face into that of the Violator. She says she is unafraid, to which he replies, "There are worse things than death, especially for an Angel," he then tears the wings from the helpless Angel's back.
After Jim and the Freak arrive on the scene, the Violator reveals himself. Though the Violator tells Jim he has the answers he seeks, it is made clear by the Freak, that the Violator is not on his side. When confronted by the truth, the Violator threatens Jim and the Freak. Before Jim can get any information from Violator, he retreats deeper into the alleys. The Violator goes to, "slaughter someone who could endanger my plans". The next scene, it is obvious that the Violator is switching between his two forms in order to trick Jim. Pretending the Violator is fighting the Clown.
The Clown emerges and claims that he has dispatched the Violator. The Freak curses the Clown, and then retreats in fear. The Clown and Jim are left alone. The Clown explains a little about Jim's newfound power. That his costume is alive and that there are ways of controlling it. He then laments over the angel's current insanity. He makes Jim believe that someone else had been behind this vile act, and not he. The Clown explains that he is Jim's ally, and that Jim should trust him in order to find the answers he seeks. Before the two can converse any longer, the Clown dashes away. Telling Jim that he has an appointment, and he'll see Jim around.
The Clown is nearly run down by Sam and Twitch's car, after running in front of it. The Clown is then pursued by the two detectives, after he urinates on their car. After being stopped by Twitch, and tackled by Sam, the Clown is taken to the pair's precinct (although this was obviously the Clown's plan). Clown is put into a cell with three other men. Clown sits beside and talks to the one he identifies as Claudio.
He tells Claudio that he wishes to have a conference with Claudio's boss. Claudio becomes defensive and asks why the Clown thinks the boss would want to see him. The Clown explains to Claudio that he is going to make his boss an offer he can't refuse. He proclaims that now that he has found a Spawn, he plans to combine his power, Spawn's power, and Claudio's boss' power in order to make the New Unholy Trinity.
Other versions
Violator and his siblings are New York's ad-hoc police force in the dystopia-Spawn-ruled future of 2015.Powers and abilities
Violator is a superhumanly strong and resilient demon who has various supernatural powers including, shape/size shifting, healing, telepathy, possession of others, the ability to breathe fire, teleportation, and necromancy.Television
Violator appears in the HBO miniseries Todd McFarlane's Spawn, Clown was voiced by Michael Nicolosi, and Violator by James Hanes. Violator's true form is only shown briefly in three episodes while his clown form appears in most of the episodes of the series.An assortment of Violators appear in the Robot Chicken
Robot Chicken
Robot Chicken is an American stop motion animated television series created and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. Green provides many voices for the show...
episode "Celebutard Mountain" voiced by Seth Green
Seth Green
Seth Benjamin Green is an American actor, comedian, voice actor, and television producer. He is well known for his role as Daniel "Oz" Osbourne in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as Dr. Evil's son Scott in the Austin Powers series of comedy films, Mitch Miller in That '70s Show, and the voice of Chris...
.
Film
The character appears in the 1997 live-action Spawn filmSpawn (film)
Spawn is a 1997 American superhero film loosely based on the comic book of the same name, by Todd McFarlane and published by Image Comics. Directed and co-written by Mark A.Z. Dippé , the film stars Michael Jai White in the leading role...
portrayed by John Leguizamo
John Leguizamo
Jonathan Alberto "John" Leguizamo is an Colombian-American actor, producer, voice artist, and comedian.-Early life:...
in Clown form. His true demonic form was achieved by CGI
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
.
Comic books
The Violator appears in the JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
Shadows of Spawn
Shadows of Spawn
Shadows of Spawn is a licensed Japanese manga adaptation of Todd McFarlane's American Spawn comic series, written and drawn by Juzo Tokoro. It was originally printed in Japan from 1998 to 1999 in the monthly manga magazine Dengeki Comic Gao!, published by MediaWorks...
as well as the Spawn spin-off mini-series Violator and the crossover Violator/Badrock
Badrock
Badrock is a fictional comic book superhero who appears in books published by Image Comics. Created by Rob Liefeld, he first appeared in Youngblood #1 .-Fictional character biography:...
.
Video games
The Violator has been featured in almost every Spawn video game released since the first title launched on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES).Music
Violator is the subject of the song "Violate" by heavy metalHeavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Iced Earth
Iced Earth
Iced Earth is an American heavy metal band from Tampa, Florida. Originally formed under the name "Purgatory" in 1984, Iced Earth has released a total of ten studio albums, one live album, three EP's, two compilations and boxsets...
, from their Spawn-themed concept album The Dark Saga
The Dark Saga
-European Limited Digipak bonus track:-2008 Slave to the Dark bonus tracks:-Credits :*Jon Schaffer – rhythm guitar, vocals*Matt Barlow – lead vocals*Randall Shawver – lead guitar*Dave Abell – bass guitar*Mark Prator – drums...
.