Spawn history: Military history and death
Spawn history: Resurrection
Spawn history: First metamorphosis
Spawn history: Heaven and Hell
Spawn history: The New King of Hell
Spawn history: Spawn reborn
Spawn history: Armageddon
Spawn history: The Reconstructed World
Spawn history: A tale of three brothers
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Spawn history: A tale of three brothers
In the next arc, "A Tale of Three Brothers" composed of issues 170-173, Abb and Zab create a literal hell house were visitors are forced to face their most heinous sins, due to demons called sin eaters that feed on the guilt by making their prey face the evil that they had done. A woman and a minister within the house are both caught in the delusions caused by the sin eaters, and slowly fed on by the demons. Spawn confronts Abb and Zab but is faced with his own sin against Wanda and his unborn child. Unable to break free from the guilt, he is slowly fed on by a sin eater. Nyx however decides to intervene, overcoming a sin eater and breaking a sin eaters illusion that was subduing Spawn. (It is revealed later on that Nyx is becoming more powerful) Spawn then tears apart many of the other sin eaters until he comes upon the minister who is being fed on by a sin eater.
It is then revealed that the minister is Al Simmon's brother, Richard, who was reliving his own worst sin. Spawn, who up to that moment had not yet recovered all his memories as Al Simmons since he became hellspawn decides to allow Richard to relive his sin so that he can peer into his own past. It is then revealed that Mammon, under the guise of a man, Mr. Malefick, had a profound influence on Al Simmons childhood. It was Mammon/Mr. Malefick (a constant visitor in the Simmons household and close acquaintance of Al Simmons mother) that tutored Al Simmons to torture and murder small animals at a very young age as well hurt his own body, seemingly grooming him to become his servant, who would feel neither glee nor pity in taking another beings life. Malefick had also influenced Richard Simmons to take drugs as well as introducing him to the drug dealer Weasel. It was only Marc Simmons that seemingly was able to save himself from Mammons influence, but was unable to help his brothers. Richard Simmon's vision of his past climaxed with him stabbing and gravely injuring Weasel (with a knife that was given by Mammon/Malefick) while intoxicated with drugs. Richard calls his brothers to come and help him in his predicament. Al Simmons not wanting him and his brothers to be implicated in the crime decides against calling an ambulance that could save the drug dealers life and instead pulls the knife from Weasel's body and kills him with it. Mammon/Malefick then appears sending the brothers home while he hides the drug dealer's body.
Finding that the sin eater was already killing Richard Simmons Nyx breaks the illusion while Spawn kills the last sin eater. Spawn then asks Richard about their parents, finding that Richard had neither thought nor heard of them in years, Spawn determines that Mammon had blocked the memory of their parents and prevented the brothers from even thinking about their parents. Spawn then leaves, but not before Nyx places a spell preventing Abb and Zab from leaving the building and Spawn promises to come back for his brother. Spawn then finds his parents home which Mammon had hidden under a spell and within it his parents who were trapped their for many years. There he is greeted by his mother, who recognizes Al Simmons even in the form of Spawn while Al Simmons father is shocked.
Al Simmons mother had conspired with Mammon to give birth to a hellspawn that would be greater than those which came before, that would remake the world and place all of existence under Mammon/Malefick's power. Al Simmons father falls into grief for not being able to stop his wife from what she and Mammon had done to his son. When Spawn wonders why his father was chosen to bear him, his father points out a journal from his great grand father, passed down from generation to generation. A journal that Al Simmon's mother had prevented her husband from showing their children.
As Spawn is given the journal by his father, Richard Simmons is seen providing the demons Ab and Zab some food, then retiring to his quarters to recall a time in his childhood when he would pretend to be asleep and his father would come weeping and reciting a prayer beside his bed. Mammon/Malefick then appears. Feeling that there can be no redemption for himself, Richard follows Mammon down to a door where upon entering Richard is swallowed into the bowels of hell.
Spawn issue 174-175 tells the story that is found in the journal. A runaway soldier, who later becomes Henry Simmons, Al Simmons's great grandfather, is to be lynched with a man who supposedly murdered his family. Mammon approaches both, saying he will give them what they want. Henry refuses, while the innocent man accepts, when they are hung. While the man is hung, Mammon causes a misfire to save Henry's life. A short time thereafter, the man is reborn as Gunslinger Spawn, and he slaughters the town, but leaves Henry alive under Mammon's orders. The Gunslinger Spawn places the soldier in a pine box casket belonging to the now-dead real Henry Simmons. The box floats down a river, where an awaiting Mammon tells Henry a descendant will become the Spawn that destroys the world.
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