At long last,Mortal Kombat 11finally revealed Spawn in full this past weekend at Final Kombat in Chicago, Illinois. While fans were unfortunately not on hand to see the trailer in person due to coronavirus fears, the excitingSpawn gameplay trailerwas thankfully still broadcast out on Twitch and YouTube and was clearly a big hit with the community.
Arguably the most anticipated character in the first Kombat Pack, Spawn’s design and moveset was seemingly ripped straight out of the comics. Fans saw plenty iconic abilities such as his arsenal of melee weapons and guns, his trademark cape, and even thereturn of Keith David voicing the character. Following a brutal Final Blow and Fatality, Spawn’s outro animation saw the return of a major character from his history.
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In his debutMortal Kombat 11outro, Spawn could be seen falling into the underworld, landing on a rock ledge as a giant demon serpent appeared through the fire. While longtime fans of the comics probably know this character, some of the newer fans andMortal Kombat 11players may not.
Who Is Malebolgia?
The giant character seen in the outro is known as Malebolgia. In theSpawnfranchise, this demon is one of the most powerful rulers in Hell and has reigned over the eighth circle for nearly 70,000 years. Interestingly enough,series creator Todd McFarlanetook inspiration from the term Malebolge inDante’s Inferno, which was used to describe the ditches in the eighth circle of hell where the evil are punished.
Seen as one of the most powerful rulers in Hell, Malebolgia had the largest army thanks to his ability to create new Hellspawns. His other powers include abilities like telepathy, shape-shifting, super strength, ability to use magic, regeneration, and psychokinesis. This immense power made him the primary antagonist for quite a while in the comics.
Relationship to Spawn
Before beingreborn as Spawn, Albert Simmons served as a Lieutenant Colonial in the U.S. Marine Corps before joining the secret service and then becoming a CIA assassin. However, his life was cut short when his director has Simmons murdered during a mission ultimately sending him hell due to his violent history. Simmons strikes a deal to become a Hellspawn for Malebolgia if he’s able to see his wife one last time.
As his new master, Malebolgia adhered to the deal, though he stripped Spawn of his memories and constantly make his life more difficult in order to strengthen Hell’s army for the coming battle with Heaven during Armageddon. The demon sent his best officer, Violator, to work with Spawn and teach him how to better use his anger and hate to recruit new soldiers to Hell’s cause.
Unfortunately, Spawn continued to resist the demon, even joining forces with a former Hellspawn called Cogliostro, who was able to teach him how to resist and fight back against his master. By issue 100 in the comics, Malebolgia is ultimately killed by Spawn who then gains increased power and command over a portion of Hell.
Malebolgia’s Eventual Return
Death wasn’t the end for Malebolgia, however, as the demon lord eventually makes his way back by issue #200, disguised as the character known as Freak. After his defeat, the other demon lords cut off his power through a series of road blocks to try and prevent his return. He makes it his mission from there forward to regain his lost power and extract vengeance on those who betrayed him including his greatest demonic rival, Mammon. While Malebolgia likely won’t have any impact onMortal Kombat 11, fans no doubt appreciate the attention to detail NetherRealm Studios developers put intoSpawn and his long history.
Mortal Kombat 11is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Spawn releases March 17th for Kombat Pass holders.
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