Violator

A powerful demon serving the forces of Hell, the Violator was sent to the earthly plane disguised as a grotesque clown to act as a guide—and manipulator—for newly created Hellspawn, steering them toward war against Heaven on Hell's behalf.

Few villains made an entrance quite like Violator — bursting onto the scene in Spawn #2 in 1992, right at the dawn of Image Comics' explosive arrival, and immediately establishing himself as one of the most menacing presences the fledgling publisher would ever produce. Over nearly three decades of appearances, this hell-spawned antagonist has shared some of comics' most charged pages alongside Spawn, Al Simmons, and the shadow-lord Malebolgia himself, making him a fixture in the dark, visceral corner of the Image universe. With 71 catalog appearances, four of them recognized as key collector issues, and his own starring vehicle in Violator vs. Badrock, he's far more than a supporting threat — he's a cornerstone of everything that made early Image feel dangerous and thrillingly unhinged. If you're serious about the Spawn mythology, Violator is absolutely essential reading.