Cogliostro
Cogliostro | |
---|---|
Spawn #9 (March 1993) | |
Created by | Neil Gaiman Todd McFarlane |
In-story information | |
Alter ego | Cain Thomson |
Species | Hellspawn |
Notable aliases | Nicholas Cogliostro, Cog, The Count, Vlad, Father Nicholas, Black Dark Hood, Abramelin/Merlin, Sinn |
Abilities |
|
Cogliostro (
Fictional character biography
Meeting Al Simmons
Cogliostro first appears as a
Eventually, Cogliostro reveals that he is also a former Hellspawn, having forsaken
Past as Cain
After an absence in the Spawn comics after #100, Cogliostro returned to Spawn and is revealed that he is dying and that he is terrified of Hell's status ever since Spawn abandoned the throne after defeating Malebolgia. After this, Spawn reveals to Cog his plan to turn Earth into a new paradise, a Utopia.[3]
Spawn and Cog then travel to the deserts of
Still in Tunisia, Cog is visited by Mammon, who gives him a mysterious box which Cog seems to recognize. Cog commits suicide in order to help Spawn down in Hell.[3]
Redeemer, now aware of what he did wrong, travels to Hell to help Spawn battle the demons whose ideas were to battle for the throne of Hell. After a frustrating battle against Violator, Spawn summons all the past Hellspawn before him to help him with the other demons and takes back the throne of Hell.[3]
Cog then runs to Spawn with the mysterious box given to him and tells Spawn that this is what he needs to help him turn Earth into a paradise. Spawn opens the box which turns Hell into an Eden-like world and sees his widow, Wanda, and runs to her, only to be caught in a trap laid by Cog.[3]
It is revealed that Cogliostro was born as Cain, the first murderer, and since the beginning he wanted to rule Hell rather than serve it. It was now clear that the only reason Cogliostro helped Spawn was to enable him to gain the throne of Hell, making him the new ruler.[3]
After this act of betrayal, Cog decided to give Spawn "what he always wanted" and sent him to Earth back as Al Simmons without the Hellspawn symbiote attached to him. Cain has not been seen since but has been briefly mentioned, such as his plans of building a tower in Hell to pierce Heaven.
Recent activity
The
Legal rights
Cogliostro,
In 1993 McFarlane contracted Neil Gaiman (as well as other recognized authors like
McFarlane had initially agreed that Gaiman retained co-creator rights on the characters but later claimed that Gaiman's work had been work-for-hire and that McFarlane owned all of Gaiman's creations entirely, pointing to the legal indicia in Spawn #9 and the lack of legal contract stating otherwise. McFarlane had also refused to pay Gaiman for the volumes of Gaiman's work he republished and kept in print. In 2002, Gaiman filed suit and won a sizeable judgment against McFarlane and Image Comics and the rights due any creator.[5] All 3 characters are currently co-owned 50/50 by both men.[6][7]
Angela was later sold to Marvel Comics whereas Cogliostro and Medieval Spawn are still used in the Spawn comics.[citation needed]
In other media
Film
- Nicol Williamson portrayed Cogliostro in the 1997 film adaptation, where he was the black knight (Sir John Of York) from the fifteenth century who became a Hellspawn after his death; but at some point successfully freed his soul from the demons' control and now fights on the side of Heaven. He becomes Al's teacher and instructs him in how to use his necroplasm armor. This version lacks his symbiotic armor, but appears to possess some supernatural abilities, such as a sharp blade that automatically extends from his right arm.[8]
Television
- Arthurian legend. From then on, he sought to save at least one hellspawn in order to redeem himself, a goal he seems to be approaching towards the end of Spawn 3: The Ultimate Battle with Al Simmons pledging himself to his teachings.[10]
Video games
- Cogliostro is a playable character in the video game Spawn: In the Demon's Hand voiced by Phillip Sheperd.[9][11]
References
- ^ a b Yarbrough, Beau (3 October 2002). "Gaiman in Stunning Victory over McFarlane in Spawn Case: Jury Finds for Gaiman on All Counts". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
- ^ "Why Gaiman Sued McFarlane: Rights Swap Gone Bad". ICV2. 11 February 2002. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
- ^ ISBN 9780313357473.
- ^ Ching, Albert (25 March 2013). "Todd McFarlane Reacts to the Marvel/Angela Situation". newsarama.com. A Purch Company. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
- ^ Gaiman v. McFarlane, 360 F.3d 644 (7th Cir. 2004)
- ^ Melrose, Kevin (31 July 2010). "Judge rules Dark Ages Spawn, Domina and Tiffany are derivative characters". ComicBookResources.com. Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
- ^ Alverson, Brigid; Parkin, JK (31 January 2012). "Comics A.M.: Neil Gaiman comments on end of Spawn dispute". ComicBookResources.com. Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
- ISBN 978-0-7126-2348-3.
- ^ a b "Cogliostro Voice - Spawn franchise | Behind The Voice Actors". behindthevoiceactors.com. December 22, 2019. Check mark indicates role has been confirmed using screenshots of closing credits and other reliable sources.
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: CS1 maint: postscript (link) - ISBN 978-0-7864-3755-9.
- ^ Szadkowski, Joseph (November 18, 2000). "Spawn Fights to Regain His Humanity after Death". The Washington Times.[dead link]