Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Misery #1-4! Spawn is a critically acclaimed and fan-favorite comic book series from Image Comics since the franchise was first brought to life by Todd McFarlane in the ’90s, and since then it has grown into much more than just one series. Spawn it’s no longer just a cool indie comic, it’s now an established universe with multiple spin-off series that all contribute to the broader continuity. And the last one Spawn Universe In the comics, the main role is played by a character who was a mainstay in Spawn lore from the very beginning: Sian Fitzgerald.
Adversity #1-4 by Todd McFarlane and Szymon Kudranski – last Spawn spin-off series, although Spawn (or any variant of Spawn) is not the main character. Instead, that honor goes to Cian Fitzgerald, who goes on a dark path to uncover the truth behind her mother Wanda’s death while being hunted by demons and learning more about her supernatural abilities. These abilities include telekinesis, teleportation, invisibility/phasing, and the ability to make people feel the pain they have caused others simply by touching them. – with the horrifying side effect of feeling the pain with yourself through a mental/empathic connection.
Misery is a gritty and grounded story that immerses readers in world Spawnbut without the fantastic elements of demons, angels and all sorts of cool action films. Suffering replaces all of these things with a deep dive into the worst that humanity has to offer, all through the eyes of a traumatized teenage girl. And the darkest part of the miniseries is that there is no ending.
There will be no retribution for those who commit atrocious acts and no closure for the Saiyan. “Misery” is just the peak of her life and nothing more, which makes the series even more difficult and dark. When it comes to Cyenne’s personal history, Misery leaves a lot to be desired, leaving readers wanting to know as much as possible about her. Luckily for them, Spawn has shaped Cyan history for decades.
Cian Fitzgerald’s debut and connection to Spawn
Cyen was involved in Spawn’s hellish adventures from the very beginning
Cian Fitzgerald is the daughter of Wanda Blake and Terry Fitzgerald, who debuted as a child in Spawn No. 3. Wanda was married to Al Simmons (aka Spawn) before Al’s death, but she remarried Al’s best friend, Terry, after they found comfort in each other while grieving Al. During their marriage, Wanda and Al tried to have children, but were unable to do so. So, when Al returned as Spawn, he treated the Saiyan as a surrogate daughter of sorts, vowing to protect her as if she were his own.
The Saiyan and Spawn do not form a strong personal bond until Spawn #51, when Cyen found the string that Spawn used as a stitch to hold his face together (a wound that was actually inflicted by Batman during the previous crossover). Sayen became obsessed with the string, tying it to her old pacifier and wearing it as a necklace. Whenever someone tried to take him away or he flew out of a car window, Sayen would go crazy until he was returned.
Thanks to this lanyard, Spawn was able to track down Cyenne after she was kidnapped by the Violator in Spawn #60, as it was a part of himself that the Saiyan developed an almost spiritual connection with. When Spawn found the Saiyan in the clutches of the Violator, he launched a full-scale necroplasm attack and destroyed the Violator. Some of this necroplasm spilled out onto Saiyan, and the issue explicitly stated that her soul was “no longer innocent… now tainted by curse” The Saiyan was exposed to a supernatural substance brewed in Hell, and after this point, the Saiyan herself begins to exhibit powers.
When Cyen begins to show his powers and introduces his alter ego: Misery
Cian Fitzgerald awakens slowly and in great pain.
The stressor that triggered Saiyan’s supernatural abilities was the death of her mother Wanda, who met her end in Spawn: Resurrection. The trauma of losing her mother led Cyane to start taking prescription drugs, and she quickly developed an addiction to the pills. To help her recover, Sian’s father, Terry, sends her to rehab. When Spawn came to visit her Spawn #269, Cyenne’s powers were on full display when she teleported them both out of the facility and into Spawn’s apartment.
Cyenne’s newfound abilities were further explored over the next few issues, culminating with the appearance of her alter-egon in Spawn #275: Suffering. The demonic powers the Saiyan exhibited manifest in his own personality, which takes over the Saiyan’s body when the situation becomes too much for the Saiyan to handle. Unfortunately, Saiyan’s development of these abilities put a target on her back. Angels and demons pursued her, partly to get to Spawn, but also because they wanted to study and observe the Saiyan herself.
When Saiyan went through a sort of “study abroad” program in Japan, her powers continued to increase and even allowed her to see spirits invisible to everyone else. Saiyan was soon captured by an organization that used demon blood to create a drug designed to control people’s minds, and they made her a test subject. During her escape to Spawn No. 282, Sayen takes a dose of the demon blood drug, which unlocks her full powers.
After this point, Saiyan could do everything that readers see in Misery, including most notably her ability to make others feel the pain of their own sins, which she uses to kill the real demon and save Spawn’s life.
Alternate future co-star Sian Fitzgerald proves she’s destined for greatness
Spawn/WildC.ATS Alan Moore and Scott Clark
As mentioned earlier, Misery did not have an ending. It was a slice of Saiyan’s life, showing that she was still recovering from her mother’s death, still struggling with addiction and the effects of her stint in rehab, and still trying to understand her powers. “Misery” opened the door for future storylines involving Cyenne, and that’s what Spawn fans should be excited, as one story has already proven that Cyan is destined for greatness: Spawn/WildC.ATS
IN Spawn/WildC.ATSReaders are shown a future in which Spawn is corrupted by an otherworldly amulet and becomes the demonic dictator Ipsisimus. In this timeline, Saiyan becomes a new fanatic after joining WildC.ATS. Saiyan travels back in time to the 90s to kill the Spawn of the “present day” and destroy Ipsisimus’ existence. But instead, WildC.ATS recruits him to fight Ipsisimus in the future, only to realize that by doing so they are ensuring the creation of Ipsisimus.
Modern Spawn suffered corruption from the amulet, and the only thing that snapped him out of that state to undo Ipsisimus’s creation was the discovery that Zealot was actually Cyan. The sight of an adult Saiyan as a member of WildC.ATS desperately trying to stop him was enough to prevent Spawn from ever becoming Ipsisimus, meaning that the Saiyan effectively saved the entire world.
Connected
Even in the alternate future, Cyenne is a badass destined for greatness, a level of greatness she’s mostly already on her way to. Universe Spawn. Really, Sian FitzgeraldThe singer’s personal history is extensive, and the release of Misery only adds to her larger story as well as the bigger picture. Spawn continuity.
Suffering #1-4 available now from Image Comics.