Answers to reviews:
OechsnerC: Thanks.
Divinespawn: I haven't read the new comic. The only Spawn comics I've read is the original series.
ohnathan-Mandrake: This isn't a crossover with Avengers unfortunately, but I can see him teaming with Punisher even though the Punisher is a Lone Wolf kind of guy, same with Spawn.
Guest: And people say DC's dark, Marvel has it's dark elements like Blade and Ghost Rider.
Adamprime117: Thanks.
thermalsnipern7: I'm certain I can come up with some brutal and dark.
Jason Chandler: Huh, yeah but compared to DC, Marvel's not THAT dark.
The Watchtower, Above Earth
The room was silent as the Justice League stood at the table in the center. The seven founding members, Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, the Martian Manhunter, along with two of the newest members, Green Arrow and Black Canary, all settled down for the matter at hand.
"He's becoming a problem." Superman said sternly, having finished explaining Spawn's unexpected arrival in Metropolis and being forced to let the Lethal Protector walk free. (AN: Spawn can be considered a Lethal Protector, right?)
"Not to be insensitive about this, but to be fair we did walk into his turf without permission first last time." the Flash said sheepishly.
"Not helping, Barry." Oliver said, making Flash look away in shame. "Still, he has a point. We walked into New York without notice to take him in when we could've just talked things over, and all we did was piss off the entire of New York's finest and got banned from going back there by the Mayor. I told you, one wrong move and we'd be on the public's bad side."
"How were we supposed to know that the people and the police would literally protect him that day?" Superman asked heatedly.
"We're getting off track here." Batman interrupted. "We have to figure out Spawn's next move before someone else gets hurt."
As the conversation continued, one member in particular was sitting silently from across the table. Wonder Woman could only listen with a glare and crossed arms as she had one thing on her mind only.
Spawn.
This being was all the League had been talking about for the last three months, simply because of his ways of dealing with criminals by killing them in the most brutal ways, depending on what their crime was. While not completely on board with such methods, she did agree that men such as murderers, and especially rapists, deserved crueler punishments than being jailed so they could be released on some technicality and repeat their atrocities all over again.
Her thoughts went back to the day she and the other Leaguers caught wind of Spawn's activities in New York…
Three months ago
At the meeting consisting of herself and the rest of the League (with Batman being the first to call the meeting, obviously), everyone sat at the table in the center, waiting patiently for the meeting to begin.
"So, Bats, what'd you call us here for?" the Flash was the first to ask.
"A new vigilante has appeared in New York City, neither human and I don't think Metahuman. He uses Lethal force to take down criminals." Batman said as he turned on the screen on the large computer in the room, showing images of Spawn from back in New York, at least what they could catch of Spawn.
"Jesus…" John Stewart muttered, as this is also his first time seeing Spawn as well.
"He's called Spawn." Batman revealed, pulling up more images and footage of Spawn, some showing him perched on top of rooftops or the cross of the local church, and others showing him throwing criminals around. "He's made a name for himself in New York these past few weeks by tearing through the criminal underworld. His methods of dealing with criminals are on par with the Red Hood's, but much more brutal and gruesome."
"How so?" Diana asked, arms crossed over her chest.
"Depending on the crime, his method gets more brutal and gruesome. For murderers, he's broken their arms and ripped their legs off and gouged one's eye out. For rapists, he's ripped their heads off with his hands, or ripped their internal organs out and hung them by the neck with them, for child murderers and predators he's crushed their heads, ripped their hearts out, ripped parts of their flesh off, and even punched a hole through one's mouth to the back of their throat." Batman said stoically, not giving anything away at such brutal tactics.
The League looked at various news stories and police reports about criminals being killed, and the diversity of the criminal types shocked them; Gangs, muggers, murderers, rapists, child molesters, pimps. There was no set type of criminal. No pattern. The only constant was the sheer brutality of the killings. And they were brutal, mauled, beheaded, torn limbs, broken bones, crushed organs and many more besides. This vigilante was nothing if not creative in his work. It made some of the Leaguers sick just thinking about it. The only positive thing out of all of this was that crooks with purse snatching or other forms of theft in their records got off with crippling injuries, or none at all, and then left for the police.
"The views on this Spawn seem mixed. A small few are disgusted with his methods. But a large amount of people support what he's doing, saying that he is getting rid of those who abuse the justice system and ruin others' lives." Batman explained. "There haven't been any warrants for his arrest yet, but it's unlikely the police force in New York will ever make one, because most of them agree with his dispatching of otherwise untouchable criminals and doesn't hurt civilians. They say it makes their jobs easier and that no one will lose any sleep over them."
Everyone in the room was horrified. Green Arrow and Wonder Woman, on the other hand, could understand somewhat. These people must be getting tired of these scumbags walking away from any charges due to bribery, threats and/or connections. However, both heroes had different reasons for not speaking out right away.
The former had his fair share of kills in his first year as the Hood, but his methods have resulted in some collateral and property damage, which was why he turned away from the "shoot first, talk later" mentality once he joined the Justice League, though the willingness and need to use lethal force as a last resort still lingered in his mind, especially when dealing with criminals that deserved the death sentence.
The latter, on the other hand, was raised on an island to be a fierce, yet kind warrior, but she and her sisters have learned of the kind of evils committed by Man that she is just hearing right now, mainly of those who enslave or massacre innocent people for the sake of conquest or pleasure, and such acts would earn them a place in Hades for their cruel actions.
For the rest of the Justice League, however, the people's blatant disregard for these victims, although criminals, was unjustifiable in their eyes.
"That's- That's horrible! They were criminals but they're still people! How can they say that?!" Barry exclaimed in disbelief.
"Do you have any leads on this Spawn?" Hawkgirl asked.
"There was a hostage crisis at the Grand Central Terminal two days ago, with a terrorist group demanding $15 million in exchange for the hostages. A few witnesses claimed that the terrorists were going to dispose of them even after the exchange, until Spawn stepped in." Batman pulled out footage from that particular incident, which showed Spawn mowing down the terrorists; punching and kicking a few of them enough to break a few bones, slamming others into different areas, using his chains to knock them out but injure them badly. "Surprisingly, no one was killed, but the terrorists were taken into intensive care until they were delivered to prison, while Spawn slipped away shortly after the police burst in to secure the hostages."
"What we wanna know is, who or what is Spawn? Where did he come from, and what's his game?" Green Lantern asked.
"That I cannot answer. His appearance was sudden." Batman said, while annoyed he couldn't find out how Spawn came to be and get a clue on how to stop him. From what he's able to make out, Spawn has abilities and strength that could rival Superman's, and considering Spawn is killing criminals...someone with those kind of powers is dangerous, extremely dangerous.
"Since appearing, Spawn's war with crime in New York has lowered crime from 99% to 10% with that 10 being purse snatchers and thieves." Batman continued, showing more footage and images of Spawn stopping crime and being a 'hero, one showing him throwing a couple of thugs around like rag dolls, and the other showing him stopping a getaway car. He even did the classic "saving the cat in a tree" schtick, making Wonder Woman smile as she saw him take a selfie with the child and her cat after giving the cat back before he disappeared.
"What do you think motivates him to do this?" Black Canary asked.
"This I have no answer to." Batman said.
Superman stood. "We're going to have to find him and bring him in."
"So you're proposing we find him and then send him to Arkham, or Belle Reve, or Stryker's?" asked Green Lantern.
"No, those prisons aren't prepared to hold something like him." replied Batman. "Until then, we wait until he strikes first."
"Does he happen to have any weaknesses?" J'onn asked.
"That's the issue, we don't know," Batman replied. "Nothing that's hurt him seems to do physical damage and he shrugs it off. he can heal fast as i've seen him be shot by bullets.
"We can discuss how to contain him once we actually have him." said Hawkgirl, standing up. "Right now we should be asking what he's going to do next."
"Sometimes he moves in broad daylight whenever there's a crime at that time, but he mostly operates at night. He'll most likely be laying low, waiting for the next criminal to attack. Once he strikes we'll have to get there before he kills or maims them and apprehend him." replied Batman.
"Do you think we're just overlooking the facts?" Wonder Woman asked, having been quiet during the whole meeting. "People are calling him a hero for going this mile to protect them."
"That still doesn't excuse him of committing murder." Batman said sternly. "How long until he focuses on random civilians once he runs out of criminals to satisfy his desire to kill?"
"Okay, I know we're not supposed to be picking sides right now, but isn't that a bit crazy?" Green Arrow spoke up. "You all saw those videos, right? This guy's going out of his way to make sure people aren't dragged into any his hunts."
"Are you defending what he does?" Superman interrupted him with a glare.
"I'm just saying! What if he doesn't appreciate us heading into his turf like Batman doesn't like other heroes going into his city?" he paused and looked at the Dark Knight. "No offence."
Batman ignored the intended insult. "There is something that is suspicious." He said, getting everyone's attention as he pulled up the image of a black haired man in broad daylight in New York.
"Who's he?" Flash asked.
"His name is Nathan Nolan." Batman said, turning to them. "Former Black Ops soldier, trained assassin by the Government. Called their best soldier for when they need someone silenced. This was a picture of him not far from an alleyway where Spawn has killed, but the most suspicious thing is Nathan Nolan was killed during a mission about six years ago, and yet this man has the exact same appearance."
"Coincidence? There are many people named Nathan Nolan." Green Arrow said.
"And yet here is one that was supposedly shot to death and is up and going." Batman retorted.
"He may have survived his wounds and wanted a normal life." Wonder Woman spoke up heatedly. "Just because someone who was supposedly killed is walking around doesn't automatically mean he's Spawn. It could be anyone. And in case you forgot, you just said nobody has condemned Spawn for what he's done to those who they felt deserved their deaths."
"I meant it was a possibility, and just because Spawn has people rooting for him doesn't mean he's free to play Judge, Jury, and Executioner on whoever committed a crime." Batman said with a glare, which Diana returned with her own, which was just as fierce.
"Okay, we get it." Green Arrow interrupted before things could get heated. "Look, Diana has a point. We don't know if Nolan is Spawn or not, and we don't know if he'll be willing to cooperate, but we need time to look into this. We can't just jump in without any proof. One wrong move and we'll be having the people breathing down our necks."
Batman responded with a glare, which softened as he conceded with Oliver's words. Diana's glare also softened, though she still glared at the Dark Knight.
Superman stood up. "We should probably head for New York right now. Just make sure you keep your eyes and ears open. If any of you find Nolan, tell him that we need information on Spawn. If you run into Spawn, call for backup immediately."
Present
"Listen, if none of you want him in either of your cities, then at least give him a chance to explain himself and he'll probably go back to New York. Maybe he'll let us come back as well to check out the Brooklyn Bridge." the Flash suggested to Batman and Superman, which broke Diana out of her thoughts.
"He won't be happy to see us, he wasn't the first time. And I doubt the people of New York will be equally happy to see us stepping into their city." Green Lantern said. "Still, we have to be subtle. We can't risk angering more people who are rooting for this guy."
"Public support or no, Spawn still has to be brought in." Superman said sternly.
"And what? Make more people lose trust in us like in New York?" Diana finally spoke. "You remember what happened last time. He's practically untouchable."
"Only when he's in New York. There might be a chance we can stop him before he heads back." Batman suggested, making Wonder Woman silently grunt at such stubbornness.
Superman sighed as he realized they weren't getting anywhere at the moment. "That concludes the meeting until we have a solid strategy. Since Spawn may be sighted in either Gotham or Metropolis, then me and Batman are going to have to work double time. If either of us runs into Spawn, we'll call for backup. There's no telling what he'll do next."
With Spawn, Metropolis
Nathan entered his apartment in Metropolis, sighing as he plopped down on the couch. He had spent the better part of a day exploring Metropolis, getting a look around and the city and seeing the corrupt parts of it. Now here he was, in a fancy new apartment that was surprisingly organized than the one he set up shop in Gotham. Too bad he only had a few hours before he had to move elsewhere.
Nathan picked up the remote and turned the TV to Metropolis news with Lois Lane standing in front of the bank, facing the camera as she gave her report.
"Shame she's into Superman...she's quite a hot woman." Nathan muttered with a chuckle as he watched the news.
"Just an hour ago, Spawn, the Lethal Protector and Grim Reaper of New York, had unexpectedly made his appearance in Metropolis known by foiling a robbery here at the City Bank, just after killing two men wanted for a string of rapes and murders in Gotham last night. None of the suspects behind the robbery were killed, which is unusual for a violent vigilante such as Spawn, but are in need of intensive care, while the hostages were unharmed and allowed to walk home safely. Our city's Man of Steel, Superman, arrived late to the fiasco, and was seemingly none to pleased to see Spawn. Apparently since the incident in New York, in which the Justice League's attempt to apprehend Spawn resulted in backlash from the populace, tensions are still high between the Grim Reaper and the League. Before departing, Spawn had stated his intention to hunt more violent criminals, as you can tell from this shortened recording taken earlier."
"I don't kill every criminal that comes across my path, only rapists, murderers, terrorists, child predators, that kind of scum. The Justice are too blinded by their egos to give the people what they want, so someone else has to do their work for them."
Lois continued after the recording of Spawn's voice. "It looks like Spawn is truly putting the word out, and this statement might also send the criminal underworld in a panic now that the Grim Reaper is here. Which now begs the question: Will he garner support from other police forces outside of San Francisco, or will he be wanted by the law?"
Nathan turned the news off. "Huh, was half expecting her to praise Superman and practically kiss his ass and suck his dick while making me out to be the bad guy, seeing as she's had a habit of praising the boy scout for everything he does and make it look like it was good when it was just bullshit." He said with an eye roll. Like he said, shame she wanted Superman.
He leaned back and sighed. "Now that I've put the word out throughout Gotham and Metropolis, I'm betting the scum will be hiding from me for the rest of the day. Still, hope this city has better surprises than Gotham..."
And that's it for this chapter. You saw a flashback to the League's first meeting about Spawn, not the incident with Spawn in NYC, but them planning on going to New York to confront him, with Wonder Woman being hesitant as she sees no issue with his actions due to being raised as a warrior.
And yeah, I gave Green Arrow a bit of his Arrowverse backstory with being lethal in his first year as The Hood. I did say some things may be different, like having Wonder Woman's costume be her DC Rebirth outfit since it fits her and makes her look like an ancient Greek warrior.