Spawn

Awakening 

St. Anthony's Convalescent home on Long island was the home of Jim Downing for at least 4 years. As far as the staff could figure out, he had been there longer than any of them and his medical history file (if there ever was one) must have gotten misplaced or not transferred to the new computer system. No one even knew the extent of his condition or how he got there, the only information they had was the name Jim Downing and the identifier Patient 47. 

One of Jim's nurses developed something of a crush on him. Despite him being unconscious she seemed to feel a connection to him and made it a point to spend extra time looking after Jim. The nurse was called “Sad Sara” by her coworkers because she was so quiet and isolated, but Sara took comfort being with Jim and she prayed for him every night. 

One night, without warning, Jim awoke screaming – Sara's prayers had apparently been answered. She comforted Jim as he came to understand where he was. He awoke with no memories of his past whatsoever, not even his own name. Sara informed him that the name on his file was Jim Downing and that he had been in a coma for years. They also discussed her prayers, for which Jim was very grateful (186). 

Unbeknownst to Jim or Sara, Jim's awakening triggered a staggering series of events. Within minutes of hearing the news, a lawyer in upstate New York named Bill Winston committed suicide (185). This led to an investigation led by detective Craig Rowand (186) that would eventually lead to involvement with Sam Burke, Twitch Williams and Jim Downing. A number of mysterious parties wanted Jim killed for some reason, and they sent hit men such as the Extractor (186) and Malcolm (198) to do the job. Every attempt failed, however, as it soon became clear that Jim Downing was more than just a man.

A New Hellspawn

The night Jim woke up was the same night that Al Simmons committed suicide. In that moment, the mantle of hellspawn was somehow passed from Al to a new host (185). But before the transfer occurred, Al spoke briefly with Jim in Sanctuary. Jim was apparently one of the Legion of Lost Souls, hidden within Al Simmons while his body was maintained in his hospital room. In fact soon after Al appeared on earth as a hellspawn he attempted to use his powers to look human. While the trick worked, he appeared not as himself but as Jim Downing (2-3). When Al decided to end his second life, all of the other Legion left with him, save for Jim. He felt as though he couldn't leave Sanctuary empty, in case another soul were to show up and they would be there all alone. Al seemed pleased by Jim's decision and may have planned on it in some way – he mysteriously told Jim that he needed to “teach them a lesson” (200).

Jim awoke with no memory of his past life or his time spent in Sanctuary, although fragmented memories of Sanctuary eventually began to come back to him sporadically. Soon after his awakening, however, the powers of being a hellspawn began to manifest themselves and his symbiote began to bond with its new host. Jim first discovered his new powers when he was attacked in the hospital by a hitman named the Extractor. Though he was confused, Jim relied on instinct (and the will of the symbiote) to kill the Extractor and decimate the hospital in the process (187).

Afterwards, Jim began to practice with his new abilities and learn about what he had become. He found himself drawn to Rat City but had no idea why. He found that he could survive falls from great heights (189), summon insects and creatures of the night (188), harness enormous strength and destructive ability (187), and he could travel “through the shadows” - essentially teleporting to wherever he wished (206). Jim also quickly learned that he was now a part of a great struggle between Heaven and Hell and that there were many supernatural beings interested in controlling him.