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Chapel (comics)
Encyclopedia
Chapel is a fictional
comic book
character in the Image Comics
universe. He started out as a supervillain
but later became a superhero
. He was created in the early 1990s by writer and artist Rob Liefeld
specifically for Youngblood
, a comic book series about a government
-sponsored superhero team.
who upon later in his career took the role of employment in Operation Knightstrike alongside Al Simmons, a fellow soldier-turned-mercenary
. At one point Chapel was ordered by his superior to murder
Al Simmons. The order was given because Al Simmons was a suspected spy. However, Al Simmons became the dark vigilante
Spawn
.
Throughout his career Bruce was instilled with several chemicals which in turn would give him various superhuman abilities. Unbeknownst to Chapel, he was also injected with a type of HIV
which could be activated by his superiors by a special serum. One of Chapel's bosses, Jason Wynn
, who had frequent feuds with Al Simmons, commissioned Chapel to kill Spawn. A while after Al Simmons death, Chapel became a member of Youngblood
.
Spawn eventually regained his memory of Chapel being his killer, and began hunting him. Spawn ambushed Chapel and took him to a swampy area, where Chapel had his face cut out by Spawn (in the shape of a skull. Afterwards Chapel was forced to replace the missing skin with a skull that he had grafted onto his bone (where his facial skin use to be).
Afterwards he continued to work with Youngblood for a time until he was removed from Youngblood
service. Out of curiosity he hunted Spawn to try and find out the secret of his resurrection. Upon learning about Hell
and the Hellspawn process he shot himself in the head. He awoke and instead of becoming a Hellspawn
he became Lord Chapel, a horseman of apocalypse in service to his mistress Calcifer.
When he was separated from this creature, Chapel returned to Gazer
as a woman only to be turned back to a man again and left feeling empty.
His most recent appearance was outside of Youngblood; he teamed-up with Spawn to face his other half, Lord Chapel.
and Youngblood
. However, he was also given a couple of short-lived, self-titled series. The second Chapel series, published in 1995, was written by Brian Witten and Eric Stephenson and featured the art of Calvin Irving.
, Chapel (called Jess Chapel) made appearances on HBO's Todd McFarlane's Spawn. In here, he had the same backstory as the comics version.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
character in the Image Comics
Image Comics
Image Comics is a United States comic book publisher. It was founded in 1992 by high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their material without giving up the copyrights to the characters they created, as creator-owned properties. It was immediately successful, and remains...
universe. He started out as a supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
but later became a superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
. He was created in the early 1990s by writer and artist Rob Liefeld
Rob Liefeld
Rob Liefeld is an American comic book writer, illustrator, and publisher. A prominent artist in the 1990s, he has since become a controversial figure in the medium....
specifically for Youngblood
Youngblood (comics)
Youngblood is a superhero team that starred in their self-titled comic book, created by writer/artist Rob Liefeld. The team made its debut as a backup feature in the 1987 one-shot Megaton: Explosion before later appearing in its own ongoing series in 1992 as the flagship publication for Image Comics...
, a comic book series about a government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
-sponsored superhero team.
Fictional character biography
Bruce Stinson was a soldierSoldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
who upon later in his career took the role of employment in Operation Knightstrike alongside Al Simmons, a fellow soldier-turned-mercenary
Mercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
. At one point Chapel was ordered by his superior to murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
Al Simmons. The order was given because Al Simmons was a suspected spy. However, Al Simmons became the dark vigilante
Vigilante
A vigilante is a private individual who legally or illegally punishes an alleged lawbreaker, or participates in a group which metes out extralegal punishment to an alleged lawbreaker....
Spawn
Spawn (comics)
Spawn is a fictional comic book superhero who appears in a monthly comic book of the same name published by Image Comics. Created by writer/artist Todd McFarlane, Spawn first appeared in Spawn #1...
.
Throughout his career Bruce was instilled with several chemicals which in turn would give him various superhuman abilities. Unbeknownst to Chapel, he was also injected with a type of HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
which could be activated by his superiors by a special serum. One of Chapel's bosses, Jason Wynn
Jason Wynn
Jason Wynn is a fictional character in the Todd McFarlane comic book series Spawn. Wynn is the director of the United States Security Group, an umbrella agency encompassing the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, and National Security Council...
, who had frequent feuds with Al Simmons, commissioned Chapel to kill Spawn. A while after Al Simmons death, Chapel became a member of Youngblood
Youngblood (comics)
Youngblood is a superhero team that starred in their self-titled comic book, created by writer/artist Rob Liefeld. The team made its debut as a backup feature in the 1987 one-shot Megaton: Explosion before later appearing in its own ongoing series in 1992 as the flagship publication for Image Comics...
.
Spawn eventually regained his memory of Chapel being his killer, and began hunting him. Spawn ambushed Chapel and took him to a swampy area, where Chapel had his face cut out by Spawn (in the shape of a skull. Afterwards Chapel was forced to replace the missing skin with a skull that he had grafted onto his bone (where his facial skin use to be).
Afterwards he continued to work with Youngblood for a time until he was removed from Youngblood
Youngblood (comics)
Youngblood is a superhero team that starred in their self-titled comic book, created by writer/artist Rob Liefeld. The team made its debut as a backup feature in the 1987 one-shot Megaton: Explosion before later appearing in its own ongoing series in 1992 as the flagship publication for Image Comics...
service. Out of curiosity he hunted Spawn to try and find out the secret of his resurrection. Upon learning about Hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
and the Hellspawn process he shot himself in the head. He awoke and instead of becoming a Hellspawn
Hellspawn
Hellspawn are fictional soldiers from Todd McFarlane's comic book series, Spawn. The main character in the series, Spawn, is himself a Hellspawn.-Description:...
he became Lord Chapel, a horseman of apocalypse in service to his mistress Calcifer.
When he was separated from this creature, Chapel returned to Gazer
Spawn (comics)
Spawn is a fictional comic book superhero who appears in a monthly comic book of the same name published by Image Comics. Created by writer/artist Todd McFarlane, Spawn first appeared in Spawn #1...
as a woman only to be turned back to a man again and left feeling empty.
His most recent appearance was outside of Youngblood; he teamed-up with Spawn to face his other half, Lord Chapel.
Character origin
Like many Youngblood characters, Chapel was based on an original concept by Liefeld for a new Teen Titans series.Publishing history
Chapel mostly appeared in the titles SpawnSpawn (comics)
Spawn is a fictional comic book superhero who appears in a monthly comic book of the same name published by Image Comics. Created by writer/artist Todd McFarlane, Spawn first appeared in Spawn #1...
and Youngblood
Youngblood (comics)
Youngblood is a superhero team that starred in their self-titled comic book, created by writer/artist Rob Liefeld. The team made its debut as a backup feature in the 1987 one-shot Megaton: Explosion before later appearing in its own ongoing series in 1992 as the flagship publication for Image Comics...
. However, he was also given a couple of short-lived, self-titled series. The second Chapel series, published in 1995, was written by Brian Witten and Eric Stephenson and featured the art of Calvin Irving.
Other media
Although absent from the live action Spawn filmSpawn (film)
Spawn is a 1997 American superhero film loosely based on the comic book of the same name, by Todd McFarlane and published by Image Comics. Directed and co-written by Mark A.Z. Dippé , the film stars Michael Jai White in the leading role...
, Chapel (called Jess Chapel) made appearances on HBO's Todd McFarlane's Spawn. In here, he had the same backstory as the comics version.