The idea was to pay homage to his sin and make him a different race that wasn't a human since Escanor's already a human, and I want to keep him that way. I thought a beast-man, based on a fox, would fit him perfectly for a few reasons:
Zhivago (it'd deepen their already cute father-son dynamic), it'd add lore reason to why Ban is in pursuit of a longer lifespan since beast-men canonically have a shorter lifespan than humans by a bit (outside of getting killed by humans), and foxes are usually considered 'devious thieves' and Ban fits the bill pretty well.
His eye-patch and arm isn't just for show—he actually lost his eye and limb in battle against the Red Demon when he first became immortal. The idea is that even if he can't die, he can still lose parts of himself like his legs, tail, arms, ear, etc., which would force him to be more careful I'd say. The wounds heal, but it can't regenerate. Plus, it'd play into his whole 'Sin of Greed' and how in the pursuit of greed, one can lose everything even if achieve what you wanted, in the end.
[Image description: A digital painting based on the film The Deadly Spawn. It depicts a large spawn creature - which is a mix between a slug and an earthworm, with a mouth like a leech - looming over a three storey blue house. The house is sat in a field next to a rocky hill, which the spawn rises out of, more than double its size. Its bottom teeth blend into the hillside. There's an empty road near the hill, which is visually blocked by shadow. Near its end, there's a telephone pole, which is linked by many wires to a more prominent one by the house. All of the house's windows are lit up in warm light. The night sky is light, though stars can be seen. A few clouds litter the sky. The leaves of large trees frame both sides of the pieces. The piece is mostly yellow and green tones, with a few reds for the spawn. The other main colour is blue, which is used mainly for the sky and house.]
SERIES PREMIERE One of the most mysterious characters in the Spawn Universe is the Gunslinger Spawn. In DEADLY TALES, his true origin is finally revealed in full. Written by superstar creator JIMMY PALMIOTTI, with art by the exceptional PATRIC REYNOLDS, see the true origin of the deadly Gunslinger Spawn.
From the character's first appearance in SPAWN #174 to his adventures in the present day, all will be laid bare to the reader.
The series, set in the past before the Gunslinger is pulled to the future, unravels his place in the Spawn Universe.
It is a brutal tale of Old-West violence and mayhem by two of the comic industry's finest.