 In 2012, McFarlane sued his former friend and employee, Al Simmons, from whom the name of Spawn's alter ego was derived.According to a lawsuit lodged in Arizona federal court, the real Al Simmons published a book called "The Art of Being Spawn", in which Simmons purportedly suggests that his own life was the inspiration for the Spawn character.McFarlane's position was that Simmons violated the terms of his employment pact and breached his duty of loyalty.