Sphinx (Marvel Comics): Difference between revisions
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The '''Sphinx''' is the name of two [[fictional character|fictional]] [[supervillain]]s in the [[Marvel Comics]] [[Marvel Universe|universe]]. Both Sphinxes are [[Ancient Egypt]]ians who have repeatedly fought [[Nova (comics)#Richard Rider|Nova]] and the other members of the [[New Warriors]]. |
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{{Superherobox| <!--Wikipedia:WikiProject Comics--> |
{{Superherobox| <!--Wikipedia:WikiProject Comics--> |
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image=[[Image:Nova-11.jpg|250px]] |
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image= |
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|caption=The Sphinx battles [[Nova (comics)|Nova]] on the cover of Nova #11 (vol. 1, Jul. 1977). Art by [[Sal Buscema]]. |
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|caption= |
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|comic_color=background:#ff8080 |
|comic_color=background:#ff8080 |
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|character_name=Sphinx |
|character_name=Sphinx |
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|real_name= |
|real_name=Anath-Na Mut |
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|species=[[Mutant (Marvel Comics)|Mutant]] |
|species=[[Mutant (Marvel Comics)|Mutant]] |
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|publisher=[[Marvel Comics]] |
|publisher=[[Marvel Comics]] |
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|debut= |
|debut= [[Nova (comics)|Nova]] #6 (vol. 1, Feb. 1977) |
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|creators=[[Marv Wolfman]] and [[Sal Buscema]] |
|creators=[[Marv Wolfman]] and [[Sal Buscema]] |
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|alliance_color=background:#c0c0ff |
|alliance_color=background:#c0c0ff |
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|aliases=The Dreaded One |
|aliases=The Dreaded One |
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|relatives= |
|relatives= |
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|powers= |
|powers=Via''' Ka Stone''':<br> |
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Superhuman strength and durability |
Superhuman strength and durability<br> |
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Energy projection<br> |
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Mystical energy manipulation,<br> |
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Reality manipulation |
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Telepathy |
Telepathy<br> |
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|}} |
|}} |
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===The First Sphinx=== |
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The first Sphinx, '''Anath-Na Mut''', was a kidnapped [[Mutant (Marvel comics)|mutant]] with psychic powers and was controlled by the alien Caretakers of [[Arcturus]], who wished to create an army of superhumans. He escaped from the Caretakers and returned to Egypt. There, he styled himself as a magician and entered the court of the [[Pharaoh]]. He fought and was defeated by [[Moses]] in the Marvel Universe version of the [[Exodus]], and was exiled into the desert for his failure. He discovered the alien Ka Stone, which granted him immortality and the power to reshape reality. He became the Sphinx and wandered the Earth for thousands of years, becoming bored with his immortality as time passed. Using his psychic powers to read minds while searching for a way to end his life, he scanned the mind of Nova (Richard Rider), a human empowered by the aliens of Xandar. Nova had been given subconscious knowledge of Xandar's Living Computer, a computer connected to the still-living brains of deceased Xandarans. The Sphinx theorized that the Living Computer might be able to tell him how to die. The Sphinx fought Nova and several of Nova's foes, but was unable to learn what he wished to know. The android [[Quasimodo (comics)|Quasimodo]] directed the Sphinx to Xandar, where he fought the [[Fantastic Four]] and Nova. He connected with the Living Computer of Xandar and downloaded the secrets of the universe directly into his mind; this knowledge granted him virtually limitless power, power enough to shatter a galaxy. Reed Richards knew there was no hope in defeating this virtually omnipotent Sphinx so he decided to strike a deal with the one being he knew of who was more powerful than the Sphinx, [[Galactus]], Ravager of Worlds. Reed told Galactus that if he would defeat the Sphinx he would free him from his pledge to never consume the Earth and Galactus agreed. Galactus fought and defeated the Sphinx, stripped him of his newfound power, crushed his Ka Stone into dust, then, as further punishment, trapped him in a time loop in which he was forced to relive his life and final defeat over and over. |
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The '''Sphinx''' is the name of two characters that appear in the [[Marvel Universe]]. |
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The Sphinx relived his life and defeat many times over before eventually finding the means to travel back in time psychically and meet himself. The future self warned the younger of what would happen, and the two built a machine that would reform the shattered Ka Stone in the future after Galactus destroyed it. In order to not alter the future, the past Sphinx was hypnotized to forget what he had just learned and done, and the future Sphinx entered suspended animation, awakening after the point at which he had been sent back in time. He activated the machine to rebuild the Ka Stone, only for the machine to be destroyed by the [[Thing (comics)|Thing]], formerly of the Fantastic Four. The Sphinx attempted to kill the Thing in retaliation, but the [[Puppet Master (comics)|Puppet Master]], who was secretly observing and assisting the Thing, used his mystic puppets to take control of the Sphinx's body. The Sphinx was forced to crush the partially regenerated Ka Stone, and as a result he immediately succumbed to five thousands years of aging and crumbled to dust. |
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'''Anath-Na Mut''' is a magician in the court of [[Ramesses II]], who is defeated in a duel of magic by the prophet [[Moses]], and is exiled into the desert for his failure. Anath-Na then discovers the alien Ka Stone, which grants him immortality and a host of other powers. Using the alias the Sphinx, Anath-Na wanders the Earth for thousands of years, and eventually becomes bored with his immortality. In the 20th century the Sphinx discovers the hero [[Nova (comics)|Nova]], a human empowered by the aliens of [[Xandar]]. As Nova was instilled with the subconscious knowledge of Xandar's Living Computer - a computer connected to the still-living brains of deceased Xandarans - the Sphinx theorized that the Living Computer may be able to find a way to end his immortal life. |
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The Sphinx has several encounters with Nova, but is unable glean the knowledge required. <ref>''Nova'' #6 - 7; 11 (vol. 1, Feb. - Mar. + Jul. 1977)</ref> The Sphinx then empowers a pawn called Thraxon to help subdue the [[Inhumans]], as he plans to use the power of [[Black Bolt]] to amplify a scanning device and read the minds of all mankind for knowledge of how to finally die. The [[Fantastic Four]], however, defeat Thraxon and [[Black Bolt]] himself blasts the Sphinx into deep space. <ref>''Fantastic Four'' Annual #12 (1977)</ref> After a brief battle, the Sphinx then allies himself with Nova and his allies when they travel back to Xandar to join a war against the [[Skrulls]]. <ref>''Nova'' #23 - 25 (vol. 1, Jan. - May (bi-monthly) 1978)</ref> |
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===The Second Sphinx=== |
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The second Sphinx, '''Meryet Karim''', was a desert nomad who fell for an unconscious Anath-Na Mut shortly after he stumbled from the temple of the Ka while he was exiled in the desert. For months she nursed him back to health as he was in shock from the amount of power granted him by the Ka stone. Residual energies from the Ka Stone granted her a fraction of his power, and upon her death, she found herself perpetually recincarnated into new bodies, retaining the knowledge of her previous lives with each new birth. In one life, she was a man who became a pharaoh's pyramid architect, and was given a burial pyramid by means of recompense. She used this pyramid as a place to store the riches that she had accumulated over the years. In the modern day, she used this wealth to become a powerful businesswoman, and was able to reconstruct the machine that had reconstituted the Ka Stone. She then remade the Ka Stone, becoming the new Sphinx in the process. She used the Ka Stone to alter history so that Anath-Na Mut had killed Moses; as a result, Egypt had come under the leadership of the Sphinxes and conquered the world. Eventually after an atomic bombing in the U.S. (which had become the Sphinx's new seat of power), the Sphinx chose to commit suicide but granted immortality to Meryet's cat as a reminder of their love. The [[Mutant Liberation Front]] (led by [[Magneto (comics)|Magneto]], combining the roles of the [[X-Men]] and the [[Brotherhood of Evil Mutants]]) were the only real opposition to her rule, and many of them were killed by her enforcers, the [[Avengers (comics)|Avengers]]. When Nova, formerly one of her newest Avengers, threatened to kill the Sphinx-empowered cat, she relented and restored the world to normal. However, in the normal world, the cat immediately disintegrated, as the cat had only been empowered in the Sphinx's altered world. She flew away, vowing revenge. |
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This proves to be a ruse as once on Xandar the Sphinx takes advantage of the war to find and absorb the knowledge of the Living Computer. Evolving into a god, the Sphinx then has a change of heart and vows to destroy Earth. The Fantastic Four witness this, and knowing that they are hopelessly outmatched [[Mr. Fantastic]] contacts the [[cosmic entity]] [[Galactus]] and presents a proposal - if Galactus will defeat the Sphinx, then Mr. Fantastic will release him from his vow to never threaten the Earth again. Galactus accepts, and after the Fantastic Four find Galactus a new Herald - [[Terrax]] - the group travel to Earth. Galactus then battles and defeats the Sphinx, and after crushing his Ka Stone traps him in a time loop, which forces Anath-Na to constantly relive his life. <ref>''Fantastic Four'' #206 - 213 (vol. 1, May - Dec. 1979)</ref> |
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Later, Anath-Na Mut was resurrected by the Ka Stone, and instantly took his vengeance on the New Warriors by scattering them all through time. Meryet Karim had also re-appeared by this time, but she had realized her mistake in altering reality and no longer wanted revenge on the Warriors. When her attempt to make the Sphinx see reason failed, she gathered a small team of the Warrior's part-time members consisting of [[Alex Power]], [[Bandit (comics)|Bandit]], [[Cloak and Dagger (comics)|Dagger]], [[Darkhawk (comics)|Darkhawk]] & [[Turbo (comics)|Turbo]] to find and bring the Warriors back to the present day, which they did. After a pitched battle between them and the Sphinx, the mysterious entity known as Sayge (a.k.a. [[Veritas (comics)|Veritas]]) came to the Warriors' aid and forced the Sphinx to face the truth about his existence. Humbled, the Sphinx admitted defeat and Meryet once again offered her love and devotion to him, which he accepted and the two merged into a composite entity and traveled back to the beginning of their shared history, but this time with the chance to live their lives correctly. |
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Anath-Na relives his life and several times until due to a chronal flaw he is able to meet himself, and so warns the younger Anath-Na as to his future. The two then build a machine to reconstruct the Ka Stone, and after hypnotising the younger version of Anath-Na so he would not remember, the furture version enters suspended animation. The future version of the Sphinx awakens soon after Galactus departs, and begins to rebuild the Ka Stone. The [[Thing (comics)|Thing]], however, battles the Sphinx to a standstill and destroys the machine, leaving the Sphinx with an incomplete Stone. <ref>''Marvel Two-In-One'' #91 (Sep. 1982)</ref> The Sphinx then departs, but on learning that the incomplete Ka Stone is losing all power seeks revenge of the Thing. The villain the [[Puppet Master (comics)|Puppet Master]] assists the Thing and forces the Sphinx to crush the Ka Stone; as a result Anath-Na immediately ages five thousand years and crumbles to dust. <ref>''The Thing'' #34 (Apr. 1986)</ref> |
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==External links== |
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* [http://www.marveldirectory.com/individuals/s/sphinx.htm Sphinx at MarvelDirectory.com] |
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''Meryet Karim'' is a desert nomad who finds an unconscious Anath-Na Mut soon after he finds the Ka Stone. In nursing him back to health, Karim absorbs residual energies from the Ka Stone which grant her a fraction of its' power. Karim found that after death she was being perpetually recincarnated into new bodies and retaining the knowledge of her previous lives with each birth. In the modern era, Karim finds the remants of the Ka Stone and reconstructs it to become the new Sphinx. Karim then alters history so that Anath-Na Mut kills Moses, which leads to Egypt eventually conquering the world. Karim is thwarted by the superhero team the [[New Warriors]], and she ressurrects Anath-Na in a bid to reclaim his love. The newly-empowered Anath-na battles the New Warriors, but when forced to face his feelings for Karim decides to merge with her into a composite entity, which goes back in time to live a normal life. <ref>''New Warriors'' #47 - 50 (vol. 1, May. - Jul. 1994); ''Nova'' #6 - 7 (Jun. - Jul 1994);'' Night Thrasher'' #11 - 12 (vol. 2, Jun. - Jul. 1994)</ref> |
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[[Category:Marvel Comics supervillains]] |
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[[Category:Fictional Egyptians]] |
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[[Category:Fictional Arabs]] |
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[[Category:Marvel Comics mutants]] |
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[[Category:Marvel Comics telepaths]] |
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[[Category:Marvel Comics immortals]] |
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[[Category:Magic users in comics]] |
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== Footnotes == |
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[[nl:Sphinx (Marvel)]] |
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<references/> |
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Revision as of 11:09, 29 February 2008
| Sphinx | |
|---|---|
| File:Nova-11.jpg The Sphinx battles Nova on the cover of Nova #11 (vol. 1, Jul. 1977). Art by Sal Buscema. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Nova #6 (vol. 1, Feb. 1977) |
| Created by | Marv Wolfman and Sal Buscema |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Anath-Na Mut |
| Species | Mutant |
| Notable aliases | The Dreaded One |
| Abilities | Via Ka Stone: Superhuman strength and durability |
The Sphinx is the name of two characters that appear in the Marvel Universe.
Fictional character biography
Anath-Na Mut is a magician in the court of Ramesses II, who is defeated in a duel of magic by the prophet Moses, and is exiled into the desert for his failure. Anath-Na then discovers the alien Ka Stone, which grants him immortality and a host of other powers. Using the alias the Sphinx, Anath-Na wanders the Earth for thousands of years, and eventually becomes bored with his immortality. In the 20th century the Sphinx discovers the hero Nova, a human empowered by the aliens of Xandar. As Nova was instilled with the subconscious knowledge of Xandar's Living Computer - a computer connected to the still-living brains of deceased Xandarans - the Sphinx theorized that the Living Computer may be able to find a way to end his immortal life.
The Sphinx has several encounters with Nova, but is unable glean the knowledge required. [1] The Sphinx then empowers a pawn called Thraxon to help subdue the Inhumans, as he plans to use the power of Black Bolt to amplify a scanning device and read the minds of all mankind for knowledge of how to finally die. The Fantastic Four, however, defeat Thraxon and Black Bolt himself blasts the Sphinx into deep space. [2] After a brief battle, the Sphinx then allies himself with Nova and his allies when they travel back to Xandar to join a war against the Skrulls. [3]
This proves to be a ruse as once on Xandar the Sphinx takes advantage of the war to find and absorb the knowledge of the Living Computer. Evolving into a god, the Sphinx then has a change of heart and vows to destroy Earth. The Fantastic Four witness this, and knowing that they are hopelessly outmatched Mr. Fantastic contacts the cosmic entity Galactus and presents a proposal - if Galactus will defeat the Sphinx, then Mr. Fantastic will release him from his vow to never threaten the Earth again. Galactus accepts, and after the Fantastic Four find Galactus a new Herald - Terrax - the group travel to Earth. Galactus then battles and defeats the Sphinx, and after crushing his Ka Stone traps him in a time loop, which forces Anath-Na to constantly relive his life. [4]
Anath-Na relives his life and several times until due to a chronal flaw he is able to meet himself, and so warns the younger Anath-Na as to his future. The two then build a machine to reconstruct the Ka Stone, and after hypnotising the younger version of Anath-Na so he would not remember, the furture version enters suspended animation. The future version of the Sphinx awakens soon after Galactus departs, and begins to rebuild the Ka Stone. The Thing, however, battles the Sphinx to a standstill and destroys the machine, leaving the Sphinx with an incomplete Stone. [5] The Sphinx then departs, but on learning that the incomplete Ka Stone is losing all power seeks revenge of the Thing. The villain the Puppet Master assists the Thing and forces the Sphinx to crush the Ka Stone; as a result Anath-Na immediately ages five thousand years and crumbles to dust. [6]
Meryet Karim is a desert nomad who finds an unconscious Anath-Na Mut soon after he finds the Ka Stone. In nursing him back to health, Karim absorbs residual energies from the Ka Stone which grant her a fraction of its' power. Karim found that after death she was being perpetually recincarnated into new bodies and retaining the knowledge of her previous lives with each birth. In the modern era, Karim finds the remants of the Ka Stone and reconstructs it to become the new Sphinx. Karim then alters history so that Anath-Na Mut kills Moses, which leads to Egypt eventually conquering the world. Karim is thwarted by the superhero team the New Warriors, and she ressurrects Anath-Na in a bid to reclaim his love. The newly-empowered Anath-na battles the New Warriors, but when forced to face his feelings for Karim decides to merge with her into a composite entity, which goes back in time to live a normal life. [7]
Footnotes
- ^ Nova #6 - 7; 11 (vol. 1, Feb. - Mar. + Jul. 1977)
- ^ Fantastic Four Annual #12 (1977)
- ^ Nova #23 - 25 (vol. 1, Jan. - May (bi-monthly) 1978)
- ^ Fantastic Four #206 - 213 (vol. 1, May - Dec. 1979)
- ^ Marvel Two-In-One #91 (Sep. 1982)
- ^ The Thing #34 (Apr. 1986)
- ^ New Warriors #47 - 50 (vol. 1, May. - Jul. 1994); Nova #6 - 7 (Jun. - Jul 1994); Night Thrasher #11 - 12 (vol. 2, Jun. - Jul. 1994)