SPHINX

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Real Name: Anath-Na Mut
Aliases: The Dreaded One
Identity: Secret
Occupation: Would Be Conquerer; former Warrior; former Wizard
Citizenship: Egypt
Place of Birth: Egypt
Known Relatives: None
Group Affiliation: None
First Appearance: Nova #6 (V1)
History:
Due to the genetic tampering of an alien species known as the Caretakers, when Anath-Na Mut was born, he had been born a mutant. Born in the early 14th Century B.C., Anath-Na Mut became the court wizard for Pharaoh Ramses II, where he was commanded to oppose Moses. However, it was Moses’ brother, Aaron who defeated Anath-Na Mut. Angry with his failure, Pharaoh Ramses II commanded that Anath-Na Mut be banished and condemned to roam the deserts.

For over ninety years, Anath-Na Mut roamed the barren wastelands until he stumbled upon the Temple of Ka. It was there that Anath-Na Mut discovered one of the Ka Stones, unaware of its origins. The Ka Stone had originally been used by the Kree and other extraterrestrials as the Lifestone Tree. The Ka Stone ‘spoke’ to Anath-Na Mut, commanding him to place it upon his brow. In doing so, Anath-Na Mut had been completely transformed, changing his body to become youthful, and powerful; and granting him eternal life. However, the sudden change had been too much for Anath-Na Mut to endure. He collapsed, where he was later found by Meryet Karim, who had nursed him back to health. Once he had recovered his health, he dismissed Meryet, who during the time of nursing him back to health, had fallen in love with Anath-Na Mut.

His first encounter would be with the alien Caretakers, who had abducted Anath-Na Mut, in hopes of studying him and the Ka Stone. Anath-Na Mut learned from them, as they had attempted to learn from him; and when he gathered all the information he required, he defeated the Caretakers and left them. He would then go on to wander the Earth for centuries, where throughout his life he had encountered such historical figures as Cleopatra and Marc Anthony; brought down the Roman Empire; led Viking Warriors; joined Franciscan Monks; and even traveled the New World with Christopher Columbus.

A quest eventually led him to seek out an ancient Himalayan civilization, which is where he first encountered the ghostlike Veritas the Sayge. Any who gaze at the face of Sayge, saw the truth and future of their lives. What Anath-Na Mut angered him and he swore that he would find a way to avert the future he had seen for himself. Anath-Na Mut would eventually encounter Condor, who learned of Anath-Na Mut (as Sphinx) and tried to attain his powers. However, Anath-Na Mut defeated Condor, with the help of Kur (one of Sphinx’s own men). Anath-Na Mut turned Condor into a true bird and set Condor free. Anath-Na Mut turned his attention on Nova, after learning of the Xandar ship orbiting the Earth that Nova had access to. Anath-Na Mut attempted to drain Nova’s memories, but failed. He then tried again, and briefly made Richard Rider forget he was Nova, but still could not recover the knowledge stored in Nova’s mind.

Sphinx would next ally himself with the Inhuman named Thraxon. With his help he was able to get Black Bolt to surrender, by taking several members of the Inhumans hostage. Once he began absorbing Black Bolt’s power, in hopes of using it to amplify his own ability, and thus drain the mind of every person on Earth, Sphinx removed Thraxon’s additional power he had granted, which gave the Fantastic Four a chance to help the Inhumans escape, and thus battle Sphinx, where Black Bolt used his powers to blast him into space.

The Fantastic Four battled Sphinx, and even Galactus sided with them, helping them defeat the Sphinx. Galactus crushed and destroyed the Ka Stone and expelled Sphinx back in time. However, unaware of how the time stream worked, what had happened was something else entirely. The time displaced Sphinx arrived back in time, standing before himself, where he warned the younger version of himself what would happen in the future against Galactus. Together they had formed a machine that would allow Sphinx to recreate the Ka Stone.

However, when the time had come (which was only moments after Sphinx’s demise in the future at the hands of Galactus), the Fantastic Four’s Thing (Ben Grimm) destroyed the machine, which left an incomplete Ka Stone. Sphinx sought a way to power the stone further, even trying to use Puppet Master’s radioactive clay; but that plan failed, when the Puppet Master took control of Sphinx and forced him to battle The Thing, causing him to destroy the Ka Stone, and turn Sphinx’s body to dust.

Anath-Na Mut awoke in Las Vegas, without the power of the Ka Stone. During this time, he found a way to drain the powers from super humans (doing so with Silver and Auric of China Force). Auric was killed, while Silver was tested upon. Silver would soon follow her brother in death, however, when the New Warriors with Spider-Man attempted to stop Sphinx, causing the entire building to collapse when Sphinx literally exploded from the energy he had absorbed. Sphinx was reborn again, and this time went after Meryet, in an attempt to regain the Ka Stone energy. He lured Meryet into a trap, and tricked her into releasing her power into him. With the Ka Stone power restored to him, he displaced the New Warriors, scattering them throughout various points in time and realities.

When Sphinx returned to Egypt and created the Temple of Ka as his own Cathedral, Meryet followed and confronted him, where Sphinx drained the rest of her remaining power. Meryet then returned back to the states and helped forge a new team of New Warriors to try and stop Sphinx. With her help, the time displaced New Warriors were rescued, and once again Sayge appeared and showed Sphinx the futility of his life of conquest, and the truth of Meryet’s love. Anath-Na Mut and Meryet joined and formed a single being, where they departed to try and correct their own lives.

The Composite version of Sphinx returned briefly to set things right, in regards to Darrion Grobe and the time displacement he had caused.

Even later, the Anath-Na Mut was later seen, no longer a composite being.

Height: 7’2″
Weight: 450 lbs.
Eyes: Red
Hair: Bald

Powers: Anath-Na Mut had been made eternally to reincarnate via the Ka Stone’s energies; always retaining the memories of all of his previous lives. Because of the Ka Stone, he was able to alter reality in a several mile radius; although, once when she had used the Scepter of Ka, actually created an entire alternate reality. He had projects blasts from his hands and eyes, in various forms of energy, frequency and light. He was able to create elaborate illusions (although this could be credited to actually warping reality itself, more than it was an actual illusion), as well as teleport great distances. The Ka Stone energy also enhanced his strength, allowing him to press/lift 85 tons. The Ka Stone also allowed him to read minds, as well as erase memories (again the erasing of memories could be credited to the ability to alter reality; and thus not truly erasing memories, but creating an alternate reality where such events occurred as he desired them to). He also possesses the ability to “drain” a person’s mind and attain all of their memories and knowledge (leaving the body of the victim a mindless husk).