====== Thoth-Amon ======
===== Part 1: The Dossier: An At-a-Glance Summary =====
  *   **Core Identity:** **Thoth-Amon is the arch-sorcerer of the Hyborian Age, high priest of the serpent god Set, and the most persistent and insidious magical adversary of [[conan_the_barbarian|Conan the Barbarian]].**
  *   **Key Takeaways:**
  * **Role in the Universe:** Thoth-Amon is the preeminent figure of Stygian dark magic within [[marvel_comics|Marvel's]] Earth-616 ancient history. He is the earthly avatar of the Elder God [[set_(marvel_comics)|Set's]] will, a master of demonic summoning and vile curses whose influence and artifacts persist as a threat even in the modern era, challenging sorcerers like [[doctor_strange|Doctor Strange]].
  * **Primary Impact:** He is defined by his creation and loss of the Serpent Ring of Set, a powerful artifact that serves as the nexus of his power. His eternal quest to reclaim the ring and his master's favor is the driving force behind many of Conan's greatest adventures and a recurring source of dark magic in the Marvel Universe.
  * **Key Incarnations:** In the prime comic universe (Earth-616), he is a fully-realized character whose ancient history is part of Marvel's official timeline. He has absolutely no presence or equivalent in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), a distinction critical to understanding his place in the canon.
===== Part 2: Origin and Evolution =====
==== Publication History and Creation ====
Thoth-Amon is a foundational character not originally of Marvel's creation, but rather an integral part of their licensed comic book universe. He was conceived by the legendary pulp author Robert E. Howard and first appeared in "The Phoenix on the Sword," the very first Conan story, published in //Weird Tales// magazine in December 1932. In this debut, he was established as a shadowy and immensely powerful sorcerer, a distant threat whose magic could topple kingdoms.
His introduction to the Marvel Comics canon occurred in **''Conan the Barbarian'' #7** (July 1971). This adaptation was masterfully handled by writer [[roy_thomas|Roy Thomas]] and artist [[barry_windsor-smith|Barry Windsor-Smith]], who took Howard's literary creation and gave him a definitive visual identity and a more direct role in the ongoing narrative. Thomas expanded upon the fragments Howard provided, weaving a detailed backstory for Thoth-Amon that chronicled his rise to power, his hubris, and his fateful loss of the Serpent Ring that would come to define his existence. This Bronze Age introduction cemented Thoth-Amon's status as Conan's archenemy, not through constant physical confrontation, but as a recurring, malevolent force whose schemes unfolded over decades of publication. His integration into the Earth-616 timeline means his ancient actions have canonical repercussions for the modern Marvel Universe.
==== In-Universe Origin Story ====
The origin of Thoth-Amon is a tale of ambition, devotion, and cosmic horror, deeply rooted in the lore of the Hyborian Age.
=== Earth-616 (Prime Comic Universe) ===
Thoth-Amon's story begins thousands of years before the modern age of heroes, in the dark, sun-scorched kingdom of Stygia, a nation steeped in necromancy and the worship of dark gods. From a young age, he was an acolyte in the Cult of Set, the Great Serpent. He displayed a prodigious and ruthless aptitude for the black arts, quickly surpassing his tutors in the manipulation of abyssal energies and the summoning of otherworldly entities.
His ambition was boundless, matched only by his cruelty. He rose through the ranks of the priesthood not just through skill, but through the systematic elimination of his rivals. He pledged his soul entirely to Set, performing unspeakable rituals that caught the attention of the Elder God himself. As a reward for his devotion, Set guided Thoth-Amon to forge a powerful artifact: the **Serpent Ring of Set**. This golden ring, shaped like a coiled serpent, became a direct conduit to Set's power, dramatically amplifying Thoth-Amon's already formidable abilities.
With the ring, Thoth-Amon became the undisputed high priest of Stygia and the most feared sorcerer of his time. He commanded legions of followers and could summon monstrous horrors from the pits of hell. However, his power bred arrogance. In a moment of carelessness described in the short story "The Phoenix on the Sword," the ring was stolen from him by a thief. Without this crucial focus for his power, Thoth-Amon was drastically weakened. He was overthrown by his own disciples and cast out, forced into a desperate, centuries-long exile.
This fall from grace became his defining motivation. For ages, Thoth-Amon wandered the world, a shadow of his former self, relentlessly hunting for his lost ring. His quest often put him in indirect conflict with Conan the Barbarian, who frequently encountered the chaos left in the sorcerer's wake or even briefly came into possession of the ring himself. This long-burning feud, a chess match of magic versus might played out across the continent, cemented their legendary rivalry. His pursuit of power and his service to Set would eventually see him clash with other powerful sorcerers of the age, most notably his bitter rival, [[kulan_gath]].
=== Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) ===
**Thoth-Amon has not appeared, nor has he been mentioned or alluded to, in any installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.** The MCU has not yet incorporated the Hyborian Age or Conan the Barbarian into its timeline.
While the MCU has explored themes of ancient magic and Egyptian mythology, particularly in projects like ''Eternals'', ''Moon Knight'', and ''Doctor Strange'', these explorations have drawn from different corners of Marvel lore. The pantheon of gods seen in ''Moon Knight'' (the Ennead) and ''Thor: Love and Thunder'' have not included the Elder God Set in his serpentine form.
Should the MCU ever choose to adapt Conan's mythology, Thoth-Amon would be a natural choice for a primary antagonist. He could be introduced as an ancient sorcerer whose dark influence resurfaces in the modern day, or through a multiversal variant. Any such appearance, however, remains purely speculative at this time. It is crucial for fans to recognize that his entire established history and character exist solely within the Earth-616 comic book continuity and its adaptations.
===== Part 3: Abilities, Equipment & Personality =====
Thoth-Amon's power is that of a top-tier demonic sorcerer, whose abilities make him a threat to entire nations and even the Sorcerer Supreme of his era.
=== Earth-616 (Prime Comic Universe) ===
==== Sorcerous Abilities ====
Thoth-Amon is a master of Stygian black magic, drawing his power directly from the malevolent Elder God Set. His command over the dark arts is vast and multifaceted.
  * **Demonic Summoning:** This is his signature ability. He can tear open portals to other dimensions, primarily the domain of Set, to summon a vast array of monstrous beings to do his bidding. These range from giant serpents and flying demons to amorphous horrors and undead creatures. His summons are directly tied to his focus, particularly the Serpent Ring.
  * **Necromancy:** As a Stygian priest, he is an expert in the magic of death. He can raise the dead as zombies or skeletons, communicate with spirits, and command armies of the undead.
  * **Elemental Manipulation:** Thoth-Amon can command the elements to a degree, conjuring unnatural storms, calling down lightning, and shaping shadows into tangible forms.
  * **Illusions and Deception:** He is a master of casting powerful, convincing illusions to trick his enemies, mask his presence, or create horrifying phantasms.
  * **Scrying and Divination:** He can gaze across vast distances, peer into the minds of others, and prophesy future events through dark rituals, often using reflective surfaces like water or crystal.
  * **Curses and Transmutation:** Thoth-Amon can inflict debilitating curses that cause disease, madness, or slow death. He has also demonstrated the ability to transform his victims into monstrous forms, such as serpents or demonic minions.
  * **Magical Longevity:** Through his dark pacts with Set, Thoth-Amon has lived for centuries, far beyond the natural lifespan of a human, retaining his vitality and power.
==== Equipment ====
=== The Serpent Ring of Set ===
The most important artifact in Thoth-Amon's possession, and the central object of his entire life's quest.
  * **Composition:** Forged from an unknown Stygian gold, it is shaped into the form of a serpent coiled upon itself, as if ready to strike. It often glows with a malevolent inner light when its power is invoked.
  * **Function:** The ring serves two primary purposes. First, it is a direct **conduit to Set**, allowing Thoth-Amon to channel the Elder God's immense power with greater ease and control. Second, it is a **powerful magical focus**, amplifying all of his innate sorcerous abilities to a staggering degree. With the ring, his summoning spells are more potent, his control over demons is absolute, and his destructive capabilities are magnified tenfold. Without it, he is still a dangerous sorcerer, but his power is a pale shadow of its true potential.
  * **Key Ability:** The ring's most famous power is the ability to summon a specific creature with but a thought: a giant, shadowy ape-like beast with glowing red eyes, which he has used for tasks of assassination and terror.
==== Weaknesses ====
  * **Dependence on the Ring:** His greatest strength is also his greatest weakness. Without the Serpent Ring, his power level is dramatically reduced, making him vulnerable to other powerful sorcerers or even exceptionally skilled mortal warriors like Conan.
  * **Arrogance:** Thoth-Amon possesses supreme confidence in his own intellect and magical superiority. This hubris can cause him to underestimate his foes, particularly "barbarians" like Conan, whose cunning and ferocity have often proven to be his undoing.
  * **Physical Vulnerability:** Despite his magical longevity, Thoth-Amon is still physically human. He is susceptible to conventional physical injury and, without magical shields, can be killed by a well-placed sword or arrow.
==== Personality ====
Thoth-Amon is the archetypal evil sorcerer. He is supremely intelligent, patient, and methodical. He views time in centuries, and his plans are intricate, long-term schemes designed to accumulate power and serve the will of his dark god. He is utterly ruthless and devoid of empathy, viewing all other living beings as either tools to be used or obstacles to be crushed. His primary emotional drivers are an insatiable lust for power and a fanatical, all-consuming devotion to Set.
=== Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) ===
Not applicable. Thoth-Amon does not possess any abilities or equipment within the MCU, as the character does not exist in that continuity.
===== Part 4: Key Relationships & Network =====
==== Servants and Patrons ====
Thoth-Amon does not have "allies" in the conventional sense; he has masters, servants, and tools.
  * **Set:** Thoth-Amon's relationship with Set is one of a devout priest to his god, and a slave to his master. Set is the source of all his power and the object of his worship. In return for his servitude, Set grants him a fraction of his cosmic power. This pact is absolute, and Thoth-Amon's every action is ultimately dedicated to furthering Set's influence on Earth.
  * **The Serpent Men:** This ancient, pre-human race of reptilian humanoids are the most devout followers of Set. Thoth-Amon often commands them or allies with them as they share a common master. He is one of the few humans they respect, due to his immense power and favor with their god.
  * **Acolytes of his Cult:** In his prime, Thoth-Amon commanded a vast cult of human followers within Stygia and beyond. These acolytes served as his spies, soldiers, and sacrifices, performing the rituals and doing the mundane work his grand schemes required.
==== Arch-Enemies ====
  * **Conan the Cimmerian:** Conan is Thoth-Amon's antithesis and most hated foe. Their conflict is a classic struggle of insidious magic versus indomitable will and physical prowess. They rarely engage in direct, prolonged combat. Instead, Conan consistently and often accidentally foils the sorcerer's elaborate plans, slays his summoned monsters, and dismantles his cults. Thoth-Amon despises Conan not just for his interference, but for what he represents: the untamable, barbaric spirit of humanity that resists the corrupting control of dark gods.
  * **Kulan Gath:** Another ancient and immensely powerful sorcerer from the Hyborian Age, Kulan Gath is Thoth-Amon's chief rival for magical supremacy. While both are evil, their ambitions and methodologies often put them at odds. They have clashed numerous times over powerful artifacts and territories, with their sorcerous duels capable of devastating the landscape. Their rivalry has even persisted into the modern era, with both sorcerers being resurrected to menace the heroes of Earth-616.
==== Affiliations ====
  * **The Cult of Set:** This is his primary affiliation. For much of his life, he was the High Priest and supreme leader of Set's earthly cult, a position he constantly strives to reclaim. The cult is dedicated to spreading Set's dominion over the world through terror, sacrifice, and dark magic.
  * **Stygian Priesthood:** Thoth-Amon was once the most powerful figure in the theocratic government of Stygia, a nation ruled by the priests of Set. Even after his exile, his influence and legacy within Stygian politics and religion remain a powerful force.
===== Part 5: Iconic Events & Storylines =====
Thoth-Amon's presence is often the catalyst for some of the greatest Hyborian Age adventures, a shadowy hand moving pieces on a continental scale.
==== "The Phoenix on the Sword" ====
This story, both in Howard's original prose and its Marvel adaptation, marks Thoth-Amon's debut. Years after losing his ring, a bitter Thoth-Amon is approached by a group of conspirators who wish to assassinate the now-King Conan of Aquilonia. From afar, Thoth-Amon agrees to help. He summons a powerful simian demon and sends it to slay the king in his sleep. The plot is only foiled by the intervention of a benevolent, long-dead sage whose spirit magically enchants Conan's sword. The event perfectly establishes Thoth-Amon's character: a remote, manipulative threat who prefers to act through summoned agents rather than direct confrontation, and it sets the stage for his long-distance feud with the Cimmerian.
==== The Quest for the Serpent Ring ====
This is not a single storyline but a recurring arc that spans dozens of issues in ''Conan the Barbarian'' and ''Savage Sword of Conan''. After his exile from Stygia, Thoth-Amon's primary motivation is the recovery of his lost Ring of Set. This epic quest leads him across the Hyborian continent. His path often crosses with Conan's, as the ring passes through many hands, sometimes even Conan's own. These stories define the sorcerer's relentless nature and desperation, showcasing the lengths he will go to—betrayal, mass murder, unholy pacts—to reclaim the source of his true power. The ring becomes a "hot potato" artifact, bringing ruin to nearly everyone who possesses it until it inevitably finds its way back into the sorcerer's grasp, or is lost once more.
==== Serpent War (2019) ====
This modern Marvel Comics event brought the Hyborian Age crashing into the present day. Thoth-Amon plays a significant role, demonstrating that his evil has endured through the millennia. The storyline sees him manipulating events to aid the return of Set to the Earth-616 dimension. He clashes not only with an older King Conan but also with modern heroes including [[moon_knight|Moon Knight]], demonstrating a power level sufficient to be a credible threat to a contemporary super-hero team. This event was crucial in re-establishing Thoth-Amon as a major player in the magical landscape of the modern Marvel Universe.
===== Part 6: Variants and Alternative Versions =====
While Thoth-Amon does not have traditional multiversal "variants" in the way of characters like Spider-Man, his portrayal has evolved across different media and comic book publishers.
  * **Robert E. Howard's Prose:** The original incarnation. In Howard's stories, Thoth-Amon is more of a legendary, background figure. His power is immense but often spoken of rather than seen. He is a force of nature, a symbol of the ancient, decadent evil that Conan's barbarism stands against.
  * **Marvel Comics (Bronze Age, 1970-1990s):** The definitive comic book version for many fans. Roy Thomas and subsequent writers gave Thoth-Amon a more active role, a detailed backstory, and a distinct visual design. He became a recurring, personal nemesis for Conan, and his quest for the Serpent Ring became a central, driving plot line for the series.
  * **Dark Horse Comics (2003-2018):** When Marvel briefly lost the Conan license, Dark Horse Comics continued the adventures. Their portrayal of Thoth-Amon was largely faithful to the groundwork laid by Howard and Marvel, continuing to present him as the arch-sorcerer of Stygia and Conan's magical foe, though often with a darker, more horror-centric aesthetic.
  * **Modern Marvel Comics (2019-Present):** With the Conan license returned to Marvel, Thoth-Amon was fully integrated into the modern Earth-616. In books like ''Savage Avengers'', his power is scaled up to challenge beings like [[doctor_doom|Doctor Doom]] and Kulan Gath on a global stage. This version emphasizes his status as an ancient evil whose knowledge of magic rivals that of Marvel's most powerful sorcerers.
===== See Also =====
  * [[conan_the_barbarian]]
  * [[kulan_gath]]
  * [[set_(marvel_comics)]]
  * [[hyborian_age]]
  * [[stygia]]
  * [[savage_avengers]]
===== Notes and Trivia =====
((Thoth-Amon's name is a composite of two major Egyptian deities: Thoth, the god of wisdom and magic, and Amun (or Amon), a creator god who became the king of the gods. This naming convention by Robert E. Howard was used to evoke a sense of ancient, pre-dynastic Egyptian mystique for the kingdom of Stygia.))
((His first appearance in Marvel Comics was in ''Conan the Barbarian'' #7 (1971).))
((In the 1982 film ''Conan the Barbarian'', the main villain is [[thulsa_doom|Thulsa Doom]], a character from Howard's Kull stories, not the Conan tales. However, the film's version of Thulsa Doom incorporates several key characteristics of Thoth-Amon, most notably his leadership of a serpent cult and his powerful sorcery, leading to frequent confusion between the two characters among casual fans.))
((Thoth-Amon's long-running "hide-and-seek" game with Conan over the Serpent Ring is one of the longest subplots in Conan's publication history, spanning decades of real-world time.))
((While he is a human sorcerer, his deep connection to Set and the Serpent Men often leads him to be depicted with subtle serpentine features, such as slit pupils or a forked tongue, especially when channeling great power.))