SPHINXOR

Real Name: Sphinxor

Identity/Class: Extraterrestrial (Pegasusian) technology-user

Occupation: Interstellar mover;
    former research subject

Group Membership: Leader of the Prime Movers of Tarkus (aka the Ringshippers and the Pegasusian Moving Company);
    formerly one of the prisoners of the Stranger

Affiliations: Former agent of the Beyonders;
    formerly somewaht reluctantly allied with the Her (Kismet), High Evolutionary (Herbert Wyndham), Alicia Masters, Moondragon (Heather Douglas), Starhawk (Stakar and Aleta of Reality-691), Thing (Ben Grimm) (antagonistic allies)
    formerly mentally controlled by the Over-Mind and associated with Diamondhead (Arch Dyker), Doctor Spectrum of Earth-712 (Joseph Ledger), Megaman (Nathan Cooper), Meru the Mind-Bender, Sky-Walker, and Ten-For;
    beings of several species with whom he socialized (including one spherical creature hugging his calf and three drinking buddies in the scavenger post Elepha Base; see comments).
    formerly Stan Lee

Enemies: Doctor Spectrum (Joseph Ledger) of Earth-712, Her (later Ayesha), High Evolutionary (Herbert Wyndham), Alicia Masters, Moondragon (Heather Douglas), Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew), Starhawk (Earth-691's Aleta & Stakar Ogord), Stranger, The Thing (Ben Grimm), Adam Warlock;
    people of the High-Evolutionary's Counter-Earth

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Sphinxor from the Star System Pegasus;
    "Bug Eyes" (nickname from the Thing)

Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
    last seen on Elepha Base;
    formerly the Stranger's laboratory world;   
    at least formerly Ringship 1, command ship of the tow-ships, which is mobile throughout the universe;
    presumably prevously the planet Lar of the Stinlar (Alpha Pegasus) star system, Milky Way galaxy

First Appearance: Strange Tales I#178 (February, 1975)

Powers/Abilities: As a Pegasusians, Sphinxor is a massive semi-humanoid reptilian. In high-gravity environments, he can psionically project anti-gravitons to help support his own bulk. While he had some degree of superhuman strength necessary, neither he nor his associates were physical threats to Earth's superhumans: Sphinixor and other Pegasusians have been quickly defeated in fair fights by several superhumans (from Earth and other planets) who were three times smaller than the Pegasusians, including the Thing, Spider-Woman, Starhawk and Moondragon, the latter of whom resorted to martial arts instead of superpowers to fight them; and in most of these cases, Pegasusians had personal weapons that were useless to stop the superhumans.

    Neither fond of nor particularly skilled at combat, Sphinxor is willing to negotiate in an effort to avoid a fight.

    Sphinxor is a businessman, willing to undertake massive projects and willing to do what is necessary to complete them.

    Pegasusian minds have been found particularly alien for Earth-born telepath Moondragon; her telepathy was unfit to read Pegasusians' minds or to control them telepathically. However, psionic blasts affect their minds; and Pegasusians also proved vulnerable to Her's biostellar bursts and eruptions and to Starhawk's cosmic blasts.

    The Sphinxor and the Prime Movers had access to technology that allowed them to move planetary masses through space, to different space sectors, without the creation of gravitational chaos. This was done by surrounding the planet in two different axis with a number of spheric tow-ships (or ringships) that were connected by other ships through a stasis-ring, so that two huge perpendicular rings surrounded the planet. Each tow-ship had a teleport device, and also generated a stasis field to keep the planet in suspended animation for the duration of the process; inhabitants, and theoretically visitors entering the planet during the process, were unable to move, lest the stasis field was partially turned off, and this required a considerable expenditure of time and energy. The tow-ships were crewed by Pegasusians and were easily detected; some superpowers allowed a person to identify the command ship. The movement of the planet was then faster-than-light, and it left behind a particle trail that could be followed. It was accurate enough to move a planet without taking its moons, which would remain in the original solar system.

    The Ringships project anti-gravitons in the outer atmosphere of the planet, which nullify the planet's effects on surrounding matter, etc. The Ringships also projected a stasis field across the planet, which render the inhabitants inert, preventing motion or conscious thought, while at the same time protecting them from changes in temperature, etc. The stasis field could be removed on focal areas of the planet, but only at great energy expenditure.

A good part of the Ringshipper technology was presumably created/supplied/designed by the extradimensional Beyonders.

Height: 20'
Weight: Unrevealed (assuming a weight of 200 lbs. at 6' tall, he would be about 7,400 lbs. (3.7 tons) at 20' tall)
Eyes: Jet black, reflective of other colors; no visible pupil
Hair: None
Skin: Light green
Other features: Scaly skin; pointed ears; wrinkles around the eyes; wrinkled lower lip; vertical crest from the nose to at least the back of the head

History:
(Marvel Two-in-One I#63 - BTS / Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#7 / Warlock and the Infinity Watch#4 (fb)) - Sphinxor, an extraterrestrial of the Pegasusian species, came to head an interstellar moving firm specializing in towing planets, alternatively called the Pegasusian Moving Company, Prime Movers of Tarkus and the Ringshippers, which also employed several others Pegasusians.

(Marvel Two-in-One I#63 (fb) / Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe II#15 / Warlock and the Infinity Watch#4 (fb)) - The extradimensional species called the Beyonders became interested in the Counter-Earth, an artificial replica of Earth in the Solar System created by the High Evolutionary. The Beyonders hired Sphinxor's Prime Movers to tow Counter-Earth to another space sector that served as their museum of curio; and they explained Sphinxor that they got interested in Counter-Earth when the Evolutionary was building it with extradimensional mass. Sphinxor was aware of the great power of the Beyonders, and he feared them.

(Marvel Two-in-One I#63 - BTS) - Sphinxor visited the Solar System to start preparations. He half-phased into the system to learn about the local culture and civilization by monitoring television transmissions, specifically "sitcoms." While doing so, Sphinxor knew about the High Evolutionary and Adam Warlock, two powerful beings with a vested interest in Counter Earth. Sphinxor appreciated that he'd never be able to make a deal with Warlock, so he began to prepare to take care of them by other methods.

(Strange Tales I#178/1) - Sphinxor was drafted by "Uncle Stan" to narrate the background history Adam Warlock (who had just taken over the lead feature in Strange Tales) to an unrevealed audience for an amount of time of "four pages," noticing that Warlock had left Counter-Earth to explore space.

(Marvel Two-in-One I#63 - BTS / Warlock I#9 - BTS) - The Pegasusian tow-ships reached Counter-Earth, only to find that Warlock had returned there. After Warlock's crucifixion, the Pegasusians stealthily manipulated Warlock's Soul Gem to awaken its vampiric tendencies to influence and distract him him.

(Marvel Two-in-One I#63 - BTS / Warlock I#14 - BTS / Marvel Team-Up I#55 - BTS) - As Warlock overcame this problem, Sphinxor again manipulated the Soul Gem, making Warlock believe he had grown to the size of a solar system, correctly assuming that Warlock, unable to interact with Counter-Earth, would leave the area...which he did, initially.

     However, Warlock overcame this illusion and returned to Counter-Earth, noticing in the process that the Soul Gem seemed to be receiving an external input.

(Marvel Two-in-One I#62 - BTS / Marvel Two-in-One I#63 - BTS) - The Pegasusians then developed a new illusion for Warlock: Making him believe that Counter-Earth had been destroyed, even if other beings could perceive Counter-Earth. On the surface of Counter-Earth's moon, Warlock blamed the High Evolutionary, and attacked him, seemingly killing him. 

    The Evolutionary evolved his consiousness into an inert energy form to escape Warlock's wrath, while his body remained still. Warlock then left to explore space.

(Marvel Two-In-One Annual I#2) - Warlock was eventually killed, after which his body buried on Counter-Earth (while his soul inhabited the realm associated with the Soul Gem).

(Marvel Two-in-One I#62 - BTS / Marvel Two-in-One I#63 - BTS) - Figuring the High Evolutionary to be dead, Sphinxor and the Prime Movers set up their Ringships and took off with Counter-Earth in tow but leaving its moon behind.

(Marvel Two-in-One I#61 - BTS / Marvel Two-in-One I#62 - BTS) - The humanoid construct who had adopted the name Her, whose origins paralleled Warlock's (and who was previously known as "Him"), resolved that Warlock would be her perfect mate. She learned that his body was buried on Counter-Earth, but she believed she could revive it. She traveled to Counter-Earth on a quest to recover and resurrect Warlock's body with her somewhat reluctant allies Alicia Masters, Moondragon, Starhawk, and the Thing. They discovered that Counter-Earth was missing but they found the High Evolutionary's body on Counter-Earth's moon. They restored the Evolutionary who, noticing that his planet had been stolen, found the trail left by the Ringshippers and decided to follow it, using the moon as his starship. Her and her allies joined the Evolutionary in his mission.

(Marvel Two-in-One I#63 / Marvel Two-in One I#64 - BTS) - The Evolutionary caught up the Prime Movers, and Her, Moondragon and Starhawk teleported to the command ringship and they assaulted the Movers. Once informed, Captain Sphinxor realized that nothing would be gained from pointless conflict and he teleported the High Evolutionary, Alicia Masters and the Thing to meet with him at Ringship 1, where they were soon joined by the others. Sphinxor explained his actions and offered to take the Evolutionary to his employers the Beyonders, who could answer his questions. The Evolutionary, tempted to meet such powerful beings, accepted this offer; but he insisted that the Pegasusians allow Her to try to resurrect Warlock in the planet's surface. 

    Sphinxor initially refused to temporarily disable a portion of the stasis field over Counter-Earth, because of the extensive energy drain and the resulting delay in his delivery. However, the Thing, annoyed at the whole experience, coerced Sphinxor with a punch. Again seeing that this would not be resolved without a fight, Sphinxor opened a portal to Counter Earth, where Her revived Adam Warlock's body; however, she found it to be soulless (with his soul being within the Soul Gem's dimension), and so she returned Warlock's body to the grave and departed Counter-Earth. Her subsequently returned to Earth along with Masters and the Thing.

(Marvel Two-in-One I#69 - BTS / Avengers Annual I#17 - BTS) - Before reaching the Beyonders' space sector, Starhawk left and returned to the Solar system too.

(Avengers Annual I#17/2) - The Pegasusians reached the so-called space sector of the Beyonders, where they were paid, released Counter-Earth from the stasis field and left. The Evolutionary remained behind to meet the Beyonders. The Beyonders used their extraordinary power to grab Counter-Earth, put it on a solar system-sized stasis sphere and left it along with other unusual planetary objects. The Evolutionary saw this and suffered a depression that led him to several suicide attempts and to megalomaniac missions.

(Spider-Woman VII#6 (fb)) - The Evolutionary eventually updated his files with information on the Pegasusians and Sphinxor, mentioning that Sphinxor frequented a scavenger deep space station Elepha Base. The Avengers also updated their files with data on Sphinxor and the Pegasusians, as the Counter-Earth's theft was a relevant event for them, and Carol Danvers was briefed about that. Similarly, Sphinxor decided to keep up to date on where Counter-Earth was.

(Quasar#14 (fb) - BTS / Quasar#15 (fb) - BTS) - The cosmic scientist and surveyor self-styled as the Stranger kidnapped Sphinxor to keep him in his Labword, along with several extraordinary beings of different species, for his own purposes that included using Sphinxor as a research subject. 

(Quasar#14 - BTS / Quasar#15 - BTS) - The Stranger's arch-enemy, the Over-Mind, attacked the Labword along with mind-controlled heroes from Earth-712, the Squadron Supreme, while the Stranger was away. The Over-Mind released several of the Stranger's prisoners, but kept some of the more powerful ones under his control to use as his minions against the Stranger and several Earth beings who opposed the Over-Mind.

(Quasar#16) - When the Stranger returned, the Over-Mind summoned several of the mind-controlled former prisoners, including Sphinxor, the terrestrial criminal Diamondhead and Megama, Meru the Mind-Bender of the planet Cherron, the enigmatic Sky-Walker  of Starron, and the Autocron Ten-For, all of them transported by the power of Earth-712's Squadron Supreme's Dr. Spectrum. 

    However, as this group was en route, Over-Mind withdrew his influence in order to focus on the Stranger and, as soon as Dr. Spectrum was in control of his own actions, he disintegrated the transport so Sphinxor and the others fell to the ground while Spectrum departed to help to join his Squadron teammates in engaging the rampaging escaped prisoners.

(Quasar#16) - Many of the Stranger's prisoners subsequently  escaped

(Spider-Woman VII#6) - Some time later, Spider-Woman was looking for the High Evolutionary with the help of Captain Marvel. They found the Evolutionary's files and followed the trail of Sphinxor to Elepha Base. Spider-Woman battered several people on the station until they found Sphinxor, then interrupted his drinking game with three other aliens, to attack Sphinxor and question him about Counter-Earth. 

    After getting its coordinates, Spider-Woman and Captain Marvel departed.

Comments: Created by Jim Starlin.

    Sphinxor's drinking buddies also in Spider-Woman VII#6 are aliens of unspecified species. As discussed with Donald Campbell, Jeff Christiansen and Stuart Vandal:
    The left-most may be a Grund, but previously-seen Grunds were yellow-skinned and with human-like ears, while this person had green skin and weird ears. Grunds with green skin were seen in Avengers: Celestial Quest#2--Snood.
    The middle guy looks something like a Lem, having the characteristic fin-like ears, but Lems have horizontal eyes; no visible nose or mouth; only three fingers per hand; and bright red skin. This person seems to have both visible nose and mouth, seems to have more fingers in each hand and is orange-brown in color.
    The right-most has a serpent lower-body like a Lem, but this person has pink skin, slanted eyes, a visible mouth and no visible ears. 
    Those species have not been widely seen in previous comic-books, so the differences may be due to racial variations in these individuals, artist errors, or they may be intended to be completely different species. Until there is confirmation, however, this paragraph should be considered complete speculation.

    The Thing thought of Sphinxor as "An alien who talks like a refugee from 'Gilligan's Island.' "

    One might speculate that the Stranger learned of Sphinxor through his behind-the-scenes influence during the events of Marvel Team-Up#55. Or one might not.
    It's also up for debate whether the Stranger captured and dissected the rest of Sphinxor's crew, or whether he was the sole captive.

    Avengers Annual I#17 showed Sphinxor in a flashback of the events seen in Marvel Two-In-One I#63; then presented what happened afterward. The narrator says that the Beyonders paid the Pegasusians, but this is not graphically shown.
    Warlock and the Infinity Watch#4 is also a flashback of that same story (and also the only time the company is called the Pegasusian Moving Company); but the way it tells the story, it suggests that the Sphinxor stole the Counter-Earth due to his own greed and sold it as a curio to the Beyonders (instead of the Beyonders hiring the Pegasusians to do that). It also fails to mention Moondragon.

    Sphinxor is mentioned as a representative of the Pegasusian race in both the Pegasusians profile in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#7 (June, 1983) and II (Deluxe Edition)#15 (March, 1987). The later mentions Sphinxor too in the Notes section, with one line about how he was hired by the Beyonders.

    In Spider-Woman VII#6, when asked about Counter-Earth, Sphinxor says "It... belongs in a museum!" That's a likely reference to the line "That belongs in a museum" from the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989, Steven Spielberg).

    Sphinxor...he, he, he, he...sounds like it was made up by Beavis and Butthead.

Profile by Snood.
Updated/expanded by Loki and Skippy Farlstendoiro.

Clarifications:
Sphinxor has no known connection to:

• Sphinx, Anathna-Mut, @ Nova I#6
• Sphinx, Meryet Karim, @ New Warriors I#4
• ...their combined form, @ New Warriors I#50
• The Sphinx statue animated by the Horusians, @ Incredible Hulk II#145
• The Sphinx of the Menagerie of Myths, @ Marvel Team-Up II#2

The Beyonders are the enigmatic extradimensional race who release the power which becomes a Cosmic Cube, one of these releases was partially absorbed by the Molecule Man, and the remainder went on to become:

• The Beyonder, @ Secret Wars I#1

Counter Earth, constructed by the High Evolutionary, @ Marvel Premiere#1 --should not be confused with:

• Counter Earth, aka Earth-Doom, aka Earth-Heroes Reborn, @ Fantastic Four II#1
  See also the comments of
Gorr, for more on another Counter Earth.

The Prime Movers of Tarkus, aka the Ringshippers, have no known connection to:

• The
Prime Movers of the Acts of Vengeance, @ Avengers Spotlight#26
• The
Prime Mover, a robot created by Dr. Doom to challenge him, @ Strange Tales I#160, 167

images:
Marvel Two-in-One I#63, p9, pan2 (main image)
Marvel Two-in-One I#63, p2-3, splash page (Ringships)
Marvel Two-in-One I#63, p10, pan4 (headshot)
Marvel Two-in-One I#63, p9, pan1 (Sphinxor towering over High Evolutionary & Thing);
    page 13, panel 2 (battered by the Thing)
Strange Tales I#178, p2, pan1 (Sphinxor narrating for "Uncle Stan");
        page 5, panel 1 (narrator with friendly orb)
Quasar I#16, p15, pan2 (with other former captives of the Stranger)
Spider-Woman VII#6 page 10 pan 1 (with drinking buddies)

Appearances:
Strange Tales I#178 (February, 1975) - Jim Starlin (writer, pencils and inks), Len Wein (editor)
Warlock I#9 (October, 1975) - Jim Starlin (writer and pencils), Steve Leialoha (inks), Len Wein (editor)
Warlock I#14 (August, 1976) - Jim Starlin (writer and pencils), Steve Leialoha (inks), Marv Wolfman (editor)
Marvel Team-Up I#55 (March, 1977) - Bill Mantlo (writer), John Byrne (pencils), Dave Hunt (inks), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Marvel Two-In-One Annual I#2 (December, 1977) - Jim Starlin (writer, pencils), Joe Rubinstein (inks), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Marvel Two-in-One I#61 (March, 1980) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Jerry Bingham (pencils), Gene Day (inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Marvel Two-in-One I#62 (April, 1980) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Jerry Bingham (pencils), Gene Day (inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Marvel Two-in-One I#63 (May, 1980) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Jerry Bingham (pencils), Gene Day (inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Marvel Two-in-One I#69 (November, 1980) - Mark Gruenwald and Ralph Macchio (writers), Ron Wilson (pencils), Gene Day (inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#7: Appendix to Alien Races: Pegasusians (June, 1983) - Mark Gruenwald (editor/head writer/designer), Peter Sanderson, Mark Lerer and Tom DeFalco (writers), Joanne Harras, Bob Simpson (as Robert Simpson), & Fred Baumann (research), Michael Carlin (associate editor/designer), Paty Cockrum (as Paty) (penciler), Joseph Rubinstein (inker)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe (Deluxe Edition) II#15: Appendix to Alien Races: Pegasusians (aka Deluxe Edition; March, 1987) - Mark Gruenwald (writer/producer), Peter Sanderson (writer/researcher), Kyle Baker (penciler), Josef Rubinstein (inker), Eliot Brown (technical illustrator), Gregory Wright (assistant editor), Marc McLaurin (editorial assistant)
Avengers Annual I#17/2 (July, 1988) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Ron Lim (pencils), Tony DeZuniga (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Quasar#14 (September, 1990) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Mike Manley (pencils), Dan Panosian (inks), Howard Mackie and Len Kaminski (editors)
Quasar#15 (October, 1990) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Mike Manley (pencils), Dan Panosian (inks), Howard Mackie and Len Kaminski (editors)
Quasar#16 (November, 1990) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Mike Manley (pencils), Dan Panosian and Keith Williams (inks), Howard Mackie and Len Kaminski (editors)
Warlock and the Infinity Watch#4 (May, 1992) - Jim Starlin (writer), Rick Leonardi (pencils), Terry Austin (inks), Craig Anderson and John Lewandowski (editors)
2099 Manifest Destiny#1 (March, 1998) - Len Kaminski (writer), Mike McKone (pencils), Mark McKenna (inks), Tom Brevoort and Gregg Schigiel (editors)
Spider-Woman VII#6 (November, 2020) - Karla Pacheco (writer), Pere Pérez (pencils and inks), Jake Thomas, Nick Lowe, Lindsey Cohick, Danny Khazem, Shannon Andrews Ballesteros (editors)

First posted: 01/15/2002
Last updated: 08/22/2021

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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