Thulsa Doom (Earth-616)

Thulsa Doom
Name	Unrevealed
Current Alias	Thulsa Doom
Aliases	Ardyon, Ardyon the First, Felnar, Ka-Nu, Kuthulos, Shapur
Affiliation and Relationships
Affiliation	Formerly Cult of Set
Physical Characteristics
Gender	Male
Eyes	Irises: Blue
Hair	White
Unusual Features	He has a skull for a face
Origin and Living Status
Origin	Member of the Elder Race; Undead
Living Status	Deceased
Reality	Earth-616
Place of Birth	Grondar
Personal Information
Identity	Secret
Citizenship	Valusian
Occupation	Sorcerer Formerly Sorcerer Supreme, King of Valusia
Creators and Appearances
Creators	Robert E. Howard, Roy Thomas, Marie Severin
First	Monsters on the Prowl #16 (January, 1972)
First	Monsters on the Prowl #16 (January, 1972)
Death	Savage Avengers (Vol. 2) #5 (September, 2022)
Death	Savage Avengers (Vol. 2) #5 (September, 2022)

Thulsa Doom was an undead wizard of the Elder Race and a frequent foe of King Kull of Valusia during the Pre-Cataclysmic Age circa 18,500 BC, then of Conan during the Hyborian Age circa 10,000 BC.

History

Origin

Thulsa Doom claimed to have been already old when Atlantis first rose from the ocean, and to have even died before. The Book of the Vishanti identified him as one of the last of the pre-human races dating back to the time of the Elder Gods on Earth, and he was the part of the Elder Race proper.

In the Age of Kull, Thulsa Doom claimed to be undead, having died "as men know death" long ages ago.

as Ardyon, King of Valusia

Pre-Cataclysmic Age

Circa 18,500 BC, Thulsa Doom regularly opposed King Kull of Valusia.

Many sorcerers, including Varnae, were followers of Thulsa Doom.

Eventually, under the mortal guise of Ardyon, conspiring with the Rebel Four (Baron Kaanuub, Count Ducalon of Komahar, Black Legion commander Enaros and the poet Ridondo), Thulsa Doom managed to usurp and depose Kull, posing as Kaanuub's cousin to assert his claim to the throne as he announced his rule to the people.

Death

In the course of his war against wizards, Kull eventually managed to slay Thulsa Doom. Looking for vengeance, some of Doom's followers found the Chthon Scrolls and turned one of their wounded, Varnae, into the first vampire.

Hyborian Age

Thulsa was finally defeated when his skull and body were separated, not just through space, but time as well.

Thulsa was later brought back by the Cult of Set in order to bring Set into the world by finding Conan, who had been brought back from the future along with the Savage Avengers. Thulsa then captured Conan, enacting his ritual with his blood and the blood of Conan, whom he just killed, successfully summoning Set. However, he and the cult were attacked by the Savage Avengers and a time-displaced Deathlok. And after being revived by Dagger, Conan fought and killed Thulsa.

Attributes

Powers

Thulsa Doom was considered by Thoth-Amon to be the the greatest sorcerer in the days before the Great Cataclysm. One of his most notable powers is shapeshifting, allowing him to claim various identities, often posing as someone else.

Thulsa Doom once presented himself (during the Hyborian Age) as the Sorcerer Supreme.

Abilities

He was able to hold his own in a sword fight against Conan or Kull.

Paraphernalia

Equipment

Formerly one Serpent-Eye Gem, briefly both.

Weapons

Formerly Sword of Green Fire

Notes

• Thulsa Doom was created by Robert E. Howard in "Delcardes' Cat".
  • Ardyon was created by Howard, though the name was changed from "Ascalante" by literary agent Glenn Lord to avoid confusion with the eponymous character from "The Phoenix on the Sword".

Trivia

• It is speculated, but unconfirmed, that Thulsa Doom may have a connection to Doctor Doom. That speculation is based only on the fact they share the same last name.
• Thulsa Doom was featured as the main villain in the 1982 Conan the Barbarian film, played by James Earl Jones. In the film, his appearance was more similar to that of Thoth-Amon.

See Also

• 25 appearance(s) of Thulsa Doom (Earth-616)
• 6 minor appearance(s) of Thulsa Doom (Earth-616)
• 12 mention(s) of Thulsa Doom (Earth-616)
• 4 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Thulsa Doom (Earth-616)
• 16 image(s) of Thulsa Doom (Earth-616)
• 3 victim(s) killed by Thulsa Doom (Earth-616)
• 1 item(s) used/owned by Thulsa Doom (Earth-616)