Since first Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created them in 1961, the Fantastic Four have faced off against a plethora of powerful foes. From Doctor Doom to the Skrulls to the planet-devouring Galactus, Marvel's First Family have one of the mightiest rogues' galleries in comics. However, one of the most fearsome opponents they've ever faced is a moderately obscure character named the Sphinx, who wielded the power of a god.
While he may not be the most feared or well known of the FF's enemies, in a storyline by Marv Wolfman and Sal Buscema spanning 1979's Fantastic Four #208-213, the Sphinx proved more than the team could handle alone. In order to defend the Earth from his growing power, they were forced to join forces with the Devourer of Worlds himself, Galactus.
The Sphinx was a mutant from ancient Egypt named Anath-Na Mut. He served as a wizard for Pharaoh Ramses II, until he was defeated by none other than the prophet Moses. Banished to the desert for his failure, the wizard wandered for 90 years until he found the powerful Ka Stone, which granted him immortality and incredible powers. At this moment, the Sphinx was born. After thousands of years spent without purpose, the Sphinx grew bored of immortality and began seeking a way to free himself from eternal life. But in his 1977 debut in WOlfman and Buscema's Nova #6, an encounter with Richard Rider's Nova set him on a journey to the planet Xandar.
While en route to Xandar, the Sphinx crossed paths with the Fantastic Four and the New Champions. Immediately, the Sphinx's superior power was apparent as he easily stopped a punch from the Thing with a single hand. Yet his power only increased, as he succeeded in absorbing the entirety of Xandar's knowledge and vast amounts of energy from the planet's Living Computers. The attacks of the Fantastic Four and New Champions amounted to nothing against this newly empowered Sphinx.
His mind reshaped, the Sphinx abandoned his quest for mortality in favor of seeking vengeance. Elevated to godlike status, he began to view the Earth as his prison of 5000 years and vowed to destroy it. Faced with such an overwhelming threat, Reed Richards recognized that Galactus was the only being in the universe could possibly defeat the Sphinx.
To convince Galactus to aid them, Reed took the ultimate risk. In exchange for defeating the Sphinx, he offered to release Galactus from his promise not to consume the Earth. As one final condition of the deal, the FF were tasked with bringing Galactus a new herald. For the sake of the Earth, they did battle with the alien warlord Tyros, whom Galactus rebirthed as Terrax.
On Earth, the Sphinx easily defeated Terrax, but the arrival of Galactus soon turned the tables. More powerful than any attack the Sphinx could muster, Galactus destroyed the Ka Stone and the Sphinx's power with it. He ultimately banished the Sphinx back through time to his years in exile, dooming him to relive the same life for eternity.
For a being who had spent his life trying to escape the curse of immortality, this is perhaps the cruelest fate Galactus could muster. But the fact it took the almighty world-eater to bring defeat upon the Sphinx is proof enough of the villain's supreme power at his peak. While the Sphinx has not achieved such godlike power again since his clash with Galactus, there can be little doubt he has earned his place amongst the Fantastic Four's most terrifying enemies.