Sauron
Sauron as seen in New Mutants vol. 3 #10, art by Paul Davidson.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	As Karl Lykos: The X-Men #59 (August 1969)[1] As Sauron: The X-Men #60 (September 1969)
Created by	Roy Thomas (writer) Neal Adams (artist)
In-story information
Alter ego	Karl Lykos
Species	Human mutate
Team affiliations	Weapon X Savage Land Mutates Brotherhood of Evil Mutants
Abilities	Superhuman strength, speed, stamina, durability and intelligence Flight Hypnotic eyes Razor-sharp claws Fire-breath Ability to absorb life forces and mutant powers, and sense mutants

Sauron (/ˈsɔːrɒn/^[2]) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Neal Adams, and made his first appearance in The X-Men #59 (August 1969).^[3]

Sauron is the alter ego of physician Dr. Karl Lykos. After being bitten by mutant pterodactyls, Lykos was transformed into an energy vampire, able to absorb the life force of others through touch. If Lykos absorbs the life force of mutants, he transforms into a humanoid Pteranodon, gaining increased strength and speed in the process. However, this also causes Sauron to gain control over Lykos. Throughout his history, Sauron has often been depicted as inhabiting the hidden prehistoric jungle of the Savage Land and as an enemy of the X-Men.

Outside of comics, the character has appeared in animated series, video games, merchandise and has been referenced in film. In the cartoons X-Men and Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., Karl Lykos / Sauron was voiced by Robert Bockstael and Steve Blum, respectively, and by John Kassir in the action role-playing game video game X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse.

The character was created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Neal Adams, though the two differ in their accounts of which of them was responsible for specific aspects of the character.^[4] He first fully appeared as Sauron in X-Men #60 (September 1969).^[5][6]

Thomas and Adams originally envisioned Sauron as a bat-like creature, but when they consulted with the Comics Code Authority, they were told that an energy vampire with a bat body might fall under the Code's prohibition on the use of vampires.^[7] To get around this problem, Thomas and Adams tweaked his appearance to that of the most bat-like animal they could think of—a pterodactyl—which in turn led them to have Sauron inhabit the hidden prehistoric jungle of the Savage Land.^[4][7]

Karl Lykos was the son of an explorer's guide. As a teenager, he accompanied his father to Tierra del Fuego as the elder Lykos guided a wealthy client named Mr. Anderssen and Anderssen's young daughter, Tanya. While defending Tanya from mutant pterodactyls, Karl was bitten by one of the creatures. During his recovery, he discovered that he could now drain the life-force of other organisms. He found himself repeatedly tempted to use his new power, feeling that he needed to drain life energy from other humans or animals to survive.^[8]

When Karl's father died, Mr. Anderssen took Karl into his home in thanks for rescuing Tanya. As the years passed, Karl and Tanya fell in love, but Tanya's wealthy father would not allow her to date Karl because of his lack of wealth. In an effort to win Mr. Anderssen's support, Karl went to medical school and became a physician, geneticist, and hypnotherapist. He treated patients through hypnosis, but secretly robbed them of energy at the same time.^[8]

Dr. Lykos became a colleague of Professor Charles Xavier, and first encountered the X-Men when they sought treatment for Havok. Absorbing Havok's mutant energy transformed him into a vampiric, pterodactyl-like monster with human intelligence and superhuman hypnotic powers. He named himself Sauron, after J.R.R. Tolkien's villain (also reminiscent of the word saurus, Latin for lizard),^[8] and battled the X-Men, as a would-be conqueror.^[9] When he realized that his transformation would threaten Tanya, he fled to Tierra del Fuego. Without energy to absorb, Sauron turned back into Karl. When Tanya tracked him down, Karl threw himself off a cliff to avoid harming her.^[9]

Karl was presumed dead, but had survived unconscious on a ledge below. He journeyed to the Savage Land and survived in human form by only draining less developed animals. He befriended Ka-Zar and used his medical skills over many months to care for Ka-Zar's allies. But when several X-Men were stranded in the Savage Land, Lykos was overwhelmed with the desire to absorb mutant energy. He transformed into Sauron once again after absorbing Storm's energy.^[10] He reverted to human form during a battle with the X-Men, and Ka-Zar explained that Lykos was an ally.^[11]

Tanya learned that Karl had survived the leap from the cliff. She joined Angel and Peter Parker on a journey to find Karl in the Savage Land. They found Karl, however the Savage Land Mutates used a Genetic Transformer to mutate Angel, Spider-Man and Tanya into animal-like forms. The destruction of the machine forced Lykos to drain energy from the three in an attempt to restore their true forms. Although his gambit succeeded, he subsequently reverted to his Sauron form and joined the Mutates and Zaladane. The X-Men traveled to the Savage Land, and Sauron helped to capture them. However, the X-Men escaped and defeated Sauron and the Mutates. They brought Lykos back to the United States, and at the X-Mansion Professor X seemingly cured Lykos of his condition. Karl and Tanya decided to resume their relationship and a normal life.^[12]

Lykos was again transformed into Sauron when the Toad used a device of his own design to force Lykos to drain the life energy of Tanya, which killed her in the process. Sauron then joined the Toad's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, despite not being a mutant. Alongside them, he battled X-Force, and killed Cannonball. Sauron was apparently shot dead by Cable, and his body was thrown by Cable to the Morlocks.^[13] Sauron was later revealed to have survived the gunshot wound, and battled X-Factor.^[14] Sauron went on to menace the X-Men and other heroes on a number of occasions.^[15]

Later, Sauron had the Savage Land Mutates kidnap Havok, hoping to use his energy to satiate his hunger. When his teammates Cyclops, Phoenix, and Polaris came to the rescue, Sauron had both Summers brothers placed in an energy-transferring machine, and the mix of energy mutated Sauron even further, making him larger and stronger than ever. Phoenix tried to engage Sauron on the Astral Plane, but it was Lykos' personality who prevailed, making a suicide leap into the abyss of his own mind, taking his hated alter ego with him. As a result, Sauron's mind appeared to be stuck in an animalistic state.^[16]

Sauron became a prisoner of the Weapon X program jumpstarted by director Malcolm Colcord. Being held there against his will, Sauron started up a revolution with fellow agent Brent Jackson and dethroned Colcord as director, giving that position to Jackson. Sauron in return became a more powerful villain on the team, but vanished after Weapon X rival John Sublime launched an attack on Weapon X, and the group had to go underground.^{[volume & issue needed]}

After being imprisoned in the Raft for refusing to participate in any more Weapon X assignments, Sauron escaped during a jailbreak concocted by the Skrulls. For a time the Avengers believed he and the Mutates were responsible for the breakout, and pursued him to the Savage Land.^[17] Sauron and his allies there briefly held the new team of Avengers hostage, but the team freed itself thanks to Iron Man's voice-activated armor, and were about to interrogate him, when he was shot through the head by the second Black Widow. Sauron had absorbed Wolverine's regenerative healing factor and recovered from his injury, just in time to be soundly defeated by the New Avengers. He was taken back into custody, but not before returning the favor to Black Widow by burning her with his fiery breath. Sauron was placed in S.H.I.E.L.D. custody and Maria Hill planned to return him to Weapon X.^[18]

Sauron allied with Ka-Zar, Shanna the She-Devil, Zabu, and the natives when the Skrulls were invading the Savage Land.^[19] Sauron was among the villains analyzed by Quasimodo for Norman Osborn.^[20] Sauron later had a fight with Wolverine.^[21]

Amphibius later tells Sauron and the other Savage Land Mutates that Magneto's Asteroid M has risen from the sea, but they did not want to go find him. Worm took control of Barbarus, Lupo, and Sauron and commandeered a ship to go find Magneto. When threatened by the Japanese military, Sauron attacked an armored car, causing an international incident. Cannonball, Sunspot and Warlock investigated and found the Savage Land Mutates on the deck of the ship. Cannonball managed to defeat Sauron while the other New Mutants defeated the Savage Land Mutates. Upon learning why the Savage Land Mutates were on the ship, Karma told Worm, Sauron, Barbarus and Lupo that they were in charge of Asteroid M and Magneto. Worm then orders the Savage Land Mutates to return to the Savage Land.^[22]

Upon becoming the new leader of the Japanese underworld, Sabretooth held a party that Sauron attended with other enemies of Wolverine. Wolverine arrived and beat them up.^[23]

Kade Kilgore of the seventh incarnation of the Hellfire Club recruited Sauron to become a staff member at the Hellfire Academy.^[24]

Sauron later collaborates with Stegron in a plan to turn humanity into dinosaurs, battling Spider-Man and the mutant students from the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning. The duo's plans are unraveled by their own infighting, purposely exacerbated by their mutual attraction to Shark-Girl, who caused their powers to neutralize each other.^[25][26]

Lykos returns working in a military laboratory to enhance his powers, until one of his colleagues is contacted by the Scarlet Spider.^[27] Now able to store mutant energy to trigger his transformations at will, Lykos turns into Sauron and attacks the vigilante, but although he wounds the man the Spider came to the base to collect, Sauron is defeated and webbed up to be taken away.^[28]

In human form, Karl Lykos is a normal human, although an accomplished medical doctor, geneticist, and psychotherapist. He employs hypnotism in his practice. He possesses an M.D. and Ph.D. in genetics and psychology.

After being infected with a genetic virus by mutant Pteranodons, Lykos gained the ability to absorb the life forces of other beings, enabling him to transform into a Pteranodon hybrid and replicate superpowers. In Spider-Man and the X-Men, Sauron demonstrated the ability to transfer his life-absorption power to others via bite. By the time he confronts the Scarlet Spider, Lykos has developed his powers to the point where he can store mutant energy to transform on his own.^{[volume & issue needed]}

Sauron additionally possesses fire breath, hypnosis via eye contact, and the ability to expel concussive energy bursts from his hands.^[29][18]

Soaron, a heroic alternate universe variant of Sauron from Earth-295, appears in Age of Apocalypse. This version is a member of Forge's Outcasts before being killed by Magneto.^{[30][31][32][33]}

An alternate universe variant of Sauron from Earth-58163 appears in House of M. This version is a guard at Magneto's palace on Genosha.^[34]

Sauron appears in Wolverine and Power Pack.^[35]

• Sauron appears in the X-Men: The Animated Series two-part episode "Savage Land, Savage Heart", voiced by Robert Bockstael.^[36] This version was transformed after being subjected to Mister Sinister's experiments. Sauron aids Sinister in his efforts to destroy the X-Men and later attempts to conquer the Savage Land for himself, but is defeated and returned to his human form. With no mutants remaining in the Savage Land to trigger his transformations, Lykos is left to live in peace and joins Ka-Zar's tribe.^[37][38]
• Sauron appears in Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., voiced by Steve Blum.^[36][39] In his most notable appearance in the episode "Monsters No More", he joins the Leader's "Agents of C.R.A.S.H." to discredit the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.
  • Additionally, two alternate timeline versions of Sauron, King Sauron and a version who was fused with a Frost Giant, appear in the five-part episode "Days of Future Smash".^{[citation needed]}

• Sauron makes a cameo appearance in X-Men.^{[citation needed]}
• Sauron makes a cameo appearance in X-Men: Next Dimension via the Savage Land stage.
• Sauron appears as a boss in X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse, voiced by John Kassir.^[36]
• An Ultimate Marvel-inspired incarnation of Sauron makes a cameo appearance in Ultimate Spider-Man.^{[citation needed]}
• Sauron appears as a boss in Marvel Heroes, voiced by Steve Blum.^[36]
• Sauron appears as a boss in Marvel: Avengers Alliance.^{[citation needed]}
• Sauron appears as a playable character in Marvel Contest of Champions.^[40]
• Sauron appears in Marvel Snap.^[41]

Sauron was ranked #17 on a listing of Marvel Comics' monster characters in 2015.^[42]

Comic Book Resources (CBR) named him as the 8th top X-Men villain they would like to see in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.^[43][44]

In 2020, CBR ranked Sauron 7th in their "Marvel: Dark Spider-Man Villains, Ranked From Lamest To Coolest" list.^[45]

Sauron's encounter with Spider-Man in the 2015 series Spider-Man and the X-Men, where he stated that he wanted to transform people into dinosaurs with his DNA-manipulating technology rather than cure cancer, became a popular Internet meme.^{[46][47][48][49]}

• Sauron at Marvel.com
• Sauron at The Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe
• Sauron on Marvel Database, a Marvel Comics wiki