SHAGG

Real Name: Shagg

Identity/Class: Extraterrestrial robot

Occupation: Scout

Affiliations: None

Enemies: Humanity

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: The (Great) Sphinx

Base of Operations: Egypt; origianally from "The Third Galaxy"

First Appearance: Journey into Mystery I#59/1 (July, 1960)

Powers/Abilities: Shagg had the ability to withstand most conventional military weapons (excluding nuclear devices), and could control "cosmo-gamma electro-magnetic waves"

History: (Journey into Mystery I#59/1) - After a sandstorm uncovered ruins near the legendary Great Sphinx statue, an unidentified archaeologist discovered a mechanical control panel in them. Upon shifting one of the levers, the Sphinx began to move and swallowed the man. The giant creature revealed itself to be a robot scout for the invaders from The Third Galaxy, having spent centuries collecting data and sending it back to its fellow beings. Shagg destroyed France with little effort, then moved on to New York City. There, it learned that it had not been awakened by its fellow creatures, but by the human it carried inside its robotic control center. Realizing that it alone could not conquer the world, Shagg sent out "cosmo-gamma electro-magnetic waves" to reverse all the physical destruction it had caused and to erase its existence from the minds of humanity, to await the day the rest of the invaders arrived. The archaeologist awoke outside of the Sphinx, and he was left wondering if he had only dreamt the whole thing.

Comments: Created by Jack Kirby.

It was never made clear as to whether Shagg was an actual member of the Third Galaxy alien race, or just a robotic scout built by them.

Also, whereas many of the pre-FF monsters can be fitted into continuity with some help, I don’t see how Shagg could be, erasing humanity’s memory of him not withstanding. Considering the amount of work and research that has been done on the Sphinx, one can only ASSume that the archaeologist did just dream the whole thing, OR Shagg at some point before being discovered again, replaced himself with a lookalike statue.
You mentioned that there would be problems fitting Shagg into modern continuity due to the work done on the Sphinx. That may or may not be the case. After all, in the Marvel Universe, we know the Sphinx is actually a device created by Kang the Conqueror back when he was Rama-Tut, as per his first appearance in Fantastic Four. Perhaps Shagg was exactly what he said he was, but only on the site during the times that Kang was busy using his sphinx-ship... which would explain the difference in what we know about the Sphinx's age, and Kang's arrival in Ancient Egypt, timeline-wise. :)
--TJ Burns

CLARIFICATIONS:
No known connection to:

• SHAGGYNAUT of Earth-Amalgam - Juggernaut + Shaggy Man, --[GH#1(letters)]
• SPHINX - greek myth, daughter of Typhon and Echidna--not yet seen in the Marvel Universe?
• SPHINX - statue animated by Horusians, destroyed by Hulk--Incredible Hulk II#145
• SPHINX, Anathna-Mut, aka The Dread One--Nova I#6
• SPHINX, Meryet Karim, who created Earth-Forever Yesterday--New Warriors I#4, 11
• SPHINX - merged form of Anathna-Mut and Meryet Karim--New Warriors I#50
• SPHINX - Menagerie of Myth, winged female torso with lion's body--Marvel Team-Up II#2
• SPHINXOR of the Pegasusian race, who acted as agent of Beyonders, former prisoner of stranger’s lab world--Strange Tales I#178

Appearances:
Journey into Mystery I#59 (July, 1960) - Jack Kirby (pencils), Dick Ayers (inks), Stan Lee (editor)

Last updated: 09/26/04

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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