TEZCATLIPOCA
Real Name: Tezcatlipoca
Identity/Class: Extradimensional (Topan, the Floating World) Aztec gods
Occupation: Lord of the Aztec gods, the Tenth Lord of Day, god of Texcoco, god of Tenochtitlan, god of Tlaxcalteca, god of evil, god of sorcery, god of darkness, as well as Sun God
Group Membership: Aztec gods, Council of Godheads
Affiliations: Ajak, Tlaloc, Huizilopochtli,
Tetzcatlipoca's priests were the royal sorcerers of the Aztec
Empire.
Also the militaristic order of Jaguar Knights likely venerated or
had ties to Tetzcatlipoca in some way.
Enemies: Quetzalcoatl, Itzamna, and the Mayan gods
Known Relatives: Tonacatecuhtli (father), Tonacacihuatl (mother), Mixcoatl, Camaxtli, Xipe-Totec (brothers), Tlacolteotl (sister/wife), Itzli, Mictlantecuhtli (sons), Mictlantecuhtli (daughter), Camazotz, Xecotocovah, Cotzbalam, Tecibalam (sons by Xilonen), Quetzalcoatl, Huitzilopochtli, Cineteotl (nephews(?)), Xochiquetzal, Coyoxauhqui (neices), Chamer (grandson), Ixtab (grandaughter)
Aliases: Smoking Mirror (literal translation), Yáotl ("the Adversary"), the Flayed One, Jaguar of Night, Chalchiuhtecólotl ("precious owl"), Chalchiuhtotolin ("precious turkey"), Tepeyollotli, Titlacauepan, Tzahui, Tajin, Cocijo, Bacabs (Mayan name)
Base of Operations: Topán, the Floating World
First Appearance: Thor I#300 (October, 1980)
Powers: Tezcatlipoca possesses greater than normal powers than any other Mexican god except for perhaps Itzamna. He has superhuman strength (Class 50 perhaps), stamina, longevity and resistance to harm. He has extensive mystical skills equal to Seth or Pluto enabling him to manipulate energy, cross dimensions and to change his form. In ancient times, much of his power was centered on a "smoking mirror" which reflected the true natures of anyone who looked in it.
Tezcatlipoca apparently has a dual nature, and can be seen as either benevolent, or in a more malign fashion.
History: (Mexican Myth)- Tezcatlipoca was one of the four sons of the ancient Earth gods Tonacatecuhtli and Tonacacihuatl. During the Ancient Mayan Empire, he was the patron god of the ancient Toltecs, but as the Mayans lost their power, he lead the Toltecs into conquering the tribes protected by his own brothers, thereby taking their powers. The merged tribes became the founders of the Aztec Empire out of the ashes of the Mayan Empire as the gods themselves divided their loyalties between Tezcatlipoca and the deposed Itzamna, leader of the Mayan Gods.
Demanding blood sacrifices from his
worshippers, Tezcatlipoca did not expect retaliation from the
sons of his brothers. He managed to warp the alleigance of the
war-god Huitzilopochtli into serving him, but Quetzalcoatl was
actually able to depose him and after changing him into a jaguar,
dumped him into the ocean. Quetzalcoatl was then in turn deposed
by Tlaloc, the water-god, working for Tezcatlipoca.
Returning to take control, Tezcatlipoca impersonated a god named
Titlacauepan in order to shame Quetzalcoatl into getting drunk
enough to rape his sister. He then showed Quetzalcoatl's true
image as a feathered serpent in his "smoking mirror"
and shamed him into exile with the Mayan Gods in the underworld.
In his final act as revenge to undo the good Quetzalcoatl had
created, Tezcatlipoca took mortal form and convinced the Aztecs
to accept the Spanish Conquistadore Hernando Cortez as the
returning Quetzalcoatl. Hence, through Cortez, Tezcatlipoca
destroyed the Aztec Empire. (see comments for a
different take on the history)
(Thor I#300 (fb))-
Sometime around 1000 AD, Tezcatlipoca ceased hostilities with
Itzamna to meet with other foreign gods. The meeting was actually
catered by Odin and Zeus to discuss the threat of the Third Host
of the Celestials.
(Thor I#301)- Due to the earlier pact he made with Odin, Tezcatlipoca voluntarily offered a portion of the life energies required to revive the Asgardians after the Fourth Host of the Celestials had destroyed them.
(Thor Annual#10-BTS?) - The Council of Godheads met to discuss the threat of Demogorge. Quetzalcoatl was sent to represent the Mexican Gods.
(Infinity Gauntlet#2)- Because of their common foe, Tezcatlipoca and Itzamna once more meet with the other godheads to discuss the threat Thanos the Eternal posed with the Infinity Gauntlet. He was stranded in Asgard with the others when Thanos shattered the Rainbow Bridge.
(Thor I#398)- Tezcatlipoca overheard the Enchantress scream upon the death of her then-lover, Heimdall, during Seth's conquest of Asgard.
(Incredible Hercules#116-117) - Tezcatlipoca attended the Council of Godheads gathered by Athena to assemble a team of champions with which to confront the Skrullian gods. Tezcatlipoca convinced the Eternal Ajak to represent their gods, observing that Ajak had stood in place of the Aztec gods in the past and that his role as communicator to the Celestials was no longer active.
(Heroic Age: Prince of Power#1) - The Council met to discuss who would be the greatest hero of the heroic age. Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor were proposed by some, and Athena told them with certainty that it was Amadeus Cho.
(Heroic Age: Prince of Power#2) - When Vali Halfling of the Pantheon extinguished the Promethean Flame that granted Olympians their immortality, Athena screamed in pain. She was comforted by Izanagi. Threatened by Vali's threat to attain everything he needed to gain full omniscience all Council members returrned to their respective realms.
(Chaos War#1) - The Council of Godheads summoned Hercules and Amadeus Cho before them to judge them on Hercules' recent empowerment and actions in preparation for the arrival of the Chaos King (Amatsu-Mikaboshi). Overwhelmed by his new power and outraged that the Godheads didn't use their power to do anything, Hercules attacked them, battering them about until Thor arrived and convinced Hercules to get himself under control.
Comments: Adapted by Mark Gruenwald, Ralph Macchio and Keith Pollard.
In the actual myths, Tezcatlipoca is a much
more sinister character, more like Seth or Loki. His cult
consisted of sorcerers and he was venerated by thieves,
murderers, adulterers, and others who needed night to cover their
misdeeds.
However, the MU version is always seen as if he's plotting
something. ??--plotting what? He's just
sat in one a few meetings and agreed with what was said--Snood.
In Conan the Barbarian I#65 (freely adapted from REH's The
Thunder Rider), Conan and Bêlit encountered a sorcerer known as
Tezcatlipoca, who used a feathered serpent as a familiar. This Tezcatlipoca
ruled an army of pygmies on an island, and had slain the legendary Black
Corsair Ahmaan the Merciless 100 years before encountering Conan. A century later,
Tezcatlipoca, who claimed not to be like other men, had shown no signs of aging.
The sorcerer proved immune to blade and fist, and planned to sacrifice Bêlit,
but Conan slew him with the Axe of Ahmaan.
As this story took place in 10000 BC, it is uncertain what, if any, connection
exists between these two beings and the Aztec Gods of later millennia. There
are literally dozens of examples of gods from later pantheons being referenced
in the Hyborian era, but the full explanation is unrevealed.
The Mexican Gods obviously consist of both the Aztec and Mayan gods paralleling the Aesir and the Vanir before they merged into Asgardians.
In What If II#38, Quetzalcoatl is garbed exactly like previous depictions of Tezcatlipoca and even recalling his encounter with Thor against Demogorge. The only sense to be made of this is that Quetzalcoatl has replaced Tezcatlipoca in this reality. (Or he really dug Tezcatlipoca's threads --Prime Ed-ternal)
The Jaguar Priest of the Bermuda Triangle may well have been a priest of Tezcatlipoca (see Greg's comments)..
Additional/Supplemental/Differing information courtesy
of Greg O:
(statements referenced from Will's history are in italics)
Tetzcatlipoca was also a sun god in addition to a
god of darkness - - representative of his nature as both a
helpful and a malign entity. Jaguars were always heavily used in
connotation with sorcerous imagery in the Meso American cultures
(re: Xbalanque the were-jaguar of the Hunaphu and Xbalanque
warrior twins myth) thus Tetzcatlipoca could possibly be
considered the first Meso American sorcerer. Also, though this is
tenuous, Tetzcatlipoca through his man/jaguar aspect could have
connections to any were-jaguars seen in the MU.
Tetzcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl were pretty much always warring with each other for control of their pantheon, each being a sky god and a sorcerer. Each would temporarily gain ascendance over the other. During one battle Tetzcatlipoca's foot (sometimes leg) was cut off when Quetzalcoatl slammed shut the door of heaven upon it (maybe some kind of dimensional portal? Anyway, in other myths it was lost when a river-monster bit it off) and had to be replaced with a foot carved from pure obsidian (hence, smoking mirror - -black mirrior i.e. obsidian). This and other "smoking-mirrors" were used in prophecy to gain visions of the future by looking deep into them.
In regards to Quetzalcoatl and Huitzilopochtli being his
nephews?
Quetzalcoatl and Tetzcatlipoca were brothers, not
uncle and nephew as with Seth and Horus. Also in many versions
Huitzilopochtli is Quetzalcoatl's father, though just as often
Quetzalcoatl is seen to be a product of virgin birth, his mother
being a Toltec or Aztec princess impregnated by a glowing ball of
light surrounded by a aura/headress of quetzal feathers.
Tonacatecuhtli and Tonacacihuatl had four children who
represented the four cardinal points of the compass: North,
South, East and West. Every myth book I have ever got identifies
four different gods with Tezcatlipoca appearing on each one. I
took the four that appeared most often in each source and since
Mixcoatl was one of them, and identified in one source as father
as Quetzalcoatl, I accepted it. I also refer to this one source
more for Aztec myth than any other book in my collection--Will.
He managed to warp the alleigance of the war-god
Huitzilopochtli into serving him.
I don't know about this. The Aztecs were the ones that elevated
Huitzilopochtli to preemminence with their war-like and generally
fascistic ways. I've never seen any evidence of myths indicated
Tetzcatlipoca duped Huitzilopochtli in any way.
This, I admit was my invention. Huitzilopochtli is a
half-brother of Quetzalcoatl with Coatlique being identified as
both their mothers, and it did sound credible that Tezcatlipoca
would turn brother against brother, but then how friendly are
Hercules and Ares or Thor and Tyr for that matter--Will.
Tezcatlipoca impersonated a god named Titlacauepan in
order to shame Quetzalcoatl into getting drunk enough to rape his
sister.
In other versions, they just got drunk and
screwed. Either way, Quetzalcoatl was pretty bummed out about it.
Tezcatlipoca did assume that name, that name is in the myth
of Quetzalcoatl, Tezcatlipoca did reveal his true guise,
Quetzalcoatl did get drunk, he did rape his sister, he was
horrified at his sin...--Will.
He then showed Quetzalcoatl's true image as a feathered
serpent in his "smoking mirror" and shamed him into
exile with the Mayan Gods in the underworld.
Uh - - Quetzalcoatl pretty much knew all along
that was his true form so I don't see as how that would have
shamed him. Quetzalcoatl did not go into the underworld. In some
myths he immolated himself and then rose up into the sun and in
others he departed to the east (where the sun rises) garbed in
black like a priest, upon a boat made from woven serpents (hence
the importance in Cortez coming out of the east dressed in black
for Easter Sunday).
Quetzalcoatl did look into the mirror and see his image as a
Feathered Serpent and as a result he fled the company of the
Azyec gods. It is my assumption he rejoined the Mayan gods in
Xibalba as his preachings more mirrored their beliefs, but if my
wording implies something else, I have no idea what it is. In
some myths, however, he burns up, in some he floats away. Either
way he left. Also implies as in the Marvel Universe that in the
MU all the Aztec gods have human appearances, but they appeared
in animal form to their worshippers as did the Egyptians--Will.
Hence, through Cortez, Tezcatlipoca destroyed the Aztec
Empire.
What? Where do you get this from? Sounds like
pure specualation to me. The priests of Tetzcatlipoca, who served
as the royal sorcerers of the Aztec court, actively aided in
trying to drive out the Spaniards.
This is implied in every version I read, but
rather than figure out which motive was correct, I left the
motivation vague. Tezcatlipoca was reputed as having turned
against his worshippers and using Cortez as a pawn when the
Aztecs mistook him as Quetzalcoatl.-Will.
Additional information added by Kevin Garcia.
Profile by Will Uchtman with additional info from Greg O
Clarifications:
(What If II#38-BTS)- In an alternate reality (Earth-9260), Tezcatlipoca was again usurped by Quetzalcoatl who even took his arraignments of leadership. In this timeline, Quetzalcoatl, possibly representing Itzamna, meets with the godheads to discuss Seth who has conquered Asgard in this reality.
Appearances:
Thor I#300-301 (October-November,
1980) - Mark Gruenwald & Ralph Macchio (writers), Keith Pollard
(pencils), Gene Day (#300) & Chic Stone (#301) (inks), Jim Salicrup
(editor)
Thor Annual I#10 (1982) - Mark Gruenwald & Alan Zelenetz (writers),
Bob Hall (pencils), Rick Bryant, Andy Myshynsky, Al Gordon & Kevin
Dzuban (inks), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
Infinity Gauntlet#2 (August, 1991) - Jim Starlin (writer), George Perez
(pencils), Joe Rubinstein (inks), Craig Anderson (editor)
Thor I#398 (December, 1988) - Tom DeFalco (writer), Ron Frenz (pencils), Don Heck (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
What If? II#38 (June, 1992) - Roy Thomas, Jean-Marc & Randy
Lofficier (writers), Marshall Rogers & M.C. Wyman (pencils), Sam De
La Rosa & Rod Ramos (inks), Craig Anderson (editor)
Incredible Hercules#116-117 (June-July, 2008) - Greg Pak, Fred Van
Lente (writers), Rafa Sandoval (penciler), Roger Bonet (inker), Mark
Paniccia (editor)
Heroic Age: Prince of Power#1 (July, 2010) - Greg Pak & Fred Van
Lente (writrers), Reilly Brown (pencils), Terry Pallot with Jason Paz
(inks), Mark Paniccia (editor)
Heroic Age: Prince of Power#2 (August, 2010) - Greg Pak & Fred Van
Lente (writrers), Reilly Brown (pencils), Terry Pallot (inks), Mark
Paniccia (editor)
Chaos War#1 (December, 2010) - Greg Pak & Fred Van Lente (writers),
Khoi Pham (penciler), Tom Palmer (inker), Jordan D. White (assistant
editor), Mark Paniccia (senior editor)
Chaos War#3 (January, 2011) - Greg Pak & Fred Van Lente (writers),
Khoi Pham (penciler), Tom Palmer (inker), Jordan D. White (assistant
editor), Mark Paniccia (senior editor)
First Posted: 07/28/2002
Last updated: 05/07/2023
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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