MASK OF AMENHOTEP

Classification: Terrestrial magic item;
    active from at least 14^th Century B.C. (if not the 30^th Century B.C., see comments) as well as the modern age (and possibly the years in between)

Creator: Unrevealed (see comments)

First Appearance: Howling Commandos of S.H.I.E.L.D.#5 (August, 2016)

Powers/Abilities/Functions: The Mask of Amenhotep is apparently a mystic artifact of immense power.

    It can control spirits and multiply the wearer's power.

    It can magically neutralize supernatural powers, or at least magical powers.

    Used thusly, even when worn by a human-intelligence monkey without mystic powers, it could incapacitate a being as powerful as the Sphinx as well as turning an undead army to dust.

    In the hands of a being as powerful as the Sphinx, he at least believed it would have enabled him to control all manner of the supernatural.

History:
(Howling Commandos of S.H.I.E.L.D.#5 (fb) - BTS) - Seeking to claim the Mask of Amenhotep, which he at least believed would enable him to control all manner of the supernatural (and to be unstoppable!), the Sphinx led and undead army into Manhattan and invaded the Grandview Museum.

    Learning of this, Dum-Dum Dugan (or his Life Model Decoy self) of S.T.A.K.E. (Special Threat Assessment for Known Extranormalities) led the Howling Commandos (Glyph/Nadeen Hassan, Hit Monkey, Man-Thing/Ted Sallis, Manphibian, Nina Price/Vampire by Night, Jasper Sitwell, Teen Abomination/Jamie Carlson, Warwolf/Martin Reyna) to prevent the Sphinx from stealing whatever he was after.

(Howling Commandos of S.H.I.E.L.D.#5) - As the Sphinx ordered about his undead minions, Nina Price and Hit Monkey confronted him. Advising them that only he had the strength to wield Amenhotep's power, with which his partners (presumably Navid Haseem and the Adversary) and he would build a new world where all so-called monsters would finally be free. The Sphinx instructed his minions to continue the search while he dealt with these two.

(Howling Commandos of S.H.I.E.L.D.#5) - As Nina battled the Sphinx, however, Hit Monkey donned the Mask of Amenhotep. Seeing this, the Sphinx chastised him for desecrating such a holy artifact, but Hit Monkey, consciously or not, used the Mask to blast the Sphinx, negating his power and his control of his undead army.

    As Nadeen Hassan opposed her Adversary-powered and controlled brother, Navid, Hit Monkey continued to neutralize the power behind the undead army, causing them to disintegrate.

    When the Adversary revealed his presence, Hit Monkey used the Mask to strip the Adversary from Navid, banishing him and leaving behind Navid's corpse.

    Nina Price subsequently claimed the Mask of Amenhotep, and she told her teammates that keeping it out of the hands of the Sphinx was a win.

    She subsequently gave it to Dugan, who appreciated that they had to keep it safe.

    The Mask was presumably delivered to some S.H.I.E.L.D., S.T.A.K.E. or W.A.N.D. (Wizard Alchemy Necromancy Department) facility.

Comments: Created by Frank J. Barbiere and Brent Schoonover.

    Interesting and fun story, although not particularly good characterization or motivation for the Sphinx. Perhaps he was under the influence of the Adversary or some else?
    And then the Adversary is typically a Native American-type spirit...having him involved with the Sphinx and the Egyptian zombie army seemed off, too.

    It is uncertain which Amenhotep this mask was derived from (or who created it, as it would likely have been created by a wizard rather than a pharaoh, but who knows, really):

• AMENHOTEP (Khufor) - Egyptian pharaoh circa 3000 BC, vampire, Legion of the Unliving--Avengers I#129
• AMENHOTEP IV - see AKHENATEN; 18^th dynasty pharaoh, @ 1351-1334 BC, father of Tutankhamum, served by Ay, believed self to be spokesman for the god Aten/Aton, moved capitol of Egypt from Thebes to Akhenaten, ruled for 17 years, slain by time-traveling Dr. Doom before he could be empowered by the Celestial Order--Incredible Hulk II#457
  
  
  and, for clarifications purposes:
  
  
• AKHENATEN of Earth-4321 - taken by the Celestial Order and imbued with power and indoctrinated for millennia, then sent out to recruit others for the Order, slaughtered the heroes and gods of Earth and planned an absolute takeover, until Thanos usurped the power of the Heart of the Infinite and went back in time and stopped Akhenaten from preventing Dr. Doom from destroying his past self before he could be empowered by the Order, diverging his empowerment from Reality-616--Marvel Universe: The End#1
• Per my understanding, Khufor became Amenhotep 1500 years before the conventionally recorded Amenhoteps, and so Amenhotep I is different than Amenhotep (Khufor); I don't believe Amenhotep I-III have appeared in Marvel Comics, but Amenhotep III is the father of Amenhotep IV, who changed his name to Akhenaten.
  
• other Amenhotep characters, groups, items, events, races or places...

     Grandview?

Howling Commands of S.H.I.E.L.D. #5 lists the Grandview Museum in New York City as the site invaded by the Sphinx as he sought the Mask of Amenhotep.
I find a Grandview Museum in Washington state.
In New York City, I would expect to expect to find Egyptian artifacts at the Met (the Metropolitan Museum of Art), which is in Manhattan, which is the borough most people think of when they think of New York City.
The Brooklyn Museum may also hold Egyptian artifacts. Brooklyn is one of the five boroughs of NYC.
I suspect it was meant to be the Met, but perhaps there is a Grandview Museum in New York City on Earth-616?

  This profile was completed 01/11/2026, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 25^th anniversary 's celebratory event.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
The Mask of Amenhotep should be distinguished from:

• MASK (Garko) - masked thief and killer; battled Human Torch (Jim Hammond) and Toro (Thomas Raymond)--Marvel Mystery Comics#86 (June, 1948)

• MASK of Earth-93060 -see EMALIA --Mantra I#11

• MASK of DEATH - Macedonian artifact, empowered Deathgrin--Web of Spider-Man#104/2
• MASK of REALITY of Earth-1211 - Lost Treasure of Tao, drove Orugawa mad when she donned it. Enabled wearer to see the truth of reality - aka MASK of P'U-HUA--Nightside#3
• other "Mask" or "Amenhotep" items, characters, groups, events, races or places...

images: (without ads):
Howling Commandos of S.H.I.E.L.D.#5, pg. 11, panel 5 (mask in case in front of Hit Monkey; best detail);
       pg. 12, panel 3 (Hit Monkey wearing mask);
          panel 4 (Hit Monkey blasting Sphinx);
       pg. 14, panel 2 (mask, full; poorer);
       pg. 16, panel 1 (Hit Monkey in mask, blasting at Adversary, atop Sitwell's arm)

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

First posted: 09/25/2026
Last updated: 01/11/2026

Non-Marvel Copyright info
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