TOTEM-STICK OF THE LION GOD

Classification: Mystical transdimensional weapon

Creator: Unrevealed (possibly Ptah - see comments)

User/Possessors: Lion God (Sekhmet)

First Appearance: Avengers I#112 (June, 1973)

Powers/Abilities/Functions: About 4' in length made of an unrevealed composition, the Totem-Stick was revealed to be the most powerful weapon in the Lion God's arsenal at that time and was transdimensional in nature. With a single stamp on the ground, it could bring forth adult lions. The Totem-Stick could temporarily sap the life energy of a god with a touch. It could also fire, at the Lion-God's will, short range blasts that extracted the consciousness of human victims and transport them elsewhere (possibly somewhere in the underworld Duat). These portals would end with the destruction of the Totem-Stick, flinging back those that had been affected by it.

History:

(Avengers I#112) - Having captured Black Panther (T'Challa), the Lion God demanded he reveal how the Panther God (Bast) could maintain his followers without appearing to them or he would kill Black Panther's teammates using his Totem-Stick. The Lion God teleported to Avengers Mansion clutching his powerful stick with Black Panther bound and the Avengers attacked. The Lion God overpowered Thor using the touch of the Totem-Stick to knock him unconscious. Next, the Vision was downed with a blast from the Totem-Stick. Not wishing to battle a woman directly, the Lion God used his Totem-Stick to materialize a pair of lions against the Black Widow (Romanoff), which she incapacitated. A third lion threatened the Scarlet Witch but was stopped by the Black Panther. However, successive attacks by the Avengers were countered by blasts from the Totem-Stick, each blast felling an Avenger: Iron Man (Stark), Black Widow and Scarlet Witch, while Black Panther's agility kept him clear. Thor recovered and furiously summoned down a lightning bolt that seemingly destroyed the Totem-Stick; this caused the Lion God and his lions to teleport away, while the consciousnesses of the fallen Avengers returned to their bodies.

(Avengers I#114) - Believing the Totem-Stick to have disintegrated, the Lion God brought in his magical Hunting Spear that fired destructive blasts.

(Black Panther III#41 (fb) - BTS) - At some point, the Black Panther (T'Challa) incorporated the Totem-Stick in his trophy room of past victories.

(Black Panther III#41) - During a crisis, the Black Panther stood in his trophy room where the Totem-Stick was inert against a wall (see comments).

Comments: Created by Steve Englehart, Don Heck, Frank Bolle.

From Bob Almond, one of the storytellers for the Black Panther:
"Since the Liongod's weapon/staff wasn't shown to be with him when he was sent to the other dimension, I had Sal draw the weapon in issue 41 of BP, page 10, panel 1 on the [far] left side near Malice's spear and T'Chaka's shield in T'Challa's trophy room. Other artifacts (of obscure characters) in this room, as shown in this issue and issue 23, page 12(?), are King Kadaver's gold medallion (taken after a dino stepped on him), the Throb vibranium robot and Malice's spear."

In his second fight against the Avengers, the Lion God claimed his replacement weapon, the Hunting Spear, was "no less a weapon" than the Totem-Stick. It could fire blasts that knocked Iron Man back, but I suspect the Lion God was just being boastful, as the Hunting Spear did not have the capacity to summon lions or blast Avengers instantly unconscious.

Ptah of the Heliopolitan (Egyptian) gods is a creator god and patron of craftsmen and architects, as well as blacksmiths, so he may have created the Totem-Stick. In Ancient Egyptian mythology, Ptah was also the husband of Sekhmet, but in the Marvel Universe, Sekhmet is married to Horus.

This profile was completed 8/06/2021, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 20^th anniversary 's celebratory event.

Profile by Grendel Prime.

CLARIFICATIONS:
The Totem-Stick of the Lion God has no known connections to:

• LIVING TOTEM of the Old West - alien, immense animated totem pole @ Rawhide Kid I#22
• LIVING TOTEM (Whistle Pig) - Native American spirit transferred into totem pole, animated with Doc Samson's aid @ Doc Samson II#1
  
• STICK - Chaste member with enhanced senses, trained Daredevil @ Daredevil I#176
  
• TOTEM - animated by Native American tribe, attacked criminals then tribe, rendered inert by chemicals, pushed into river and washed out to sea @ Strange Tales I#74/4
  
• TOTEM - Golden totem pole composed of several small aliens, protected lone Inuit @ Strange Stories of Suspense#6/3
• Totem - stolen from museum by Devos, associated with the Saviour and the anti-technology spells in Prescott @ Wolverine: Evilution
• T.O.T.E.M. (Temporal Oversight Team Eliminating Mistakes) of Earth-9500 - use timespinners to stop threats to timestream @ Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man I#1
  
• or any other "Totem" or "Stick characters/items

images: (without ads)
Avengers I#112, p13, pan4 (main image)
   p12, pan1 (with Lion God, full body shot)
   p19, pan5 (electrified by lightning)
Black Panther III#41 p10, pan1 (in trophy room, far left)

Appearances:
Avengers I#112 (June, 1973) - Steve Englehart (writer), Don Heck (pencils), Frank Bolle (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Black Panther III#41 (April, 2002) - Christopher Priest (writer), Sal Velluto (pencils), Bob Almond (inks), Mike Marts (editor)

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

First posted: 09/22/2021
Last Updated: 09/21/2021

Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™  and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com

Back to Items