Kulan-Gath

Few villains can claim a debut stretching back to the sword-and-sorcery wilds of Bronze Age Marvel, but Kulan-Gath made his entrance in Conan the Barbarian #14 in 1972 — a key issue, no less — conjured into existence by the remarkable creative trio of Roy Thomas, Michael Moorcock, and Barry Smith. What makes this ancient sorcerer so compelling is the sheer breadth of the Marvel universe he has haunted across more than five decades: from the Hyborian age alongside Conan and Red Sonja, to confrontations with the likes of the Scarlet Witch and Janet Van Dyne in the pages of Avengers. His appearances in Red Sonja: Age of Chaos and Conan: Flame and the Fiend speak to a character who bridges Marvel's fantasy and superhero worlds with rare, sinister ease. With 52 years of menace on the page, Kulan-Gath is the kind of deep-cut discovery that rewards the curious collector.