Conan the Adventurer came out in 1992 - 10 years after Conan the Barbarian (1982). The revelation isn't startling IF one realizes that Conan was NEVER meant to be for children. Hasbro needed to find ways to tone things down. 1992 was also the year when Haim Saban decided to go for an X-Men adaptation with a lot of necessary censorship. Conan the Adventurer was no different. I think Wrath-Amon (and even the series' true antagonist Set the Serpent God) were both toned down for that reason. Wrath-Amon is Set's high priest. Wrath-Amon is tasked with gathering the Star Metal, build seven great pyramids, and that would allow Set the Serpent God to wreak havoc on Earth.
Wrath-Amon is clearly a Serpentor Expy. Serpentor was an artificially created COBRA Emperor made by Destro and Dr. Mindbender. Wrath-Amon had some reptilian features and more of them would show up IF he was exposed near Star Metal. The Star Metal was an effective weapon to send the Serpent Men to another dimension. Yes, that sort of TV-Y7-FV censorship was implemented. It's no surprise with what path the writers took with Wrath-Amon.
Earlier episodes depicted Wrath-Amon as simply another serpent man. Conan asked why Wrath-Amon wasn't banished into the Abyss. It's because Wrath-Amon is more than a Serpent Man. Wrath-Amon commands the Black Ring of Set. However, as the series went on, the Time Loop episode "The Birth of Wrath-Amon" shows how Wrath-Amon was born. Yes, that episode when Conan merely changed the way Wrath-Amon was born. How Wrath-Amon originally rose to power isn't mentioned.
If I'm not wrong, I saw the episode "Birth of Wrath-Amon" before seeing Conan the Barbarian (1982). I may have even mistook Ram-Amon's voice for James Earl Jones - who was doing The Lion King at that same year. Honestly, it'd be cool if JEJ voiced Ram-Amon. Ram-Amon is not just a Thoth-Amon Expy but also a Movie Thulsa Expy. Conan the Barbarian (1982) shocked me with the gore and violence. No spell of living stone is involved. Instead, Movie Thulsa BUTCHERS Conan's parents when the latter was JUST A CHILD. None of the Serpent Men was sent into another dimension. You see blood splurt out of the Serpent Men in that movie.
There have been rules about human-like deaths in American TV-Y7-FV shows. It's revealed that Wrath-Amon was originally a gilla monster. Ram-Amon's not so lucky that he's stuck with Dregs. If Ram-Amon had Rexor and Thorgrim to help him - he wouldn't need to create the lizardman that would become Wrath-Amon. Ram-Amon, like Thoth-Amon, became helpless when their version of the Serpent Ring of Set was stolen. Ram-Amon was locked down in the dungeon for 200 years but somehow survived. Thoth-Amon became a slave to a man named Ascalante. However, both Ram-Amon and Thoth-Amon learned not to rely too much on the magical artifact.
Wrath-Amon's fate somehow mirrored Serpentor's fate from G.I. Joe's "Operation Dragonfire" arc. Both of them usurped their superiors. Serpentor usurped Cobra Commander. Wrath-Amon usurped Ram-Amon. Wrath-Amon even said, "This I command by the power of the Black Ring!" to bring Set the Serpent God. G.I. Joe the Movie revealed COBRA was secretly controlled by Cobra-La and Golobulus. Rather than kill Wrath-Amon - Wrath-Amon was turned back to his ORIGINAL LIZARD FORM (but the color palette was inconsistent since the original form was shown to be red, not green) with the Amulet of Vathelos.
Pretty much, beheading Wrath-Amon wouldn't make it past the censors. Ram-Amon was able to escape but was never heard from again. I even felt that Ram-Amon should've been the villain in Conan and the Young Warriors. Ram-Amon would want to use the Star Stones to reopen the Abyss. Maybe, have the Young Warriors meet their destiny. Maybe, Ram-Amon was supposed to become Conan's lifelong opponent like Thoth-Amon in the comics. Instead, it ended with Wrath-Amon reverted back to what he truly was.
I can't say for sure if Wrath-Amon was an Expy of Serpentor - but given the similarities I can see why people make that assertion.
ReplyDeleteI recall saying earlier that there was a Stable Time-Loop in effect in that series, Conan's actions resulting in Wrath-Amon's rise followed by Wrath-Amon's actions compelling Conan to agree to be sent back in time to close the loop.
Even so, I believe that Wrath-Amon likely would've become a humanoid Lizardman even without Conan's Time Travel via the Spellbinder, given just how much Ram-Amon had tired of Dregs' utter incompetence. But his actions in the past DID enable Wrath-Amon to usurp his Master in short order - and does lead to some interesting questions about how events might have transpired otherwise.
Plenty of What If? material there...
As for his 200+ year survival? Ram-Amon is a potent wizard in his own right, even without the Black Ring - as was demonstrated post-escape - so that would be the most likely explanation.
As for Wrath-Amon's origins? It's likely it was changed during development of Season 2, but considering that little focus was made in Season 1, I doubt it was the most challenging piece of work for the writers.