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Religion: pseudo-Egyptian religionist/Confucianist/Taoist 
Name: The Sphinx
Classification:
hero
Publisher(s): 
First Appearance: Mystery Men (1999)
NOTE: This is our current best assessment of the first appearance of this character, but this has been flagged in our database as uncertain.
Creators: Bob Burden, Neil Cuthbert, Kinka Usher, Wes Studi (actor)
Super? (Has Super Powers/Special Abilities/Technology): Yes
Number of Appearances: 1
Teams/Affiliations: Mystery Men
Gender: male
According to a note in the IMDb.com listing for the Mystery Men film, the Sphinx was an actual Golden Age character from Better Publishing. He was, the note maintains, named "Ellsworth Forrester" and first appeared in Exciting Comics #2.
Checking Comic.org, one finds that there was indeed a character named The Sphinx (a.k.a. Ellsworth Forrester) who first appeared in Exciting Comics #2 (May 1940), which was published by Better Publications, Inc.
Legally, there is no concern, because, as the note on the IMDb.com website points out, Better Publications went out of business in the 1950s and their character has fallen into the public domain.
Whether or not the Sphinx from this comic series is similar enough to the same-named character from Mystery Men is another question. They do not appear particularly similar to me. The Sphinx in the Mystery Men film is very distinctive and unusual. The Sphinx from the 1940s comics is rather generic, essentially a boiler-plate wealthy socialite "mystery man" type in a domino mask. Simply having the same code name ("the Sphinx") seems insufficient cause to calling these comic book and movie incarnations of "The Sphinx" the "same character."
Suggested links for further research about this character and the character's religious affiliation:
- http://www.adherents.com/lit/comics/MysteryMen.html
- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0132347/fullcredits
- https://www.comics.org/issue/763/
- http://pdsh.wikia.com/wiki/Sphinx
- http://goldenageheroes.blogspot.com/2008/09/sphinx-let-me-go-you-you-fiend.html
