[2] The title Nova recounts in a flashback of how Anath-Na discovers the mystic Ka Stone, which grants him immortality and superhuman powers.

He utilizes ruler Black Bolt's electron energy to amplify a scanning device and read all the minds in everyone for knowledge of how the Sphinx could finally die.

[6] The story continues in the Fantastic Four series, where this proves to be a ruse as, once on Xandar, the Sphinx took advantage of that war so he can find and absorb more knowledge from its planet-size computer.

After Galactus defeated the Sphinx, he crushed the Ka Stone and send him back in human form to ancient Egypt, where Anath-Na belongs.

The villainous Puppet Master assists him by forcing the Sphinx to crush his own Ka Stone; as a result Anath-Na immediately ages 5,000 years before turning into dust.

Then, Karim alters history so Anath-Na will kill Moses that leads to Egypt, eventually conquering the world during the Forever Yesterday storyline.

The empowered Sphinx battles the New Warriors, but when facing his feelings for Karim, he merges with her into one composite entity who goes back in time to live a normal life.

Courtesy of the jewel's mystical properties, Anath-Na also has a range of metaphysical abilities, including energy control, mind reading, hypersonic flight, and knowledge absorption.