Real Name: Itzamna

Occupation: Ruler of the Mexican Gods, god of the sun, maize, writing and the arts

Legal Status: Citizen of Omeyocan

Identity: The general populace of Earth is unaware of Itzamna except as a mythological deity.

Other Aliases: Itzam Cab, Itzmatul, Ytzmatul, Zamnal, Kinich Ahau, Kinish Kakimo, Itzananohku, Tzakol, Izamal, Izona, Tonatiuh (Aztec name), Kabul, Kabil (Olmec name), "God D" (mythological designation), Ah Kinchil, et al.

Place of Birth: Unrevealed, possibly Chichen Itza (near modern Valladolid, Mexico)

Marital Status: Married

Known Relatives: Hunab-Ku (father), Gaea (mother, alias Coatlique), Ixchel (sister/wife), Tonacatecuhtli, Xpiyacoc (brothers), Tonacacihuatl, Xmucane (sisters), Hurakan, Kukumatz, Tochipa, Tlaloc (sons), Chalchihuitlicue, Huixtocihuatl (daughters); Camaxtli, Mixcoatl, Tezcatlipoca, Xipe Totec (nephews), Quetzalcoatl (son-in-law), Nanauatzin, Tecciztecatl, (grandsons), Quetzalpetlatl (grand-daughter),

Group Affiliation: The Gods Of Mexico, The Council Elite

Base of Operations: Tonatiuhican in the Omeyocan dimension

First Appearance: (unidentified) Thor I #300, (named) Infinity Gauntlet #2

History: Itzamna is a member of an extra-dimensional race of beings known as the Coatli who were once worshipped in the Mayan Empire and by the Ancient Mesoamerican tribes and cultures of Ancient Mexico. Many of these tribes were assimilated into the later Aztec Empires, and although these cultures shared many of the same gods, there was obviously some rivalry and repercussions between not just the mortal warring tribes of Central America, but also between the respective gods of each pantheon. Although the Coatli shared common origins, antagonism was obvious and the collective race of Coatli later split into the Aztec and Mayan gods with certain members of the pantheon revered by each culture.

Not much is known about Itzamna except that he became ruler of the Mayan pantheon, most likely ascending to the throne in place of his father, Hunab-ku, who either departed earth or reached a point where he was no longer able to rule. One of the oldest Mayan gods of Ancient Mexico, Itzamna was credited with giving the Mayans an alphabet and teaching them how to read and write. He gave them maize and rubber, and was honored with numerous gifts. Squirrels were sacrificed in his name, and his name was often invoked as protection against evil spirits.

Itzamna took the goddess Ixchel as his wife, and she sired him the Bacabs, four gods who represented the cardinal points of the universe. The Bacabs were also known as the Chaac, gods of weather, credited in Mayan myth with creating mankind from materials they found on Earth. Hurakan, Kukumatz, Tochipa and Chac were considered the most important gods of the Mayan Empire, but Chac later became one of the gods of the Aztecs as the rain-god, Tlaloc.

Itzamna was possibly the eldest of this first generation of gods, serving at the head of the Mayan pantheon which started to wane in size and power until around 800 AD when the Aztec Empire first began to grow in importance and began assimilating all the smaller races of the Yucatan. Among the Aztec gods, Tezcatlipoca, seized control of Earth from Teotihucan ("The City of the Gods") near what is now Mexico City. By now, Itzamna and several of the Mayan gods had departed Earth for Omeyocan, another world linked to the lands of their worshippers. On Earth, several of the Mayan gods had served as mortal rulers, departing Earth for Omeyocan when their rule was over. On Earth, Tezcatlipoca demanded blood sacrifices from his worshippers to prove their loyalty to him and often quarreled with Quetzalcoatl, the god of wisdom and culture trying to protect his mortal followers. According to some myths, Quetzalcoatl was a priest or avatar of Itzamna on Earth.

Despite the prominence of the Aztec Empire, Mayan Indians strived in isolated regions of the Yucatan and modern Guatemala, later established by Spanish invaders on Earth. Worshipped under a variety of names by his followers, Itzamna ruled over the Gods of Mexico from the highest level of Omeyocan, possibly accessed by portals on Earth near sites sacred to the Aztecs and Mayans such as Mount Coatepec and the Tulai Zuvan caves in Mexico. Around 1000 AD, Itzamna and Tezcatlipoca met with the chieftains of the other gods once worshipped on Earth to discuss the threat of the Third Host of the Celestials. The Celestials had threatened to seal off the portals of each of their godly realms unless they promised to stop interfering in mortal affairs. Like Tezcatlipoca, Itzamna swore to this pledge and even made a vow to Odin, Chieftain of the Asgardian gods, to donate the necessary life energies to the Asgardians slain during the Fourth Host of the Celestials. When Thor came to Omeyocan to petition a portion of the required life energies as part of this vow, Itzamna saw that a debt had been paid to his realm and offered Thor the necessary energies to restore the Asgardian gods.

In the absence of their gods, the Aztec Empire was soon conquered by invading Spanish Conquistadors in search of gold. Although the Aztecs were supplanted by the Spanish, much of the culture survived in Mexico culture. Eventually, Itzamna and the other godheads of the Earth’s respective pantheons began joining with the other godheads of earth over other threats to Earth as the Council of Godheads or the Council Elite. Under the threat of Demogorge the God Eater, Odin had asked Itzamna for a warrior to fight the entity alongside Thor, and sent Quetzalcoatl to represent the Coatli. Some time later, Itzamna and Tezcatlipoca both appeared in Asgard together with the other godheads over the threat of Thanos wielding the Infinity Gauntlet. Briefly stranded in Asgard, he assisted Odin to preserve that realm as Adam Warlock led Earth's heroes against Thanos.

Since then, Itzamna has retreated back to Omeyocan. His later activities are unrevealed, but it has been suggested that he periodically visits Earth in a mortal façade to visit and check on the modern lives of his worshipper’s descendants, much like many of the retired gods, such as Thor and Hercules of the Olympians.

Height: 6' 11"
Weight: Unrevealed
Eyes: Brown
Hair: White, formerly Brown

Strength Level: Itzamna possesses superhuman strength to an unknown degree; his strength level might approach that of Odin who can lift (press) almost 85 tons under optimal conditions.

Known Superhuman Powers: Itzamna possesses the conventional physical attributes of the Mexican gods. Like all of the Coatli, he is exceptionally long-lived, but he is not immortal like the gods of Olympus. He has aged at an extremely slow rate since reaching adulthood and cannot die by any conventional means. He is immune to all Earthly diseases and is resistant to conventional injury. If he were somehow wounded, his godly life force would enable him to recover with superhuman speed. It would take an injury of such magnitude that it dispersed a major portion of his bodily molecules to cause him a physical death. Even then, it might be possible for a god of significant power, such as Zeus, Viracocha or Odin or for a number of Mexican gods of equal power working together to revive him. Itzamna also possesses superhuman strength and his Coatli metabolism provides him with far greater than human endurance in all physical activities. (Coatli flesh and bone is about three times as dense as similar human tissue, contributing to the superhuman strength and weight of the Mexican gods.)

Itzamna has greater powers than any other Mexican god to tap into and manipulate mystical and cosmic energies. He might be on the same level of power as deities such as Zeus, Odin or Ammon-Ra. In ancient times, he could control the weather, teleport matter and impart power on mortal mystics. He is often invoked against supernatural entities for properties pertaining the purifying properties of the sun. He was also credited with being able to raise the dead, create whole worlds and reshape the earth as per his wishes. His full extent of power is unrevealed.

Comments: This bio covers Itzamna as he has appeared in Marvel Comics; although a few Aztec/Mayan gods have made a few appearances, he has not been seen in the DC Comics.

In Aztec myth, Omeyocan is the highest of the twelve heavens in the Aztec cosmology of worlds. It is used here as the name of the home of the Mexican gods.

Several godheads previously seen in the Marvel Universe and known from myth do not appear in Infinity Gauntlet #2. Possibly erased by the power of Thanos and the Infinity Gems, these names include Anu (Mesopotamian), Yu Huang (Chinese), Izanagi, Takamimusubi (both Japanese), Viracocha (Incan), Ukko (Finnish) and Nyambe (African).

• any other "itzamna" in the Marvel or DC Universe

Last updated: 01/18/2013  

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