The Pyramid Wars of 1987 were a series of battles between the Office of Secret Intelligence and the terrorist organization S.P.H.I.N.X. on The Venture Bros.
History
O.S.I. history contends that the Pyramid Wars of 1987 started as a result of S.P.H.I.N.X. Commander claiming to have killed Jonas Venture Sr. at Movie Night on the Gargantua 1. In reality, Movie Night was the result of a botched, unsanctioned arching that was done by several members of The Guild of Calamitous Intent including Red Death and Vendata. After finding out details of the unsanctioned arching, The Sovereign posed as the S.P.H.I.N.X. Commander so that O.S.I. wouldn't find out that the Guild was actually responsible.[1] The Pyramid Wars resulted in victory for the O.S.I. and the destruction of S.P.H.I.N.X.[2]
Known casualties of the war include a man with a gold-plated head that looks like Destro from G.I. Joe.[3] S.P.H.I.N.X. Commander, Wind Song, Diamond Backdraft, and the Countess all survived the war.[4]
Legacy
The first legacy left behind from the war was its equipment. Following the defeat of the original S.P.H.I.N.X., the Office of Secret Intelligence took possession of most of its technology and gear, such as the Mighty Khafra. Decades later, Hunter Gathers and a number of other disaffected ex-O.S.I. operatives, sick of the bureaucratic red tape that burdened their organiztion, decided to go rogue, commandeered the equipment, and adopted the S.P.H.I.N.X. identity as their own. This group was an entirely new group with a different purpose: vigilante justice to evildoers who didn't play by the rules of organized villainy set by the Guild of Calamitous Intent.[2] Following the readmission of Gathers and company to the O.S.I., S.P.H.I.N.X. was abandoned by everyone save for Henchman 21, who had never been an O.S.I. agent to begin with.[5]
The second legacy of the war was the surviving agents of S.P.H.I.N.X. going into hiding and/or assuming normal civilian lives to blend in with the populace. However, they still held grudges against the O.S.I. in their hearts. They also knew one day that the chip their commander planted in their skulls to keep them loyal would eventually fail or activate upon their commanders' death which would leak poison into their system: killing them. Therefore, when Henchman 21 issued a call for new S.P.H.I.N.X. members, S.P.H.I.N.X. Commander, Wind Song, and Diamond Backdraft all joined his group shortly before taking it over from him. Together, they took the Mighty Khafra and made a suicide run to take the O.S.I. Hover-Quarters down in a final blaze of glory. However, their efforts were ultimately scuttled.[4]
Brock later learned the truth about Movie Night from Red Death and was shocked to realize that he had been recruited to the O.S.I. to wipe out a (relatively) innocent terrorist organization, with his actions in the Wars paving the way for the Guild to return to power as a major faction of Organized Villainy without any interference from S.P.H.I.N.X.[1]
Episode Appearances
Season 3
- The Invisible Hand of Fate (flashback)
Season 4
- Pinstripes & Poltergeists (mentioned)
Season 5
- SPHINX Rising (mentioned)
Season 7
- Arrears in Science (mentioned)
Trivia
- The Pyramid Wars of 1987 were visually depicted in part in the "YO O.S.I.!" segment of Season 3's The Invisible Hand of Fate.