Conan the Barbarian is media franchise based on the character created by author Robert Ervin Howard (January 22, 1906 – June 11, 1936).
Set on Earth in a fictional era in history called the "Hyborian Age", an era set after the Fall of Atlantis and before the rise of Ancient Civilizations, the story follows Conan The Barbarian, a tall, strong Cimmerian warrior, whose people are descendants of Atlantis survivors. Many of Conan stories follow his adventures in the Hyborian age where he travel to different lands, battle villains, monsters and sorcerers and rescuing damsels in distress.
The Conan series began in 1932 as a series of stories that were published in the Pulp fiction magazine Weird Tales. After Howard's death in 1936, the Conan books were continued by many different authors who either used notes left by Howard or use their own ideas to expand the world of the Hyborian age. The franchise is currently owned by Conan Properties International but will lose ownership of Conan as it enters the public domain worldwide on January 1st, 2028.
Due to the series popularity, Conan has been adapted many times in comics, cartoons, movies and video games. The most well known adaptations includes:
- Conan the Barbarian comics
Originally published by Marvel Comics, it ran from 1970 to 1993 with 275 issues. Dark Horse Comics would publish their own Conan comics, called Conan to differentiate itself from Marvel's version, from 2003 to 2018 before Marvel bought back the publishing rights.
- Conan the Barbarian (1982 film)
The first live action adaptation of Conan. Conan (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger) goes on a quest of revenge as he and his allies stop the evil cult leader, Thulsa Doom (played by James Earl Jones). While the movie was based on some Conan stories, it also added original plots by director John Milius including Nietzschean themes. The movie was a hit and was a star making role for Schwarzenegger. Famous for one line where Conan is asked what is best in life which he replies "To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women!"
- Conan the Destroyer (1984 film)
A sequel to the original movie, Conan with new and old allies, aid a young Princess to retrieve a mystical artifact. The movie received mixed reviews since it was more lighter and adventurous than the previous movie.
- Conan the Barbarian (2011 film)
A reboot film staring Jason Momoa as Conan where Conan must stop an evil Warlord Khalar Zym (played by Stephen Lang) from conquering Hyboria. Despite being more faithful to the books, the movie received negative reviews and failed in the box office.