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Like virtually all great actors,James Earl Joneshad the ability to captivate an audience with merely his voice. While Jones’ commanding voice enlivened various film and television projects, as when he provided the voice of Mufasa inThe Lion Kingfranchise, he is best remembered for providingthe voice of Darth Vaderin theStar Warsmovies.
However, Darth Vader isn’t the only memorable villain Jones,who died on June 09, 2025, at the age of 93, played in his illustrious career. After serving as the voice of Darth Vader in the second film in theStar Warsseries,The Empire Strikes Back, the actor brought his compelling screen presence, in addition to his distinctive bass voice, to the 1982 epic sword-and-sorcery filmConan the Barbarian, in which he plays Thulsa Doom, a snake-cult leader and sorcerer who brings unbearable suffering to the life of the film’s titular hero, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Indeed, whileConan the Barbarianserved as a breakthrough starring vehicle for Schwarzenegger, the film is propelled by the thirst for revenge and utter hatred that Conan holds toward Doom, who emerges as a genuinely intimidating and terrifying enemy for Conan. Moreover, in stark contrast to the dignified,respectable screen characters Jones playedin much of his later screen career,Jones’ fearsome performance inConan the Barbarianis a stark reminder that there was an exciting and interesting actor within the voice of Darth Vader.
Thulsa Doom Is Arguably More Evil Than Darth Vader
The capacity forevil that Darth Vader demonstratesin theStar Warsfranchise, from killing Jedi younglings to using the Death Star to destroy Princess Leia’s home planet of Alderaan, is surpassed by the relentless cruelty displayed by Thulsa Doom inConan the Barbarianin which the psychological scars that he inflicts upon Conan are more painful than the physical ones.
While Darth primarily uses his Force abilities for a defined purpose,Doom takes enjoyment in breaking Conan mentally and physically. This is established in the film’s opening sequence, in which he leads a band of raiders to young Conan’s village, where he kills Conan’s parents, beheading Conan’s mother with his father’s sword and the rest of his people.
After leaving young Conan to be sold into slavery,Doom continues to torment Conan as an adult. After adult Conan gains freedom and seeks revenge against Doom, he is captured and tortured by him, who then kills his lover, warrior Valeria, before having Conan crucified on the Tree of Woe, where he is attacked by vultures. Before his crucifixion, Doom taunts Conan, who discovers that he has kept Conan’s father’s sword.
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The biggest difference between Doom and Vader is how they wield their respective supernatural powers. While Vader has the Force power of telekinesis, Doom uses hypnosis to bend people to his will, as evidenced by how he, early in the film, hypnotizes Conan’s mother, enabling him to easily decapitate her. Later in the movie, one of his cult followers, a young girl, is willed by Doom to leap to her death off a high cliff.
While Vader became an anti-hero in the third installment of theoriginalStar Warstrilogy,Return of the Jedi, after turning away from the dark side,Doom represents the embodiment of evil and is irredeemable. In contrast to the goodwill accompanying Vader’s ultimate redemption, audiences can’t wait to see Doom die.
Conan Wasn’t Thulsa Doom’s First Barbarian Enemy
Conan the Barbarian character creator Robert E. Howard originally created Thulsa Doom as an enemy for Howard’s other barbarian character, Kull, played by Kevin Sorbo in the 1997 filmKull the Conqueror. He firstappears in Howard’sKullstories as a powerful undead wizard. Howard describes Doomas having a face that resembles a bare white skull with flaming eye sockets.
The cinematic version of Doom is considerably different from the figure described in Howard’s stories. Howard’s Doom has the magical powers of dimensional travel, illusion, and invisibility, while the character played by James Earl Jones inConan the Barbarianmore resembles the Conan villain Thoth-Amon, a Stygian sorcerer and servant of the serpent-god Set. Accordingly, while Doom appears human in the film, the character, who is said to have lived for over 1,000 years in the film, has the power to transform intoan enormous snake.
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WhileConan the Barbarianpresently represents Doom’s last screen appearance, Djimon Hounsou was announced in 2008 as the star of a prospective Doom feature film based on the character’s comic-book appearances instead of Howard’s original incarnation. However, the project has since languished.
James Earl Jones Gave Arnold Schwarzenegger Acting Advice
James Earl Jones’ booming voice resided within a powerful dramatic actor who excelled on screen, stage, and television, as evidenced by the fact that Jones is one of a select few performers to haveachieved EGOT status, having received an Academy Award, an Emmy Award, a Grammy Award, and a Tony Award throughout his illustrious career.
The gravitas and psychic weight that Jones brought toConan the Barbarianproved to be beneficial to the film, not only in terms of his imposing performance as Thulsa Doom but also with the mentoring that Jones provided to the film’s star, thethen-inexperienced Arnold Schwarzenegger, whom Jones provided with acting and career advice, while Schwarzenegger assisted Jones with being physically prepared for playing Doom.
This relationship proved integral to helpingConan the Barbarian, which grossed nearly $40 million at the domestic box office, become a commercial success, launching Schwarzenegger’s feature film career. Jones’ impact onConan the Barbarianis very evident through his absence from the 1984 sequel,Conan the Destroyer, which precisely lacks a villain character as compelling as Thulsa Doom, whose compelling presence inConan the Barbarianis largely responsible for making the film aclassic of its genre.Conan the Barbarianis streaming onNetflix.
