Before the lovely May Calamawy played Layla El-Faouly aka the Scarlet Scarab in Moon Knight , there was another. In fact, there were two others. The Scarlet Scarab has a rich history in the Marvel Universe and it is a shame that some of you don't know it, until now.
The first Scarlet Scarab was introduced in The Invaders #23, and was created by Roy Thomas, Archie Goodwin, and Frank Robbins. The character also appeared in The Invaders #25.
The second Scarlet Scarab first appeared in Thor #326 (One of my favorite Thor titles as a child), and was created by Doug Moench and Alan Kupperberg. He also received an entry in the original The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #9.
Abdul Faoul
Abdul Faoul was a famous archeologist during World War II. He unearthed the Ruby Scarab, an artifact that was originally created to battle the Elementals, around 3500 B.C. When Dr. Faoul touched the mystical power-object, he became the Scarlet Scarab and became a champion of Egypt during World War II.
Dr. Faoul worked as a liaison between the Allied Forces and the Egyptian government, and led the Human Torch and Namor to a recently excavated pyramid in search of the fanatic nationalist group, the Sons of the Scarab. Faoul, who was actually the leader of the Sons of the Scarab, tricked the heroes into opening the vault where the fist-sized ruby was kept. As the Scarlet Scarab, he first ousted the British, and then the Nazis, from Egypt. Following the war, the Scarlet Scarab continued to battle criminals until one day in the 1950s, the ruby simply disappeared.
Dr. Faoul continued searching until his death. As his dying act, he requested his son Mehemet to continue his quest.
Mehemet Faoul
Mehemet received from his father the strongbox in which he had kept the Ruby Scarab. Inside was the costume he had worn as the Scarlet Scarab, a journal of his exploits, and a photo of the ruby. Mehemet considered it his duty to continue his father's quest, searching for years as his father had. Finally, Mehemet came to the gem's final resting place. Holding the ruby, he gained the powers of the Scarlet Scarab, and set out to become Egypt's new champion. One of his goals was the protection of Egypt's priceless ancient artifacts. In one mission to recover some stolen artifacts, the Scarlet Scarab encountered Thor, who mistook his intentions and the two fought to a standstill. Once they realized they were on the same side of Justice, they worked together to retrieve the stolen artifacts.
Publication Information
Publisher: Marvel Comics
First Appearance:
- The Invaders #23 (December 1977) [Abdul Faoul]
- Thor #326 (December 1982) [Mehemet Faoul]
Created by:- Roy Thomas, Archie Goodwin, and Frank Robbins [Abdul Faoul]
- Doug Moench and Alan Kupperberg [Mehemet Faoul]
Abilities:
- Superhuman strength and durability
- Flight
- Fire concussive bursts of mystical energy
- Ability to sap the power from others on contact
Until next time, get your READ on!
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