Arabian Knight (comics)
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Arabian Knight is a title used by multiple
fictional character In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...
s appearing in
American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...
s published by
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
.


Publication history

Abdul Qamar first appeared in '' Incredible Hulk'' vol. 2 #257 (March 1981), and was created by
Bill Mantlo William Timothy Mantlo (born November 9, 1951) is an American comic book writer, primarily at Marvel Comics. He is best known for his work on two licensed toy properties whose adventures occurred in the Marvel Universe: ''Micronauts'' and ''Ro ...
(writer) and
Al Milgrom Allen L. Milgrom (born March 6, 1950) is an American comic book writer, penciller, inker and editor, primarily for Marvel Comics. He is known for his 10-year run as editor of ''Marvel Fanfare''; his long involvement as writer, penciler, and inker ...
(artist). “The Arabian Knight is a new character,” said Schmidt namesake heir. “We’ve had the Arabian Knight before, but the last version of the Arabian Knight, I believe, was killed twice without explanation of how he came back between them. He was sort of an insulting stereotype.” The successor (Navid Hashim) was created by
Christos Gage Christos N. Gage is an American screenwriter and comic book writer. He is known for his work on the TV series '' Daredevil'', ''Hawaii Five-0'', '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', ''Numbers'' and the films '' The Breed'' and '' Teenage Cavema ...
and
Mike Perkins Mike Perkins is a British comic book artist known for his inking work and full art duties on comic books such as ''Captain America'', ''Ruse'' and Stephen King's ''The Stand''. Career Mike Perkins began drawing at a very early age. After att ...
. According to editor
Andy Schmidt Peter Andrewes "Andy" Schmidt is an American comic book editor and writer. He is best known for his work at Marvel and is now editing and writing at other companies. Career At Marvel Schmidt was an Associate Editor and mainly worked on the "Marv ...
, "The old one had all the stereotypical trappings—the flying carpet and whatnot. And some of that stuff is incorporated into this new one, but hopefully in a less stereotypical way and not insulting. He’s a fully fleshed out character. The other guy was just a visual stereotype with no real character behind him."


Fictional character biography


Abdul Qamar

Abdul Qamar, the first Arabian Knight, was a descendant of a legendary Muslim hero who had perished forcing the demons
Gog and Magog Gog and Magog (; he, גּוֹג וּמָגוֹג, ''Gōg ū-Māgōg'') appear in the Hebrew Bible and the Quran as individuals, tribes, or lands. In Ezekiel 38, Gog is an individual and Magog is his land; in Genesis 10, Magog is a man and epo ...
back into their tomb. When the demons were later freed by an archeologist, Abdul found his ancestor's magical equipment inside the tomb, and became the Arabian Knight, once again sealing away the demons with help from the
Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk' ...
. He met
Ghost Rider Ghost Rider is the name of multiple antiheroes and superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Marvel had previously used the name for a Western character whose name was later changed to Phantom Rider. The first s ...
, and allied with him against the Water Wizard. He was also one of the heroes chosen by
Death Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...
to represent her in the Contest of Champions against the Grandmaster, his teammates being
Iron Man Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby. The charact ...
and
Sabra Sabra may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Sabra (comics), a fictional Israeli female superhero in the Marvel Comics universe * Sabra (magazine), a Japanese magazine for men * ''Sabra Command'' the original title of the film ''Warhead'' * "Sabr ...
. He overcame his dislike of the
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
i heroine to win their battle against
She-Hulk She-Hulk (Jennifer "Jen" Walters) is a fictional Character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Buscema, she first appeared in ''The Savage She-Hulk'' #1 (cov ...
,
Captain Britain Captain Britain is a title used by various superheroes in comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with Excalibur. The moniker was first used in publication by Brian Braddock in ''Captain Britain Weekly'' #1 by writer Ch ...
and
Defensor Defensor (Latin, 'one who defends') may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Defensor (comics), a character in ''Marvel Super Hero Contest of Champions'' * Defensor (''Transformers''), a character in the media franchise People *Defensor, a ...
. Abdul later battled the Demon of the Dunes for the life of his son. The Arabian Knight was later revealed to be an agent of the clandestine international group The
Pantheon Pantheon may refer to: * Pantheon (religion), a set of gods belonging to a particular religion or tradition, and a temple or sacred building Arts and entertainment Comics *Pantheon (Marvel Comics), a fictional organization * ''Pantheon'' (Lone S ...
. Posing as a member of the organization
Desert Sword A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About one ...
, he fought against Freedom Force. (it was originally stated that his children had been kidnapped by Desert Sword, who forced Abdul to work in their service). The Knight left the Pantheon following a disagreement with Achilles. Abdul died when
Humus Sapien Humus Sapien (Sonny Baredo) is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared as Humus Sapiens in ''FOOM'' #3 (Autumn 1973), created by Michael A. Barreiro. He first appeared as Humus Sapie ...
, a powerful
mutant In biology, and especially in genetics, a mutant is an organism or a new genetic character arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is generally an alteration of the DNA sequence of the genome or chromosome of an organism. It ...
whose abilities are powered by the random draining of life from a large number of people, drained him of his life force.


Navid Hashim

Navid Hashim - the next Arabian Knight - debuted in 2006's ''
Union Jack The Union Jack, or Union Flag, is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. Although no law has been passed making the Union Flag the official national flag of the United Kingdom, it has effectively become such through precedent. ...
'' (3rd series) #1. Unlike the first two Arabian Knights, the third dresses in contemporary military clothing and appears to have extensive combat experience. When
Red Hulk Red Hulk is an alias that is used by different fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. While the first two were created from members of the United States army, the third one is a form of Hulk's Joe Fixit ...
and Machine Man arrived in Sharzhad, they encounter Arabian Knight who leads them into Sharzhad and to Dagan Shah's palace. Once inside the palace, Dagan Shah sheds his disguise, reveals his true identity as the Sultan Magus, and imprisons Red Hulk and Machine Man as it is shown that the real Arabian Knight is imprisoned in a crystal. During Red Hulk and Machine Man's fight with Sultan Magus, Arabian Knight gets free and helps in the fight against Sultan Magus, when he manages to cut off Sultan Magus' arms (yet Sultan Magus managed to reattach his arms before resuming the fight). Arabian Knight later represented the Arabian government when he attended
Black Panther A black panther is the melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical rosettes are also present. They have been d ...
's meeting in the Eden Room of Avengers Mountain.


Powers and abilities

The first Arabian Knight had the normal abilities of a healthy, athletic human. He was a good hand-to-hand combatant and was an exceptional swordsman, particularly in the use of the scimitar. He possesses three magical weapons: a
magic carpet A magic carpet, also called a flying carpet, is a legendary carpet and common trope in fantasy fiction. It is typically used as a form of transportation and can quickly or instantaneously carry its users to their destination. In literature One o ...
, a
gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
en
scimitar A scimitar ( or ) is a single-edged sword with a convex curved blade associated with Middle Eastern, South Asian, or North African cultures. A European term, ''scimitar'' does not refer to one specific sword type, but an assortment of different ...
emitting beams of magical force, and a mind-controlled belt/sash. Indeed, ''all'' three items respond, exclusively, to his mental commands. He discovered his weapons, which had belonged to a 13th-century ancestor, in an underground tomb in the
Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
ian desert. The magic carpet and sash are formed from a material that is virtually indestructible, resisting fire, and even bullets. The carpet permitted him to travel, flying, at high speeds and altitudes, while the belt/sash magically elongates to approximately in length (almost 10 times its typical length), and can serve as a weapon (whip), or as a climbing rope, or to capture and restrain his foes. The golden scimitar, in addition to firing destructive blasts, will "backfire" against any other person who may attempt to wield it. The next Arabian Knight revealed that the magic carpet used by the first Arabian Knight was unraveled and made into an indestructible uniform that responds to his thoughts. He still uses the magic scimitar and wears the red magic sash around his waist. The uniform serves as body armor that protects him from harm and allows him to fly.


Reception

Comic Book Resources ''Comic Book Resources'', also known by the initialism CBR, is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book–related news and discussion. History Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1995 as a development of the Kingdom Co ...
placed the original Arabian Knight as one of the superheroes Marvel wants you to forget.


Other characters named Arabian Knight

An unrelated character named Arabian Knight appeared in ''Black Panther'' vol. 4 #15 (June 2006). He was depicted as a
Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
warrior who won the right to use the magical
scimitar A scimitar ( or ) is a single-edged sword with a convex curved blade associated with Middle Eastern, South Asian, or North African cultures. A European term, ''scimitar'' does not refer to one specific sword type, but an assortment of different ...
,
carpet A carpet is a textile floor covering typically consisting of an upper layer of pile attached to a backing. The pile was traditionally made from wool, but since the 20th century synthetic fibers such as polypropylene, nylon, or polyester hav ...
, and armor due to trial by combat. This Arabian Knight showed up as a part of an international attempt to invade
Wakanda Wakanda () is a fictional country appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Wakanda has been depicted as being in East Africa. It is located in sub-Saharan Africa, and is home to the superhero Black Panther. Wakanda first app ...
, and was defeated by the
Black Panther A black panther is the melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical rosettes are also present. They have been d ...
and
Storm A storm is any disturbed state of the natural environment or the atmosphere An atmosphere () is a layer of gas or layers of gases that envelop a planet, and is held in place by the gravity of the planetary body. A planet retains an atmos ...
.''Black Panther'' vol. 4 #15 (June 2006). Marvel Comics.


References


External links

* * * {{Marvelwiki, Arabian_Knight_(Abdul_Qamar), Arabian Knight (Abdul Qamar)
Marvel Directory: Arabian Knight I
Characters created by Al Milgrom Characters created by Bill Mantlo Comics characters introduced in 1981 Comics characters introduced in 2006 Fictional Arabs Fictional swordfighters in comics Marvel Comics characters who use magic Marvel Comics martial artists Marvel Comics superheroes