Scarlet Scarab is the name of two fictional characters 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 ...
. Created by
Roy Thomas
Roy William Thomas Jr."Roy Thomas Checklist" ''Alter Ego'' vol. 3, #50 (July 2005) p. 16 (born November 22, 1940) is an American comic book writer and editor, who was Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibl ...
,
Archie Goodwin, and
Frank Robbins
Franklin Robbins (September 9, 1917 – November 28, 1994) was an American comic book and comic strip artist and writer, as well as a prominent painter whose work appeared in museums including the Whitney Museum of American Art, where one of his p ...
, Abdul Faoul, the first Scarlet Scarab, made his first appearance in ''
The Invaders
''The Invaders'' is an American science-fiction television series created by Larry Cohen that aired on ABC for two seasons, from 1967 to 1968. Roy Thinnes stars as David Vincent, who after stumbling across evidence of an in-progress invasion ...
'' #23 (December 1977). The second Scarlet Scarab, Mehemet Faoul, was created by
Doug Moench
Douglas Moench (; born February 23, 1948) is an American comic book writer notable for his ''Batman'' work and as the creator of Moon Knight, Deathlok, Black Mask, '' Electric Warrior'' and '' Six from Sirius''. He is also known for his critica ...
and
Alan Kupperberg
Alan Kupperberg (May 18, 1953 – July 16, 2015) was an American comics artist known for working in both comic books and newspaper strips.
Early life
Alan Kupperberg was born on May 18, 1953 in New York City. He graduated from the High School o ...
, and made his debut in ''
Thor
Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred groves ...
'' #326 (December 1982).
May Calamawy
May El Calamawy ( ar, مي القلماوي, , born October 28, 1986) is an Egyptian-Palestinian actress who has worked and resided in the United States since 2015. She is known for her roles in the American television series '' Ramy'' as Dena H ...
stars as
Layla El-Faouly in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by ...
television series ''
Moon Knight'' (2022), with the character becoming the Scarlet Scarab in its final episode.
Publication history
According to Roy Thomas, the Scarlet Scarab, like the
Silver Scarab
Hector Hall is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in DC Comics's ''Infinity, Inc.'', ''The Sandman (Vertigo), Sandman'' and ''Justice Society of America, JSA''. He has gone by the names Silver Scarab, Sandman (DC Comics), Sandman, and Doc ...
in ''
Infinity, Inc.
Infinity, Inc. is a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics.
The first incarnation is mostly composed of the children and heirs of the Justice Society of America (JSA), making them the Society's analogue to t ...
'', was an homage to the
Dan Garret
Dan Garret or Dan Garrett is a fictional superhero, appearing in American comic books published by multiple companies, including Fox Comics, Charlton Comics, and DC Comics. Garret was created by Charles Nicholas Wojtkoski, and made his first appe ...
incarnation of the
Blue Beetle
Blue Beetle is the name of three fictional superheroes who appear in a number of American comic books published by a variety of companies since 1939. The most recent of the companies to own rights to Blue Beetle is DC Comics, which bought the ri ...
"about whom I had written my second professional comics story back in 1965."
The creators of the Ruby Scarab were named Garret and Dann.
Abdul Faoul
The first Scarlet Scarab first appeared in ''
The Invaders
''The Invaders'' is an American science-fiction television series created by Larry Cohen that aired on ABC for two seasons, from 1967 to 1968. Roy Thinnes stars as David Vincent, who after stumbling across evidence of an in-progress invasion ...
'' #23 (December 1977), and was created by
Roy Thomas
Roy William Thomas Jr."Roy Thomas Checklist" ''Alter Ego'' vol. 3, #50 (July 2005) p. 16 (born November 22, 1940) is an American comic book writer and editor, who was Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibl ...
,
Archie Goodwin, and
Frank Robbins
Franklin Robbins (September 9, 1917 – November 28, 1994) was an American comic book and comic strip artist and writer, as well as a prominent painter whose work appeared in museums including the Whitney Museum of American Art, where one of his p ...
. The character also appeared in ''The Invaders'' #25 (February 1978).
Mehemet Faoul
The second Scarlet Scarab first appeared in ''
Thor
Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred groves ...
'' #326 (December 1982), and was created by
Doug Moench
Douglas Moench (; born February 23, 1948) is an American comic book writer notable for his ''Batman'' work and as the creator of Moon Knight, Deathlok, Black Mask, '' Electric Warrior'' and '' Six from Sirius''. He is also known for his critica ...
and
Alan Kupperberg
Alan Kupperberg (May 18, 1953 – July 16, 2015) was an American comics artist known for working in both comic books and newspaper strips.
Early life
Alan Kupperberg was born on May 18, 1953 in New York City. He graduated from the High School o ...
. He received an entry in the original ''The
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe
The ''Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe'' is an encyclopedic guide which details the fictional universe featured in Marvel Comics publications. The original 15-volume series was published in comic book format in 1982, followed by sporadic u ...
'' #9.
Fictional character biography
Abdul Faoul
Abdul Faoul was a famous archaeologist during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. 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
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 ...
during World War II.
Dr. Faoul worked as a liaison between the Allied Forces and the Egyptian government, and led the
Human Torch
The Human Torch (Jonathan "Johnny" Storm) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a founding member of the Fantastic Four. He is writer Stan Lee's and artist Jack Kirby's reinvention of ...
and
Namor
Namor (), also known as the Sub-Mariner, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Debuting in early 1939, the character was created by writer-artist Bill Everett for comic book packager Funnies Inc. ...
to a recently excavated pyramid in search of the fanatic nationalist group, the Sons of the Scarab, which was actually led by Faoul. He 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 had not realized that the gem's crafter, a powerful pre-dynastic Egyptian sorcerer named Garret, had placed an enchantment on it that it would return to Garret's tomb whenever it had exhausted its store of mystical power. Faoul spent the next twenty years in search of the ruby, not realizing it had returned to where he had found it. Eventually, the Elementals sent
N'Kantu, the Living Mummy
N'Kantu the Living Mummy is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character's first run was from 1973 to 1975, and was based on the popular undead mummy trope of horror fiction.
Publication his ...
to fetch the ruby. The ruby changed hands a number of times after N'Kantu recovered it, going from the
Living Monolith
The Living Monolith (Ahmet Abdol) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in ''The X-Men'' #54 (March 1969).
Abdol is the Living Pharaoh while in his normal appearance, but once he obtai ...
, a thief named Daniel "the Asp" Aspen, the Elementals, and an extra-dimensional traveler named
Hecate
Hecate or Hekate, , ; grc-dor, Ἑκάτᾱ, Hekátā, ; la, Hecatē or . is a goddess in ancient Greek religion and mythology, most often shown holding a pair of torches, a key, snakes, or accompanied by dogs, and in later periods depicte ...
.
Meanwhile, 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
Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred groves ...
, who mistook his intentions and the two fought to a standstill.
[
]
Powers and abilities
Abdul and Mehemet have superhuman strength and durability, the ability to fly at high speeds, the ability to fire concussive bursts of mystical energy, and the ability to sap the power from others on contact. Abdul needed to maintain contact with the Scarab to use its power.[
]
In other media
Television
* May Calamawy
May El Calamawy ( ar, مي القلماوي, , born October 28, 1986) is an Egyptian-Palestinian actress who has worked and resided in the United States since 2015. She is known for her roles in the American television series '' Ramy'' as Dena H ...
stars in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by ...
television series '' Moon Knight'' (2022) as Layla El-Faouly, an archaeologist and adventurer who is Marc Spector's wife. El-Faouly's backstory is based on Marlene Alraune
Marlene may refer to:
People
* Marlene (given name), including a list of people with the name
* Marlene (Burmese businesswoman), Nang Kham Noung (born 1991)
* Marlene (Japanese singer) (born 1960), a Filipina jazz singer active in Japan
Film
* ' ...
, Spector's wife in the comics, who was changed from Caucasian to Egyptian at the suggestion of lead director Mohamed Diab
Mohamed Diab ('' ar, محمد دياب'', , born 1978) is an Egyptians, Egyptian screenwriter and director whose work often centers on pressing issues concerning Egyptian society. He is known for his directorial debut film 678 (film), ''Cairo 678 ...
, and is also the daughter of an archaeologist murdered by one of Spector's associates. El-Faouly becomes the Scarlet Scarab in the sixth episode, " Gods and Monsters", after accepting to be the temporary avatar of the Egyptian goddess Taweret
In Ancient Egyptian religion, Taweret (also spelled Taurt, Tuat, Tuart, Ta-weret, Tawaret, Twert and Taueret, and in Greek, Θουέρις – Thouéris, Thoeris, Taouris and Toeris) is the protective ancient Egyptian goddess of childbirth and ...
, with this name being confirmed by ''Marvel.com
Marvel Entertainment, LLC (formerly Marvel Enterprises) is an American entertainment company founded in June 1998 and based in New York City, New York, formed by the merger of Marvel Entertainment Group and Toy Biz. The company is a wholly own ...
'' following the episode's release. Diab noted he had not connected her to that character from the comics, explaining, "Sometimes Marvel picks a name and then gives it to the character that is developed." He pointed out that at the moment, she did not receive her powers from the scarab, but ultimately felt what the character represented was more important than her name.
References
External links
*
*
*{{Marvunapp, http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/scarabru.htm, The Ruby Scarab
Articles about multiple fictional characters
Characters created by Archie Goodwin (comics)
Characters created by Doug Moench
Characters created by Frank Robbins
Characters created by Roy Thomas
Comics characters introduced in 1977
Comics characters introduced in 1982
Egyptian superheroes
Fictional archaeologists
Fictional characters with superhuman durability or invulnerability
Marvel Comics characters with superhuman strength
Marvel Comics male superheroes
Marvel Comics male supervillains
Marvel Comics superheroes
Marvel Comics supervillains