Guran is a character from ''

The Phantom ''The Phantom'' is an American adventure comic strip, first published by Lee Falk in February 1936. The main character, the Phantom, is a fictional costumed crime-fighter who operates from the fictional African country of Bangalla. The char ...

'' comic strip. Guran is the best friend of the main character,

Phantom Phantom may refer to: * Spirit (animating force), the vital principle or animating force within all living things ** Ghost, the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that can appear to the living Aircraft * Boeing Phantom Ray, a stealthy unm ...

Character synopsis

According to Lee Falk's novel '' The Story of the Phantom: The Ghost Who Walks'', Guran is ten years older than Kit Walker (a.k.a. The Phantom). The two grew up together in the deep woods of

Bangalla Bangalla (), also known as Bengalla (in the 1996 movie adaptation), is a fictional African country that features in the Lee Falk created comic strip ''The Phantom''. Bangalla is the home of the Phantom, who resides in the Deep Woods of the jun ...

, where Guran taught the Phantom the ways of the

Bandar tribe Bandar or Bunder may refer to: Places * Bandar, Afghanistan * Bandar, Narayanganj, Bangladesh * Bandar, Isfahan, Iran * Bandar, Kermanshah, Iran * Bandar, Yazd, Iran * Banda Aceh, Indonesia * Bandar Lampung, Indonesia * Bandar Seri Begawan, ...

. Guran was the Phantom's best man when he married his girlfriend since boyhood, Diana Palmer. Guran followed Kit to

Clarksdale, Mississippi Clarksdale is a city in and the county seat of Coahoma County, Mississippi, United States. It is located along the Sunflower River. Clarksdale is named after John Clark, a settler who founded the city in the mid-19th century when he establishe ...

, where Kit studied while living with his aunt and uncle, Bessie and Sid, leaving him to become the first of the shy, isolated Bandar pigmies to learn how to read and write. He also brought Kit the message about Kit's dying father, the 20th Phantom, causing the 20-year-old college student to leave America to return to the Skull Cave,

, where he took up the mantle of the Phantom. Known for his characteristic clothing, he is usually seen wearing a special hat made of either blades of grass or wood. He is also the medicine man of the Bandar, and has saved the Phantom's life on a few occasions due to his knowledge of ancient Bangallan medicine, as well as modern western medicine.

Family

Guran is the son of the former chief of the Bandar tribe, leaving him to take over the title from his father (it is not known whether his father died or retired from the position). His ancestors, who have accompanied various Phantoms on adventures, are similar in appearance and are all named with the suffix ''-uran''. Guran has a son from a former relationship, Timo, the black sheep of the family. Timo was once was a part of the team who tried to steal the Phantom's treasure from the Skull Cave.

Other media

* In the ''

Phantom 2040 ''Phantom 2040'' is an animated series that is loosely based on the comic strip superhero ''The Phantom'', created by Lee Falk. The central character of the series is said to be the 24th Phantom. It was aired from September 18, 1994 to March 3, 1 ...

'' animated series, Guran's grandson, also named Guran, was the closest friend of the 23rd Phantom, and acted as a mentor to the 24th. He was voiced by J.D. Hall. * A character called Guran had cameo appearances in some episodes of ''

Defenders of the Earth ''Defenders of the Earth'' is an American animated television series produced in 1986, featuring characters from three comic strips distributed by King Features Syndicate—Flash Gordon, The Phantom, Mandrake the Magician, and Mandrake's assistan ...

'', which featured ''

Flash Gordon Flash Gordon is the protagonist of a space adventure comic strip created and originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by, and created to compete with, the already established '' Buck Rogers'' adv ...

'', ''

'', and ''

Mandrake the Magician ''Mandrake the Magician'' is a syndicated newspaper comic strip, created by Lee Falk before he created '' The Phantom''. Ron Goulart, ''The Encyclopedia of American Comics''. New York: Facts on File, 1990. . pp. 91, 249–250. ''Mandrake'' be ...

''. However, as the series took place in the future, it is presumed to be one of Guran's descendants. * In the 1996 ''The Phantom'' film, Guran makes a brief appearance played by

Radmar Agana Jao Radmar Agana Jao, SJ (born November 7, 1966) is an American priest and former actor. He is originally from Valparaiso, Indiana, and he comes from a family of nine children. He was born in Gary, Indiana, on November 7, 1966, to Tessie Agana, a ...

. In this version he is much younger than the Phantom, and is portrayed as an Asian, rather than African as he is in the comics. He also wears a

turban A turban (from Persian دولبند‌, ''dulband''; via Middle French ''turbant'') is a type of headwear based on cloth winding. Featuring many variations, it is worn as customary headwear by people of various cultures. Communities with promin ...

and a more traditional set of clothing, rather than his strange hat and unique dress sense in the comic. * In the 1943 Phantom movie serial, a character named Moko is clearly inspired by Guran, and serves as the Phantom's assistant and helper throughout the film. * In the 2010 SyFy miniseries, Guran is recast as an educated native woman (

Sandrine Holt Sandrine Claire Holt (born Sandrine Vanessa Ho; 19 November 1972) is a British-born Canadian model and actress. Early life Holt was born Sandrine Vanessa Ho in Croydon. Her middle name was later changed to Claire. Her father, Man Shun ("Horace" ...

) of the Bengalla jungle who eventually befriends Kit Walker the 22nd (

Ryan Carnes Ryan Gregg Carnes
at TV.com (born November 21, 1982) is an American actor. He is most known for playing the ...

) the son of the 21st Phantom (Kit Walker the 21st) and Diane Walker.

References

External links

Character profile at ChronicleChamber.com
{{Phantom Male characters in comics Comics characters introduced in 1936 The Phantom characters Fictional kings Fictional princes