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Happy Halloween everybody, and welcome to the latest edition of Marvel Snapshot! In this week’s spotlight, we’ll be focusing on The Living Mummy! Yes, it’s time to wrap yourself in toilet paper and walk around like a zombie, so get ready to get some sand in your shoes, too.

Everybody probably knows the movie origin for The Mummy, and Marvel’s version is very similar. The Living Mummy made his debut in Supernatural Thrillers #5 (1973), and was created by Steve Gerber and Rich Buckler. This title was synonymous with tales about all things horror and made the Living Mummy a household name back in the 1970s. N’Kantu was born over three thousand years ago in Egypt and was the son of a king. After a ruthless battle took the life of many of his people, N’Kantu and others were enslaved by Aram-Set, but N’Kantu eventually led a revolt against him. N’Kantu made his way to the dwelling place of Aram-Set’s high priest, Nephrus. The priest was ready for him, though, and used a paralyzing liquid to stop N’Kantu. Nephrus then used a spell along with some alchemical preservative to mummify him. He was then entombed in a sarcophagus.

Eventually, N’Kantu got loose and terrorized Cairo. Nothing could stop his rampage until he knocked over a pole, and a power line electrocuted him. He’s then captured and shipped to New York City, where he awoke again. He eventually becomes more of a neutral figure, not siding with good or evil, but just observing most of the time. He has had run-ins with Captain America, Thing, Ulysses Bloodstone, and other monsters as well. The Living Mummy even made an appearance in Marvel’s event Civil War.
Recommended Reading
Supernatural Thrillers #5-15 (1972)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Horror 2005 (one-shot)
Nick Fury’s Howling Commandos #1-6 (2005)
Marvel Two-in-One #95 (1974)
Marvel Superhero Contest of Champions #1, 3 (1982)






Billy Dunleavy
billy@comicattack.net