Shadow King: Bio, Origin & History

Real Name: Amahl Farouk, most likely untrue 

First Appearance: X-Men #117 (January, 1979)

Powers: Telepathy, Can possess others

Affiliation: Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, Gladiators, Cairo Thieves Quarter 

Did You Know? The history of the Shadow King isn’t completely known

A Little History

Predating most of the mutants in existence, save for one or two, the Shadow King is considered one of the foremost telepaths in Marvel.

There isn’t a true known beginning to the man known as the Shadow King. Some say that he has jumped from host to host, never remaining with the same one for more than they are needed. And others say that he is someone of pure telepathic energy who exists only on the Astral Plane.  

In the first recorded instance of the Shadow King, he was found in physical form under the guise of Amahl Farouk. As Farouk, he, Wolfgang von Strucker and Dr. Nicklaus Geist came together to try to change history. The three of them attempted to lay dispute to the British lineage and create sympathy for Hitler, thereby changing British alignment during the World Wars. This, of course, did not happen as Wolverine and two others stopped the three.

His history becomes exciting decades later on the streets of Cairo. While in Cairo, a young Charles Xavier looks to prevent the unsuspecting Ororo Munroe from stealing his wallet. What he didn’t realize was at this moment he was the presence of the Shadow King. As kind of a warning shot, Xavier came under attack from Farouk.

The attack forced Xavier to locate the source of it and upon finding it, the two began to immediately clash. Farouk believed that together the two could rule the world while Xavier only wanted to use his power for good. The difference of beliefs led the two to do battle on the Astral Plane where Xavier was able to best the Shadow King. In fact, his victory was so impressive that it concluded with the death of the physical form of his adversary.

What makes this so remarkable was that this instance was the first ever encounter that Xavier had with an evil mutant. This, of course, laid the groundwork of what would become the X-Men. 

The Shadow King is considered, after Charles Xavier, the world’s foremost telepath. On the Astral Plane, he has control over his thoughts and the thoughts of others that rivals very few. As such, he is one of the world’s most dangerous mutants and is nearly invincible. 

Cheers,

Joel