MAD PHARAOH
Real Name: Hatap
Identity/Class: Extratemporal (Earth's past, @ 1 A.D.) human magic user
Occupation: Former Pharaoh
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: None
Enemies: Cleopatra, Iron Man (Tony Stark)
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: Mad Pharoah (misspelling used throughout the story), the mummy
Place of Birth: Sinope, Pontus
Base of Operations: Egypt, @ 1 A.D.
First Appearance: Tales of Suspense I#44/1 (August, 1963)
Powers: Hatap possessed a knowledge of sorcery, the extent of which is largely unrevealed. He created a potion to place himself in suspended animation. He cast a spell of sickness across a group of workers. He possessed a golden charm, which allowed him to travel to other time periods, seemingly via a magical "Chariot of Time." He appeared to possess normal human physical abilities and vulnerabilities.
Hatap also had access to an army of soldiers, large enough to threaten (but apparently not defeat) Cleopatra's army.
Height: 6' 3"
Weight: 192 lbs.
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black
History: (Tales of Suspense I#44/1) - Little is known about the past of the Pharaoh Hatap, but because of his knowledge of the black arts and his ruthless crimes, he earned the title "Mad Pharaoh". Approximately 2000 years ago, he had staged a rebellion against Cleopatra. When the tide of the battle turned against him, he took a potion that put him in a state of suspended animation for 2000 years. Believing him to be dead, Cleopatra had him embalmed and entombed as befit a man of his stature, according to his final will and instructions.
In the modern era, Tony Stark, both as himself and as Iron Man, assisted his old friend Paul, an archeologist, in the excavation of Hatap's tomb. Hatap then revived and cast a spell afflicting the others working on the excavation with a disease which would spread across Earth unless Stark agreed to return with Hatap to his era, defeat Cleopatra, and rule Egypt, as he had originally planned. Hatap used his magic charm to summon his "Chariot of Time" and transport the two back to ancient Egypt.
After arriving in the past, Stark broke away from Hatap, changed into his Iron Man armor, and escaped. Iron Man made his way to the court of Cleopatra and helped defend it against an attack by a Roman legion. Earning the gratitude and friendship of Cleopatra, Iron Man informed her of Hatap's plans and helped her fight off his army. Fearing defeat at Iron Man's hands, Hatap sought to use the charm to return to the modern era, but Iron Man squirted some oil on the charm, causing Hatap to drop it. Diving for the charm, Hatap inadvertently landed on an upturned sword, which apparently killed him. Hatap's army fled, and Iron Man used the charm to return to his own time, despite Cleopatra's requests that he stay and rule by her side.
Comments: Created by Stan Lee/Robert Berns (writers), and Don Heck (artist).
I guess his potion, or his magic spells, saved him from the embalming process. I'm also not sure why he didn't just use the charm, rather than taking the potion, in the first place.
My guess is that the
Chariot of Time's power was limited in that it couldn't transport
Hatap to the future because he didn't "belong" there yet, so he had to
get there via the suspended animation route. But Iron Man had no such
problem returning at the story's end because he already "belonged" to
the future.--Ron Fredricks
You'd think Hatap might have taken some serum or used some spell to allow him to recover from seemingly fatal wounds.
Mad Pharaoh has an entry in Marvel Legacy: The 1960s Handbook.
Appearances:
Tales of Suspense I#44/1 (August, 1963) - Stan Lee & Robert
Bernstein (writers), Don Heck (pencils and inks), Sam Rosen (letters),
Stan Lee (editor)
First Posted: 09/07/2001
Last updated: 07/12/2020
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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