Real Name: Scheherezade
Identity/Class: Human (10th
century AD, see comments)
Occupation: Storyteller, slave;
former queen
Group Membership: Collector's
collection (Glob/Joe
Timms, Man-Thing/Ted Sallis, Akbar,
Captain
Cutlass and his crew, a cyclops, harpies, exemplars of
extraterrestrial races, Neanderthal men, a mythic Hydra, a soldier of
the American Civil War, a satyr, ancient Greek and Roman soldiers,
Brachus, Tiberius and other gladiators
of the Roman era)
Affiliations: Bruce Banner (Hulk)
Enemies: The Collector
(Taneleer Tivan)
Known Relatives: Shahryar
(husband), three sons, her father (Chief Vizier)
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Collector's spaceship, mobile
in the universe;
previously the court of King Shahryar
First Appearance: Alf Layah wa-Layah ("One Thousand and One Nights"; 9th Century)
Incredible Hulk II#198 (April,
1976)
Powers/Abilities: Scheherazade had an exceptional
knowledge of tales, history, foreign culture and habits, being trained
thanks to her father's wealthy and influential position at court. For
the age in which she was born, she was an exception among women and men.
Her knowledge was also enhanced and
demonstrated by her ability as a story-teller, which entranced
and captured a quite demanding client as the King, who had already
listened to many other brides telling him many tales. It is very probable
that some of the stories she told were made by herself, making her a
prolific and fantastic writer artist.
She was surely able to understand human nature and adapt her attitude to the King's behavior, to the point tha he trusted and cared for her. Before the invention of psychological sciences, she was already a master in such matter.
Scheherazade was quite courageous,
confronting the deadly doom pending on her neck every night she had to
convince the King that he was going to be happier if she stayed alive
and at his flank.
Height: Unrevealed
(approximately 5'5")
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 108 lbs.)
Eyes: Light Blue
Hair: Long, Black (see comment)
History:
(Marvel Classic Comics#30) - Scheherezade was the daughter of the Chief Vizier, in a long past, when India and
China were ruled by the same king: Shahryar.
Scheherezade was wise, witty and well read, and she was also a fair maiden.
One day the Vizier told his daughter
why was he desperate. The King had executed many fair maidens, all
beautiful women he had married before; thus, after many marriages, in
the land around the King, the beautiful maidens were no more. The King
ordered the Vizier to bring him a new bride, and the Vizier knew that it
wasn't possible, thus he feared for his life. Scheherezade offered
herself to save his father.
Scheherezade became the King's wife.
As all the previous wives, on the wedding night the
King asked his wife to tell him a story. Scheherezade knew that
the other wives had been killed the morning after they had told their
story, but her courage did not falter. She chose to tell a story of
the ancient Persia: Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.
It was dawn, when the story finished. So intriguing, and adventurous,
and wondrous was the tale, that the King claimed that it was the best
he had ever heard. Cunningly, Scheherezade pointed out that that
story was the poorest among the many ones she had, but she never
thought to write them down. Thus the king made an exception to his
custom, letting Scheherezade live for another day and another story.
The second night,
Scheherezade told a story of old China, entitled "Aladdin and his
Magical Lamp".
And the second sunrise found the King almost
enthralled by the dreams made real thanks to his wife. Scheherazade's
execution was delayed again.
The third night Scheherezade started her story in Baghdad, it was "Sinbad the Sailor." The King listened till the last of the many voyages of Sinbad, and Scheherezade conquered another day of life.
The wonders and the enchantments woven by Scheherezade's imagination lasted for years. During that period of time she bore three children to the King, and the King pardoned her, and the king also repented the slaying of the daughters of the land.
King Shahryar ordered
the chroniclers to write down all that happened to him and his wife.
The result were thirty volumes entitled "The Stories of Thousands
nights and one".
(Incredible Hulk
II#198 (fb) - BTS) - Scheherezade was still a fair maiden when she
became part of the Collector's collection.
For centuries she was forced to tell tales to her
captor, but the Collector didn't reward her with freedom. She was
confined into her alcove, surrounded by a force field, as well as many
other pieces of the collection in the spaceship.
Life became unbearable.
(Incredible
Hulk II#198) - In recent years, Scheherezade was kept in a section of
the spaceship furnished in an Arabian Night style. A new prisoner,
Bruce Banner found that her appearance reminded him someone seen in a
picture. Initially upset about being gawked at and believing she would
be expected to tell more stories, Scheherezade hurled her mirror at
him. After Banner explained that he was also a prisoner, she realized
that he was free to roam into the ship asked for his help, and the
other prisoners in the near exhibitions did the same.
Shortly after, the spaceship and the prisoners' dust were covered by
the extremely rapid growth of vegetation around Omegaville. In few
weeks, there was no superficial evidence that anyone had been there.
Scheherezade spoke English as many other prisoners, but not only. She also had some knowledge of the logistics of the enormous spaceship. She knew where the exit was, and she was aware that there was an energetic influence inside the ship, that kept them alive and untouched by age.
During
her life as bride and mother, Scheherezade had brown hair. In the
Collector's prison, she had black hair. It is more likely that she dyed
her hair when she had to please the King.
King
Shahryar thanked Allah. This particular is in strong contrast with the
common belief that Scheherazade's "One Thousand and One Nights"
happened in the 3rd/7th centuries before the Islam conquered Persia.
Nonetheless, Shahryar's religion does not imply that India and China
worshiped Allah, too.
Historically, Islam arrived to to the east following the
Silk Road, between the 7th and 10th Century. Islam expanded in some parts of
India between 11th Century and 14th Century, then it expanded in Kashmir
and Xinjiang (14th - 16th Century).
In Marvel time, Scheherezade's King's kingdom could
be interpreted as "including parts of the contemporary India and China."
Thus, the period of time that matches less badly these constraints
should be the 10th/11th Century.
The introduction page in Marvel Classic Comics#30
mentioned the version of 10th Century.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Scheherezade of the Arabian Nights should
be distinguished from:
King
Shahryar ruled over a vast territory that included China and India.
He was particularly fond of stories and tales.
Shahryar
established a custom in his reign: he would marry a new bride every
night. On the wedding night, the bride would be forced to tell him a
story, and in the morning, the King would order the wife to be
slain.
This
custom went on for many times, until the King could not find
beautiful maidens anymore. So, Shahryar ordered to his Chief Vizier
to find other suitable maidens to become his bride.
The Vizier gave his daughter Scheherezade in
marriage to the king.
The King enjoyed so much the tales, and the
storytelling, that he spared Scheherezade's life for the first, the
second and the third night, breaking the custom of slaying the "daughters
of the land".
The King found himself fully and fantastically
entertained by his bride. On the fourth night he already decided to
spare Scheherezade's life, but Shahryar didn't confess his
resolution to her.
After
more than three years, the King had three sons and a thousands and
one nights of stories.
Sometime
later, he ordered to the chroniclers to write down the story of himself and his
bride. The chroniclers produced thirty volumes that became "The
Stories of the Thousands and One".
Comments: Created by unidentified writer(s);
adapted to Marvel by Doug Moench and Yong Montano
In the original
story, the King's killing custom was caused by the betrayal of his first
wife. The execution of his wife, however, didn't quench his rage nor his
need of revenge against the female genre. To avoid any chance to be
betrayed again, but still having a wife, he found the solution in
killing the woman the day after the marriage. This hatred and deadly
determination weren't visible in the comics. See also the comments in
the Sinbad
profile.
CLARIFICATIONS:
King Shahryar should be distinguished from:
--Marvel Classic Comics#30
The Chief
Vizier was a highly important employee at the court of King
Shahryar, and for some subject matters, it was he who administered
and actually ruled things behind the King.
The Vizier was the father of a wise, witty and
well read maiden: Scheherezade.
The
Vizier was given by King Shahryar a hard task to accomplish: To
find a fair maiden to be the new bride of the King. The task was so
hard because the King had already slain all the beautiful girls he
had chosen as his wives.
The Vizier didn't know where to find another
possible bride for the King, and he feared that the King would have him
executed.
After the Vizier explained his situation to
Scheherezade, she offered herself to save her
father's life, marrying the King.
Years later, King Shahryar had learned to love Scheherezade, and
he acknowledged that the "slaying of the Daughters of the Land" was a
wrong custom.
To thank
the Vizier about his choice of a bride, the King summoned the Lords
and the Ladies of the Land to a banquet, where he honored his
special favor to the Chief Vizier.
Comments: Created by unidentified writer(s);
adapted to Marvel by Doug Moench and Yong Montano.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Chief Vizier should be distinguished from:
--Marvel Classic Comics#30
First posted: 03/21/2026
Last updated: 03/21/2026
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel
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