History:
POTIPHAR
Real Name: Nungali Kashab
Identity/Class: Alternate reality (New Universe) human (Egyptian)
Occupation: Professsional mercenary, former terrorist
Legal Status: Citizen of Egypt with a criminal record. Wanted in fourteen countries in connection with various terrorist activities.
Group Membership: Medusa Web (Babel, Backfire, Dustoff, Gatto di Sangue, Imprint, Relampago, Skybreaker, Thunderhead, Toocheetsch, Troublemaker); formerly Egyptian National Army
Affiliations: Babel, Backfire, C.I.A., Dustoff, Gatto di Sangue, Imprint, Justice, K.G.B., Psi-Force, Red Sun (Coojeechiscue, Shivowtnoeh), Relampago, Skybreaker, Thunderhead, Toocheetsch, Troublemaker
Enemies: Lindsey Falmon, Iran, Iraqi Army, Rodstvow, the Siberian Project, Sillatochca, Jake Travest
(former) Psi-Force
Known Relatives: Hosni Kashab (father), Gasheba Kashab (mother, deceased), Yussif Kashab (brother, deceased), Noorani Kashab (brother, deceased)
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Mobile
Place of Birth: Al Kharijah, Egypt, April 14, 1960
Extent of Education: Unknown. Received military training from the Egyptian National Army, K.G.B. training in Syria.
Religion: Islam
First Appearance: (in shadows) Psi-Force I#18 (April, 1988)
(full) Psi-Force I#19 (May, 1988)
Powers/Abilities: Potiphar is a professional mercenary and assassin who has trained at this occupation for most of his life. He has fluid command over all weapons of war and combat techniques, both hand-to-hand and projectile. His weaponry changes based on his current assignment and he always uses state-of-the-art weapons for his assignments. He usually carries an automatic rifle, shotgun, a pistol, grenades and a combat knife. He has also carried a rocket launcher. He likes to listen to rock and roll music through his helmet stereo while performing combat duty. His helmet also contains a video camera so that his superior Babel can monitor him in the field. Potiphar has an extremely sociopathic personality and therefore a strong disregard for human life.
Height: 6'
Weight: 178 lbs.
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black
History:
(Psi-Force I#23/Potiphar) - Nungali Kashab was once a soldier in the Egyptian National Army. Proving to be a sociopath, he later became a terrorist and received training from the K.G.B. in Syria. He gave up terrorism to become a for-profit mercenary and joined the forces of the Medusa Web, becoming one of their top field operatives under the alias "Potiphar."
(Psi-Force I#18) - The Medusa Web took an assignment from the C.I.A. to capture the teenaged paranormal members of Psi-Force. On December 12, 1987, after one group of Medusa Web operatives failed to capture two members of Psi-Force in Seattle, Washington, the Medusa Web's leader Babel directed a team comprised of Potiphar, Gatto di Sangue, Relampago, Skybreaker, Toocheetsch and Troublemaker to locate the other three Psi-Force members: Thomas Boyd, Anastasia Inyushin and Kathy Ling.
(Psi-Force I#19 (fb) - BTS) - On December 24, 1987, the Medusa Web fought Boyd, Inyushin and Ling but the three teenagers evaded capture. They clashed again soon after in San Clemente.
(Psi-Force I#19) - On January 2, 1988, the Medusa Web followed Boyd, Inyushin and Ling to San Diego, where the teens attempted to hide in Horton Plaza. Potiphar made several attempts at shooting Ling until he finally caught her briefly distracted after she'd telekinetically punched Toocheetsch. Declaring, "Strong Amereecan, dead Amereecan," Potiphar shot Ling in the back. Once all three teenagers were beaten, the C.I.A. brusquely claimed custody of them and paid off the Medusa Web, ending the assignment.
(Justice II#24/2) - The Medusa Web were hired by the Iraqi Army to recapture a shipment of chemical nerve gas that had been stolen by Iran. Potiphar was sent alone on the mission to recover the nerve gas. Potiphar slew the Iranians who had the weapon and returned the nerve gas to the Iraqi Army, but as he had no love for either nation, once the Iraqis were in their helicopter flying back to Iraq, Potiphar shot down the helicopter with a rocket launcher.
(Psi-Force I#31 (fb) - BTS) - When Potiphar reported back to Babel he lied to him, not revealing he had destroyed the nerve gas and slain the Medusa Web's clients.
(Justice II#28/2) - Potiphar accompanied Dustoff, Skybreaker and Skybreaker on a mission to Canada where they liberated C.I.A. operative Jake Travest from the Canadians. Their true purpose was to obtain schematics of the M.A.X. armor Travest had worn and Potiphar had to be restrained by his teammates as he wanted to eliminate Travest immediately. Once Travest located the disc containing the armor's schematics, Potiphar claimed the disc and Dustoff killed Travest while destroying the armor.
(Psi-Force I#29) - On October 5, 1988, Potiphar accompanied the Medusa Web and Justice on a mission to rescue Psi-Force from the Siberian Project. Potiphar accompanied other human operatives in storming the facility and he burst into a hallway where Psi-Force's Lindsey Falmon and Kathy Ling were attempting to escape with the defector Sillatochca. Without hesitation, Potiphar shot Sillatochca in the back, killing him. Falmon was furious at him but being a sociopath, Potiphar was barely fazed and remarked to Ling, "Chest looks better since last I see you." The Medusa Web fled the facility with Psi-Force.
(Justice II#29) - While trying to leave Russian airspace, Babel's helicopter was shot down and the tranport carrying Potiphar, Psi-Force, Justice and most of the other Medusa Web agents landed in the snow to assist Babel. A land force of Russian soldiers emerged and attacked them. Potiphar fought the Russians, who were soon joined by the paranormal Red Star team and finally Rodstvow himself.
(Psi-Force I#30) - Rodstvow attempted to kill Justice, Psi-Force, the Medusa Web and even his fellow members of Red Star. Tucker used his telepathy to plan a joint attack of all the paranormals against Rodstvow. Potiphar disliked Psi-Force's new pryokinetic member Dehman Doosha and was about to shoot him, claiming he would give away their position to Rodstvow but Boyd threatened to break Potiphar's knees if he drew a weapon against him again. Potiphar and others with ranged attacks focused on one of Rodstvow's shoulders until they could crack his protective shell. Even after cracking open Rodstvow's shell and killing him his skeletal form remained animated and continued its assault until they manipulated Dehman Doosha into unleashing his pryokinesis against the skeleton and completely eradicated him. A piece of Rodstvow's jaw landed next to Potiphar; he spat on it, then crushed it under his foot. Once Rodstvow's threat had ended, Justice turned against Psi-Force, seeking to judge them for their earlier ill-conceived fight with Rodstvow in Washington D.C.
(Justice II#30) - While Justice engaged in a mental struggle against Psi-Force where he confronted them for their past actions, Potiphar suggested he could murder Justice while he was helpless but Babel refused to permit it.
(Psi-Force I#31) - On April 14, 1989, Babel brought Tucker, Boyd, Falmon and Dehman Doosha to Goteborg, Sweden for their final exam as members of the Medusa Web - to survive unarmed hand-to-hand combat against Potiphar. Babel directed them to evade being hit by Potiphar's paint gun and capture a flag without using their parabilities. The moment the exercise began, Potiphar immediately hit Tucker with a paint ball, as Babel had ordered him to. Potiphar pursued Boyd and Dehman Doosha into the woods and hit Dehman Doosha with paint. Boyd ambushed Potiphar and held his own against him in hand-to-hand combat until Potiphar threw a bolo at Boyd that exploded into paint, taking Boyd out of the contest. Potiphar lost his paint gun while fighting Boyd and switched to a pistol with live rounds. Falmon surprised him in the woods and claimed the gun, training it on him and reminding him how he killed her friend Sillatochca by shooting him in the back. Potiphar warned her it was a real gun but Falmon knew that and fired at Potiphar, deliberately striking the ground near his head. Falmon told him "what you do to people doesn't make you better or stronger or right" and to remember how afraid he'd been when she had him at her mercy. Falmon won the contest.
Comments: Created by Fabian Nicieza, Ron Lim and Romeo Tanghal.
Potiphar received a Marvel Handbook-style profile in Psi-Force I#23.
Potiphar appeared as an image in Thomas Boyd's mind in Psi-Force I#22 and also appeared as one of the portraits in the Medusa Web's Los Angeles offices seen in Psi-Force I#26.
In Psi-Force I#19, Babel claimed Potiphar was named for "the Biblical exeuctioner to the Pharaohs." That would be referring to the Potiphar found in the book of Genesis who figures in the story of Joseph-- the Egyptian who bought Joseph as a slave. However, the Biblical Potiphar wasn't an executioner -- he was the captain of the guard to Pharaoh.
Profile by Prime Eternal.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Poitphar should not be confused with:
images: (without ads)
Psi-Force I#23, Potiphar profile (main)
Justice I#24/2, page 1 (in action)
Appearances:
Psi-Force I#18-19 (April-May, 1988) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Ron Lim (pencils), Romeo Tanghal (inks), Howard Mackie (editor)
Justice II#24/2 (October, 1988) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Hector Collazo (pencils), Don Hudson (inks), David Wohl (editor)
Justice II#28/2 (February, 1989) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Don Hudson (pencils), Mike Gustovich (inks), David Wohl (editor)
Psi-Force I#29-31 (March-May, 1989) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Rodney Ramos (pencils), Chris Ivy (inks), Howard Mackie (editor)
Justice II#29-30 (March-April, 1989) - Peter David (writer), Lee Weeks (artist), Howard Mackie (editor)
First posted: 09/09/2025
Last updated:
09/09/2025
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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