The Shadow King is a Marvel Comics supervillain, an enemy of the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and illustrator/co-writer John Byrne, he first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #117 (January 1979). Marvel Comics is an American comic book line published by Marvel Publishing, Inc. ... In comic books, first appearance refers to first comic book to feature a character. ... The Uncanny X-Men, first published as simply The X-Men, is the flagship Marvel Comics comic book series for the X-Men franchise, it features the adventures of the eponymous group of mutant superheroes. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... John Lindley Byrne (born July 6, 1950) is a British-born naturalised American author and artist of comic books. ... In Marvel comic books, particularly those of the X-Men mythos, a human being who is born with genetic modifications that allow for abilities not possessed by regular humans is commonly called a mutant. ... Charles Francis Xavier, also known as Professor X, is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero, known as the leader and founder of the X-Men. ... Cypher (Douglas Ramsey) is a fictional mutant character, a superhero from Marvel Comics. ... Karma (Xian Shan Coy Manh) is a fictional superheroine from Marvel Comics created by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller. ... Telepathy, from the Greek τῆλε, tele, remote; and πάθεια, patheia, to be effected by, describes the hypothetical transfer of information on thoughts or feelings between individuals by means other than the five classical senses. ... The astral plane, also called the astral world or desire world, is a plane of existence according to esoteric philosophies, some religious teachings and New Age thought. ... Shadow King was a band featuring Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell and Foreigner members Lou Gramm and Bruce Turgon. ... Marvel Comics is an American comic book line published by Marvel Publishing, Inc. ... Doctor Doom, one of the most archetypal supervillains and his arch-enemies The Fantastic Four (in background). ... The X-Men are a group of comic book superheroes featured in Marvel Comics. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... John Lindley Byrne (born July 6, 1950) is a British-born naturalised American author and artist of comic books. ... The Uncanny X-Men, first published as simply The X-Men, is the flagship Marvel Comics comic book series for the X-Men franchise, it features the adventures of the eponymous group of mutant superheroes. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ...

An unnamed mutant, the Shadow King possesses vast telepathic powers. He became a crime lord under the name Amahl Farouk in Cairo, Egypt, leading a street gang that included a young Storm. Future X-Men founder Charles Xavier encountered Farouk and the two engaged in a psychic battle that trapped Farouk out of his body. In Marvel comic books, particularly those of the X-Men mythos, a human being who is born with genetic modifications that allow for abilities not possessed by regular humans is commonly called a mutant. ... Telepathy, from the Greek τῆλε, tele, remote; and πάθεια, patheia, to be effected by, describes the hypothetical transfer of information on thoughts or feelings between individuals by means other than the five classical senses. ... Nickname: Egypt: Site of Cairo (top center) Coordinates: , Government  - Governor Dr. Abdul Azim Wazir Area  - City 214 km²  (82. ... A gang is a group of individuals who share a common identity and, in current usage, engage in illegal activities. ... Storm (real name Ororo Munroe) is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. ... Charles Francis Xavier, also known as Professor X, is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero, known as the leader and founder of the X-Men. ...

The Shadow King is a disembodied persona on the astral plane, where he can take possession of the bodies of others and battle other telepaths in astral form. The astral plane, also called the astral world or desire world, is a plane of existence according to esoteric philosophies, some religious teachings and New Age thought. ... Look up Possession in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Fictional character biography

One of the Shadow King's defining moments the Marvel Universe began with his psychic battle with Charles Xavier (Professor X), a battle that left Farouk physically dead and released his psychic essence upon the astral plane. Charles Francis Xavier, also known as Professor X, is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero, known as the leader and founder of the X-Men. ...

Amahl Farouk, in his Human days.

After the battle, Xavier became aware of the threat of evil mutants, and began to construct his vision of peaceful coexistence between humans and mutants, ultimately resulting in the formation of the X-Men. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The X-Men are a group of comic book superheroes featured in Marvel Comics. ...

Years later, Farouk would resurface, first battling the fledgling New Mutants and kidnapping Karma, whose body he inhabited for some time, eating in a gluttonous fashion and becoming morbidly obese before finally forced to flee and release control of Karma's body to herself. Later, he would hunt down Storm, who had been regressed to a childlike body by the mutant-hunter called Nanny. From there he went on to take over the minds of the numerous mutants living on Muir Island, home of Moira MacTaggert. His influence was felt on the inhabitants for some time. Though the inhabitants were very angry and prone to violence, the Shadow King allowed them some self-reliance when it came to battling the returning threat of Proteus. They were allowed to team up with the New Warriors and X-Force. The groups knew something was wrong but did not suspect the Shadow King's involvement. During the Muir Island Saga, the Shadow King was defeated and thought killed, but the battle left Xavier once again wheelchair-bound and his son David comatose. After the battle, the X-Men and X-Factor were reorganized, with the original X-Men rejoining the team they had founded. New Mutants may also refer to the genetically engineered superhumans of Mutant X (TV series). ... Karma (Xian Shan Coy Manh) is a fictional superheroine from Marvel Comics created by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller. ... Storm (real name Ororo Munroe) is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. ... Nanny is the name of two different fictional characters in X-Men and related titles in the Marvel Comics Universe. ... Dr. Moira Kinross MacTaggert (sometimes spelled MacTaggart, McTaggart, or McTaggert) was a fictional character appearing in X-Men stories in the Marvel Comics universe. ... The New Warriors is a Marvel Comics superhero team, traditionally consisting of young adult heroes. ... X-Force was a Marvel Comics superhero team, one of many spin-offs of the popular X-Men franchise. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this comics-related article or section may require cleanup. ... Legion (David Haller) was the Marvel Comics villain responsible for creating the alternate timeline known as the Age of Apocalypse. ...

Psi-War

Some time later, the Shadow King reappeared, having taken over the African tribe that had once worshipped Storm as a goddess. He managed to mentally trap the X-Men, and a battle between him and Psylocke ensued. The battle resulted in a psychic backlash that affected almost all living beings to a varying degree (from nose bleeds to déjà vu to headaches). Beings with powers of a psychic nature found their abilities significantly affected. Telepaths were particularly affected in that they (temporarily) lost use of their powers. The Shadow King, unaffected by the backlash, was finally defeated by Psylocke. In the process, she sacrificed her telepathic abilities to keep him contained in the astral plane. A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... Psylocke (Elisabeth Glorianna Betsy Braddock, sometimes Elizabeth) is a Marvel Comics superhero, sister to Captain Britain, and often associated with the X-Men. ... The term déjà vu (IPA: English , French ) (French for already seen, also called paramnesia from the Greek word para (παρα) for parallel and mnÄ“mÄ“ (μνήμη) for memory) describes the experience of feeling that one has witnessed or experienced a new situation previously. ...

After Psylocke’s death, the Shadow King was released from his prison.

The "Dark Xavier" prepares to reveal his true identity.

He returned in X-Treme X-Men Annual 2001 with a plan to turn Rogue into his new Shadow Queen. He hoped to gain her ability to enter dreamtime (which she absorbed from Gateway) so that he might take control over the world. However, she recalled the psionic abilities she had gained from Psylocke and used them to defeat the Shadow King. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Cover to X-Treme X-Men Destiny Hardcover . X-Treme X-Men was a comic book published by Marvel Comics beginning in 2001 and ending in 2004. ... An annual publication, more often called simply an annual, is a book or a magazine, comic book or comic strip published yearly. ... Rogue (Anna Marie) is a Marvel Comics superheroine, a member of the X-Men. ... Gateway is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe, a mutant with the ability to teleport objects and people from one location to another. ...

Revenge on Psylocke

However, though he was defeated, he was still free. He vanished to an alternate reality, where he met and managed to take control over Professor Xavier and his original team of X-Men, dubbing them the "Dark X-Men". When the world was shifted back to normal after the Scarlet Witch and the House of M were defeated, the Shadow King and his mindcontrolled X-Men team managed to slip back into the Earth-616 world. He later re-emerged in London using the body of an evil alternate version of Professor X, lured (the newly resurrected) Psylocke and New Excalibur to him. After that, the Shadow King controlled New Excalibur, minus Sage, to kill Captain Britain. Psylocke created a telekinetic bubble to give the Shadow King's host body a stroke. This freed the others from his control, but when Psylocke delivered the killing blow, she vanished in a flash of light. Shadow-X (also known as Dark X-Men) is a Marvel Comics supervillian group that first appeared in New Excalibur #1. ... This article or section contains a plot summary that is overly long. ... House of M was an eight-part comic book crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics in 2005. ... In the fictional Marvel Universe, Earth-616 or Earth 616 is the name used to identify the primary continuity in which most Marvel Comics titles take place. ... Excalibur is a Marvel Comics superhero group, an offshoot of the X-Men, usually based in the United Kingdom. ... Sage, also known as Tessa is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. ... Captain Britain (Brian Braddock), briefly known as Britannic, is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. ...

Attempted Return

The Shadow King is currently in control of Dark Professor Xavier and all of the Dark X-Men, and in New Excalibur #19 the Dark X-Men try to free their Xavier from the prison he is being held at. They are assisted by Lionheart, and he tries to take control of her mind to add to his team, but Albion has given Lionheart a device that prevents him from doing this and then she places a collar on the Dark Xavier that is supposed to seal the Shadow King in that body and kill him when that body dies. Lionheart then stabs him in the chest and kills him. Lionheart, the alter ego of Kelsey Leigh, is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero. ... Albion is the name of two fictional characters within the Marvel Comics Universe. ...

Powers and Abilities

The Shadow King is a powerful telepath, (he was said to be second only to Professor X, but this has probably changed since other telepaths have since surfaced); he can control the astral plane (which only the most powerful telepaths can do); as well as possess minds while on the astral plane. He has demonstrated the ability to live beyond the death of his physical body. Charles Francis Xavier, also known as Professor X, is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero, known as the leader and founder of the X-Men. ... The astral plane, also called the astral world or desire world, is a plane of existence according to esoteric philosophies, some religious teachings and New Age thought. ...

Alternate versions

Age of Apocalypse

In the Age of Apocalypse alternate timeline, the Shadow King (sometimes instead called the Shadow Thief) is an agent of Apocalypse. He is bodiless like his Earth-616 counterpart, but is usually seen manifested as a cloudy face inside of a bottle in Apocalypse's sanctum. He was the first to detect the presence of Nate Grey, prompting Apocalypse to send his assassins to attempt to kill the youth. When Angel's assistant Karma was captured by Apocalypse's servants, the Shadow King psychically tortured her into revealing the Angel's alliance with Magneto's X-Men. He later attempted to read the mind of Bishop, but Bishop's memory of the original reality (Earth-616) was enough to expel the Shadow King from his mind. The Age of Apocalypse is a popular X-Men story arc. ... This article or section may contain excessive or improper use of copyrighted images and/or audio files. ... In the fictional Marvel Universe, Earth-616 or Earth 616 is the name used to identify the primary continuity in which most Marvel Comics titles take place. ... For members of the Marvel Comics superhero team, see X-Men. ... Cover to Excalibur #11. ... Karma (Xian Shan Coy Manh) is a fictional superheroine from Marvel Comics created by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller. ... Magneto (Eric Magnus Lensherr) is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. ... Bishop (Lucas Bishop), is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero who is a member of the X-Men. ... In the fictional Marvel Universe, Earth-616 or Earth 616 is the name used to identify the primary continuity in which most Marvel Comics titles take place. ...

Finally, the Shadow King followed Nightcrawler to the sanctuary of Avalon (originally the Savage Land) by hiding inside the mind of Apocalypse's minion Dead Man Wade. There, he took control of the minds of many of Avalon's mutant and human refugees, causing great carnage. Nightcrawler, with the assistance of the psychic Damask and the time-stopping Switchback, was able to physically teleport into the Astral Plane and destroy the Shadow King's mind. The great number of casualties caused by the Shadow King's attack were enough to convince Destiny to accompany Nightcrawler and the X-Men on a mission to Apocalypse's stronghold; her presence was pivotal to the heroes' success in restoring Earth-616 and repairing the timestream. Nightcrawler (Kurt Wagner) is a fictional comic book superhero, and a member of the X-Men, appearing in books published by Marvel Comics. ... The Savage Land is a hidden prehistoric land within the fictional Marvel Comics Universe. ... For other uses of Wade Wilson, see Wade Wilson Deadpool is a fictional comic book character sometimes depicted as a, mercenary, villain, or anti-hero; who appears in books published by Marvel Comics, usually in the X-Men family of titles. ... The astral plane, also called the astral world or desire world, is a plane of existence according to esoteric philosophies, some religious teachings and New Age thought. ... Destiny (Irene Adler) was a Marvel Comics character, known as an adversary of the X-Men. ...

Excalibur

In the first Excalibur series (issues 21 and 22), an alternate version of the Shadow King has conquered the Hellfire Club, and is using the White Queen and Jason Wyngarde to help turn Jean Grey into his Shadow Queen. However, Rachel Summer's interference forces the Shadow King to enlist the aid of Iron Man. Iron Man wants American independence from a Britain dominated world but is willing to use mass slaughter to accomplish this. The hero known as Crusader X helps Excalibur. Crusader X (Alias Bran Braddock) is a Marvel Comics character for the Captain Britain Corps. ...

Mutant X

In this alternate timeline, the Shadow King ends up merged with Xaiver to form a gestalt being resembling Onslaught. Charles Francis Xavier, also known as Professor X, is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero, known as the leader and founder of the X-Men. ... Onslaught is a Marvel Comics supervillain who was the focus of an enormous intra-company crossover in 1996. ...

Ultimate Universe

The Shadow King is the name of a play that is being written by Storm and is first mentioned by name in Ultimate X-Men #79, though Ororo mentioned a few issues before to an injured Kitty she was working on it on secret, and had only told her and Professor Xavier about it. In issue #81 he speaks to Ororo in one of her dreams, she then wakes up and prepares to add the dream to the play. In issue 85 he contacts her while she's awake and warns that he is "Coming for her". This would appear to be foreshadowing of an Ultimate Shadow King story arc and may explain why Storm is seen with Magneto's Bortherhood of Mutants on the cover of Ultimates Vol 3 issue 2

Appearances in other media

Television

The Shadow King appeared in two episodes of the 1990s X-Men animated series. Amahl Farouk was portrayed as an athletic, bearded Egyptian who mindcontrolled a number of children to serve him as thieves, including Storm, until he was defeated by Xavier and his psychic essence trapped in the Astral Plane. He escaped briefly and possessed Storm's godson Mjnari, though the Shadow King intended to use Mjnari in order to possess Storm. The Shadow King was defeated and trapped once again, only to be released after Professor X suffered an accident which left his mind vulnerable to the Shadow King's attempts to take possession of Xavier and leave his mind trapped in the Astral Plane. The X-Men Animated Series debuted in the 1992-1993 season on the Fox Network. ... Storm (real name Ororo Munroe) is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. ...

Video games

Shadow King was one of the three primary villains in the video game X-Men Legends, kidnapping Professor X on the astral plane about halfway through the game, thus crippling the X-Men. He was eventually defeated by Xavier after the X-Men released him. When he first appeared, he dropped hints about a mysterious benefactor who told him how to get his revenge on Xavier. Though he never actually named his ally, it is assumed, given the cutscene at the end of the game and the resulting sequel, that the mysterious figure was Apocalypse. He was voiced by Dorian Harewood. X-Men Legends is a role-playing game released on several consoles in 2004. ... Charles Francis Xavier, also known as Professor X, is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero, known as the leader and founder of the X-Men. ... The X-Men are a group of comic book superheroes featured in Marvel Comics. ... This article or section may contain excessive or improper use of copyrighted images and/or audio files. ... Dorian Harewood (born August 6, 1950 in Dayton, Ohio) is an Pan-American actor. ...

Heroclix

Shadow King is a figure in the Mutant Mayhem set from Marvel Heroclix. Mutant Mayhem is the seventh Marvel Heroclix set produced by Wizkids released November 2004. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Notes and references