NEPHRUSNEPHRUS
Real Name: Nephrus
Identity/Class: Human (magic user);
Egyptian citizen @ 1050 BC
Occupation: wizard
Affiliations: Aram-Set, the Bride of Nephrus; Gamal Hassan;
worshipped the Gods of Heliopolis
Enemies: Alicia Masters, N'Kantu/Living Mummy, Lillian Templeworth, Thing
Known Relatives: Dann (ancestor);
Gamal Hassan, Dr. Alexei Skarab (descendents)
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Egypt, modern era and @ 1050 BC
First Appearance: Supernatural Thrillers#5 (August, 1973)
Powers/Abilities: Nephrus is skilled in
the art of mummification. He uses a variety of herbs and
chemicals, able to cause paralysis and other conditions. He also
apparently had certain precognitive powers.
In the modern era, he possesses the ability to
manipulate the forces of magic to a great degree, projecting
energy bolts, levitating, animating inanimate matter, etc.
However, he requires the Gem of Nephrus to maintain his existence
on the Earthly plane.
History:
(Super-Natural Thrillers#5 (fb)) - Nephrus was the high priest of
Pharaoh Aram-Set, @ 1500 BC. When Aram-Set's forces captured the Swarili tribe to erect a temple, Nephrus told the Pharaoh that
while N'Kantu, the leader of the Swarili, were plotting against
him, the stars foretold that the temple would be completed, after
which they would put the Swarili to death. N'Kantu led a
rebellion at the completion of the temple, killing Aram-Set, but
Nephrus was ready for him and used a potion to paralyze the giant
chieftain. Nephrus then had N'Kantu mummified and locked in a
casket. However, Aram-Set's castle then collapsed, crushing
Nephrus and anyone still inside.
(Super-Natural Thrillers#14) - In the modern era, Nephrus was amongst the ancestors of Dr. Alexi Skarab who appeared to him via the power of the Ruby Scarab, explaining the Scarab's secrets.
(Marvel Two-In-One#95) - Gamal Hassan, another
descendent of Nephrus, used the Crown of Hathor to transform
Alicia Masters into the Bride of Nephrus. He then transported her
to Egypt so she could located the Spirit Gem of Nephrus. This
she did, and when Hassan placed it on his chest, rather than
gaining the power of Nephrus, the spirit of Nephrus took over his
body, ejecting his own spirit.
Hassan's actions and the energies being
released had caused the involvement of the Thing (Masters'
boyfriend), N'Kantu (now the Living Mummy), and Lillian
Templeworth, Hassan's former assistant. These beings opposed him,
but none of their power could stand against the energies
manipulated by Nephrus, into Lillian used a mirror to send his
own eyebeams back into him. Thus stunned, Nephrus was battered
repeatedly by N'Kantu and the Thing, until he regained his senses.
Back in control of his power, Nephrus quickly gained the upper
hand against both the Thing and N'Kantu, but while he had been
stunned, Lillian managed to free Alicia Masters' mind from the
Bride of Nephrus persona. With Lillian's guidance, Alicia
utilized the Crown of Hathor to blast the Spirit Gem from Nephrus/Hassan's
chest, severing the connection to his power. Without the Gem,
Nephrus' true age suddenly caught up with Hassan's body, aging
him to dust within seconds. The Spirit Gem similarly crumbled.
(Legion of Monsters: Satana#1) - N'Kantu (the Living Mummy) summoned the spirit of Nephrus, hoping to force Nephrus to either restore him to full life or to allow him to die. Nephrus was unable to do so, and Anubis appeared in response to a soul being drawn from his realm. Anubis' familiar, Khet, tried and failed to retake the Orb of Ra by force. Anubis ultimately offered to allow N'Kantu to die, but only after N'Kantu served as his agent, killing others and giving their souls to Anubis. Given the choice of who it was that he would kill, N'Kantu agreed to this offer.
Comments: Created by Steve Gerber and Rich Buckler.
No, it's NOT supposed to be Swahili. The Swarili are
a tribe
created by Steve Gerber. Per Legion of Monsters: Satana#1, the Swarili tribe
existed in Sub-Saharan Africa between the 15th and 21st Dynasties of Ancient
Egypt (1552 BC - 1040 BC).
Further Aram-Set's reign was defined as 1051 BC to 1047 BC, meaning he died in
1047 BC, which establishes 1047 BC as the date in which N'Kantu was mummified.
Alicia Masters is the female Rick Jones! Involvement with the superhero community has granted her superhuman powers on several occasions. In Marvel Two-In-One#95, she had the power of the Crown of Hathor. Back around Marvel Two-In-One#32, she was mutated into this monstrous, 8-legged spider-chick. More recently, she gained a suit of armor from this guy named Cy-Phyrr 4, @ Silver Surfer III#140-something (she wore that same armor in the Galactus the Devourer limited series). What else?
CLARIFICATIONS:
No known connection to:
Aramemnisu (Aram-Set apparently means Aram is King)
He was the Egyptian Pharaoh during the 21st Dynasty from @ 1051-1047 BC. He had the Swarili captured and put to work building a monument for him. His high priest, Nephrus, assured him that the monument would be completed and stand forever as a testament to his greatness, which Aram-Set mistook to mean that he, too, would be around forever. When the Swarili revolted, N'Kantu slew Aram-Set with a spear.
(Moon Knight II#1 - BTS) - A modern day priest of Anubis, Sheikh Ahmad Azis declared himself the reincarnation of Aram-Set and named himself Anubis the Jackal. He was killed in a confrontation with Moon Knight, avatar of the Egyptian god of vengeance, Khonshu.
--Super-Natural Thrillers#5
Bride of Nephrus/Crown of Hathor
The Crown of Hathor is a magic item
of unknown origin. Gamal Hassan stole it from the Metropolitan
Museum of Art. A spell required that a blind artist be chosen as
the host, and the power of the Crown could then grant power to
the wearer. It is not clear whether there actually was a literal
Bride of Nephrus whom the Crown brought forth and reincarnated in
the host's body, or whether the Crown simply placed its wearer
under the mental control of whoever had performed the spell to
activate it. Nonetheless, Hassan sent the Crown to the blind
sculptress Alicia Masters, who fell under its power immediately,
blasting away her lover, the Thing, so that she could be united
with Hassan. 
Hassan brought
her to Egypt, where the power of the Crown enabled her to locate
the Spirit Gem of Nephrus. Once Nephrus had taken over Hassan's
body, Alicia/Bride of Nephrus remained in the background,
levitating as if in a trance, until she regained her mind with
the help of Lillian Templeworth, who used an electric cable to
disrupt the energy field holding Alicia. With Lillian's
direction, Alicia accessed the power of the Crown to blast the
Spirit Gem from Nephrus/Hassan's chest, defeating him.
--Marvel Two-In-One#95
Gamal Hassan
Former chief curator for the Egyptian exhibit in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where he was assisted by Lillian Templeworth. Realizing he was the descendent of Nephrus, he sought to achieve divinity by accessing hia ancestor's power. To this end, he utilized the Crown of Hathor to enslave Alicia Masters as the Bride of Nephrus, and then used a floating ship (in the form of an ancient boat) to transport them to Egypt. They were accompanied by a small group of servants, and he had video monitors, rocket launchers, and other devices to aid him. He had Alicia use the Crown to locate the Spirit Gem of Nephrus, which he placed on his chest, hoping to gain Nephrus, powers. Instead, the spirit of Nephrus took over his body, ejecting his own spirit. When the Spirit Gem was later separated from Nephrus, the ancient wizard's true age suddenly caught up with Hassan's body, aging him to dust within seconds.
--Marvel Two-In-One#95
Spirit Gem of
Nephrus
Hidden within a secret chamber within some ancient ruins in Egypt, it contained the unholy soul of Nephrus. When Hassan placed it on his chest, Nephrus took over his body. When the two were later separated, both Hassan/Nephrus and the Gem crumbled into dust.
--Marvel Two-In-One#95
Lillian Templeworth
An Egyptologist and curator for the Egyptian exhibit in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, former assistant to Gamal Hassan. The Thing contacted her after Alicia had been taken over by the Crown of Hathor, and she quickly realized Hassan's plans and led the Thing to him in Egypt. She played a key role in the battle against the power of Nephrus. She used a mirror to turn his eyeblasts back on himself, stunning him enough for the Thing and N'Kantu to attack anew, and she also freed Alicia from the Bride of Nephrus persona and directed her to use the power of the Crown of Hathor against Nephrus, defeating him.
--Marvel Two-In-One#95
Appearances:
Super-Natural Thrillers#5 (August, 1973) - Steve Gerber (writer), Rich Buckler (pencils), Frank Chiaramonte (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Super-Natural Thrillers#14 (August, 1975) - John Warner (writer), Val Mayerik (plot/pencils), Al McWilliams (inks), Len Wein (editor)
Marvel Two-In-One#95 (January, 1983) - David Kraft (writer), Alan Kupperberg (pencils), Jon D'Agostino (inks), Tom DeFalco (editor)
Legion of Monsters: Satana#1 (August, 2007) - Robin Furth (writer), Kalman Andrasofszky (artist), John Barber (editor)
Last updated: 07/11/07
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™ and
© 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you
like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com
