Real Name: Unrevealed

Identity/Class: Extraterrestrial (race unrevealed) (see comments)

Occupation: Would-be world conqueror

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: None

Enemies: Gloria Carstairs, Paul Kentworth, Jason Wilkes

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: "The all-powerful Mummy" (as called by himself)

Base of Operations: His pyramid, somewhere in Egypt;
   originally from another unidentified planet

First Appearance: Tales to Astonish I#31/1 (May, 1962)

Powers/Abilities: His body completely covered with bandage-like wrappings (see comments), this giant humanoid extraterrestrial possessed great strength (Class 10 or higher).

But unable to breathe Earth's atmosphere, he had placed himself in a state of suspended animation for many centuries; immediately after awakening, his mind was still dulled from centuries of sleep--consequently, he found it difficult to remember that breathing the planet's atmosphere was lethal to him until it was too late.

Height: Unrevealed (20'; by approximation)
Weight: Unrevealed
Eyes: Unrevealed
Hair: Unrevealed

History:
(Tales to Astonish I#31/1 (fb) - BTS) - "Countless ages" in the past, a giant extraterrestrial on a mission of conquest somehow arrived on Earth in the deserts of Egypt (see comments); but after finding the planet's atmosphere to be poisonous to him, he built an airtight stone pyramid to protect himself from it. The extraterrestrial then entered a state of suspended animation and slumbered for untold centuries.

   The extraterrestrial's pyramid was eventually covered by the shifting desert sands, but it supposedly served as a model for all the successive pyramids built by man.

(Tales to Astonish I#31/1/) - From his research, museum curator Paul Kentworth theorized that the many discovered pyramids were merely copies of an original one... one which was not built as a tomb, but as a prison designed to keep some monstrous creature from menacing mankind. Determined to find that first pyramid, Kentworth flew to Egypt for an archeological expedition--he was accompanied by Gloria Carstairs and Jason Wilkes.

   As the trio and their Egyptian guides made their way through the desert, they encountered a fierce sandstorm which unearthed the pyramid; while Wilkes set up explosives to blast an opening into the ancient stone structure, the guides fled in terror, fearful that the pyramid contained an evil spirit that would be released.

   Regardless, the explosives were detonated, and Paul, Gloria, and Wilkes entered, although Gloria found the air within the pyramid to be so thin that she could hardly breathe. The trio followed the passage into the pyramid's main chamber, where they found a giant mummy laying prone upon its slab. While Paul and Gloria were enthralled by the sight of the perfectly preserved giant creature, the treacherous Wilkes--wanting all the fame and glory of the discovery for himself--sneaked outside and detonated a second round of explosives, sealing his two companions within the pyramid.

   Meanwhile, Paul and Gloria were shocked when the giant mummy suddenly began to stir from its suspended animation, and Paul figured the sound of the explosion must have awakened the creature. The revived Mummy explained to them that the pyramid was no prison, for he had built it himself, although he couldn't remember why because his mind was still dulled from his long sleep. The Mummy told them he was from another world that was hostile to theirs, and that he was their enemy; then the Mummy began to pursue Paul and Gloria.

   Finding a crevice in the blocked entrance, Paul and Gloria managed to squeeze out and escape from the pyramid, but the Mummy smashed his way out as well. The Mummy then attempted to seize Wilkes, who suddenly died from a heart attack caused by the shock of seeing the giant creature.

   As the Mummy turned his attention back to Paul and Gloria, he suddenly felt weak... then the giant remembered he had built the pyramid to protect himself from Earth's "poisonous" atmosphere. As he futilely staggered away, trying to get back to the safety of his pyramid, the Mummy collapsed into the sand and apparently died.

Comments: Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

Since this 7-page story--When the Mummy Walks--first appeared after Fantastic Four I#1 (November, 1961) was published, perhaps it took place in the early days of the modern Marvel Universe.

It was never explained why this extraterrestrial was wrapped in those bandages--perhaps, much like Mummex/Raaka [see clarifications], the bandages served as a spacesuit to protect him from the stress and strain of space travel.

But it wasn't explained how the Mummy came to be on Earth--no spaceship was ever depicted or mentioned--so maybe he was teleported instead, and those wrappings were intended to protect him from some radiation involved in the teleportation process.

This story was reprinted in Where Creatures Roam I#8/1 (September, 1971) and Journey into Mystery II#19/1 (October, 1975) [both of which were used for these images].

Profile by Ron Fredricks.

CLARIFICATIONS:
The Mummy has no known connections to:

• "Funny Money Mummies" - counterfeiters disguised as mummies, Bob Brant foes--Man Comics#28/1
• Gomdulla - malevolent giant alien dressed like a mummy--Journey into Mystery I#61
• Living Mummy (N'Kantu) - current member of the Howling Commandos--Supernatural Thrillers#5
• Mummex (Raaka) - extraterrestrial investigator, came to Earth to search for missing spacemen--Tales to Astonish I#8/4
• Mummy - discovered by Rocco Rank--Amazing Fantasy I#15/3
• any other characters with similar names, or any other "mummy" characters

Paul Kentworth has no known connections to:

• any other characters with similar names

Gloria Carstairs has no known connections to:

• Albert Carstairs - blind man who encountered Orogo--Journey into Mystery I#57
• Emily Carstairs - Generic Super-Hero's girlfriend--Generic Comic Book#1
• Jerry Carstairs - aka Thunderer/Black Avenger, used magnified voice to frighten criminals--Daring Mystery Comics I#7
• Roger Carstairs - teenage mutant who could cast illusions, Bob Brant foe--Man Comics I#28/3
• any other characters with similar names
  

Jason Wilkes has no known connections to:

• Dr. Burris Wilkes - possessed by "Thing"--Uncanny Tales I#20
• Charlie Wilkes - fought extraterrestrial Maaboo--Tales of Suspense I#19
• Jason Wilkes - scientist whose invention left him in an invisible/intangible ghost-like state--Tales of Suspense I#25
• Jonathan Wilkes - creator of Robot X--Amazing Adventures I#4
• Nicholas Wilkes - stole Wand of Watoomb, forced to confess by Dr. Strange--She-Hulk I#2
• Shantal Wilkes - Empire State University student, friend of MJ Watson-Parker--Amazing Spider-Man I#427
• any other characters with similar names
  

Paul Kentworth The young curator of a museum, he employed Jason Wilkes as his assistant. Paul had dated wealthy socialite Gloria Carstairs--although she liked Paul a lot, she found his profession to be boring, and thought he led a dull life. From his research, Paul theorized that the many discovered pyramids were merely copies of an original one... one which was not built as a tomb, but as a prison designed to keep some monstrous creature from menacing mankind. Determined to find that first pyramid, Paul flew to Egypt, accompanied by Wilkes, on an archeological expedition; Paul also invited Gloria to go along. But Wilkes was secretly planning to arrange an "unfortunate accident" for Paul, so Wilkes could take full credit for any discoveries they made.

After finding the original pyramid, the trio found that it contained a giant wrapped in bandages. Wilkes detonated explosives that trapped Paul and Gloria inside the pyramid, and the noise caused the Mummy to awake from suspended animation. The Mummy revealed himself to be an extraterrestrial invader, then burst out of the pyramid; but the Mummy died shortly thereafter, for he had forgotten that Earth's atmosphere was poisonous to him. The treacherous Wilkes had died from a heart attack when the Mummy tried to grab him, but Paul and Gloria were unscathed. As Paul and Gloria walked away from the fallen giant, a true romance seemed be blossoming between them, and Paul realized his life would never be dull again... for thanks to the Mummy, he now had Gloria. --Tales to Astonish I#31/1

Gloria Carstairs A beautiful young socialite from a wealthy family, she had previously dated archeologist/museum curator Paul Kentworth--although she liked Paul a lot, she considered his profession ("digging up old bones buried in the sand") to be dull, and wished he were an adventurer or an athlete instead. When she got back from her date with Lord Randolph, Gloria was met by her father; Mr. Carstairs told her that Paul telephoned and invited her to join him for an archeological expedition in Egypt. Although she was convinced she'd be bored, Gloria reluctantly accepted the invitation. After they arrived in Egypt, Gloria and Paul, along with Paul's assistant Jason Wilkes, found a pyramid containing a giant mummy. But when the Mummy awakened from suspended animation, he revealed himself to be a hostile extraterrestrial who intended to conquer Earth. After smashing out of the pyramid, the Mummy soon perished because he couldn't survive in Earth's atmosphere. Following their encounter with the giant alien, Gloria thought herself a fool for ever believing that Paul led a dull life. (Comment: For a better view of Gloria's face, see the third image in Paul Kentworth's sub-profile.) --Tales to Astonish I#31/1

Jason Wilkes Wilkes was museum curator Paul Kentworth's assistant; he was extremely jealous of his boss because he felt that Kentworth got all the glory for the discoveries they made, while Wilkes got nothing for himself. When Kentworth went to Egypt for an archeological expedition, Wilkes accompanied him, along with Kentworth's girlfriend Gloria Carstairs; the trio discovered a giant mummy within a pyramid. But Wilkes planned to arrange an "unfortunate accident" for Kentworth so he could take all the fame and credit of the discovery for himself; he set off explosives that trapped Paul and Gloria inside the stone structure. But the noise of the explosion awakened the mummy, which was actually a hostile extraterrestrial in suspended animation. After chasing Paul and Gloria, the Mummy smashed its way out of the pyramid and attempted to grab Wilkes--the shock of seeing the giant creature apparently gave Wilkes a fatal heart attack. --Tales to Astonish I#31/1

images: (without ads)
Tales to Astonish I#31/1, p1, pan1 (main image - Mummy [right profile]; Paul Kentworth, Gloria Carstairs [right])
Tales to Astonish I#31/1, cover (headshot - Mummy)
Tales to Astonish I#31/1, p5, pan1 (Mummy laying on slab; Paul Kentworth, Jason Wilkes, Gloria Carstairs)
Tales to Astonish I#31/1, p7, pan4 (Mummy begins to collapse)
Tales to Astonish I#31/1, p2, pan5 (Paul Kentworth)
Tales to Astonish I#31/1, p2, pan7 (Paul Kentworth)
Tales to Astonish I#31/1, p4, pan4 (Paul Kentworth; Gloria Carstairs [background])
Tales to Astonish I#31/1, p3, pan1 (Gloria Carstairs, returning from a date; Mr. Carstairs [rear-view])
Tales to Astonish I#31/1, p3, pan3 (Gloria Carstairs; Mr. Carstairs [right])
Tales to Astonish I#31/1, p3, pan5 (Jason Wilkes)
Tales to Astonish I#31/1, p7, pan1 (Jason Wilkes suffers heart attack as Mummy is about to grab him)

Appearances:
Tales to Astonish I#31/1 (May, 1962) - Stan Lee (plot/editor), Larry Lieber (script), Jack Kirby (pencils), Dick Ayers (inks), Stan Goldberg (colors), Ray Halloway (letters)

First posted: 04/21/2024
Last updated: 04/21/2024