The horror genre was pretty huge when Marvel first started to publish The Living Mummy. Monster movies were all the rage at the cinema and the comics industry got in on the action with a variety of horror based titles, from werewolves to mutants and vampires.
The Living Mummy has somehow remained relevant in the years since. Considered a bit of a legacy character, The Living Mummy is brought back repeatedly as part of new team lineups, big crossover events, and even the Lego Marvel video game. There's plenty of things that fans don't know about the character though, despite his longevity.
10 Son Of A Warrior
The Living Mummy's real name is N'Kantu. His story began in Ancient Egypt where he was portrayed as the son of a mighty warrior before his horror days. He would one day take over from his father as a great leader to his people. Although not exactly royalty, there's a nobility to the character that many fans don't expect. In his early days he was wise, tough, and a great fighter; the mummy curse has significantly affected his mental state since then.
9 The Trial
To take his rightful place as an heir, The Living Mummy– before he was mummified– had to go through a dangerous trial. He faced off against a lion, defeating it and proving his bravery. He was therefore a strong warrior before his fate. This trial also created a leader so that when his father eventually passed away he was accepted by the people. There were grave times ahead, though, where N'Kantu would have to stand up for what was right.
8 Inspirational Leader
The Living Mummy's people were enslaved by an evil ruler. While he could have given up, he instead rose to prominence becoming an inspirational leader, compared by many to Moses. There was almost a religious quality to N'Kantu.
As his people continued to do hard labor, he eventually rose and attacked those that enslaved him. In many ways he went down a martyr, showcasing that before his horrific transformation, The Living Mummy was a good man.
7 The Transformation
The Living Mummy's transformation was a result of his interference with his oppressors. The evil wizard Nephrus used a variety of potions and spells in the Living Mummy to curse him to an eternity of suffering. They wrapped him in the clothes and paralysed him, before burying him and leaving him there for eternity. Eventually an earthquake buried him further, leaving the Living Mummy insane and immortal. This was an especially cruel and demonic origin.
6 Collector Of Souls
One surprising ability that The Living Mummy picked up– aside from his healing, invulnerability, and immortality– was the power to actually collect souls. This is a more recent addition to the character's list of skills. This will kill a human but it's unclear exactly how the skill works. There's also the implication that he may take their soul, but it could be that it is these souls that are keeping him immortal.
5 Nephrus Descendant
Years in the future, The Living Mummy comes across a descendant of Nephrus. This is one of the first threats the character has to face off against, but another ancestor of the evil magic user also causes N'Kantu a problem.
This second battle is far more interesting as The Living Mummy actually teamed up with The Thing of the Fantastic Four to help take down this dark magic wielder. The Living Mummy has always had a problem with sorcerers due to his troubling origin.
4 Shock Troop
The Shock Troop was a short lived team comprising of some of Marvel's lesser used characters. It also had some surprising additions to the roster including Spider-Woman and they were created by Doctor Druid. The Living Mummy was brought into the group as one of his earliest teams. The crew really didn't last long though, forming and breaking up relatively quickly. The team was actually created by Druid's power of mesmerism!
3 Anti-Registration
The Civil War really did involve everyone from the superheroes to the supernatural. The Living Mummy found himself opposed to some of the terrible deeds that Iron Man's team had committed. Furthermore, The Living Mummy refused to register, especially since it would be quite difficult since he was a man out of time. He was eventually arrested by the government, but Captain America's team broke him out.
2 The Howling Commandos
Phil Coulson, forever a fanboy of Marvel history, decided to use his position at SHIELD to create a new team of Howling Commandos. The group combined a number of monsters and supernatural threats. With werewolves, the Man-Thing, and The Living Mummy, the team was a huge departure from the original Howling Commandos, but Dum Dum Dugan once again served as a great field leader.
1 Frightful Four
The Frightful Four have been disbanded and reformed a lot of times. The Living Mummy actually joined a much newer version of the team that brought in other mythical creatures such as a centaur. The group was created by Dracula in order to try and kill the merc with a mouth, Deadpool. Of course their mission failed and The Living Mummy was heavily damaged thanks to Deadpool's crazy antics.