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Karnak
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Karnak

298 appearances Β· Silver Age Β· 1965–2025 Β· 11 key issues
Who is Karnak?

Karnak Mander-Azur is an Inhuman born in Attilan who, unlike most of his people, never underwent Terrigenesis. Instead, his father sent him to the Tower of Wisdom, where years of rigorous physical and mental training honed his unique ability to perceive the fatal flaw in anything.

Few characters can claim a Silver Age debut as storied as Karnak's β€” stepping onto the scene in Fantastic Four #45 in 1965, conjured by the legendary partnership of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby at the height of Marvel's creative golden era. A proud member of both the Inhumans and the extended Fantastic Four family, Karnak has spent six decades sharing pages with royalty like Black Bolt, Medusa, and Gorgon across landmark titles including Fantastic Four, The Inhumans, and Amazing Adventures. With 247 catalog appearances and 11 recognized key issues to his name, this is a character whose presence in a longbox signals something special. If you're tracing the deep roots of Marvel's Inhuman mythology, Karnak is essential company.

Identity

Real name. Karnak Mander-Azur

Teams & affiliations
InhumansFantastic Four
β˜… First appearance
Fantastic Four #45
Dec 1965

Trivia

  • Karnak landed one of Marvel's rare solo ongoing series in 2015, a title that deliberately sidestepped conventional superhero action in favor of a philosophical, near-absurdist reimagining of the character.marvel.fandom.com
  • Warren Ellis wrote that series, pitching Karnak as a figure consumed by the compulsion to locate the flaw in everything he encounters β€” ideas and systems very much included, not merely physical objects.marvel.fandom.com
  • Stan Lee has written more of Karnak's comics than any other writer in our catalog β€” 33 issues.

Top series

Covers through the years β€” 1965–2021

Fantastic Four #45 β˜… 1965
Fantastic Four #45
Amazing Adventures #3 β˜… 1970
Amazing Adventures #3
The Incredible Hulk #175 1974
The Incredible Hulk #175
Fantastic Four Annual #12 1978
Fantastic Four Annual #12
The Incredible Hulk #279 1983
The Incredible Hulk #279
The Marvel Saga the Official History of the Marvel Universe #24 1987
The Marvel Saga the Official History of the Marvel Universe #24
Marvel Comics Presents #68 1991
Marvel Comics Presents #68
Fantastic Four #416 1996
Fantastic Four #416
Inhumans #1 2000
Inhumans #1
Black Panther: The Bride #[nn] β˜… 2006
Black Panther: The Bride #[nn]
ClanDestine #1 2008
ClanDestine #1
FF #6 2013
FF #6
Deadpool & the Mercs for Money #7 2017
Deadpool & the Mercs for Money #7
Fantastic Four by Jonathan Hickman: The Complete Collection #3 2021
Fantastic Four by Jonathan Hickman: The Complete Collection #3

Appearances (1–150 of 298, oldest first)

Hit Comics (1966)
Fantastic Four Annual (1963)
Thor (1966)
Sub-Mariner (1968)
#2
Capt. Savage and His Leatherneck Raiders (1968)
#9
HIP Classics (1969)
Amazing Adventures (1970)
Astonishing Tales (1970)
#1
The Silver Surfer (1968)
#18
Iron Man (1968)
#57
Marvel Team-Up (1972)
#11
The Avengers (1963)
The Incredible Hulk (1968)
Giant-Size Fantastic Four (1974)
#5
The Inhumans (1975)
Die Fantastischen Vier (1974)
Marvel's Greatest Comics (1969)
The Spectacular Spider-Man (1976)
#11
Captain Marvel (1968)
#53
Spider-Man Comic (1979)
Marvel Two-in-One (1974)
What If? (1977)
#30
Marvel Graphic Novel (1982)
Marvel Super Hero Contest of Champions (1982)
#1
Top BD (1983)
#2
Nova (1978)
Marvel Fanfare (1982)
#14
Dazzler (1981)
#32
Titans (1976)
Marvel Age Annual (1985)
#2
SpΓ©cial Strange (1975)
X-Factor Annual (1986)
#2
The Marvel Saga the Official History of the Marvel Universe (1985)
#24
The Inhumans - A Marvel Graphic Novel (1988)
Strange (1970)
Marvel Comics Presents (1988)
Daredevil (1964)
Inhumans Special (1990)
#1
The Infinity Gauntlet (1991)
#2
X-Factor (1986)
#71
Silver Surfer (1987)
Starblast (1994)
#1
Marvel Age (1983)
The Uncanny X-Men (1981)
Justice: Four Balance (1994)
#4
Inhumans: The Great Refuge (1995)
#1
Earth X [Special Edition] (1997)
Alpha Flight / Inhumans '98 (1998)
Timeslip Collection (1998)
#1
X-Men Special (1998)
#5
Fantastic Four: Fireworks (1999)
#3
Magneto Ascendant (1999)
#1
Marvel Knights (1999)
Inhumans (1998)
Earth X (2000)
X-Men The Hidden Years (1999)
#16
Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Comics Magazine (2001)