Publication History
Created by writer Chris Claremont and illustrator/co-writer John Byrne, the character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #117 (January 1979) as a telepathic mutant named Amahl Farouk.
Amahl Farouk returns years later in The New Mutants #34 (December 1985), revealed to be possessing Karma since issue #6. Later appearing throughout Uncanny X-Men, the character does not first refer to himself by the name of Shadow King until issue #266 (August 1990).
X-Treme X-Men and X-Men: True Friends developed the Shadow King into actually being an entity of the astral plane that has existed since the dawn of humanity, an ethereal demon preferring to enslave the bodies of powerful telepaths and psi-sensitives and utilize their capabilities to enslave others to its whims. As a side effect of its greed, hedonism, and utter lack of self-control, the Shadow King's longterm telepathic hosts are often left morbidly obese.
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