A year after her introduction in Disney+’s Moon Knight TV series, Marvel Comics have announced (via IGN) that Layla El-Faouly, aka the Scarlet Scarab, will make her comic book debut in July’s “Moon Knight” #25 (written by Jed MacKay, with art by Alessandro Cappuccio, Alessandro Vitti, and Partha Pratim.) She will then co-star in a five-part series, “Moon Knight: City of the Dead,” by writer David Pepose and artist Marcelo Ferreira, also beginning in July. The latter title will see Marc Spector and Layla head to the titular city to save a young runaway, where they are confronted by several vengeful faces.
MacKay says, “Bringing Layla El-Faouly into our story was exciting. Adding an already beloved character into the universe of the comics is a really interesting opportunity, and being able to show the ‘before’ to David and Marcelo’s ‘after’ was a wonderful bit of synchronicity. It was an idea that we both came to independently, and the way our stories were able to dovetail is something that I’m looking forward to people experiencing. While the Scarlet Scarab will indeed be turning up in ‘Moon Knight: City of the Dead,’ in ‘Moon Knight’ #25 we’re seeing a much younger Layla and a much younger Marc Spector as they embark on a mission as members of the crack mercenary team, the Karnak Cowboys.”
Pepose describes “City of the Dead” as a “mindbending” series, “drawing equal parts inspiration from Inception and Taken.” He says of Layla’s role in particular that “[she] has been such a fun character to adapt — she knows Marc better than almost anyone, and that tension is going to spark some spectacular fireworks on this otherworldly adventure.”
Portrayed by May Calamawy, Layla/Scarlet Scarab marked the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first Arab superhero. She was an amalgamation of Marlene Alraune, Marc’s wife from the comics, and Mehemet Faoul, the son of Abdul Faoul, who was the Scarlet Scarab during the Second World War. Abdul debuted first in 1977’s “Invaders” #23 (written by Roy Thomas, with art by Frank Robbins and Frank Springer), while Mehemet made his first appearance in 1982’s “Thor” #326 (penned by Moon Knight co-creator Doug Moench, with art by Alan Kupperberg.)
Layla’s 616 introduction in “Moon Knight” #25 will be released on July 12, with cover art by Steve McNiven. “Moon Knight: City of the Dead” #1 will follow on July 19, with a main cover by Rod Reis, and a variant by Davi Go (pictured) showcasing Scarlet Scarab. To check out the covers, and for more from the creators, head to IGN.
