Although Marvel has a handful of Middle Eastern (and by extension South Asian) characters, none have been given the spotlight, bar Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan), who recently got her own monthly comic. The MCU is still yet to give us on either the big and small screens a brown live action character. With Marvel Studio executives mining their comic book archives for characters they can take to the screen, it is perhaps about time that Arabian Knight had his moment to shine.

For those who do not know, The Arabian Knight is the namesake for three different characters that have appeared in the comics over the past 30 years. The first incarnation was a Saudi Arabian who went by the name of Abdul Qadir. He made his debut in the Incredible Hulk in 1981 and was a descendant of a ‘legendary Muslim warrior’ who defeated Gog and Magog. His character was later killed by an X-Man type mutant.

The second incarnation of the superhero was created in 2006, but was quickly defeated by X-Men’s Storm and The Avenger’s Black Panther. This was probably for the best, as the character (much like the first incarnation) was a bland mess of Arab orientalist cliches, complete with a magical scimitar and a flying carpet.

The most recent and current version of Arabian Knight was also introduced later that year and goes by the name of Navid Hashem. According to Marvel Wikia, his birthplace is cited as Nazareth Israel, so we are to assume that he is a Saudi Arabian of Palestinian origin. Unlike many other Marvel characters, he does not have any special abilities, except the ownership of that scimitar and that awful flying carpet, that has thankfully been re-woven into an indestructible uniform that responds to his thoughts and allows him to fly.

So far, most of the material put out under the MCU banner has been wildly successful as Marvel Studios continues to do what only DC/Warner Brothers can only aspire to. If we can have a successful all black superhero show, what would a Middle Eastern genre show look like? Right now the closest series we have to this comes in the form of the Egyptian American show (yes I am calling it that) Mr. Robot. However for a series that dares to continuously push the envelop with its anarchic and graphic portrayal of everything from ‘deviant’ sexual practices to the support of cyber terrorism, Mr. Robot’s creator Sami Ismail, and its producers have still fallen short of explicitly stating that its sibling lead characters are Arab Americans, despite the lead actor (Rami Malek) being Egyptian. 

In the hope that Marvel Studio’s ‘Golden Touch’ will not lose its potency anytime soon, who should helm (a hopefully) all Arab/Middle Eastern series set in the MCU, or at least make an appearance on the big screen, under the title of Marvel’s Arabian Knight?

Mr. Robot

Night at the Museum 2

Twilight Saga : Breaking Dawn

Given the surprise success Mr. Robot has garnered over the past two years, Rami Malek is the most obvious, although maybe not the best choice. This talented Egyptian American actor is quite obviously Egyptian and not Levantine or Khaleeji (and trust me, most Arabs take careful note of these things) and also lacks the physical frame the muscular Navid Hashem has. Still, such PC trivialities can be ignored given a good script and performance.

Omar

Ali and Nino

Pashmina 

As the break out star of the critically hailed romantic thriller Omar, Adam Bakri boasts the looks, physicality and ethnicity of the Arabian Knight. Although he is still relatively unknown, the handful of features he has starred in are testament to his acting ability and a charismatic screen presence. 

Marco Polo (TV Series)

Lucy

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

Although he might be considered a little too old for the role, his youthful appearance and star recognition may just be what an Middle Eastern superhero show would need to gain more viewers, even though Marvel Studios/Netflix needs little help in pulling in any ratings. Most famous for starring along side Scarlett Johansson in Lucy, the Egyptian actor continues to grow his celebrity profile via the television series Marco Polo.

Zinzana

Lone Survivor

Homeland

Star of The Kingdom, Lone Survivor and the very dark comedic Emirati thriller Zinzana, Ali Suliman is a chameleon known for totally disappearing into the roles he is playing. A character actor with enough gravitas and action movie experience to play a super powered being, Suliman can thrive as both a brooding 13 episode Netflix superhero or one of the many new big screen characters vying for their 15 minutes of screen time in the upcoming 4th Phase of the MCU. Would he be able to anchor his own movie as the lead character? Very likely.