Bast is a fictional character

Fictional character

A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...

 appearing in the Marvel Comics

Marvel Comics

Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...

 universe

Marvel Universe

The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...

, based loosely on the Bast

Bast (goddess)

Bastet is the name commonly used by scholars today to refer to a feline goddess of ancient Egyptian religion who was worshipped at least since the Second Dynasty...

 of Egyptian mythology

Egyptian mythology

Ancient Egyptian religion was a complex system of polytheistic beliefs and rituals which were an integral part of ancient Egyptian society. It centered on the Egyptians' interaction with a multitude of deities who were believed to be present in, and in control of, the forces and elements of nature...

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Fictional character biography

One of the eldest of the Ennead, as early as 10000 BC Bast was worshiped as a panther god, granting power to worshipers and descendants. The children of Bast dwelled in the mountaintop city Bastet, existing as panthers but becoming human via the magical Eye of Bast gem until its theft. As the pharaoh's took rule over Egypt, many gods moved to Celestial Heliopolis, while Bast adopted a realm bordering Heliopolis and Ala (home of Africa's gods, the Orishas). Bast inherited Ra's life-giving solar heat, while his sibling Sekhmet inherited his fiery, destructive fury; both siblings had male and female forms. In Egypt, Bast was worshiped primarily in the city of Bubastis as a goddess of pleasure, dancing and music, and it became a pious custom to bury mummified cats within Bast's sanctuaries. Bast protected men against diseases and evil spirits, and eventually parented a lion-head son, the war god Mahes, who was also known as Apedemak. An unidentified sorcerer created the Claw of Bast, a powerful artifact using Bast's power to restore the sick or dead, it also empowered its wielder.

Employed seven times before Egyptian leader Khafre had it broken into fragments in 2500 BC, the Claw was reassembled in the twentieth century by Reed Richards

Mister Fantastic

Mr. Fantastic is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero and a member of the Fantastic Four. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, he first appeared in Fantastic Four #1 ....

, Francesca Fisher, and Victor von Doom

Doctor Doom

Victor von Doom is a fictional character who appears in Marvel Comics publications . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Fantastic Four #5 wearing his trademark metal mask and green cloak...

, but it crumbled after being used to defeat the Sphinx and heal Reed's ailing mentor, Professor van Nuys. Bast received greater regard in 952 BC when Pharaoh Sheshonk elevated Bubastis to prominence within a kingdom.

Following the attack on the life of King T’Challa

Black Panther (comics)

The Black Panther is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and penciller-co-plotter Jack Kirby, he first appeared in Fantastic Four #52...

, the country of Wakanda

Wakanda (comics)

Wakanda is a fictional nation in the Marvel Universe. It is the most prominent of several fictional African nations in the Marvel Universe. Wakanda is located in Northeastern Africa, although its exact location has varied throughout the nation's publication history: some sources place Wakanda in...

 was thrown into uproar. Shuri, sister to T’Challa and Princess of the country, had been chosen to prepare for judgment before the Panther God, with the hope that she would be acceptable and worthy to take the mantle of Black Panther. The Panther God found Shuri unworthy of the mantle due to her self-centered sense of entitlement. She was deemed arrogant and jealous of her brother’s accomplishments as the Black Panther. Shuri was dismissed to ponder her future as she would never be allowed to follow in her brother’s footsteps

Bast joined the God Squad

God Squad (comics)

God Squad is the name fictional comic book character Amadeus Cho gave to a team of gods brought together in the Marvel Universe to face the oncoming Secret Invasion...

 in order to combat the threat of the Chaos King. She sacrifices herself holding off hordes of Japanese demons from Yomi to buy the God Squad enough time to flee the realm of the Japanese deities, during the climax of the Chaos War

Chaos War (comics)

"Chaos War" is a Marvel Comics storyline that began publication in October 2010 across nine comic book series: the five-issue miniseries Chaos War, written by Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente, supplemented by seven branded miniseries or one-shot publications, and by three issues of Incredible Hulks, a...

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