Imhotep is the main

antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the main enemy or rival of the protagonist and is often depicted as a villain.The Mummy''. He is also the main antagonist in the 1999 remake and its 2001 sequel ''

The Mummy Returns ''The Mummy Returns'' is a 2001 American fantasy action-adventure film written and directed by Stephen Sommers. It is the sequel to the 1999 film ''The Mummy'', and the second in ''The Mummy'' film series. Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, Jo ...

''. Sofia Boutella plays a female version of this character named Ahmanet in the 2017 reboot. Imhotep is loosely inspired by the historical figure

Imhotep Imhotep (; "(the one who) comes in peace"; ) was an Egyptian chancellor to the King Djoser, possible architect of Djoser's step pyramid, and high priest of the sun god Ra at Heliopolis. Very little is known of Imhotep as a historical figur ...

, a noted

polymath A polymath or polyhistor is an individual whose knowledge spans many different subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific problems. Polymaths often prefer a specific context in which to explain their knowledge, ...

and counselor to the Pharaoh

Djoser Djoser (also read as Djeser and Zoser) was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh of the 3rd Dynasty during the Old Kingdom, and was the founder of that epoch. He is also known by his Hellenized names Tosorthros (from Manetho) and Sesorthos (from Euse ...

in the

27th century BC The 27th century BC was a century that lasted from the year 2700 BC to 2601 BC. Events *c. 2750–2600 BC: Early Dynastic II Period in Mesopotamia. *c. 2700 BC: The beginning of statuary in Egypt, with shale and limestone statues of Khasekhemw ...

Appearances

''The Mummy'' (1932)

In his original appearance, Imhotep was portrayed by

Boris Karloff William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), known professionally as Boris Karloff () and occasionally billed as Karloff the Uncanny, was a British actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film ''Frankenstei ...

as a high priest of

ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt () was a cradle of civilization concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in Northeast Africa. It emerged from prehistoric Egypt around 3150BC (according to conventional Egyptian chronology), when Upper and Lower E ...

who steals the Scroll of Thoth in an attempt to resurrect his dead lover Princess Anck-es-en-Amon. For Imhotep's sacrilege, the princess's father

Pharaoh Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian language, Egyptian: ''wikt:pr ꜥꜣ, pr ꜥꜣ''; Meroitic language, Meroitic: 𐦲𐦤𐦧, ; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') was the title of the monarch of ancient Egypt from the First Dynasty of Egypt, First Dynasty ( ...

Amenophis the Magnificent orders Imhotep to be tortured, mummified, and

buried alive Premature burial, also known as live burial, burial alive, or vivisepulture, means to be buried while still alive. Animals or humans may be buried alive accidentally on the mistaken assumption that they are dead, or intentionally as a form of ...

. The Scroll of Thoth is buried with him so that no one would ever again have the chance to use it like he did. Imhotep is accidentally revived as a

mummy A mummy is a dead human or an animal whose soft tissues and Organ (biology), organs have been preserved by either intentional or accidental exposure to Chemical substance, chemicals, extreme cold, very low humidity, or lack of air, so that the ...

when an archaeological expedition discovers his mummy and one of the archaeologists unknowingly reads the Scroll of Thoth's ancient life-giving spell. While reviewing his mummy, the archaeologists note that not only was Imhotep buried alive as indicated by his struggle, but that sacred spells meant to protect his soul on its journey to the underworld were chipped off his coffin so his soul would be condemned in the

afterlife The afterlife or life after death is a purported existence in which the essential part of an individual's Stream of consciousness (psychology), stream of consciousness or Personal identity, identity continues to exist after the death of their ...

. Imhotep escapes from the archaeologists and ten years later has assumed the identity of Ardath Bey, a modern Egyptian. In this form, he helps a new team of archaeologists find the tomb of Anck-es-en-Amon. When Ardath meets a woman named Helen Grosvenor who bears a striking resemblance to Anck-es-en-Amon, he realizes that she is a

reincarnation Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the Philosophy, philosophical or Religion, religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new lifespan (disambiguation), lifespan in a different physical ...

of the princess and attempts to mummify her and make her his bride. Imhotep is able to use years of power and strength to control others in person and through a looking pool from afar, causing both attraction to him and death to those he wishes it upon. His powers allow him to control others to take his orders, which gives him control and the ability to draw Helen Grosvenor to him, where she can never remember what she did or why she was with him. Recalling her past life, Grosvenor asks the goddess

Isis Isis was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingdom () as one of the main characters of the Osiris myth, in which she resurrects her sla ...

for help. She causes Imhotep to dissolve into dust by raising her statue's hand and setting the Scroll of Thoth on fire. The ancient Egyptian priest from the film is named after a famous Egyptian architect named

who was responsible for designing the

pyramid of Djoser The pyramid of Djoser, sometimes called the Step Pyramid of Djoser or Step Pyramid of Horus Netjerikhet, is an archaeological site in the Saqqara necropolis, Egypt, northwest of the ruins of Memphis.Bard, Kathryn A., and Jean-Philipee Lauer, ed ...

Saqqara Saqqara ( : saqqāra ), also spelled Sakkara or Saccara in English , is an Egyptian village in the markaz (county) of Badrashin in the Giza Governorate, that contains ancient burial grounds of Egyptian royalty, serving as the necropolis for ...

. He is also well-known for becoming his own priest and excelling in medicine where he was considered a healer, using plants to treat common diseases. Though the mummy of Imhotep has never been found, an empty sarcophagus was found in a tomb that is thought to have been his. There is, however, a disagreement on if the tomb discovered actually does belong to Imhotep, because there is evidence that whoever was laid to rest in that tomb did not worship Ra.

''The Mummy'' (1999)

In the 1999 remake, Imhotep is portrayed by

Arnold Vosloo Arnold Vosloo (born 16 June 1962) is a South African and American actor. He began his career as a stage actor and starring in South African films like '' Boetie Gaan Border Toe'' (1984). After emigrating to the United States in the late 1980s, h ...

and is, once again, the main

antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the main enemy or rival of the protagonist and is often depicted as a villain.high priest of Osiris The High Priest of Osiris served at Abydos, Egypt, Abydos. Some high priests were: High priests of Osiris, . Ancient Egyptian titles Ancient Egyptian priests References

{{Ancient Egyptian royal titulary ...

under the rule of Pharaoh

Seti I Menmaatre Seti I (or Sethos I in Greek language, Greek) was the second pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt during the New Kingdom of Egypt, New Kingdom period, ruling or 1290 BC to 1279 BC. He was the son of Ramesses I and Sitre, and th ...

. He began an affair with Seti's mistress Anck-Su-Namun and they assassinate the Pharaoh when he discovers it. They are discovered and Anck-Su-Namun commits suicide, intending that Imhotep resurrect her. He and his priests later steal her corpse from her burial-place. Imhotep attempts to resurrect Anck-Su-Namun, but is captured at Hamunaptra (the City of the Dead) by the Medjai (the Pharaoh's sacred bodyguards). His priests are mummified and buried alive. Imhotep, meanwhile, is condemned to endure the Curse of the Hom-Dai: the ritual involves cutting out his tongue, mummifying him alive, and sealing him in a sarcophagus filled with carnivorous scarab beetles. The curse transforms Imhotep into an undead fiend kept in a state of living death, with the intention that he would suffer being eaten alive by the scarabs for all time. If revived, he would gain control over sand and other elements, together with being virtually invincible. During an archaeological dig in 1926 AD, Imhotep is accidentally revived when librarian and amateur Egyptologist Evelyn Carnahan (

Rachel Weisz Rachel Hannah Weisz (; born 7 March 1970) is an English actress. Known for her roles in independent films and blockbusters, she has received List of awards and nominations received by Rachel Weisz, several awards, including an Academy Award, ...

) reads the ''

Book of the Dead The ''Book of the Dead'' is the name given to an Ancient Egyptian funerary texts, ancient Egyptian funerary text generally written on papyrus and used from the beginning of the New Kingdom of Egypt, New Kingdom (around 1550 BC) to around 50 BC ...

'' at Hamunaptra, where his sarcophagus was. Imhotep regenerates himself using the flesh of four adventurers who breached his burial-chamber and opened a cursed chest, but spares Evelyn because he wants to use her body for the resurrection of his former lover, Anck-Su-Namun. Once revived, Imhotep gained several powers, including regeneration, invulnerability, and the ability to turn himself into sand and control the desert sands. He could also wield the ten

Plagues of Egypt In the Book of Exodus, the Plagues of Egypt () are ten disasters that the Hebrew God inflicts on the Biblical Egypt, Egyptians to convince Pharaohs in the Bible#In the Book of Exodus, the Pharaoh to emancipate the enslaved Israelites, each of th ...

to an unspecified degree; in the course of the film he is shown turning water to blood, unleashing swarms of

locust Locusts (derived from the Latin ''locusta'', locust or lobster) are various species of short-horned grasshoppers in the family Acrididae that have a swarming phase. These insects are usually solitary, but under certain circumstances they b ...

s, and controlling the people of the city by inflicting them with boils and sores. Early in the film, Imhotep expresses an intense fear of cats, screaming in fear when a white one appears in Evelyn's room. Ardeth Bay (the leader of an ancient secret society devoted to guarding Imhotep's tomb, rather than an alias of Imhotep) and Evelyn's employer explain that Imhotep will fear them until he is fully regenerated, cats being associated with the guardians of the underworld in Egyptian mythology, which is used to drive him back during an early confrontation. He attempts to resurrect Anck-su-namun again, using Evelyn as a sacrifice. Ultimately, Imhotep is defeated when he is stripped of immortality by the Book of Amun-Ra and he is stabbed with a sword by the film's

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a ...

Rick O'Connell (

Brendan Fraser Brendan James Fraser ( ; born December 3, 1968) is an American-Canadian actor. List of awards and nominations received by Brendan Fraser, His accolades include an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a nomination for a Golden Globe A ...

). As he degenerates into a skeletal form and falls into the pool from which he summoned Anck-su-namun's ba, Imhotep declares the same words he scrawled into his sarcophagus thousands of years before, "Death is only the beginning", vowing that he will return to have his revenge.

''The Mummy Returns'' (2001)

In the 2001 sequel ''

'', Imhotep, having been resurrected and freed from the resin he had been trapped in at the end of the first film by a group of cultists and Anck-su-namun's reincarnation, proceeds to seek out the Bracelet of Anubis, which was the key to finding the lair of the Scorpion King, an ancient warrior whose defeat will grant Imhotep control over the Scorpion King's near-indestructible Army of

Anubis Anubis (; ), also known as Inpu, Inpw, Jnpw, or Anpu in Ancient Egyptian (), is the god of funerary rites, protector of graves, and guide to the underworld in ancient Egyptian religion, usually depicted as a canine or a man with a canine hea ...

. After finding the bracelet on the arm of Alex O'Connell, the son of Rick and Evie, Imhotep captures the boy and uses him to find the lair of the Scorpion King, rejuvenating his body using the flesh of mercenaries Anck-su-namun tricks into opening the cursed chest. Once Imhotep reaches the lair, he walks over a magic seal on the floor which causes him to be robbed of his telekinesis, immortality, and other powers granted by the Curse of Hom Dai by Anubis, who seemingly wishes him to face the Scorpion King as a normal mortal. When the Scorpion King responds to Imhotep's summons, Imhotep tricks him into attacking Rick O'Connell. When Rick kills the Scorpion King and sends him and his army back to the

underworld The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underworld. ...

, the palace begins to collapse. As the building falls apart, Rick and Imhotep both nearly fall into a chasm that apparently leads to the underworld and grab onto the ledge. While Rick is rescued by Evelyn even as he calls out to her to leave him and save herself, Imhotep begs Anck-su-namun for assistance to save him, but she selfishly refuses and leaves him to die (soon after, as apparent karma, she falls into a pit of scorpions and dies herself). After this betrayal, Imhotep loses all will to live, since his only reason for returning from the grave was to be reunited with his lover, who apparently did not fully reciprocate his affection. He gives Rick and Evelyn a sad smile, understanding that their love is genuine, and willingly casts himself into the pit, thus ending his reign of terror once and for all.

''The Mummy'' TV series (2001–2003)

In the animated television series simply titled '' The Mummy'', based on the 1999 and 2001 films, he is voiced by

Jim Cummings James Jonah Cummings (born November 3, 1952) is an American voice actor. Beginning his career in the 1980s, he has appeared in over 400 titles. Cummings has frequently worked with the Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros., serving as the offic ...

and is again the main antagonist. Unlike the films, he is able to speak modern English in this series. Many years ago, Imhotep was the high priest of

Osiris Osiris (, from Egyptian ''wikt:wsjr, wsjr'') was the ancient Egyptian deities, god of fertility, agriculture, the Ancient Egyptian religion#Afterlife, afterlife, the dead, resurrection, life, and vegetation in ancient Egyptian religion. He was ...

who wanted to rule the world. He was already the keeper of the Scrolls of Thebes. When he was about to steal the Manacle of Osiris, the Pharaoh sent his royal guards to intercept him and sentence him to be mummified alive. Years later, Imhotep was resurrected by Colin Weasler, despite his co-worker Evy's attempt to destroy him. He plots to seek the Scrolls of Thebes in order to remove the Manacle of Osiris from Alex. Having both would allow him to rule the world unchallenged. In the first season finale, when it comes to the fight in the

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

catacombs where the Scrolls of Thebes are, he does regain them before they end up being destroyed by Alex using the Manacle's power to bring a torch underneath the Scrolls of Thebes to set them on fire, ensuring neither side has them. Though he was thought dead when fighting the

Minotaur In Greek mythology, the Minotaur (, ''Mīnṓtauros''), also known as Asterion, is a mythical creature portrayed during classical antiquity with the head and tail of a bull and the body of a man or, as described by Roman poet Ovid, a being "par ...

within the flooding catacombs, Imhotep managed to survive and strove to find other ways to conquer the world.

References

External links

Comparing the 1932 and 1999/2001 versions of ''The Mummy''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Imhotep Fictional ancient Egyptian people Fictional characters based on real people Fictional characters with accelerated healing Fictional characters with superhuman strength Fictional cult leaders Fictional kidnappers Fictional mass murderers Fictional mummies Fictional pagans Fictional priests and priestesses Fictional resurrected characters Fictional shapeshifters Fictional characters who use magic Film characters introduced in 1932 Film characters introduced in 1999 Male horror film villains The Mummy (franchise) Universal Monsters characters

Mummy A mummy is a dead human or an animal whose soft tissues and Organ (biology), organs have been preserved by either intentional or accidental exposure to Chemical substance, chemicals, extreme cold, very low humidity, or lack of air, so that the ...