Prince Vultan is a fictional character in the ''

Flash Gordon Flash Gordon is the protagonist of a space adventure comic strip created and originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by, and created to compete with, the already established ''Buck Rogers'' ...

'' comic strip and its adaptations. Vultan is the ruler of the Winged Bird-Men, a race of flying extraterrestrials who dwell in Sky City, a metropolis that floats in the sky. He fits the archetype of the Viking: strong, hearty, and with a great appetite for life, food, drink, and women (particularly Flash's girlfriend,

Dale Arden Dale Arden is a fictional character, the fellow adventurer and love interest of Flash Gordon and a prototypic heroine for later female characters, including Princess Leia and Padmé Amidala in ''Star Wars''. Flash, Dale and Dr. Hans Zarkov fight ...

In the comics

Prince Vultan is introduced as a reluctant ally of main villain

Ming the Merciless Ming the Merciless is a fictional character who first appeared in the ''Flash Gordon'' comic strip in 1934. He has since been the main villain of the strip and its related movie serials, television series and film adaptation. Ming is depicted ...

; he resents Ming's domination but does not oppose it out of fear of reprisal. However, after Flash and Dr. Zarkov save his city, he reforms into one of Flash Gordon's greatest allies. In the original comic, he has several wives, one of whom tries to kill Dale, as she is jealous of her. He claims to have become King of Sky City after winning one of the Tournaments of Mongo. When Ming tries to kidnap Flash, Vultan calls for a Tournament of Mongo. It is revealed that, along with Ming and King Jugrid of the Lion Men, he is one of the three most powerful rulers on Mongo. When Flash takes over the unconquered Kingdom of Caves, Vultan sends a party of Hawkmen under Captain Khan to help Flash conquer his Kingdom. The Hawkmen later come into conflict with Queen Azura and her Blue Magic Men. The image of the Hawkmen descending to attack Azura's army (from the June 16, 1935 storyline) is one of the most reproduced scenes from the ''Flash Gordon'' strip. Vultan and the other Hawkmen provoked some controversy at the time of publication. Some Christian leaders regarded the characters as blasphemous because they resembled

angel An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...

In other media

In the 1936 film serial, he was portrayed by Jack Lipson (1901-1947).

Allan Melvin Allan John Melvin (February 18, 1923 – January 17, 2008) was an American actor and impressionist, who was cast in hundreds of television episodes from the 1950s to the early 1990s, often appearing in recurring roles on various series. Some of ...

provided Vultan's voice in the 1979

Filmation Filmation Associates was an American production company founded by Lou Scheimer, Hal Sutherland and Norm Prescott in 1962, before closing by Group W Productions on February 3, 1989. Located in Reseda, California, Filmation produced animated ...

animated series. He is referred to here as King Vultan, not Prince. His Sky City is a marvel of Mongo technology, as the massive construct is suspended miles above ground by beams of polarized anti-gravity light. Unlike Prince Barin's kingdom of Arboria, Vultan's Hawkmen do not make use of airships in battle. Instead, they fly under their own power or ride giant warbirds armed with harness-mounted energy cannons. He was portrayed by

Brian Blessed Brian Blessed ( ; born 9 October 1936) is an English actor. He is known for his distinctive bushy beard, booming voice, and exuberant personality and performances. He portrayed PC "Fancy" Smith in ''Z-Cars''; Augustus in the 1976 BBC television ...

in the cult

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

film ''

''. For the film's soundtrack by the rock group

Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

Freddie Mercury Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara; 5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British singer and songwriter who achieved global fame as the lead vocalist and pianist of the rock band Queen (band), Queen. Regarded as one of the gre ...

composed a song called "Vultan's Theme". At the end, he is appointed the General of the Armies when Prince Barin is revealed as the rightful ruler of Mongo. In the 1996 ''

'' animated series, Vultan is a somewhat conservative leader, and reluctant to act against Ming for fear of reprisals against his people. His role as Flash's ally is taken by his teenage son, Prince Talon. In the 2007 television series, Vultan appears as one of the leaders of a group of nomadic mercenaries called Dactyls (a variation of the Hawkmen). In the episode, ''Ascension'', Vultan travels to Earth, using

Princess Aura Princess Aura is a fictional character in the ''Flash Gordon'' comic strips and serials. She is the selfish daughter of Ming the Merciless, the evil ruler of the planet Mongo and Emperor of the Universe. First appearing in the original 1934 ' ...

's rift key. He kidnaps a teenage boy who he claims is his son. He is played by

Ty Olsson Tyler Victor Olsson(born January 28, 1974) is a Canadian actor. He is known for playing Ord in the PBS Kids animated children's series ''Dragon Tales'' (1999–2005), real-life 9/11 hero Mark Bingham in the A&E television film ''Flight 93'' (200 ...

. In a 2008 episode of the animated sitcom ''

Family Guy ''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series premiered on January 31, 1999, following Super Bowl XXXIII, with the rest of the first season airing from April 11, 1999. Th ...

'' called "

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Brian Brian (sometimes spelled Bryan (given name), Bryan in English) is a male given name of Irish language, Irish and Breton language, Breton origin, as well as a surname of Occitan language, Occitan origin. It is common in the English-speaking world. ...

, Stewie and

Mort ''Mort'' is a fantasy novel by British writer Terry Pratchett. Published in 1987, it is the fourth '' Discworld'' novel and the first to focus on the character Death, who only appeared as a side character in the previous novels. The title is the ...

enlist the help of Vultan's Hawkman Army in a dogfight over Europe against the

Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

. Blessed returns to voice Vultan briefly during the episode.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vultan, Prince Comics characters introduced in 1934 Comics characters with accelerated healing Comics characters who can move at superhuman speeds Comics characters with superhuman senses Comics characters with superhuman strength Extraterrestrial superheroes Fictional princes Science fiction film characters Flash Gordon characters Male characters in comics Male characters in film