Shiklah

Shiklah
Shiklah as seen in Deadpool: The Gauntlet Issue #3
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Infinite Comics
First Appearance	Deadpool: The Gauntlet #3 (March 2014)
Created By	Gerry Duggan Brian Posehn Reilly Brown
In-story information
Alter Ego	Shiklah
Species	Succubus
Team Affiliations	Dracula Deadpool (formerly) Legion of Monsters (formerly)
Notable Aliases	Queen of the Undead Mrs. Dracula (currently)
Abilities	Shape Shifting Superhuman Strength Superhuman Speed Hellfire Manipulation Enslavement Beam Life Force Absorption Supernatural Beauty
Relatives	Unnamed Father Amjad (Brother) Baqir (Brother) Vlad Dracula (Husband)

For other uses of the word Succubus, see Succubus (disambiguation).

Shiklah is a fictional character appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. Once destined to be Dracula's bride, Shiklah is a ancient royal succubus who fell in love and married Deadpool instead. Shiklah first appeared in Deadpool: The Gauntlet #3 in March, 2014. She was created by Gerry Duggan, Brian Posehn and Reilly Brown.

Biography

Thousands of years ago there was a time where demons ruled the night before the time of man, but during that monarchy, they attracted the parasitic life of vampires that sought to undo their power. The vampires were their fiercest challengers, and it was pride that drove the bloodsuckers to overthrow the demons. A sneak attack on their bannermen sparked a war that raged for centuries between the two races.

Shiklah is a succubus from a royal bloodline, who's brothers valiantly defended the realm from the attack of the vampires. But they were overwhelmed and betrayed, and eventually killed. Her father had been around long enough to see the rise of man, but the loss of his sons was too much for him to bear, so he decided to hide Shiklah away in a casket to keep her safe until such time as the war ended... or she was to be wed. He apparently died protecting her.

Statistics

• Real Name: Shiklah
• Aliases: Queen of the Undead, Mrs. Deadpool
• Relatives: Unnamed Father, Amjad (Brother), Baqir (Brother), Dracula (Current Husband) Wade Wilson (Ex-Husband)
• Affiliation: Dracula
• Base Of Operations: Mobile
• Alignment: Bad
• Identity: No Dual Identity
• Citizenship: Arabian
• Marital Status: Married
• Species: Succubus
• Education: Monster Royalty
• Gender: Female
• Eyes: Yellow
• Hair: Black
• Height: 5'10" (approximately)
• Weight: 130 pounds (approximately)
• Origin: Unearthed by Deadpool from a cave in the Arabian Peninsula. Awakened after Deadpool fought a Minotaur.
• Universe: Earth-616
• Place Of Birth: Arabian Peninsula
• Creators: Gerry Duggan, Brian Posehn, Reilly Brown

Major Story Arcs

Deadpool: The Gauntlet

In the present day, the mercenary known as Deadpool was hired by Dracula to retrieve his bride-to-be, and succeeded. Passing through Greece however, he comes upon a small snafu of sorts, and an incident with a minotaur caused her casket to fall to the ground, cracking open and releasing the succubus queen herself, and her pet Bug, a winged reptilian creature. As a return favor to Deadpool she bestows upon him a kiss. While seemingly innocent, a strange transference happens and he falls over dead. She thinks that it is done and prepares to leave, only for Deadpool to rise up and aim a gun at the back of her head. She is surprised by this, but they continue on their way through Greece, as she reminisces about her past to the crimson clad mercenary.

They hitch a ride on a passing train, settling in for the long haul, only to be accosted by the vampire hunter, Blade. Blade knows the real reason why Shiklah has been released and he plans to kill her to stop the union of the Succubus Queen and the Vampire King. Deadpool fights to save her, matching Blade strike for strike until he is put down with a punch. Down but still conscious, Deadpool witnesses a massive beam of energy striking Blade and sending him flying across the compartment of the train. He turns to see Shiklah revealing her true monstrous form, the woman growing into a large horned, reptilian-looking monster, before she attacks Blade. She soundly beats him to the ground, and just before she delivers a killing blow she is stopped by Deadpool. Confused as to which side the mercenary is on she proceeds to berate him, only for Deadpool to save her yet again from the vampire hunter's swords.

Meanwhile, in Manhattan it is revealed that Shiklah's brothers have lived, and she is therefore not a monarch of anything.

As Deadpool and Blade proceed to fight on the train, they continue to trade barbs and information, eventually crashing through one of the compartments. Blade seemingly has the upper hand before Deadpool throws a Hulk fist shaped explosive arrow at him, the explosion ripping open the side of the train. It's revealed that Blade is still alive and he swings his sword into Deadpool's skull, burying it halfway inside of the mercenary, only to be blasted back by another beam of energy from Shiklah. Blade is suddenly compliant with her wishes, listening to her every word and seeming to be smitten with the woman. Deadpool rises, once again confusing Shiklah as to how he could have survived. It's revealed that she had blasted Blade with a beam that has taken over his mind, allowing her to control his thoughts and seemingly make him fall in love with the succubus.

As they send Blade off by disconnecting a train car, Shiklah goes to inspect Deadpool's wound, only to have it close before her very eyes. She admits that he is a strange man, but her face shows that she is clearly falling for him, along with the resulting comment of her calling him 'handsome' after he reveals his scarred and tumor-laden face to her. Her pet, Bug, has taken a liking to Deadpool as well, who calls his old associate, Bob, Agent of HYDRA.

The duo are next seen traveling through the streets of Paris, taking in the sights and visiting various museums. Deadpool explains to Shiklah what a smartphone is, while she is amazed at the technology, likening every man in this day and age to a wizard. Visiting the Louvre, Deadpool steals a pair of katanas for himself, and Shiklah comments that she is having a wonderful time. Deadpool reciprocates the sentiment, confessing that he hasn't had this much fun without killing somebody. She invites him down to the catacombs that run under the city of Paris and he accepts. They discuss the burden of immortality, Shiklah professing that it is a curse to watch those around her age, while Deadpool states that nothing can kill him. Shiklah finds this news to be saddening but finds Deadpool to be a kindred spirit to her for some reason. Their reverie is interrupted by the ghosts of the Templars. They tell the duo that they are trespassing on hallowed ground and to leave immediately.

They are attacked and they fight back valiantly, Shiklah using her soul fire to dispel and disrupt the lesser spirits around them. Deadpool is suddenly possessed by the lead spirit of the Templar ghosts, and as such, is forced to attack Shiklah. She summons up her demonic energies and lets it swirl around her frame, dispelling the ghosts around them and sending them back to where they came from, before concentrating the energy inside of her and kissing Deadpool. The kiss burns the spirit out of his body and leaves him unconscious for the moment, but he eventually comes to. He questions why she brought him down to the catacombs, and she does not seem to understand what he means by that particular question. He states that he's been dealing with a lot of loss in his life, and doesn't like to lose, that from here on out, it's a business trip. He doesn't want to get attached, and he doesn't want her using her succubus powers on him to make him fall in love with her. She states that she tried to drain him, but she failed, perhaps because he isn't being honest with his own emotions. She tries to kiss him once more, but he denies this, knowing that she has someone waiting for her at the end of their journey.

As they leave the catacombs, they are captured by HYDRA. Deadpool thinks that Bob has brought them to come and give them transport, but they are locked up in the HYDRA submarine's prison cell. Shiklah thinks they have been betrayed, just as her pet Bug chews through the prison cell bars and allows them to escape. Deadpool sees Bob and runs up to greet him, only to find out that he's a different Bob than the one he knows. Deadpool breaks the man's neck, only for the real Bob to come around the corner to witness the death. Before he can freak out too much however, the whole submarine is lifted up out of the water by A.I.M. While they are being pulled up and out of the water by the A.I.M aircraft's tractor beam, Deadpool blames Bob for selling them out to the other organization. Bob swears he isn't to blame, and Deadpool accepts this saying that he was aware of that and was merely joking. A.I.M Bob comes in to take them into custody, however Shiklah handles him easily using her pet companion Bug as a distraction, before placing a kiss on the man and stealing his vitality and life.

Deadpool points out that she didn't have to kiss him. She wonders if he's jealous and he denies this, saying that she could have transformed, and that she didn't have to kiss him. She concludes that he is jealous, but she seems flattered by the notion. She gives Deadpool the chance to catch up with Bob while she liberates them from HYDRA. While Deadpool recounts how they met, Shiklah takes it upon herself to rid the ship of all of the soldiers using a combination of trickery, superior speed, her companion Bug, and of course her deadly kisses. Then comes the unfortunate arrival of a large mechanical soldier, with no libido or life force. Shiklah shifts into her monstrous form and tackles the mech head on.

While Deadpool and Bob walk through the submarine and keep the stories coming, Bob points out that Wade is falling for her. Wade admits that he has been delaying bringing her back to New York because of the fun he has been having. A beam emits from nowhere and encapsulates Shiklah however, and it turns out that M.O.D.O.K. has taken an interest in her, wanting to dissect and harvest her power for his own use. He takes her from the submarine as Deadpool attacks him, but to no avail. He determines that the tractor beam's strength would allow him to release a grenade and that it would be attracted to the large organism's skull. He is correct, and the resulting explosion sends them plummeting to the ground. As they are falling M.O.D.O.K points out that he can fly using his chair, and that Deadpool has no way of surviving. Deadpool merely rips him out of the chair and takes it for himself, allowing Shiklah to sit in his lap and Bob to cling to the back of it. Elsewhere, it is revealed that because of Deadpool's tardiness with delivering Shiklah to Dracula, they have placed a collar around Werewolf by Night's neck to control him and to force him to bring Shiklah back to Dracula, resulting in Wade being killed and not having to be paid.

After the chair floats closer to the ground, Bob slips off of it from where he was hanging, plummeting to the ground and suffering two broken legs from the height of the fall, but is otherwise still alive. After breaking out a black jack and knocking Bob unconscious, Deadpool brings him to the nearest veterinary clinic and hands him over to be cared for. Shiklah and Wade eventually go for a walk during the full moon, discussiing Dracula, but then Shiklah notices that Bug has gone missing and then are attacked by Werewolf at Night. Wade is able to fight it off for the time being, shooting it in the chest as Shiklah and he retreat to the nearest church. The Werewolf tosses Wade into a suit of armor as Shiklah escapes down to the dungeons. The Werewolf comes after her, covered in Deadpool's blood and Shiklah is about to fight him off, but he knocks her to the side before she can transform. As he's about to deliver a fatal blow, Deadpool, wearing a suit of armor, comes out of nowhere and fights him off. Leaping into the air and about to deliver what appears to be a fatal sword strike to the werewolf, Deadpool merely slices the band of the control collar, cutting it off and breaking the mind control spell.

The werewolf reveals that Shiklah's brothers are still alive and she is surprised by this news. Flashing back to Dracula's hideout, the two brothers are fighting for something that happened centuries ago. Dracula has no time for this, and instead retreats to plan his next attack against Wade and Shiklah. Enlisting the help of Frankenstein's Monster, The Mummy, intergalactic Brood mercenary Xzax, and of course his personal favorite, Marcus, a centaur warrior that was bitten by a werewolf with the added powers of having a symbiote bonded to him.

Some time later, Dracula is having a conversation with Shiklah's brothers, both of them being quite polite this time around as he speaks, throwing barbs and jests at them. When neither respond it is revealed that he had decapitated and placed their heads on spikes. Shiklah's companion, Bug, witnesses all of this and crawls through a mirror, traveling from one spot on the planet to the next in a few seconds through a different dimension, coming out of a mirror on a cruise ship with Shiklah and Deadpool in a room together. Deadpool tries to play it off like they were wrestling around, but the creature doesn't know any better. Shiklah pulls the images from its mind, being saddened and immeasurably angered by Dracula's actions against her brothers, vowing to get revenge on the King of Vampires. It's revealed that Deadpool and Shiklah had tied up a couple that resided in the room before them. Soon, the ship makes port and they leave, Frankenstein on the dock spying on them and reporting their movement through the city.

During their stroll, they are suddenly accosted by vampires in the middle of the day, the vampires using colorful mascot garb to protect themselves from the sun. Deadpool realizes this and relays the information to Shiklah, then destroys the costumes and vaporizes the vampires within them. Shiklah joins the fight and blasts a few of the vampires herself, and they fight off the onslaught while retreating to a building. Shiklah wants to transform to fight the vampires, but Deadpool reveals they are on hallowed ground and thus the vampires cannot enter it. They form a wall on the outside of the church, with a woman in front demanding Shiklah be turned over to them, before they are suddenly called home. The squad that Dracula had assembled line up outside of the door, wanting them to come out. Deadpool warns them that if they leave, then he holds no ill will towards them. A piece of art comes through the top of the church window and lands on the ground in front of them, each pondering why he ruined a piece of art, rather than use the front door...until it explodes. Deadpool explains he covered it in C-4, and the explosion sends them reeling towards the ground.

Deadpool takes on Dracula's new team of the 'Frightful Four', consisting of the Mummy, Frankenstein's Monster, Xzax, and the centaur-werewolf-symbiote. He aptly handles them for a good while, but after getting his pistol changed to a snake by the Mummy and attempting to strangle the centaur-werewolf-symbiote with it, he gets tossed towards Frankenstein's Monster, who uses a motorcycle as a bat to smack Deadpool into a window. Getting up from the shattered glass, he lets them know that he is pissed and charges at them once more.

In the Monster Metropolis, there is a gathering of the various vampires in the citadel, a man claiming that Shiklah's relatives attacked Dracula, and that they are now at war with the succubus queen. Shiklah appears behind a vampire and kisses him, killing him instantly as she laments if they still make her specific type of lipstick in this day and age.

As the fight wears on between Deadpool and the Frightful Four, the Mummy grows tired of it and breaks out his staff, blasting Deadpool with an 'instant death' beam, sending him flying back into a hot dog cart. Deadpool springs up however, pulling the propane tank from the hot dog cart and spraying the Mummy with it and lighting it on fire, turning it into a flamethrower and torching the Mummy and his extremely flammable wraps.

Shiklah, in her monstrous form sneaks up behind the Monster Metropolis's guard for the prison cells, and speaks to him, seducing him and using her charms as well, convincing him to go and drown himself in the ocean, and to leave the underground prison unattended. Releasing her friends, they all rejoice for a moment, but she tells them that now isn't the time for it.

Back to the fight between Deadpool and the Frightful Four, the centaur-werewolf-symbiote hears the clock strike midnight, and reveals that he has to balance his blood sugar. Deadpool allows this for the moment and Tweets about it. The fight resumes and Deadpool asks the centaur if he fears the long term effects of the disease, diabetes. He confesses that he does and he worries about his hooves being lost, but Deadpool just cuts them off right then and there. Letting him fall in a section of wet cement, Deadpool hijacks a steam-roller and runs over the centaur, only to be attacked by Xzax. Soon the Mummy grabs him from behind while on fire, setting Deadpool on fire as well. Shoving him away, grabbing the Brood Mercenary by his back legs, and swinging him face first into a speeding fire truck. After drenching the mummy and putting out the fire, Deadpool is leapt on by Frankenstein's Monster, mashing him into the ground and proceeding to smash his face against it over and over again.

Just then, the manhole covers around the street start to shoot up from the ground, streams of monsters pouring out of them all. One side for Dracula, and one side for Shiklah, the makings of a monster war seeming imminent.

Deadpool: Til Death Do Us...

Shiklah began treating Wade with more disdain the longer they were separated, due to his negligence. She began taking new lovers that could satisfy her where Wade no longer did. His preference for the surface world only fueled her hatred towards humanity.

The final breaking point for Shiklah was the death of Farcus, a centuries-old, senile monster who was killed by bystanders after wandering out of Monster Metropolis. For the sake of the safety of her people, Shiklah used the power of the Sceptre of the Manticore to mobilize armies from her kingdom and other places with the intention to annex Manhattan to Monster Metropolis.

Deadpool's plan to stop Shiklah involved retrieving Dracula from his slumber and having him control the vampires among Shiklah's army to fight back. Even though Dracula had agreed to help Deadpool defeat Shiklah, he proposed to her as soon as they reunited. Shiklah accepts his proposal, and they are wed by Mephisto, who says that was a union he could approve of. SDeadpool and Spider-Man are tied up, and watching the entire thing while a giant monster spider closes in on the two. Shiklah departs with Dracula, and tells him to let the spider eat ehr husband and his friend. Spider-Man escapes, and manages to free Deadpool as well. Deadpool tells Spider-Man that he plans to go after Shiklah, claiming he knows how to handle her, and tells Spider-Man to deal with Dracula. Later, Shiklah returns with Dracula, and explains they plan to merge kingdoms and concur the humans. But Shiklah's monsters explain they can no longer bow to her, and that don't wish to live under a monarch anymore. Shiklah is shocked, thinking her people adored her, but discovering they want her run off.

Wade catches up with Shiklah again, he protests her marriage to Dracula. He reminds her that Dracula killed her brothers, and the entire reason for their own marriage was to save her from Dracula. He argues she can't go through with it. Shiklah angrily attacks him, screaming that he has no right to tell her who she can impetuously marry.

We don't see them again until Spider-Man walks in on them, and we discover they were having sex again. Spider-Man asks if he has no shame. Deadpool wonders which of of them he's talking to, and Shiklah invites him to watch and learn something. Spider-Man covers his ears and leaves. They get dressed and Shiklah finally talks to Wade -asking why he burdens himself with humans that he will outlive. Wade explains that they aren't always a burden. He says that killing humans is easier than living with them, but he's always been a masochist. He further explains that you don't plan to love someone, it just happens one day at a time, until you eventually wake up and can't think of any reason to kill them. He asks her if it makes sense to her, or just him. She gives him a warm smile, and thanks him. She pulls him in for a kiss, and drains his life-force, mirroring how they first met, then tells him goodbye while he's unconscious.

Shiklah appears before Dracula, and her people again. She declares enough is enough, and persuades Dracula to let their people rule themselves. She admits she's not comfortable ruling by force, and she won't rule if they don't want her. Shiklah abdicated the throne in order to pursue her own interests. Dracula joined her, due to having been in retirement before Deadpool dragged him to the conflict.

However, on the final note of their relationship, Shiklah wrote Deadpool a letter for him to read after he woke up again. She lets him know, he doesn't need to sit around and mope, and that he's free to get on with his sorry life. She tells him by the time he reads, she'll be on her honeymoon having some stake-play with Dracula. She explains she came to love him and her people, but leaves for the sake of them all -wanting them to thrive in her absence than suffer for her company.

She plans to go experience the new century, since she slept away the last 2. She closes telling Wade she'll have fun with Dracula, but to keep his phone on, because he'd never know when booty calls -wishing him well and telling him to be good to himself. Wade comments that it's nice to have a relationship end without a corpse, for a change. Deadpool later mentions he thinks they are still technically married but isn't sure, and doesn't really know how it works.

Powers and Abilities

As a succubus, Shiklah has a great deal of power at her disposal, and with this power usually comes boosted strength, speed, supernatural level of beauty and some magical abilities, especially dealing with illusions and mental manipulation. Physical changes include fangs, claws, pointed tail and wings. Though with her being the Queen of the Succubi she might possess even greater potential for those abilities.

The following powers and abilities have been seen during her appearances:

• Shape-shifting: While traveling with Deadpool, she is attacked by Blade and as such, transforms into her 'true' form, a large demonic looking reptile with purple skin, four horns and a maw full of razor sharp teeth. Changing between forms is uncomfortable for her.

• Superhuman Strength: When she transformed into her true form, she was easily able to beat down the vampire hunter known as Blade, pounding him into the ground within a few seconds, as well as about to deliver a killing blow.

• Superhuman Speed: During the encounter with Blade, she closed the distance faster than he could react and proceeded to beat him soundly.

• Hellfire Manipulation: Shiklah possesses the ability to generate, control, and project hellfire (also known as soulfire) at will. Hellfire is an emphyreal and supernatural flame that burns both physical and ethereal beings.

• Enslavement Beam: During the fight with Blade, Deadpool managed to blow up a compartment of the train, only to have his head cleaved by Blade. Before the slice could be finished however he was blasted by a purple beam of energy, and fell under the thrall of Shiklah.

• Life-Force Absorption: Being a succubus, Shiklah can absorb the life forces of those around her, whether through a kiss or through sexual intercourse. When she first awakens from her slumber, she kissed Deadpool, the power behind it making him fall unconscious for a moment. It didn't kill him because of his healing factor, but for normal mortals it would have been deadly.

• Supernatural Beauty: Her succubus physiology grants Shiklah with an unparalleled level of beauty, her human form drawing attention from even a woman as she passed by on the streets.

Bibliography

• Deadpool: The Gauntlet #3 (March 2014)
• Deadpool: The Gauntlet #4 (March 2014)
• Deadpool: The Gauntlet #5 (April 2014)

• Deadpool Vol 3 #27 (June 2014)
• Deadpool Vol 3 #28 (July 2014)
• Deadpool Vol 3 #29 (July 2014)
• Deadpool Vol 3 #30 (August 2014)
• Deadpool Vol 3 #32 (September 2014)
• Deadpool Vol 3 #33 (October 2014)
• Deadpool Vol 3 #35 (November 2014)
• Deadpool Vol 3 #36 (December 2014)
• Deadpool Vol 3 #37 (January 2015)

• The Wedding of Deadpool #1 (July 2014)

• Thunderbolts Vol 2 #28 (September 2014)

External Links

• Shiklah at the Marvel Comics Wikia
• Shiklah at Comic Vine