It's um... Far too complicated to explain right now.—Rath, to Presley, Sleep Walk Like an Egyptian
Rath was once the Pharaoh Amenhotep's chief scribe and sorcerer. After his death, he became a member of the Mummies who protect Presley Carnovan, and serves as his personal teacher.
Episodes
Rath has appeared in every episode except in Show Me the Mummy, where he only appears in stock footage.
Appearance
History
Backstory
Not a lot is known about Rath's past. We know that he was tasked by the Pharaoh to teach Prince Rapses ancient Egyptian magic. But before that, Rath had a student named Chantra, which he taught the ways of magic. He was impressed that she learned so quickly, finding that over time, he had grown very fond of her. Though, when Amenhotep informed him that his son would need schooling, and with the need to teach the young prince, Rath had to devote all of his time and skills to his new student. Chantra felt betrayed by this and left him. Ending his relationship with Chantra was a struggle for Rath, and one that continues to haunt him to the modern day.
Sometime later, Rath was killed in battle with Scarab's forces while trying to protect Prince Rapses. Along with his fellow guardians, he was mummified. Thousands of years later, he was awakened with the other guardians to protect the modern-day reincarnation of Rapses, Presley Carnovan, in San Francisco.
Modern Times
In 1997, Rath was brought to San Francisco alongside the other guardians as part of the Rapses exhibit. The exhibit attracted Presley, and Scarab attacked him in hopes to absorb his spirit. Rath sensed the danger, and he, as well as the other guardians were re-awakened and stopped Scarab and his forces. Rath now would continue to protect Presley from Scarab and other threats.
Rath has had parts in many major events throughout the show's story. Some note-worthy events include when he lost his memory after hitting a wall and forgot who he was. After being referred to as "Ace" by a random goon, he went by that name and met a group of homeless people, who took care of him. Rath eventually found himself in the middle of one of Scarab's plans, where he kidnapped homeless people and stole their years and in return, gave him days. The Mummies eventually found him, and Rath regained his memory, stopping Scarab's plan. Another note-worthy event is when his former student, Chantra, returned from beyond the Western Gate due to a device created by him, and decided to take Presley as her own student, and use him against Rath. Rath realized that Presley was in grave danger and warned the other Mummies of Chantra's power. Rath fought with Chantra, using his knowledge of the modern world to sent her back through the Western Gate. In another instance, Sekhmet was brought beyond the Western Gate by Scarab, and when she decided to turn against him destroy the world, Rath was forced to work with Scarab as only their combined knowledge of magic could defeat the goddess, which eventually they did. His knowledge of magic came into play when he recreated Talos, a magical being that was originally created by Scarab and was to be used against Armon. Talos gained sentience and caused a lot of trouble for the Mummies, but he was eventually defeated. Scarab was devised a plan to defeat the Mummies once and for all, and invited them to participate in a challenge referred to as "Challenge of the Maze", where if Presley's guardians lose against Scarab, Scarab will take the young prince as a prize. The challenge doesn't allow for any external magic to be used, so Rath volunteered to fight Scarab first, seeing how he would be the only one capable to see if Scarab was secretly using magic. Unfortunately for him, Scarab wasn't using magic, but instead technology, magnetizing Rath's armor, and disarming him, taking his sword and defeating him, turning him into a stone statue. After Ja-Kal defeated Scarab however, he returned back to normal. One time the Mummies found themselves stranded in the streets of San Francisco, left without power and away from the Sphinx. Rath had to rely on other types of combat if he wanted to survive long enough to get to the Sphinx and renergize his power. With the help of the other guardians, he eventually made it back safely. At one point Chantra returned, and used Rath to make her way into the Sphinx and catch him by surprise, by leaving behind a cat statue knowing Rath would be unable to resist the urge to study it. The statue however acted as a gateway through the Sphinx, and allowed her to mess with the minds of the other guardians, reminding them of their former loved ones who were lost in time. Rath caught onto the fact that something was wrong when he found Presley's amulet all by itself, knowing Presley wouldn't remove it. Using the staue, he teleported to Chantra's headquarters, were he found both her and Presley. Rath had a final known confrontation with the witch, before she revealed her true, gorgon form to him and made an escape. This confrontation also stopped what little feelings Rath had left for Chantra. After Rath found a mysterious beetle talisman, he started studying it, but Armon accidentally triggered it, shrinking himself and the other Mummies, forcing them to to find a scroll that could undo the talisman's magic, and successfully recovering the scroll, turning them back to normal.
One major event was Scarab's plan to bring back his former follower and Ja-Kal's brother, Arakh. Arakh insisted that Scarab should bring back his own son Kimas, which initially sides with Scarab, but after Ja-Kal convinces him that his father is evil, he sides with the Mummies. Rath was initially torn on Kimas, and argued with Ja-Kal, but eventually realized Ja-Kal was right about the young boy, when he sent himself and his father back through the Western Gate and stopping Scarab's plan.
During the end of the show, after Rath was injured during a confrontation with Scarab, he was transported to a hospital, where his appearance and physiology brought the attention of CIA member Agent Phillips, who thought he was an alien creature. Rath recovered and the Mummies helped him escape the hands of the Federal Agent, hiding all proof of the event in a misunderstanding of an unfortunate police officer who found himself in the same situation as Rath. Rath would continue on to protect Presley Carnovan.
Personality
Rath is a man of logic and wisdom. He tries to learn and use as much as he can about magic and the modern world. However that makes him think very highly of himself, usually coming across as arrogant and a know-it-all. Rath also doesn't want to admit when he doesn't know something, usually hiding the fact under the sentence "It's far too complicated to explain". Rath is also infuriated by stupidity or naive-ness, and won't miss a chance to poke fun at someone's mistake. This usually leads to a ton of "brains vs brawns" arguments between him and Armon. Despite his intellect, however, Rath often causes trouble by misunderstanding or misusing a lot of magic and creations of his, not thinking before implementing certain features in them. Rath also often wants to take leadership of certain situations, thinking his intellect is enough to lead the Mummies. Despite his issues, being the most logical one of the group, he uses his knowledge to determine the best outcome or way to defeat a foe. He is also passionate about his friends and Presley, being willing to protect them at any cost. His magic and creations have helped the Mummies defeat many powerful enemies in numerous occasions and there have been times when only he was able to defeat a foe, all by himself.
Powers and Abilities
Rath is the smartest Mummy of the group. He has a collection of ancient scrolls that explain all types of magic and even has slight engineering skills, being able to combine ancient Egyptian magic with modern day science. Rath uses this magic indirectly or directly, such as firing energy-like blasts from his hands. Just like the other Mummies, Rath owns his own set of armor, shaped after a snake, which amplifies his power and gives him new abilities, such as using his tail as a means to distract or constrict his enemies. The armor gives him a special sword that not only is extremely sharp, but if anyone other than Rath tries to use it for an extended period of time, it will turn into a snake and bite them. Also, just like the other Mummies, Rath is capable of using his bandages for numerous means and can even make a "Fright-Sight" face, to scare away enemies.
Gallery
Trivia
- Rath is voiced by the famous voice actor Scott McNeil.
- There are a few possible deities who may be Rath's patron. The obscure snake-headed deity of life, Amunet. Or more likely Wadjet, as Wadjet was a patron deity often depicted as a protector of the land and people, usually depicted as an Egyptian cobra. Another (though highly unlikely candidate) would be Apep. A high candidate would also be the ancient Egyptian god of magic, Heka, who also appeared as a snake (not to be confused with Scarab's loyal companion, Heka).
- Despite his armor being based on a cobra, the 'spirit' that exits from his amulet looks more like an eastern dragon.
- Rath is the only member of the Mummies whose armor doesn't completely disappear when he powers down, as his right gauntlet is always present.