“ Although many crimes pass unsuspected it is none the less obvious that they have been committed; now while some of them are due to ordinary criminals, others are the work of enigmatical beings who are difficult to trace and too clever or intelligent to let themselves be caught. History is full of stories of such mysterious characters, the Iron Mask, for instance, and Cagliostro. In every age there have been bands of dangerous creatures, led by such men as Cartouche and Vidocq and Rocambole. Now why should we suppose that in our time no one exists who emulates the deeds of those mighty criminals? ...Criminals who operate in the grand manner have all sorts of things at their disposal nowadays. Science has done much for modern progress, but unfortunately it can be of invaluable assistance to criminals at times; the hosts of evil have the telegraph and the motor-car at their disposal just as authority has, and some day they will make use of the aeroplane. ...In these days we have been distressed by a steady access of criminality, and among the assets we shall henceforth have to count a mysterious and most dangerous creature, to whom the baffled authorities and public rumour generally have for some time now given the name of Fantômas. It is impossible to say exactly or to know precisely who Fantômas is. He often assumes the form and personality of some definite and even well-known individual; sometimes he assumes the forms of two human beings at one and the same time. Sometimes he works alone, sometimes with accomplices; sometimes he can be identified as such and such a person, but no one has ever yet arrived at knowing Fantômas himself. That he is a living person is certain and undeniable, yet he is impossible to catch or to identify. He is nowhere and everywhere at once, his shadow hovers above the strangest mysteries, and his traces are found near the most inexplicable crimes, and yet—— ”
—President Bonnet
Fantômas was a master criminal, terrorist, and mass murderer of the late 19th and early 21st centuries. Over decades, Fantômas assumed numerous false identities, operating in the Second French Republic, Great Britain, the German Empire, and the United States of America.
Weapons and Abilities[]
Technology[]
Vehicles[]
- Submarine: A seagoing vessel equipped with anti-aircraft guns. (PROSE: The Revenge of Fantômas)
Victims[]
Killed[]
Notes[]
Behind the Scenes[]
Appearances[]
- Fantômas (first appearance)
Links[]
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Fantômas - Marcel Allain & Pierre Souvestre - Arthème Fayard - Published 1911 - Retrieved 13 February 2025
- ↑ No definitive difference between the count of passengers and that of crew is established, although it can be assumed that that the newspaper article may only care about the passengers. Regardless, one crewman is established to have survived.
- ↑ Fantomas: An Introduction - William Patrick Maynard - 12 November 2010 - Black Gate - Retrieved 16 February 2025