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{{Infobox character
| name             = Fantômas
| series           = <!-- use without the italic on the outside -->
| image            = Fantomas 1911.jpg
| image_upright    = 
| alt              = 
| caption          = The cover illustration for the first volume of ''Fantômas'', anonymous artist, 1911. A "classic image of the Parisian [[oneirology]]", according to the French poet [[Robert Desnos]].
| first            = ''Fantômas'' (1911)
| last             = ''Fantômas Mène le Bal'' (1963)
| creator          = [[Marcel Allain]] <br/> [[Pierre Souvestre]]
| portrayer        = [[René Navarre]] <br/> [[Edward Roseman]] <br/> [[Jean Galland]] <br/> [[Marcel Herrand]] <br/> [[Maurice Teynac]] <br/> [[Jean Marais]] <br/> [[Helmut Berger]]
| voice            = [[Paul Bernard (actor)|Paul Bernard]] <br/> [[Raymond Pellegrin]] <br/> [[Roger Carel]] <br/> [[Philippe Clay]] <br/> [[Med Hondo]]
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| info-hdr         = 
| noinfo           = 
| full_name        = 
| nickname         = 
| alias            = Archduke Juan North
| species          = <!-- for non-humans only -->
| gender           = Male
| occupation       = Serial killer <br/> Criminal mastermind
| affiliation      = 
| title            = 
| family           = 
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| significant_other = 
| children         = Vladimir (last name unknown)
| relatives        = 
| religion         = 
| nationality      = Unknown
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'''Fantômas''' ({{IPA|fr|fɑ̃tomas|lang}}) is a fictional character created by French writers [[Marcel Allain]] (1885–1969) and [[Pierre Souvestre]] (1874–1914).

One of the most popular characters in the history of French [[crime fiction]], Fantômas was created in 1911 and appeared in a total of 32 volumes written by the two collaborators, then a subsequent 11 volumes written by Allain alone after Souvestre's death. The character was also the basis of various film, television, and comic book adaptations. In the history of crime fiction, he represents a transition from [[Gothic fiction|Gothic novel]] villains of the 19th century to modern-day serial killers and [[supervillain]]s. It was partly influenced by the [[Ère des attentats|Era of Attacks]] (1892–1894) and most especially by the figure of [[Ravachol]].{{Sfn|Piarotas|2000|p=110-119}}

The books and films were released in rapid succession, anticipating current production methods of [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]] in two respects.<ref name="Slarek">{{Cite web | url=http://www.dvdoutsider.co.uk/dvd/reviews/f/fantomas.html | title=Getting away with murder, A region 2 partial DVD review of ''Fantômas'' by Slarek | work=DVD Outsider | date=March 19, 2006}}</ref> First, the authors distributed the writing among themselves; their "working method was to draw up the general plot between them and then go off and write alternate chapters independently of each other, meeting up to tie the two halves of the story together in the final chapter".<ref name="Slarek"/> This approach allowed the authors to produce almost one novel per month. Second, the [[film rights]] to the books were immediately snapped up, ensuring that the [[film studio]] could produce sequels reliably.

The popular depiction of Fantômas as wearing a blue mask and black gloves and using technological devices did not originate in the novels, but is a result of the popularity of the trilogy of Fantômas films directed by [[André Hunebelle]] in the 1960s. The trilogy, which started in 1964 with ''[[Fantômas (1964 film)|Fantômas]]'', departed considerably from the novels by giving the story a more comedic tone as preceded by the first two ''[[The Pink Panther|Pink Panther]]'' films, and by making Fantômas (played by [[Jean Marais]]) more of a [[James Bond]] enemy by likewise borrowing from the first two Bond films. Despite these discrepancies, the blue-masked Fantômas is arguably the one that is most easily remembered.

==Overview==
[[File:Fantomas-mortquitue.jpg|thumb|left|A poster for the third ''Fantômas'' serial by [[Louis Feuillade]]. Fantômas wears his iconic black hood and black leotard, more sinister features than the traditional gentleman thief's domino mask and tuxedo.]]

Fantômas is a criminal genius, ruthless and particularly elusive. As described by Schütt (2003) in her analysis of French crime fiction literature, Fantômas is the cause of almost any unsolved crime, a merciless criminal who can get away with his evil deeds by impersonating pretty much anyone. He is obsessively chased by inspector Juve, who is generally the only one able to identify Fantômas's tracks.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Cambridge Companion to Crime Fiction|last=Priestman|first=Martin|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|year=2003|isbn= 978-0-521-00871-6}}</ref>

Fantômas was introduced a few years after [[Arsène Lupin]], another well-known thief. Whereas Lupin draws the line at murder, Fantômas has no such qualms, and is shown as a sociopath who enjoys killing in a sadistic fashion.

He is totally ruthless, shows no mercy, and is loyal to none, not even his own children. He is a master of disguise, always appearing under an assumed identity, often that of a person whom he has murdered. Fantômas makes use of bizarre and improbable techniques in his crimes, such as [[Plague (disease)|plague]]-infested [[rat]]s, giant snakes, and rooms that fill with sand.

Fantômas's background remains vague. He might be of British and/or French ancestry. He appears to have been born in 1867.{{citation needed|date=January 2014}}

In the books, it is established that c. 1892, the man who later became Fantômas called himself Archduke Juan North and operated in the German principality of Hesse-Weimar. There he fathered a child, Vladimir, with an unidentified noblewoman. In circumstances unrevealed, he was arrested and sent to prison.

In 1895, Fantômas was in India. There, an unidentified European woman gave birth to a baby girl, Hélène, whose father might be Fantômas or an Indian prince who was Fantômas' acolyte. The girl was raised in South Africa.

In 1897, Fantômas was in the United States of America and [[Mexico]]. There, he ruined his then business partner, Etienne Rambert.

In 1899, he fought in the [[Second Boer War]] in South Africa under the name of Gurn. He fought in the [[South African Republic|Transvaal]] as an artillery sergeant under the command of Lord Roberts. He became aide-de-camp to Lord Edward Beltham of Scottwell Hill and fell in love with his younger wife, Lady Maud Beltham.

Upon their return to Europe, soon before the first novel begins (c. 1900), Gurn and Lady Beltham were surprised in their Paris love nest, Rue Levert, by her husband. Lord Beltham was about to shoot Maud when Gurn hit him with a hammer then strangled him.

Fantômas then impersonated Etienne Rambert and framed his son, Charles, for a murder he had committed. As Etienne, he persuaded Charles to go into hiding, but the young man was soon found out by French police detective Juve, who had become truly obsessed with the capture of Fantômas. Juve knew that Charles was innocent and gave him a new identity: journalist Jerôme Fandor, who is employed at the newspaper ''La Capitale''. Juve later arrested Gurn and, at his trial, brought forward a convincing argument that Gurn and Fantômas were one and the same, though the evidence was too circumstantial to make a real case. On the eve of his execution, Gurn/Fantômas escaped from custody by being replaced by an actor who had modelled the appearance of his latest character after him and was executed in his place.

Lady Beltham remained constantly torn between her passion for the villain and her horror at his criminal schemes. She eventually committed suicide in 1910.

Fandor fell in love with Hélène and, despite Fantômas's repeated attempts to break them up, married her.

Fantômas's evil son, Vladimir, reappeared in 1911. Vladimir's girlfriend was murdered by Fantômas and Vladimir himself was eventually shot by Juve.

== Characters ==
* '''Fantômas''' is a criminal genius, known by many nicknames, such as the "master of everything and everyone", the "torturer" or the "elusive", and whose face and true identity remain unknown. He is a ruthless criminal who will torture and kill to achieve his goals.
* '''Juve''' is an inspector in the [[Sûreté]] of [[Paris]] and the sworn archenemy of Fantômas, whom he pursues obsessively. The intelligent and stubborn Juve is completely devoted to capturing or killing Fantômas.
* '''Jérôme Fandor''' is a former victim of Fantômas and was originally named '''Charles Rambert''' until Fantômas killed his parents and framed him for the crime. Juve, the only one to understand his unjust accusation, provides him with the identity of journalist Fandor so as to save him from going to jail and to use his help in capturing the murderer. He falls in love with Hélène.
* '''Hélène''' is a beautiful daughter or stepdaughter of Fantômas, whom he protects jealously. She falls in love with J. Fandor, and is engaged to marry him, eventually helping her fiancé to fight the criminal.
* '''Lady Maud Beltham''' is the wife of Lord Beltham and the lover of Fantômas, towards whom she feels both passionate love and repulsion for his many heinous crimes.
* '''Bouzille''' is a streetwise tramp who often helps Juve and Fandor, and even Fantômas on occasion, and provides comic relief in the series. 
* '''The Beadle''' is a thug and companion of Fantômas who earns his nickname after his custom of taking the money of passersby by smashing their heads against the pavement, and he is the most notorious of Fantômas' gang of [[Apaches (subculture)|Apaches]].
* '''Mother Toulouche''' is an old woman who is a sort of leader among Fantômas' Apaches and is portrayed as an equally ruthless killer and thug.

==Books==
===By Allain and Souvestre===
* 1. ''Fantômas'' (1911; transl. 1915; retransl. 1986)
* 2. ''Juve contre Fantômas'' (1911; transl. 1916 as ''The Exploits of Juve'';<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/exploitsofjuvebe00souviala|title=The exploits of Juve; being the second of the series of the "Fantômas" detective tales|first1=Pierre|last1=Souvestre|first2=Marcel|last2=Allain|date=December 14, 1917|publisher=New York: [[Brentano's]]|via=Internet Archive}}</ref> retransl. 1987 as ''The Silent Executioner'')
* 3. ''Le Mort qui Tue'' (1911; transl. 1917 as ''Messengers of Evil'';<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZW8_AQAAMAAJ|title=Messengers of Evil: Being a Further Account of the Lures and Devices of Fantômas|first1=Pierre|last1=Souvestre|first2=Marcel|last2=Allain|date=December 14, 1917|publisher=Brentano's|via=Google Books}}</ref> retransl. 2008 as ''The Corpse who Kills'')
* 4. ''L'Agent Secret'' (1911; transl. 1917 as ''A Nest of Spies'')<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/anestspies00allagoog|title=A nest of spies|first1=Pierre|last1=Souvestre|first2=Marcel|last2=Allain|date=December 14, 1918|publisher=New York, Brentano's|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>
* 5. ''Un Roi Prisonnier de Fantômas'' (1911; transl. 1918 as ''A Royal Prisoner'')<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/royalprisoner00souviala|title=A royal prisoner|first1=Pierre|last1=Souvestre|first2=Marcel|last2=Allain|date=December 14, 1918|publisher=New York: Brentano's|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>
* 6. ''Le Policier Apache'' (1911; transl. 1924 by [[Alfred Richard Allinson|Alfred Allinson]] as ''The Long Arm of Fantômas'' [UK title: ''The Limb of Satan''])
* 7. ''Le Pendu de Londres'' (1911; transl. 1920 as '' Slippery as Sin'')
* 8. ''La Fille de Fantômas'' (1911; transl. 2006 by Mark P. Steele as ''The Daughter of Fantomas'') ({{ISBN|1932983562}})
* 9. ''Le Fiacre de Nuit'' (1911)
* 10. ''La Main Coupée'' 
* 11. ''L'Arrestation de Fantômas'' (1912)
* 12. ''Le Magistrat Cambrioleur'' (1912)
* 13. ''La Livrée du Crime'' (1912)
* 14. ''La Mort de Juve'' (1912)
* 15. ''L'Evadée de Saint-Lazare'' (1912)
* 16. ''La Disparition de Fandor'' (1912)
* 17. ''Le Mariage de Fantômas'' (1912)
* 18. ''L'Assassin de Lady Beltham'' (1912)
* 19. ''La Guêpe Rouge'' (1912)
* 20. ''Les Souliers du Mort'' (1912)
* 21. ''Le Train Perdu'' (1912)
* 22. ''Les Amours d'un Prince'' (1912)
* 23. ''Le Bouquet Tragique'' (1912)
* 24. ''Le Jockey Masqué'' (1913)
* 25. ''Le Cercueil Vide'' (1913)
* 26. ''Le Faiseur de Reines'' (1913)
* 27. ''Le Cadavre Géant'' (1913)
* 28. ''Le Voleur d'Or'' (1913)
* 29. ''La Série Rouge'' (1913)
* 30. ''L'Hôtel du Crime'' (1913)
* 31. ''La Cravate de Chanvre'' (1913, transl. 2017 by Sheryl Curtis as ''The Death of Fantomas'')
* 32. ''La Fin de Fantômas'' (1913, transl. 2017 by Sheryl Curtis as ''The Death of Fantomas'')

===By Allain===
* 33. ''Fantômas est-il ressuscité?'' (1925; transl. 1925 by Alfred Allinson as ''The Lord of Terror'')
* 34. ''Fantômas, Roi des Recéleurs'' (1926; transl. 1926 by Alfred Allinson as ''Juve in the Dock'')
* 35. ''Fantômas en Danger'' (1926; transl. 1926 by Alfred Allinson as ''Fantômas Captured'')
* 36. ''Fantômas prend sa Revanche'' (1926; transl. 1927 by Alfred Allinson as ''The Revenge of Fantômas'')
* 37. ''Fantômas Attaque Fandor'' (1926; transl. 1928 by Alfred Allinson as ''Bulldog and Rats'')
* 38. ''Si c'était Fantômas?'' (1933)
* 39. ''Oui, c'est Fantômas!'' (1934)
* 40. ''Fantômas Joue et Gagne'' (1935)
* 41. ''Fantômas Rencontre l'Amour'' (1946)
* 42. ''Fantômas Vole des Blondes'' (1948)
* 43. ''Fantômas Mène le Bal'' (1963)

===Notes===
* The original book covers by Gino Starace are often considered works of lurid genius in themselves. The first ''Fantômas'' book cover, showing a contemplative masked man dressed in evening dress and holding a dagger, boldly stepping over Paris, is so well known that it has become a visual cliché, but it is unclear whether this was the work of Starace.
* The novel ''The Yellow Document, or Fantômas of Berlin'' by Marcel Allain (1919), despite its title, is not a ''Fantômas'' novel.
* The last novel written by Allain was published as a newspaper serial, but never appeared in book form.
* During the 1980s, the first two novels of the series were published in revised English translations: ''Fantômas'' appeared in 1986 with an introduction by American poet [[John Ashbery]]; and ''Juve contre Fantômas'' appeared in 1987 under the title ''The Silent Executioner'', with an introduction by American artist [[Edward Gorey]].

==Film and television==
[[File:Fantomas early film poster.jpg|thumb|A poster for the first ''Fantômas'' serial by [[Louis Feuillade]]. In the original illustration for the first ''Fantômas'' book cover, the character holds a bloody dagger in his free hand. It was also used for the DVD box cover, but this time Fantômas stamps over a photo of modern-day Paris.]]

===Silent film serials===<!-- This section is linked from [[List of film serials by studio]] -->
* 1. ''[[Fantômas (1913 serial)|Fantômas]]'' (1913)
* 2. ''Juve Contre Fantômas'' (1913)
* 3. ''Le Mort Qui Tue'' (1913)
* 4. ''Fantômas Contre Fantômas'' (1914)
* 5. ''Le Faux Magistrat'' (1914)

The [[silent film]] pioneer [[Louis Feuillade]] directed five ''Fantômas'' [[Serial film|serials]] starring [[René Navarre]] as Fantômas, Bréon as Juve, [[Georges Melchior]] as Fandor, and [[Renée Carl]] as Lady Beltham. They are regarded as masterpieces of silent film. His later serial ''[[Les Vampires]]'', which concerns the eponymous crime syndicate (and not actual [[vampire]]s) is also reminiscent of the ''Fantômas'' series.

There was a 1920 20-episode American ''[[Fantômas (1920 serial)|Fantômas]]'' serial directed by [[Edward Sedgwick]] and starring [[Edward Roseman]] as Fantômas, which bore little resemblance to the French series. In it, Fantômas's nemesis is detective Fred Dixon, played by [[John Willard (playwright)|John Willard]]. It was partially released in France (12 episodes only) under the title ''Les Exploits de Diabolos'' (''The Exploits of Diabolos''). A novelization of this serial was written by David Lee White for Black Coat Press under the title ''Fantômas in America'' in 2007.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.blackcoatpress.com/fantomasus.htm |title=Fantômas in America |work=BlackCoatPress.com |access-date=2010-07-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100221212201/http://www.blackcoatpress.com/fantomasus.htm |archive-date=2010-02-21}}</ref>

===Other films===
[[File:Jean Marais as Fantômas.jpg|thumb|Jean Marais as ''Fantômas'' in the 1964 film]]
* 6. ''[[Fantômas (1932 film)|Fantômas]]'' (1932), directed by [[Paul Fejos]], with [[Jean Galland]] as Fantômas.
* 7. ''Monsieur Fantômas'' (1937), directed by [[Ernst Moerman]] is a surrealist silent comedy short subject.
* 8. ''[[Fantômas (1946 film)|Fantômas]]'' (1946), directed by Jean Sacha, with [[Marcel Herrand]] as Fantomas.
* 9. ''[[Fantomas Against Fantomas]]'' (1949), directed by [[Robert Vernay]], with [[Maurice Teynac]] as Fantomas.
* 10. ''[[Fantômas (1964 film)|Fantômas]]'' (1964), the first of three films directed by [[André Hunebelle]]; with [[Jean Marais]] as both Fantômas and Fandor, [[Louis de Funès]] as Juve, and [[Mylène Demongeot]] as Fandor's bride, the photographer Hélène. Their tone was generally much more light-hearted than the novels' and the characters were updated in a [[James Bond]]-like style including Bond-type gadgets like the flying [[Citroën DS]] of Fantômas with retractable wings that converts to an airplane.<ref>{{IMDb title|qid=Q996020|title=Fantômas|description=(1964)}}</ref>
* 11. ''[[Fantômas se déchaîne]]'' (1965)<ref>{{IMDb title|qid=Q612271|title=Fantômas se déchaîne|description=(1965)}}</ref>
* 12. ''[[Fantômas contre Scotland Yard]]'' (1967)<ref>{{IMDb title|qid=Q1395971|title=Fantômas contre Scotland Yard|description=(1967)}}</ref>
* 13. ''[[Macario Against Zagomar]]'' was a 1944 Italian film that used "Zagomar" when they were unable to obtain the rights of Fantomas.<ref>Chiti, Roberto & Poppi, Roberto: ''The Films: All Italian films from 1930 to 1944'', Gremese Editore, 2005</ref>

===Television===
A ''Fantômas'' series of four 90-minute episodes was produced in 1980 starring [[Helmut Berger]] as Fantômas, [[Jacques Dufilho]] as Juve, and [[Gayle Hunnicutt]] as Lady Beltham. Episodes 1 and 4 were directed by [[Claude Chabrol]], and episodes 2 and 3 by [[Luis Buñuel]]'s son, [[Juan Luis Buñuel]].

The [[Fantômas (1964 film)|French film version]] of ''Fantômas'' appears in the [[Czechoslovakia|Czechoslovak]] 1979–1981 children fantasy series ''[[Arabela (TV series)|Arabela]]'' as well as its sequel series ''Arabela se vrací'', performed respectively by actors [[František Peterka]] and [[Pavel Nový]]. In this version, he does not perform a villain's role, but becomes an ally and friend of the protagonists. Fantômas also has a cameo appearance in the Czech children's series ''Lucie, postrach ulice'' as a TV character, where he resembles his original 1911 book serial covers' depiction.

===Unproduced and upcoming screen adaptations===
In May 2010, [[Christophe Gans]] was revealed to be co-writing and directing a new film version of ''Fantômas'', with [[Vincent Cassel]] and [[Jean Reno]] attached to star.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2010/biz/markets-festivals/gallic-duo-tapped-for-fantomas-1118019095/|title=Gallic duo tapped for 'Fantomas'
|website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|first=Elsa|last=Keslassy|date=May 11, 2010|access-date=September 27, 2022}}</ref> Cassel later dropped out,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.joblo.com/vincent-cassel-drops-out-of-christophe-gans-fantomas/|title=Vincent Cassel drops out of Christophe Gans' Fantomas
|website=[[JoBlo.com]]|first=Eric|last=Walkuski|date=February 7, 2011|access-date=September 27, 2022}}</ref> and the film ultimately went unmade.

In August 2022, [[Wassim Béji]] and production company SND acquired the adaptation rights to ''Fantômas'', and are planning both a new film and a series, which is said to return to the character's darker roots.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2022/film/global/fantomas-franchise-reboot-wassim-beji-snd-1235337766/|title='Fantomas' Franchise Reboot Plotted by Wassim Beji, SND for Film, Series (EXCLUSIVE)|website=Variety|first=Elsa|last=Keslassy|date=August 10, 2022|access-date=September 27, 2022}}</ref> The first film is scheduled to be released in France on February 3, 2027.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ecran-total.fr/calendrier/?srsltid=AfmBOoouAAhSOmjE6UtyA9zjOHEaXRXwpimD5D_dVYwuBs7MLuB5O9VS|title=Calendrier des sorties|website=Écran Total|date=19 April 2021|access-date=July 14, 2025|lang=fr}}</ref>

==Comic books==
===French===
* "Fantômas contre les Nains", a weekly color page written by Marcel Allain and drawn by Santini was published in ''Gavroche'' #24-30 (1941). This series was interrupted because of censorship; a sequel, ''Fantômas et l'Enfer Sous-Marin'' was written but not published.
* A daily "Fantômas" strip drawn by Pierre Tabary was syndicated by Opera Mundi from November 1957 to March 1958 (192 strips in total), adapting the first two novels.
* Seventeen ''Fantômas'' fumetti magazines adapting books 1, 2, 3, and 5 were published by Del Duca in 1962 and 1963.
* A new weekly "Fantômas" color page, written by Agnès Guilloteau and drawn by Jacques Taillefer, was again syndicated by Opera Mundi in 1969 and published in ''Jours de France''.
* A series of ''Fantômas'' graphic novels written by L. Dellisse and drawn by [[Claude Laverdure]] were published by Belgian publisher Claude Lefrancq: ''L'Affaire Beltham'' (1990), ''Juve contre Fantômas'' (1991), and ''Le Mort qui Tue'' (1995).

===Mexican===
During the 1960s the Mexican comics publisher Editorial Novaro produced a ''Fantomas, La Amenaza Elegante'' ("Fantomas, the Elegant Menace") comic book series that became popular throughout [[Latin America]]. This was apparently meant to be the same character, although rewritten as a hero, perhaps as a way to make the original French character more attuned to Latin American audiences who crave justice avengers in fiction and national politics. It is not known if this was done with or without legal permission.

This Fantômas was a thief who committed spectacular robberies just for the thrill of it, and wore a white skintight mask all the time or a variety of disguises so his true face was never shown to his nemeses. The character was also pursued by the authorities, in his case mainly by a French police inspector named Gerard. His mask in the Latin American version – which was clearly inspired by the black mask worn by the Italian comic book criminal ''[[Diabolik]]'' — and his use of it, seems to have been influenced by the popular images generated by [[Lucha libre|Mexican wrestling]].

Apparently the series was also influenced by the ''[[James Bond]]'' films, as Fantômas, equipped with advanced technology created by a scientist called Professor Semo, had all kind of adventures around the world, and even fought other, more cruel criminals. The Latin American Fantômas, created in Mexico, encompassed the aesthetic of both the British James Bond and American [[Hugh Hefner]], who created ''[[Playboy]]'' magazine, with a necessary dose of traditional Latin American machismo. This mixture immediately gained traction with vast Latino audiences, mostly prepubescent and adolescents males.

Latino Fantômas was also a millionaire, owning several corporations under assumed identities, had secret headquarters outside Paris, and was assisted by several secret agents, including the 12 "Zodiac Girls", beautiful women who assisted him personally and dressed provocatively, known only by their codenames – the signs of the [[zodiac]]. The attractive female element was another concession to Latin American audiences familiar with beautiful women as part of male-dominated environments playing key roles without hiding their [[femininity]], and preceding ''[[Charlie's Angels]]'' by decades.

Although cancelled years ago (Novaro folded in 1985, and a character revival by rival [[Grupo Editorial Vid]] in Mexico in the 1990s did not last long), it is from this Mexican comic that the character is best known in both [[Central America]] and South America. Fantômas continues to be one of Latin America's favorite comic characters.

===American===
A ''Fantômas'' short story by [[Paul Kupperberg]] and [[Romano Felmang|Roy Mann]] appeared in ''[[Captain Action]] Comics'' No. 1, published in 2009 by [[Moonstone Books]].

===Polish===
The 1979 Polish edition of the novella ''Fantomas contra los vampiros multinacionales'' by [[Julio Cortázar]], published as ''Fantomas przeciw wielonarodowym wampirom'' (''Fantomas Against the Multinational Vampires''), featured a series of illustrations by painter Jerzy Skarżyński, which formed a mini-comic book about Fantômas, largely independent from the plot of the novella. Fantômas's depiction in the comic was based on the appearance of [[Jean Marais]] in the 1964 film.

==New fiction==
"Yes Virginia, There is a Fantomas" by William Patrick Maynard was published in ''[[Tales of the Shadowmen]]'' Volume 6, published in 2009 by [[Jean-Marc Lofficier|Black Coat Press]]. Fantomas has appeared in several stories in the series.

The first third of the novella, "Reign of Terror" by R. Allen Leider, was published in ''Awesome Tales'' No. 3, published in 2016 by Bold Venture Press. The second third of the novella was published in ''Awesome Tales'' No. 9, with the final third coming.

==Cultural influence==
Partly influenced by the [[Ère des attentats|Era of Attacks]] (1892-1894) and most especially by the figure of [[Ravachol]], a 'people's avenger' who was glorified and whom the police hunted down,{{Sfn|Piarotas|2000|p=110-119}} the ''Fantômas'' novels and the subsequent films were highly regarded by the French avant-garde of the day, particularly by the [[Surrealism|surrealists]]. [[Blaise Cendrars]] called the series "the modern [[Aeneid]]", while [[Guillaume Apollinaire]] said that "from the imaginative standpoint ''Fantômas'' is one of the richest works that exist". The painter [[René Magritte]], the surrealist poet and novelist [[Robert Desnos]] and the cubist painter [[Juan Gris]] produced works alluding to Fantômas.

The films were also popular in the Soviet Union. After their success Fantômas had a short appearance in two popular Soviet comedies: ''[[Seven Old Men and a Girl]]'' (1968) and ''[[Grandads-Robbers]]'' (1972). In 2007, Russian author [[Andrey Shary]] published the book ''Sign F: Fantomas in Books and on the Screen'', dealing in particular with this phenomenon.

[[Fantômas (band)|Fantômas]] is an American heavy metal supergroup formed in 1998 in California. It features vocalist [[Mike Patton]] (Faith No More, Mr. Bungle), drummer [[Dave Lombardo]] (ex-Slayer), guitarist [[Buzz Osborne]] (Melvins) and bassist [[Trevor Dunn]] (Mr. Bungle, Tomahawk).

==Pastiches, homages, and related characters==
* ''Fantômas'' may well have been influenced by its less well remembered predecessor, ''Zigomar'', the creation of Léon Sazie, which first appeared as a serial in ''Le Matin'' in 1909, then as a pulp magazine (28 issues) in 1913, and again in ''Zigomar contre Zigomar'' for eight more issues in 1924.
* In France alone, Fantômas spawned numerous imitators. Among those are [[Arnould Galopin]]'s ''Tenebras'', Gaston René's ''Masque Rouge'', [[Arthur Bernède]]'s ''[[Belphégor (novel)|Belphégor]]'', R. Collard's ''Demonax'' and Marcel Allain's own ''Tigris'', ''Fatala'', ''Miss Teria'' and ''Ferocias''.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.coolfrenchcomics.com/marcelallain.htm | title=Marcel Allain - Tigris - Fatala - Miss Téria | work=CoolFrenchComics.com | access-date=July 28, 2010}}</ref>
* The 1915 adventure film ''[[Filibus]]'' was probably inspired largely by the popularity of ''Fantômas'', although the film's title character, a female [[air pirate]], strongly resembles [[Arsène Lupin]].<ref>{{citation|title=Uomini meccanici e matrimoni interplanetari: La straordinarissima avventura del cinema muto italiano di fantascienza|first=Paolo|last=Bertetti|journal=Anarres|volume=2|date=Winter 2013–14|url=http://www.fantascienza.com/anarres/articoli/32/uomini-meccanici-e-matrimoni-interplanetari/|access-date=November 21, 2016}}</ref>
* After the success of the first [[Fantômas (1913 serial)|''Fantômas'' film serial]] directed by [[Louis Feuillade]], [[Gaumont]] produced another serial directed by Feuillade in the same style, ''[[Les Vampires]]'', about a gang of criminals. As Feuillade had been criticized for glorifying outlaws, his next serial for Gaumont, ''[[Judex (1916 film)|Judex]]'', starred this time a positive hero, a mysterious avenger conceived as an honest version of Fantômas. [[Judex]] was himself featured in various adaptations, sequels and remakes. The original ''Judex'' serial was released in the United States and appears to have been an inspiration for the American pulp character [[The Shadow]], who was himself an inspiration for [[Batman]].<ref>Xavier Fournier, ''Super-héros: une histoire française'', Huginn Muninn, 2014, p. 69-73</ref>
* Fantômas has appeared in an unauthorized fashion in two French stage plays: ''Nick Carter vs. Fantômas'' (1910) by [[Alexandre Bisson]] and [[Guillaume Livet]] (translated, {{ISBN|978-1-934543-05-4}}) and ''[[Sherlock Holmes]] vs. Fantômas'' (''La Mort d' Herlock Sholmes, ou Bandits en Habits Noirs'', 1914) by Pierre de Wattyne and Yorril Walter (translated, {{ISBN|978-1-934543-67-2}}).
* A number of Italian dark villains of the 1960s were clearly influenced by Fantômas. Among the most famous are [[Diabolik]], [[Kriminal]], [[Killing (comics)|Killing]], and [[Satanik]].
* The British film critic and writer [[Kim Newman]] has argued that ''Fantômas'' inspired the ''[[The Pink Panther|Pink Panther]]'' film series starring [[Peter Sellers]].<ref name="Slarek"/> In the initial 1963 ''[[The Pink Panther (1963 film)|Pink Panther]]'' film, Fantômas was transformed into Sir Charles Lytton (the Phantom), and Inspector Juve became Inspector Clouseau. The Phantom's aversion to killing places him closer to Arsène Lupin.
* One of the antagonists on ''[[Lupin the 3rd Part II|Lupin III Part 2]]'' is Fantomas the Third, who is depicted as a terrorist with a gremlin-like appearance inspired by [[Jean Marais]]' version, who threatens to flood the world unless Lupin hands over a precious ruby in his possession.
* ''Fantômas'' also has many plot points in common with the 1969 Hong Kong film ''Temptress of a Thousand Faces''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://teleport-city.com/wordpress/?p=921 |title=Fantômas Review |date=February 26, 2008 |work=Teleport-City.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090215094929/http://teleport-city.com/wordpress/?p=921 |archive-date=February 15, 2009}}</ref>
* [[Paperinik]], a Duck Avenger alter-ego of [[Donald Duck]] created by [[Guido Martina]] and [[Giovan Battista Carpi]] in 1969, is partly based on Fantômas. His predecessor, Fantomius (Fantomallard) was obviously also named after Fantômas. In France, the character is known as Fantomiald; in Germany as Phantomias; in Greek as Phantom Duck and in Spain as Patomas.
* ''Fantômas'' inspired [[Julio Cortázar]]'s 1975 novella ''Fantomas Contra Los Vampiros Multinacionales''.
* A character in the [[Doctor Who]] novel ''[[The Man in the Velvet Mask]]'' (1996) is named Fantômas.
* ''Fantomas'' was the inspiration for the character Mr. Ixnay, who appears in ''The Chuckling Whatsit'', a 1997 graphic novel by writer/artist [[Richard Sala]], creator of ''Invisible Hands'', an animated homage to old-fashioned mystery thrillers which aired on [[MTV]].
* In 1999, [[Faith No More]] singer [[Mike Patton]] named his [[Heavy metal music|metal]] group [[Fantômas (band)|Fantômas]] after the fictional character.
* There is a [[Marvel Comics]] character named [[Fantomex]], first appearing in August 2002. He was created by [[Grant Morrison]] and [[Igor Kordej|Igor Kordey]] for the title ''[[New X-Men (2001 series)|New X-Men]]''.
* In one of the [[The New Traveller's Almanac|back-story sections]] of the graphic novel ''[[The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume II]]'', Fantômas is described as being a member of "Les Hommes Mystérieux", the French counterpart of the League, alongside Arsène Lupin, the sky-pirate [[Robur the Conqueror|Robur]], and the [[Nyctalope]].<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.comp.dit.ie/dgordon/League/OtherLeagues/1910s/1910Mysterieux.html | title=Les Hommes Mysterieux 1910s | work=Comp.dit.ie | access-date=July 28, 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110314164930/http://www.comp.dit.ie/dgordon/League/OtherLeagues/1910s/1910Mysterieux.html | archive-date=March 14, 2011 | url-status=dead}}</ref> In the follow-up, ''[[The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier]]'', the League's encounter with Les Hommes is halted once Fantômas detonates a bomb which destroys the [[Palais Garnier|Opera Garnier]], after saying in unaccented English, "I win".
* The character of Spectrobert in [[Gahan Wilson]]'s book ''[[Everybody's Favorite Duck]]'' is a direct parody of Fantômas.
* Fantômas is a partial inspiration for the character of Phantom Limb on the [[Adult Swim]] cartoon ''[[The Venture Bros.]]'' His last name, in fact, is Fantômas. A picture similar in appearance to the masked villain can be seen hanging on the wall of his office at State University in "The Invisible Hand of Fate". It is revealed that Phantom Limb is actually the grandson of the famous criminal. Fantômas himself briefly appears in the series during a flashback in the season 3 episode "ORB" as one of the original members of ''The Guild'', a precursor of the Guild of Calamitous Intent.
* Fantômas has a German cousin in the person of the (supposedly British) [[Raffles (character)|Lord Lister]].
* In the story "Fantômville" by Nick Campbell, in the book ''[[Obverse Books|Wildthyme in Purple]]'', Fantomas meets the time traveller [[Iris Wildthyme]].
* In the [[The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (film)|film adaptation]] of [[Alan Moore]] and [[Kevin O'Neill (comics)|Kevin O'Neill]]'s ''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'', the Fantom (a character resembling the [[Erik (The Phantom of the Opera)|title character]] from ''[[The Phantom of the Opera (novel)|The Phantom of the Opera]]'') owes more than a little to Fantômas, although he is ultimately revealed to be [[M (James Bond)|M]], who in turn is revealed to be [[Professor Moriarty]].
* In the Egyptian film, ''Romantic Chase'', produced in 1968, Fantômas is played by Egyptian actor Hasan Mustafa. The role of Fantômas is a butler that wants to steal all the money of his employer. The film itself is an adaptation of ''[[What's New Pussycat?]]'' which was produced in 1965.
* In the Czech 1980 TV series ''[[Arabela (TV series)|Arabela]]''<ref>{{IMDb title|qid=Q1214992|title=Arabela |description=(1979 TV series}}</ref> and the 1993 sequel ''Arabela Returns'' (''Arabela se vrací''),<ref>{{IMDb title|qid=Q1215871|title=Arabela se vrací |description=(1993 TV series)}}</ref> the French film version of Fantomas is the leader of the World of Fairy Tales for Adults.

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== Bibliography ==
* {{Cite book |last=Piarotas |first=Mireille |title=Regards populaires sur la violence |date=2000 |publisher=Presses Universitaires de Saint-Etienne (PUSE) |isbn=978-2862721804 |location=Saint Etienne (France) |trans-title=Popular looks at violence}}

==Further reading==
* {{Cite book |first=Martin |last=Priestman |title=The Cambridge Companion to Crime Fiction |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |location=Cambridge |year=2003 |pages=71–72 |isbn=0-521-00871-9}}
* {{Cite book |first=Martin |last=Green |title=Seven Types of Adventure Tale: An Etiology of a Major Genre |publisher=[[Penn State University Press]] |year=1991 |pages=197–198 |isbn=0-271-02729-0}}

==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline}}
* {{StandardEbooks|Standard Ebooks URL=https://standardebooks.org/collections/fantomas}}
* [http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/authors/a#a32911 Fantômas works] at [[Project Gutenberg]]
* [http://www.coolfrenchcomics.com/fantomas.htm French Wold Newton Universe – Fantômas]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110611092746/http://home.wtal.de/olliweb/technoclassica/2003/DS%20Fantomas%2002.jpg Picture of the Fantômas Citroën DS with retractable wings that converts to an airplane] via the Internet Archive
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070523051435/http://www.premiumwanadoo.com/fantomasfr/EnCours.php Centenary of the birth of the character of Fantômas: February 10, 2011] {{in lang|fr}}
* {{librivox book|title=Fantômas|author=Marcel Allain}}

{{Fantomas (pulp character)}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Fantomas}}
[[Category:Fantômas| ]]
[[Category:Literary characters introduced in 1911]]
[[Category:1911 French novels]]
[[Category:Book series]]
[[Category:Fictional serial killers]]
[[Category:Characters in French novels of the 20th century]]
[[Category:Characters in pulp fiction]]
[[Category:Fictional French people]]
[[Category:Fictional French criminals]]
[[Category:Male literary villains]]
[[Category:Male film villains]]
[[Category:America's Best Comics characters]]
[[Category:Fictional war veterans]]
[[Category:Male characters in literature]]
[[Category:French crime novels]]
[[Category:Crime novel series]]
[[Category:Film serial characters]]