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Ming the Merciless is a fictional character who first appeared in the Flash Gordon comic strip in 1934. Flash Gordon is the hero of a Science fiction adventure Comic strip originally drawn by Alex Raymond, which was first published on January 7, A comic strip is a sequence of drawings that tells a story Currently in the Western world, most comic strips are written and drawn by a Comics artist Year 1934 ( MCMXXXIV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. He has since been the main villain of the strip and its related movie serial, TV shows and movie. Serials, more specifically known as Movie serials or Film serials, were Short subjects originally shown in theaters in conjunction with a Feature A television program (US television programme (UK or television show (U The character has been criticized for being a typical yellow peril stereotype. Stereotypes of East and Southeast Asians are Ethnic stereotypes that are found in many Western societies.

Contents

First Appearance

When the heroic Flash Gordon and his friends land on the planet Mongo, they find it ruled by the evil Emperor Ming, a despot who quickly becomes their enemy. Planets in science fiction are fictional Planets that appear in various media especially those of the Science fiction genre as story-settings or depicted locations Mongo is the Fictional planet where the action of the Comic strip (and later movie serials) of Flash Gordon is located Evil, in many cultures is used to describe acts or thoughts which are contrary to some particular religion Despotism is a Form of government by a single authority either an individual or tightly knit group, which rules with absolute political power

The capital of his empire is named "Mingo City" in his honour. In addition to his army, Ming has access to a wide variety of science fiction gadgets, ranging from rocket ships to death rays to robots. An army (from Latin Armata "act of arming" via Old French armée) in the broadest sense is the land-based Armed forces GADGET is a freely available code for cosmological N-body/SPH simulations written by Volker Springel at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics. A spacecraft is a Vehicle or machine designed for Spaceflight. The death ray or death beam was a theoretical Particle beam or Electromagnetic weapon of the 1920s through the 1930s that was claimed to have been invented A robot is a mechanical or Virtual Artificial agent In practice it is usually an electro-mechanical system which by its appearance or movements Though evil, he has his weaknesses, which include a desire to marry Flash's beautiful companion, 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 Ming's daughter Princess Aura is as evil as he is when the series begins, but is eventually reformed by her love for Flash, and later for Prince Barin of Arboria. Princess Aura is a fictional character in the Flash Gordon comic strips and serials Prince Barin is a character in the Flash Gordon stories He is king of a region of Mongo called Arboria

Though he is technically an extraterrestrial, Ming strongly resembles a stereotypical Asian supervillain, and his resemblance to Dr. See also List of extraterrestrials in fiction In Popular cultures Life forms -especially intelligent life forms that are of extraterrestrial A stereotype (from Greek: stereo + týpos = "solid impression" is a generalized perception of first impressions behaviors presumed by a group Asian or Asiatic is a Demonym for people from Asia. However the use of the term varies by country and person often referring to people from a particular A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the Villain character type commonly found in Comic books, Action movies and Fu Manchu is especially strong. Dr Fu Manchu is a Fictional character first featured in a series of novels by English author Sax Rohmer during the first half of the 20th century "Ming" (明) is a common personal name in China, and was the name of several historical Chinese emperors, and later of an entire dynasty. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National The name has clear Chinese associations even for people not versed in the details of Chinese history. In later adaptations of the story, his "Oriental nature" has been downplayed out of sensitivity to criticisms of racial stereotyping. (In fact, in DC Comics' nine-issue Flash Gordon mini-series, Ming and most of the human-like denizens of Mongo were given gray skin. DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company Flash Gordon is the hero of a Science fiction adventure Comic strip originally drawn by Alex Raymond, which was first published on January 7, )

In the Flash Gordon serials of the late '30s Ming was played by Charles Middleton. Flash Gordon is a 1936 film serial which tells the story of three people from Earth who travel to the planet Mongo to fight the evil Emperor Charles B Middleton ( October 3, 1874 – April 22, 1949) was an American stage and film actor

Some Later Appearances

The New Adventures of Flash Gordon (1979)

In this 1979 animated version of Flash Gordon, Ming's voice was provided by Alan Oppenheimer, who would later go on to voice Skeletor. The New Adventures of Flash Gordon, also known as The Adventures of Flash Gordon, is an animated television series Skeletor ( IPA: US /'skel?t??r/ is a Fictional character in the Masters of the Universe franchise the arch-enemy and main In this version, Ming's vast technological arsenal is vividly displayed in the form of his vast fleet of battleships, drone rockets, armored trains, Post-Modern oil painting collection, vintage wine, and his army of robots. Postmodernism literally means 'after the modernist movement' While " Modern " itself refers to something "related to the present" the movement of modernism He also employs Mongo's race of Lizard-Women as his enforcers in the mines of Mongo, as well as guards in his harem, and the primitive Beast-Men of Mongo not only serve him, but revere him as a god.

Flash Gordon Movie (1980)

In the 1980 theatrical film, Ming, complaining of being bored, discovers Earth, and unleashes various attacks on the planet. Flash Gordon is a 1980 Science fiction film, based on the Eponymous Comic strip character Flash Gordon (Gordon Ferrao The film gives Ming a second-in-command, General Klytus, who is masked at all times, and has an attraction towards Ming's daughter, Princess Aura. As in most versions, he has an infatuation towards Dale, whom he plans to marry. Ming is also shown as not kind towards his daughter: in an effort to find Flash, he allows Klytus to continue torturing her, since she knows of his whereabouts.

At the climax of the film, Ming is impaled by his own war rocket, Ajax, which Flash had taken control of. After a vain attempt to stop Flash attacking him, he ultimately points his ring at himself and he vanishes. However, just before the credits begin, his ring is retrieved by an unknown individual, and the words "The End?" appear, as his evil laughter plays in the background, hinting he was going to return in a sequel.

He was played by Max von Sydow. (born 10 April 1929 is a well-known Swedish actor known in particular for his collaboration with filmmaker Ingmar Bergman. Queen's soundtrack album includes "Ming's Theme. Queen were an English rock band formed in 1970 in London by guitarist Flash Gordon is a 1980 album by English rock band Queen. It is the Soundtrack album to the Science fiction movie "

Defenders of the Earth Animated Series (1986-87)

Ming served as the principal adversary in the 1980s Marvel animated series Defenders Of The Earth, fighting against other King Features characters such as The Phantom, Mandrake, Lothar, and of course Flash Gordon. Marvel Comics is an American comic book company owned by Marvel Publishing Inc Defenders of the Earth is an animated television series produced in the late 1980s featuring characters from three comic strips distributed by King Features Syndicate King Features Syndicate, a Print syndication company owned by The Hearst Corporation, distributes about 150 Comic strips newspaper columns, Lothar is a modern form of the Old High German name Clotaire and may refer to People with the family name Ernst Lothar, German writer In the opening episode Ming successfully captured Dale Arden Gordon and her son Rick, and tore Dale's mind from her body, prompting a vengeful Flash to pursue him back to Earth to avenge her and prevent Ming from enslaving his world. Ming's base on Earth was in the depths of Antarctica and was called Ice Station Earth; his allies in this series were Garax, leader of the "Men Of Frost", Ming's army of Ice Men, and Octon, a large tentacled battle computer.

This version of Ming also included a son rather than a daughter at his side, Prince Kro-Tan; unlike Aura, he held no love for any of the Defenders and considered both them and his father hindrances to his enslavement of the galaxy. Kro-Tan came the closest to defeating his father in a five-part story where he successfully entrapped Ming and took over his forces, before Ming was released by the Defenders and took his vengeance. Ming had two carrier spacecraft in this series, one of which was his "Throne Room", his main vessel, which could launch itself from the Arctic Ocean. The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major Ming is also portrayed as having green skin (the change to green skin was not an uncommon treatment for Asian villains to receive, and was shared by Doctor No in James Bond Jr and The Mandarin in Iron Man). Green is a Color, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a Wavelength of roughly 520–570- nm. Dr Julius No is a Fictional character and the main Antagonist in the James Bond film and novel Dr James Bond Jr is a Fictional character described as the Nephew of Ian Fleming 's masterspy James The Mandarin is a Fictional character, a Marvel Comics Supervillain and the Archenemy of Iron Man. Iron Man is an Animated television series based on Marvel Comics ' Superhero Iron Man.

Flash Gordon Animated Series (1996)

In the 1996 animated series, Ming looks even more reptilian: he is a green, pointy-eared, sharp-toothed scaly alien, which cause the heroes to call him a "lizard". Flash Gordon is a 1996 animated television series based on the science fiction comic strip of the same name. Lizards are a large and widespread group of Reptiles of the order Squamata, with nearly 5000 species and ranging across all continents except (Aura, meanwhile, has green skin, but is otherwise perfectly human. ) In this version, Ming is more humane and even comical at times.

Flash Gordon TV Series (2007–present)

In the 2007 Flash Gordon Sci Fi Channel TV series, Ming is portrayed by John Ralston as a clean shaven blonde caucasian, moving away from potentially offensive "yellow peril" stereotypes. Flash Gordon is a American Science fiction Television series that debuted on Sci Fi in the United States on August 10 John Ralston (born October 9, 1964) is a Canadian Actor. Most notable are Ralston's roles as Derek Edwin and Marti's father Ralston's model for the character is Saddam Hussein. Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti ( Arabic: ar صدام حسين عبد المجيد التكريتي --> April 28 1937 &ndash December 30

This version of Ming the Merciless is a media-savvy tyrant, who controls the planet through his monopoly on the production of clean water—a textbook example of a hydraulic empire. "Popular press" redirects here note that the University of Wisconsin Press publishes under the imprint "The Popular Press" In modern usage a tyrant is a single ruler holding absolute power over a State or within an Organization. In Economics, a monopoly (from Greek monos, alone or single + polein, to sell exists when a specific individual or enterprise has sufficient Water of sufficient quality to serve as drinking water is termed potable water whether it is used for drinking or not A textbook is a manual of instruction or a standard book in any branch of study A hydraulic empire, also known as a hydraulic despotism or water monopoly empire, is a social or government structure which maintains power and control through exclusive He uses this control to extort wealth and obedience from the populace. In Economics and Business, Wealth of a person or nation is the value of Assets owned net of liabilities owed (to foreigners in the Obedience, in human behavior is the quality of being obedient, which describes the act of carrying out commands or being actuated A populace is a group of people forming the total population of a certain place He dresses in a quasi-military garb and seems to have some sort of militaristic position in addition to his role as a Water Baron and emperor. A military is an Organization authorized by its Nation to use force usually including use of Weapons in defending its Country (or by attacking Baron is a specific Title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin (liber

Although as vicious and evil as ever, Ming is known as and addressed as "Benevolent Father", a name he likely came up with. His people however call him Ming the Merciless, due to his harsh and often brutal rulership. Ming was also known as Ming the Merciless during his military career and rise to power.

Ming justifies everything he does as maintaining order and preventing a return to the chaos Mongo was in before he took power.

Ming is known to keep a large harem of willing and unwilling women that serve his needs. HAREM is the first evaluation contest of Named entity recognition (NER for Portuguese and its call for participation was announced in September 2004 His daughter, Princess Aura, has said he treats them very well, but it is implied that she is biased. A daughter is a Female offspring; a Girl, Woman, or female animal in relation to her Parents The male equivalent is a Son Princess Aura is a fictional character in the Flash Gordon comic strips and serials Those who attempt to escape his harem are sold as sex slaves to others as punishment. Sexual slavery refers to the organised coercion of persons into various different sexual practices forced Prostitution single-owner sexual slavery Punishment is the practice of imposing something unpleasant or aversive on a person or animal usually in response to disobedient or morally wrong behavior

Ming often expresses disappointment in Aura such as when she shows interest in a person he views as beneath her station or when she refrains from seizing power after his apparent death. He has also used her as a political tool, such as when he arranges for her to marry Barin of the Verdan in an attempt to create an alliance and further his own power.

He has his scientist, Rankol, keep Flash Gordon's father hostage and stole the Imex (an alien computing device found in an Incan temple in Nazca, Peru, it had been discovered that it's a molecular computer, containing a schematic for the genetic code of the universe) to perfect his Rift Generator and steal water from the Earth, as his own supply was running out. Flash Gordon is the hero of a Science fiction adventure Comic strip originally drawn by Alex Raymond, which was first published on January 7,

It has recently been revealed that Ming has a son named Terek, whom he had ordered to be killed at birth for being a Deviate. The Terek River (Терек თერგი Tergi; Терек Terek, Chechen, Терк Terk) is a major River in the He also banished his wife (Aura's mother). When it became apparent that his son was alive and attempting to overthrow him, Ming captures Aura's mother and poisons her with Grey Water to maker her a Deviate as well. Since Aura knew her mother's bloodline was pure, it has been revealed that Ming is the source of Terek's deviation.

When Flash Gordon released Ming's stolen water, Ming had it poisoned and placed the blame upon Terek. It was later revealed to his people that Ming had poisoned the water. This began the spark of revolution against him.

It was prophesied by monks that Ming would fall. Terek gathered an army of the various races of Mongo to battle Ming while his forces where weakened due to a war in the north.

Ming formed an alliance with Azura and her warriors in exchange for making her his queen, her army would battle against the rebels. She gave him an amulet.

Ming is captured after a battle with Flash Gordon and his daughter Aura. Terek ordered his execution. When Aura coldly told her father 'good-bye', Ming finally admitted he had a daughter he could be proud of.

Ming was placed inside a gas chamber. As the chamber filled with gas, Ming vanished, having been teleported to safety by Azura's amulet. It is likely he is alive and capable of gathering his loyal forces in an attempt to regain Mongo.

Parodies, Homages, etc.

External links

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