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| Fah Lo Suee | |
|---|---|
 | |
| First appearance | The Hand of Fu-Manchu (1917) |
| Created by | Sax Rohmer |
| Portrayed by | |
| In-universe information | |
| Full name | unknown |
| Alias | Lady of the Si-Fan Koreani Madame Ingomar Queen Mamaloi Mrs van Roorden |
| Gender | Female |
| Occupation | supervillain,assassin,crime boss,antiheroine |
| Affiliation | Si-Fan |
| Family | Fu Manchu (father) |
| Nationality | ChineseManchu |
Fah Lo Suee (Chinese:花露水;pinyin:Huā Lùshuǐ;Jyutping:faa1 lou6 seoi2) is a character who was introduced in the series of novels Dr. Fu Manchu by the English authorSax Rohmer (1883-1959). She is the daughter ofDr. Fu Manchu and an unnamed Russian woman, sometimes shown as an ally, sometimes shown as a rival. Thecharacter featured in cinema and comic strips and comic books alongside her father, sometimes using another names, and she has also become anarchetype of theDragon Lady.[1]
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The character of Fah Lo Suee was created in 1917 bySax Rohmer asthe Lady of the Si-Fan in the novelThe Hand of Fu-Manchu (original UK title: The Si-Fan Mysteries). In the novelDaughter of Fu Manchu (1931), she is called Fah Lo Suee, a nickname meaning "Sweet Perfume".[2] Fah Lo Suee, is a devious mastermind in her own right, frequently plotting to usurp her father's position in theSi-Fan and aiding his enemies both within and outside the organization.[2] Her real name is unknown; Fah Lo Suee was a childhood term of endearment. She is introduced anonymously while still a teenager in the third book in the series and plays a larger role in several of the titles of the 1930s and 1940s. She is known for a time as Koreani after being brainwashed by her father, but her memory is later restored. Like her father, she takes on false identities, among them Madame Ingomar, Queen Mamaloi and Mrs van Roorden.[2] She falls in love with her father's rival,Denis Nayland Smith.[2][3] In cinema, the character was often played byCaucasian actresses such asMyrna Loy[4] and Gloria Franklin using theyellowface feature, as was the case with Fu Manchu himself andCharlie Chan, but two Asian actresses played Fu Manchu's daughter, but with different names:Anna May Wong wasPrincess Ling Moy inDaughter of the Dragon (1931) andTsai Chin wasLin Tang in the five films:The Face of Fu Manchu (1965),The Brides of Fu Manchu (1966).The Vengeance of Fu Manchu (1967),The Blood of Fu Manchu (1968) andThe Castle of Fu Manchu (1969).[5][6]
Fah lo Suee appears inAvon's one-shotThe Mask of Dr. Fu Manchu in 1951 byWally Wood.[7] In the early 1970s, writerSteve Englehart and artistJim Starlin approachedMarvel Comics to adapt the television seriesKung Fu into a comic book, as DC's parent company,Warner Communications, owned the rights to the series. DC Comics, however, was not interested in their pitch, believing the show's and themartial arts genre popularity would phase out quickly. The duo then approachedMarvel Comics with the idea to create akung fu-focused original comic. Editor-in-chiefRoy Thomas agreed, but only if they would include theSax Rohmer's pulp villainDr. Fu Manchu, as Marvel had previously acquired the comic book rights to the character.[8][9] Englehart and Starlin developedShang-Chi, a master of kung fu and a previously unknown son ofDr. Fu Manchu.[10][11] At first, only a few characters were adapted from the Fu Manchu series, such as Dr. Petrie andDenis Nayland Smith, with whom Fah lo Suee has a romance in the novels, inMaster of Kung Fu #26 (cover-dated March 1975),Doug Moench andKeith Pollard adapted the character for the series, she becomes an ally of Shang-Chi andMI-6. After Marvel's license with the Rohmer estate expired,Master of Kung Fu was cancelled in 1983.[12] His half-sister became the director of MI-6.[13] Despite subsequent issues either mentioning characters from the novels cryptically or phased out entirely. Fah lo Suee reappeared inJourney into Mystery #514–516, (1997-1998) leading adrug cartel inHong Kong under the nameCursed Lotus.[14][15][16][13] In 2010'sSecret Avengers #6–10, writerEd Brubaker officially sidestepped the entire issue via a storyline where theShadow Council resurrects a zombified version of Dr. Fu Manchu, only to discover that "Dr. Fu Manchu" was only an alias and that Shang-Chi's father real name wasZheng Zu, an ancient Chinese sorcerer who discovered the secret toimmortality[17] and while the Si-Fan is referred to as theHai-Dai.[18][19] Similarly, Fah Lo Suee was later renamedZheng Bao Yu in 2013'sThe Fearless Defenders #8, written byCullen Bunn, where she appears leading the Ha-Dai.[20][21][22][23][24]
In films she has been portrayed by numerous actresses over the years. Her character is usually renamed in film adaptations because of difficulties with the pronunciation of her name.
InShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), a character namedXu Xialing (portrayed byMeng'er Zhang) appears. She is partially based on Fah Lo Suee.[25][26][27][28]
Fah Lo Suee appears in the adventureNight Moves for the role-playing gameMarvel Super Heroes.[29]
Capitalizing on the popularity of martial arts movies, writer Steve Englehart and artist/co-plotter Jim Starlin created Marvel'sMaster of Kung Fu series. The title character, Shang-Chi, was the son of novelist Sax Rohmer's criminal mastermind Dr. Fu Manchu.
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