| Fu Manchu | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Real Name |
Dr. Fu Manchu |
|
First Appearance |
The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu (1913) |
|
Original Publisher |
Methuen (Book) |
|
Created by |
Sax Rohmer |
Origin
Dr. Fu Manchu was a Chinese criminal mastermind who preferred to the arcane rather than guns or explosives. He used had numerous thugs, robbers, and secret societies, such as the Si-Fan under his thumb. Fu Manchu armed his forces with not only hand to hand weapons such as knives but also strange animals or chemical weapons. He funded his plots through drug trade and human trafficking.
His enemies included British police commissioner Denis Nayland Smith and his assistant Dr. John Petrie. Petrie functioned like Dr. Watson writing/narrating Smith's adventures and Smith worked like Sherlock Holmes, but not possessing the same deductive reasoning as the great detective. Smith couldn't outsmart Fu Manchu and only defeated him through sheer determination. Both foes begrudgingly respected each other and believed a man should stand by his words.
Public Domain Literary Appearances
- The Insidious Dr Fu Manchu (1912)
- The Return of Dr Fu Manchu (1916) (also known as The Devil Doctor)
- The Hand of Fu Manchu (1917) (also known as The Si-Fan Mysteries)
Public Domain Golden Age Appearances
Notes
- All of Fu Manchu's pre-1923 books are in the public domain as well as the Avon comic The Mask of Dr. Fu Manchu #1 in the United States.
- Dr. Fu Manchu's name is still trademarked by Rohmer's estate. Both Marvel and Alan Moore have gotten around this by calling Fu Manchu by another name or not mentioning his name.
