Zheng Bao Yu (originally known as Fah Lo Suee), is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is the daughter of Zheng Zu and the older half-sister of Shang-Chi.
The character debuted in Master of Kung Fu #26 (cover-dated March 1975) in the Bronze Age of Comic Books, under the name Fah Lo Suee, based on the Sax Rohmer character of the same name, the daughter of Dr. Fu Manchu, created by writer Sax Rohmer, Fu Manchu and adapted into Marvel Comics by Doug Moench and Keith Pollard. Due to Marvel losing the rights to the Fu Manchu character, her name Fah Lo Suee was changed to Zheng Bao Yu.
Publication history
The character of Fah lo Suee was created in 1917 by Sax Rohmer as the Lady of the Si-Fan in the novel The Hand of Fu-Manchu (original UK title: The Si-Fan Mysteries). In the novel Daughter of Fu Manchu (1931), she is called Fah lo Suee, a nickname meaning "Sweet Perfume". Fah Lo Suee, is a devious mastermind in her own right, frequently plotting to usurp her father's position in the Si-Fan and aiding his enemies both within and outside the organization. In the early 1970s, writer Steve Englehart and artist Jim Starlin approached DC Comics to adapt the television series Kung 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 the martial arts genre popularity would phase out quickly. The duo then approached Marvel Comics with the idea to create a kung fu-focused original comic. Editor-in-chief Roy Thomas agreed, but only if they would include the Sax Rohmer's pulp villain Dr. Fu Manchu, as Marvel had previously acquired the comic book rights to the character. Englehart and Starlin developed Shang-Chi, a master of kung fu and a previously unknown son of Dr. Fu Manchu. At first, only a few characters were adapted from the Fu Manchu series, such as Dr. Petrie and Denis Nayland Smith, with whom Fah lo Suee has a romance in the novels, in Master of Kung Fu #26 (cover-dated March 1975 ), Doug Moench and Keith Pollard adapted the character for the series, she becomes an ally of Shang-Chi and MI-6. After Marvel's license with the Rohmer estate expired, Master of Kung Fu was cancelled in 1983. His half-sister became the director of MI-6. Despite subsequent issues either mentioning characters from the novels cryptically or phased out entirely. Fah lo Suee reappeared in Journey into Mystery #514–516, (1997-1998) leading a drug cartel in Hong Kong under the name Cursed Lotus. In 2010's Secret Avengers #6–10, writer Ed Brubaker officially sidestepped the entire issue via a storyline where the Shadow 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 was Zheng Zu, an ancient Chinese sorcerer who discovered the secret to immortality and while the Si-Fan is referred to as the Hai-Dai. Similarly, Shang-Chi's half sister Fah Lo Suee was later renamed Zheng Bao Yu in 2013's The Fearless Defenders #8, written by Cullen Bunn, where he appears leading the Ha-Dai.
In the most recent stories, written by Gene Luen Yang, there is no mention of Zheng Bao Yu, she possibly no longer exists in the continuity of Marvel, the writer created other sisters for Shang-Chi, in the miniseries Shang-Chi (2020) it is revealed that Si-Fan and Hai-Dai is one of the names of the Five Weapons Society, is said to be among the five sons of Zheng Zu, each one commands a house and from among them, the supreme leader, Shang-Chi, champion of the House of the Deadly Hand, is chosen by the father, but his sister Zheng Shi-Hua, the Sister Hammer takes the lead after her father's death, Shi-Hua can be seen as Bao Yu's replacement in Shang-Chi's origin.
History
Born many decades ago as the daughter of the criminal mastermind Fu Manchu, Fah Lo Suee originally followed in her father's footsteps. Eventually, Fah Lo Suee became disillusioned by her father's misguided idealism for world conquest and developed a more pragmatic mindset. After obtaining her own faction of Fu Manchu's Si-Fan assassins, Fah Lo Suee would attempt to sway Shang-Chi into helping her usurp their father from his criminal empire, only to be rebuffed by her heroic half-brother. Fah Lo Suee would eventually lead her own criminal organization, the Oriental Expeditors, who were a front for the Golden Daggers sect. After Shang-Chi and his allies bring down the Golden Daggers, she briefly allies herself with them to help take down Fu Manchu.