Flash Gordon is an American football hero who is skyjacked aboard Dr. Hans Zarkov's rocketship along with his beautiful girlfriend Dale Arden. The threesome are drawn into the influence of the planet Mongo, ruled by Emperor Ming the Merciless. The evil Ming has been testing Earth with unnatural disasters, and deeming our world a threat to his rule.
He also intends to take Dale as his concubine, attempts to execute Flash and intends to destroy Earth. Flash must avoid the amorous attentions of Ming's daughter, and unite the warring kingdoms of Mongo to rescue Dale and save our world.
Ming the Merciless is a character who first appeared in the Flash Gordon comic strip in 1934. He has since been the main villain of the strip and its related movie serials, television series and film adaptation. Ming is depicted as a ruthless tyrant who rules the planet Mongo.
![Flash Flash](/uploads/1/2/5/5/125511408/476920292.jpg)
Contents First appearanceWhen the heroic Flash Gordon and his friends land on the, they find it ruled by the Emperor Ming, a who quickly becomes their enemy. He is not named at first, only being known as the Emperor until several issues later.The capital of his empire is named 'Mingo City' in his honour. In addition to his, Ming has access to a wide variety of, ranging from to to Robots. Though evil, he has his weaknesses, which include a desire to marry Flash's beautiful companion,. Ming's daughter is as evil as he is when the series begins, but is eventually reformed by her love for Flash, and later for of Arboria.In the of the late 1930s-era, Ming was portrayed by actor.
In the first serial, he is apparently killed in a crematorium, in a possible suicide. He returns later in league with a martian Queen, and using a Nitron Lamp to cause disasters on Earth.
In, he is once again ruler of Mongo, but is killed when he is locked inside his tower and Flash crashes a ship into it.Some later appearances The New Adventures of Flash Gordon (1979)In this of Flash Gordon, Ming's voice was provided by, who would later go on to voice. In this version, Ming's vast technological arsenal is vividly displayed in the form of his vast fleet of battleships, drone rockets, armored trains, and his army of robots. 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 film (1980)In the, Ming , complaining of boredom, discovers Earth, and unleashes various attacks on the planet.
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 is infatuated with Dale, whom he plans to marry. Ming's cruelty extends to his own daughter: in an effort to find Flash, he allows Klytus to continue torturing her, since she knows of his whereabouts.
When Klytus is killed in the Hawkman city, he orders it to be destroyed. He offers Flash a chance to join him, rule a kingdom, and save Earth.
Flash declines when he finds the kingdom will be the devastated Earth, causing Ming to leave him there, but he escapes on a rocket cycle.At the climax of the film, Ming is impaled by his own war rocket, Ajax, of which Flash had taken control. 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 is not dead.' S includes 'Ming's Theme'.Defenders of the Earth animated series (1986–1987)Ming served as the principal adversary in the 1980s animated series, fighting against other characters such as, Lothar, and of course Flash Gordon. In the opening episode, Ming successfully captures Dale Arden Gordon and her son Rick, and tears 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 is in the depths of and is called Ice Station Earth; his allies in this series are 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 includes a son rather than a daughter at his side, Prince Kro-Tan; unlike Aura, he holds no love for any of the Defenders and considers both them and his father hindrances to his enslavement of the galaxy. Kro-Tan comes the closest to defeating his father in a five-part story where he successfully entraps Ming and takes over his forces, before Ming is released by the Defenders and takes his vengeance. Ming has two carrier spacecraft in this series, one of which is his 'Throne Room', his main vessel, which could launch itself from the.
Ming is also portrayed as having green skin and pointed ears.Flash Gordon animated series (1996)In the, Ming looks even more reptilian: he is a green, pointy-eared, sharp-toothed scaly alien, which cause the heroes to call him a 'lizard'. (Meanwhile, Aura has green skin, but is otherwise perfectly human.) In this version, Ming is more humane and even comical at times.Flash Gordon television series (2007–2008)In the, Ming is portrayed by as a clean shaven blond caucasian, presumably to distance the series from the significant aspect of racism inherent in earlier versions of the character.
Executive producer David Hume has said that this interpretation of the character is modeled after.This version of Ming the Merciless is a media-savvy tyrant, who controls the planet through his monopoly on the production of clean water. He uses this control to extort wealth and obedience from the populace. 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.Although as evil as ever, Ming is known as and addressed as 'Benevolent Father'. However, his people call him Ming the Merciless, because of his harsh and often brutal leadership.
Ming was also known as Ming the Merciless during his military career and rise to power. He justifies everything he does as maintaining order and preventing a return to the chaos that occurred before he took power.Ming is known to keep a large harem of willing and unwilling women that serve his needs. Has said he treats them very well, but it is implied that she is biased. Those who attempt to escape his harem are sold as sex slaves to others as punishment.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.