History WMG / FlashGordon

* He's in many ways the inverse of Superman. Whereas Superman is an alien who comes to Earth and uses his fantastic powers to perform heroic deeds, Flash is an earthling who goes an alien planet where he uses nothing but his BadAssNormal skills to perform heroic deeds. Moreover, his classic appearance (blond and clad primarily in red with blue and gold accents) contrasts with Superman's (dark-haired and clad primarily in blue with red and gold accents). Both have "girl-reporter" love interests (Lois Lane and Dale Arden), and a SmartGuy sidekick(Professor Emil Hamilton and Dr Hans Zarkof). They also have arch-nemeses in the form of a bald egomaniac with a thing for green and purple (Lex Luthor and Ming the Merciless). Both villains view their respective heroes similarly (Luthor sees Superman as a challenge to his narcissistic belief that he is the ultimate human being, as well as to his control of Metropolis. Ming sees Flash as a threat to his fascist belief in Mongonian superiority, as well as his control over Mongo). Finally, the portrayal of Krypton in the silver-age is similar enough to Mongo (both being neo-medieval, science-fiction wonderlands) to be seen as an alternate version of the same planet.

!!2007 TV series
[[WMG:The 2007 series's Ming is Flash's father]]
First, Ming was revealed to be Caucasian rather than an Asian type.

Then there was a throwaway reference to [[Main/YearInsideHourOutside time dilation]] between Earth and Mongo - enough for Ming's daughter to have been born after Mr. Gordon was trapped there.

Then there was {{the reveal}} that Ming was chasing the youth vampire because she had been keeping him young. A FountainOfYouth is necessary for this theory, since Ming is {physically} younger than Mr. Gordon. It so happens that there is one.

The twist at the end of the 'trapped on Mongo' two-parter -- that the prisoner was lying about Mr. Gordon being executed -- makes this theory more likely.

!!1980 movie
[[WMG: Mongo in the 1980 movie became the world of ''Anime/TheBigO'']]
After Flash saved Mongo and Earth, the Mongans were ruled over by Prince Barrin peaceably. But Prince Barrin abandoned Mongo to become [[WMG/JamesBond a certain secret agent]]. Then Mongo descended into chaos. The Mongans became darker and more mundane until their entire way of life became dreary. All that remained was the hope of a great hero to save them and Flash Gordon's theme music - which the theme music of ''Anime/TheBigO'' sounds suspiciously like.
[[WMG: The identity of the ring-taker.]]
In the stinger, a black gloved hand reaches into frame and picks up the ring. While it could have been any of dozens of guests, there were three speaking characters present with black opera-style gloves: Dale, Aura, and Zogi the Priest. ''Any'' of these three people would be likely to pick it up - the Priest Zogi out of habit/loyalty; Aura because it belongs to her/her family, Dale because (a) she was right there and (b) it was her engagement ring after all. But there was one more person with a vested interest in the ring who wore black gloves and was present at the wedding - Klytus. When ''Ajax'' is approaching Vultan's Kingdom, the captain awakens Klytus to ask for mission advice; Klytus is on a horizontal slate in a closet, which rotates up into a ready position. Klytus does not respond until the slate is vertical, speaks, then asks to be woken when they arrive. If Klytus is really the ChessMaster they make him out to be - and there's no evidence to show he isn't - would he really risk his neck by walking with a light escort into Vultan's hall? Klytus was only able to keep Vultan in line ''in the Emperor's presence'' by directly threatening his daughter. He knows Vultan is too much of fighter to be cowed in his own kingdom; facing him alone would be (and was) suicide. So he sends a simulacrum to die gorily, and confirm Barin and Vultan's treachery. This also allows him to step into the background and await the outcome of the Barin/Gordon/Vultan rebellion. During the confrontation with Gordon, notice that Ming never mentions Klytus' death. Klytus! The man is so powerful he can torture the Emperor of the Universe's daughter on suspicion of treason, and Ming doesn't notice or care that he's dead? Not to mention he has been promised Aura to wed ("...marry her to someone worthy of her treacherous nature.") When his lover Kala sends War Rocket ''Ajax'' to bring back Gordon's BahDay, Klytus is still hidden on board. The 'Ajax' crew are the only other ones who know this, and they all are killed fighting the Hawkmen. After the crash, Klytus was in a perfect position to watch the entire drama with Ming play out unnoticed, and then, while the victors were dancing and celebrating, swoop down upon the forgotten ring, rescuing his friend (well ok but you know what I mean), mentor, liege, and father-in-law, not to mention securing his position for a long time to come.

** This theory could extend to the wider DC Universe- Prince Vultan is clearly a counterpart to Hawkman (and indeed, Flash Gordon's Hawkmen are a collective counterpart to the DCU's Thanagarians), while Prince Barin is an alien counterpart to ComicBook/GreenArrow. Expanded further, the other Kings Features syndicate character's may fit into this theory. ThePhantom is Franchise/{{Batman}}, ComicStrip/MandrakeTheMagician is Dr Fate, and the DefendersOfTheEarth are the JusticeLeagueOfAmerica.

** This theory could extend to the wider DC Universe- Prince Vultan is clearly a counterpart to Hawkman (and indeed, Flash Gordon's Hawkmen are a collective counterpart to the DCU's Thanagarians), while Prince Barin is an alien counterpart to ComicBook/GreenArrow. Expanded further, the other Kings Features syndicate character's may fit into this theory. ThePhantom is Franchise/{{Batman}}, MandrakeTheMagician is Dr Fate, and the DefendersOfTheEarth are the JusticeLeagueOfAmerica.

** This theory could extend to the wider DC Universe- Prince Vultan is clearly a counterpart to Hawkman (and indeed, Flash Gordon's Hawkmen are a collective counterpart to the DCU's Thanagarians), while Prince Barin is an alien counterpart to GreenArrow. Expanded further, the other Kings Features syndicate character's may fit into this theory. ThePhantom is Franchise/{{Batman}}, MandrakeTheMagician is Dr Fate, and the DefendersOfTheEarth are the JusticeLeagueOfAmerica.

In the stinger, a black gloved hand reaches into frame and picks up the ring. While it could have been any of dozens of guests, there were three speaking characters present with black opera-style gloves: Dale, Aura, and Zogi the Priest. 'Any' of these three people would be likely to pick it up - the Priest Zogi out of habit/loyalty; Aura because it belongs to her/her family, Dale because (a) she was right there and (b) it was her engagement ring after all. But there was one more person with a vested interest in the ring who wore black gloves and was present at the wedding - Klytus. When 'Ajax' is approaching Vultan's Kingdom, the captain awakens Klytus to ask for mission advice; Klytus is on a horizontal slate in a closet, which rotates up into a ready position. Klytus does not respond until the slate is vertical, speaks, then asks to be woken when they arrive. If Klytus is really the ChessMaster they make him out to be - and there's no evidence to show he isn't - would he really risk his neck by walking with a light escort into Vultan's hall? Klytus was only able to keep Vultan in line 'in the Emperor's presence' by directly threatening his daughter. He knows Vultan is too much of fighter to be cowed in his own kingdom; facing him alone would be (and was) suicide. So he sends a simulacrum to die gorily, and confirm Barin and Vultan's treachery. This also allows him to step into the background and await the outcome of the Barin/Gordon/Vultan rebellion. During the confrontation with Gordon, notice that Ming never mentions Klytus' death. Klytus! The man is so powerful he can torture the Emperor of the Universe's daughter on suspicion of treason, and Ming doesn't notice or care that he's dead? Not to mention he has been promised Aura to wed ("...marry her to someone worthy of her treacherous nature.") When his lover Kala sends War Rocket 'Ajax' to bring back Gordon's BahDay, Klytus is still hidden on board. The 'Ajax' crew are the only other ones who know this, and they all are killed fighting the Hawkmen. After the crash, Klytus was in a perfect position to watch the entire drama with Ming play out unnoticed, and then, while the victors were dancing and celebrating, swoop down upon the forgotten ring, rescuing his friend (well ok but you know what I mean), mentor, liege, and father-in-law, not to mention securing his position for a long time to come.

* In the stinger, a black gloved hand reaches into frame and picks up the ring. While it could have been any of dozens of guests, there were three speaking characters present with black opera-style gloves: Dale, Aura, and Zogi the Priest. 'Any' of these three people would be likely to pick it up - the Priest Zogi out of habit/loyalty; Aura because it belongs to her/her family, Dale because (a) she was right there and (b) it was her engagement ring after all. But there was one more person with a vested interest in the ring who wore black gloves and was present at the wedding - Klytus. When 'Ajax' is approaching Vultan's Kingdom, the captain awakens Klytus to ask for mission advice; Klytus is on a horizontal slate in a closet, which rotates up into a ready position. Klytus does not respond until the slate is vertical, speaks, then asks to be woken when they arrive. If Klytus is really the ChessMaster they make him out to be - and there's no evidence to show he isn't - would he really risk his neck by walking with a light escort into Vultan's hall? Klytus was only able to keep Vultan in line 'in the Emperor's presence' by directly threatening his daughter. He knows Vultan is too much of fighter to be cowed in his own kingdom; facing him alone would be (and was) suicide. So he sends a simulacrum to die gorily, and confirm Barin and Vultan's treachery. This also allows him to step into the background and await the outcome of the Barin/Gordon/Vultan rebellion. During the confrontation with Gordon, notice that Ming never mentions Klytus' death. Klytus! The man is so powerful he can torture the Emperor of the Universe's daughter on suspicion of treason, and Ming doesn't notice or care that he's dead? Not to mention he has been promised Aura to wed ("...marry her to someone worthy of her treacherous nature.") When his lover Kala sends War Rocket 'Ajax' to bring back Gordon's BahDay, Klytus is still hidden on board. The 'Ajax' crew are the only other ones who know this, and they all are killed fighting the Hawkmen. After the crash, Klytus was in a perfect position to watch the entire drama with Ming play out unnoticed, and then, while the victors were dancing and celebrating, swoop down upon the forgotten ring, rescuing his friend (well ok but you know what I mean), mentor, liege, and father-in-law, not to mention securing his position for a long time to come.

* He's in many ways the inverse of Superman. Whereas Superman is an alien who comes to Earth and uses his fantastic powers to perform heroic deeds, Flash is an earthling who goes an alien planet where he uses nothing but his BadAssNormal skills to perform heroic deeds. Moreover, his classic appearance (blond and clad primarily in red with blue and gold accents) contrasts with Superman's (dark-haired and clad primarily in blue with red and gold accents). Both have BadAssDamsel "girl-reporter" love interests (Lois Lane and Dale Arden), and a SmartGuy sidekick(Professor Emil Hamilton and Dr Hans Zarkof). They also have arch-nemeses in the form of a bald egomaniac with a thing for green and purple (Lex Luthor and Ming the Merciless). Both villains view their respective heroes similarly (Luthor sees Superman as a challenge to his narcissistic belief that he is the ultimate human being, as well as to his control of Metropolis. Ming sees Flash as a threat to his fascist belief in Mongonian superiority, as well as his control over Mongo). Finally, the portrayal of Krypton in the silver-age is similar enough to Mongo (both being neo-medieval, science-fiction wonderlands) to be seen as an alternate version of the same planet.

** This theory could extend to the wider DC Universe- Prince Vultan is clearly a counterpart to Hawkman (and indeed, Flash Gordon's Hawkmen are a collective counterpart to the DCU's Thanagarians), while Prince Barin is an alien counterpart to GreenArrow. Expanded further, the other Kings Features syndicate character's may fit into this theory. ThePhantom is BatMan, MandrakeTheMagician is Dr Fate, and the DefendersOfTheEarth are the JusticeLeagueOfAmerica.

* He's in many ways the inverse of Superman. Whereas Superman is an alien who comes to Earth and uses his fantastic powers to perform heroic deeds, Flash is an earthling who goes an alien planet where he uses nothing but his BadAssNormal skills to perform heroic deeds. Moreover, his classic appearance (blond and clad primarily in red with blue and gold accents) contrasts with Superman's (dark-haired and clad primarily in blue with red and gold accents). Both have BadAssDamsel "girl-reporter" love interests (Lois Lane and Dale Arden), and a SmartGuy sidekick(Professor Emil Hamilton and Dr Hans Zarkof). They also have arch-nemeses in the form of a bald egomaniac with a thing for green and purple (Lex Luthor and Ming the Merciless). Both villains view their respective heroes similarly (Luthor sees Superman as a challenge to his narcissistic belief that he is the ultimate human being, as well as to his control of Metropolis. Ming sees Flash as a threat to his fascist believe in Mongonian superiority, as well as his control over Mongo). Finally, the portrayal of Krypton in the silver-age is similar enough to Mongo (both being neo-medieval, science-fiction wonderlands) to be seen as an alternate version of the same planet.

* He's in many ways the inverse of Superman. Whereas Superman is an alien who comes to Earth and uses his fantastic powers to perform heroic deeds, Flash is an earthling who goes an alien planet where he uses nothing but his BadAssNormal skills to perform heroic deeds. Moreover, his classic appearance (blond and clad primarily in red with blue and gold accents) contrasts with Superman's (dark-haired and clad primarily in blue with red and gold accents). Both have BadAssDamsel "girl-reporter" love interests (Lois Lane and Dale Arden), and a SmartGuy sidekick(Professor Emil Hamilton and Dr Hans Zarkof). They also have arch-nemeses in the form of a bald-headed egomaniac with a thing for green and purple (Lex Luthor and Ming the Merciless). Also not that both villains view their respective heroes similarly (Luthor sees Superman as a challenge to his narcissistic belief that he is the ultimate human being, as well as to his control of Metropolis. Ming sees Flash as a threat to his fascist believe in Mongonian superiority, as well as his control over Mongo). Finally, the portrayal of Krypton in the silver-age is sufficiently similar to Mongo (both being neo-medieval, science-fiction wonderlands) that they could be seen as alternate versions of the same planet.

* He's in many ways the inverse of Superman. Whereas Superman is an alien who comes to Earth and uses his fantastic powers to perform heroic deeds, Flash is an earthling who goes an alien planet where he uses nothing but his BadAssNormal skills (bordering on CharlesAtlasSuperpowers) to perform heroic deeds. Moreover, his classic appearance (blond and clad primarily in red with blue and gold accents) contrasts with Superman's (dark-haired and clad primarily in blue with red and gold accents). Both have BadAssDamsel "girl-reporter" love interests (Lois Lane and Dale Arden), and a SmartGuy sidekick who assists them on matters of science (Professor Emil Hamilton and Dr Hans Zarkof). They also have an arch-nemesis in the form of an egomaniacal, bald-headed despot with a thing for green and purple (Lex Luthor and Ming the Merciless). This is particularly notable when we consider that both villains view their respective heroes as a threat to their dominance (Luthor sees Superman as a challenge to his narcissistic belief that he is the ultimate human being, as well as to his control of Metropolis. Ming sees Flash as a threat to his fascist believe in Mongonian superiority, as well as his control over Mongo). In particular, the portrayal of Krypton in the silver-age is sufficiently similar to Mongo (both being neo-medieval, science-fiction wonderlands) that they could be seen as alternate versions of the same planet.
** This theory could extend to the wider DC Universe- Prince Vultan is clearly a counterpart to Hawkman (and indeed, Flash Gordon's Hawkman race is a counterpart to the DCU's Thanagarians), while Prince Barin is an alien counterpart to GreenArrow. Expanded further, the other Kings Features syndicate character's may fit into this theory. ThePhantom is BatMan, MandrakeTheMagician is Dr Fate, and TheDefendersOfTheEarth are TheJusticeLeagueOfAmerica.