History Literature / FuManchu

Fu Manchu has a long [[GoodHairEvilHair Evil Moustache]] in the famous [[ShapedLikeItself "Fu Manchu" style]].[[note]]The Moustache is a bit of a BeamMeUpScotty -- in the original books he was clean-shaven.[[/note]] He has squinty eyes: pure YellowPeril. He is a [[TheChessmaster Chessmaster]] setting up ThePlan and he's as much of a KarmaHoudini as the codes of production allow.

His actual public domain status is complicated. The first three Fu-Manchu[[note]]so spelled in the first three novels[[/note]] books were published prior to 1922 and are public domain in the USA; however, some characters are not public domain since they were introduced later, particularly his daughter Fah Lo Suee, who was introduced in the third book but not named until the fourth book, published in 1931. Also, Fu Manchu is not in the public domain in Europe (Rohmer died in 1959).

Of course, Fu Manchu also made [[OneSceneWonder a notable cameo]] in the ''Film/{{Grindhouse}}'' [[RealTrailerFakeMovie fake trailer]] ''Werewolf Women of the S.S.'' where he was played by none other than Creator/NicolasCage.[[note]][[LargeHam THIS IS MY MECCA!]] [[EvilLaugh Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!]][[/note]] He was also the original father of Creator/MarvelComics hero ''ComicBook/ShangChi'', though public domain complications eventually led to this being {{retcon}}ned away.

%% * Getting Crap Past The Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

* DragonLady: Fah Lo Suee.

* CharacterDevelopment: Fu starts out as a Chinese ultranationalist seeking the sovereignty of China and developed into one who seeks personal world domination. Moreover, as the series progresses Fu becomes more and more the NobleDemon type of character, a [[IGaveMyWord man of honor]] who occasionally even [[EnemyMine joins the heroes]] (as in ''The Island of Fu Manchu'') to fight a [[EvenEvilHasStandards greater evil]] (typically [[DirtyCommunism communism.]])

* CharacterDevelopment: Fu starts out as an extreme nationalist seeking the sovereignty of China and developed into one who seeks personal world domination. Moreover, as the series progresses Fu becomes more and more the NobleDemon type of character, a [[IGaveMyWord man of honor]] who occasionally even [[EnemyMine joins the heroes]] (as in ''The Island of Fu Manchu'') to fight a [[EvenEvilHasStandards greater evil]].

The villain of various novels by Creator/SaxRohmer, this DiabolicalMastermind is the archetypal YellowPeril villain. He has made his way into many media, including film, radio, TV, and comics.

His actual public domain status is complicated. The first three Fu-Manchu[[note]]so spelled in the first three novels[[/note]] books were published prior to 1922 and are public domain in the USA; however, some characters are not public domain since they were introduced later, particularly his daughter Fah Lo Suee, who was introduced in the third book but not named until the fourth book, published in 1931. This has caused problems for Creator/MarvelComics, who for years could not reprint ''Master of Kung Fu'', which uses not only Fu Manchu (his renegade [[SpinOffspring son]] Characters/ShangChi is the series' protagonist) but other characters from the series. From 2016 to 2019, Marvel reprinted ''Master of Kung Fu'' and ''The Deadly Hands of Kung Fu''; however, Shang-Chi's father and sister don't use the Fu Manchu name anymore and are named differently in current stories (Zheng Zu and Zheng Bao Yu, respectively). (The [[Film/ShangChiAndTheLegendOfTheTenRings film adaptation]] instead utilizes [[Characters/MCUTheMandarin Xu Wenwu]] as CompositeCharacter of ''ComicBook/IronMan'' villain -- The Mandarin -- and Fu Manchu), Wenwu's daughter, [[Characters/MCUTenRings Xu Xialing]], bears similarities to Fah Lo Suee. Also, Fu Manchu is not in the public domain in Europe (Rohmer died in 1959), and Creator/AlanMoore could not name him in ''ComicBook/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen''.

Of course, Fu Manchu also made [[OneSceneWonder a notable cameo]] in the ''Film/{{Grindhouse}}'' [[RealTrailerFakeMovie fake trailer]] ''Werewolf Women of the S.S.'' where he was played by none other than Creator/NicolasCage.[[note]][[LargeHam THIS IS MY MECCA!]] [[EvilLaugh Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!]][[/note]]

He has been played in over forty films by over a dozen different actors, including H. Agar Lyons (an Irishman), Warner Oland (a Swede), Creator/BorisKarloff (an Englishman with some Indian ancestry, with Irish-American Myrna Loy as his daughter, here called Fah Lo Suee), Creator/ChristopherLee (an Englishman with a bit of Italian in him, see page image), and Creator/PeterSellers (also English) -- but [[{{Yellowface}} never yet by an actual Asian actor]], although Fu Manchu's daughter has been played by two Asian actresses: the Chinese-American Anna May Wong as Ling Moy in ''Film/DaughterOfTheDragon'' and the Chinese Tsai Chin as Lin Tang in Lee's version. In fact Sellers' take, ''Film/TheFiendishPlotOfDrFuManchu'' (1980), is the last movie centered around the character to date, and a parody at that.

The villain of various novels by [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sax_Rohmer Sax Rohmer]], this DiabolicalMastermind is the archetypal YellowPeril villain. He has made his way into many media, including film, radio, TV, and comics.

He has been played in over forty films by over a dozen different actors, including H. Agar Lyons (an Irishman), Warner Oland (a Swede), Creator/BorisKarloff (an Englishman with some Indian ancestry, with Irish-American Myrna Loy as his daughter, here called Fah Lo Suee), Creator/ChristopherLee (an Englishman with a bit of Italian in him, see page image), and Creator/PeterSellers (also English) -- but [[{{Yellowface}} never yet by an actual Asian actor]], although Fu Manchu's daughter has been played by two Asian actresses: the Chinese-American Anna May Wong as Ling Moy in ''Daughter of the Dragon'' and the Chinese Tsai Chin as Lin Tang in Lee's version. In fact Sellers' take, ''Film/TheFiendishPlotOfDrFuManchu'' (1980), is the last movie centered around the character to date, and a parody at that.

He has been played in over forty films by over a dozen different actors, including H. Agar Lyons (an Irishman), Warner Oland (a Swede), Creator/BorisKarloff (an Englishman with some Indian ancestry, with Irish-American Myrna Loy as his daughter, here called Fah Lo Suee), Creator/ChristopherLee (an Englishman with a bit of Italian in him, see page image), and Creator/PeterSellers (also English) -- but [[{{Yellowface}} never yet by an actual Asian actor]], although Fu Manchu's daughter has been played by two Asian actresses: The Chinese-American Anna May Wong as Ling Moy in ''Daughter of the Dragon'' and the Chinese Tsai Chin as Lin Tang in Lee's version. In fact Sellers' take, ''Film/TheFiendishPlotOfDrFuManchu'' (1980), is the last movie centered around the character to date, and a parody at that.