Ming the Merciless

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.

First appearance
When the heroic Flash Gordon and his friends land on the planet Mongo, they find it ruled by the evil Emperor Ming, a despot 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 army, Ming has access to a wide variety of science fiction gadgets, ranging from rocket ships to death rays to robots. Though evil, he has his weaknesses, which include a desire to marry Flash's beautiful companion, Dale Arden. Ming's daughter Princess Aura is as evil as he is when the series begins, but is eventually reformed by her love for Flash, and later for Prince Barin of Arboria.

In the Flash Gordon serials of the late 1930s-era, Ming was portrayed by actor Charles B. Middleton. 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 Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe, he is once again ruler of Mongo, but is killed when he is locked inside his tower and Flash crashes a ship into it.

The New Adventures of Flash Gordon (1979)
In this 1979 animated version of Flash Gordon, Ming's voice was provided by Alan Oppenheimer, who would later go on to voice Skeletor. 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 1980 theatrical film, Ming (Max von Sydow), 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.

Queen's soundtrack album includes "Ming's Theme".

Defenders of the Earth animated series (1986–1987)
Ming served as the principal adversary in the 1980s Marvel animated series Defenders of the Earth, fighting against other King Features characters such as The Phantom, Mandrake the Magician, 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 The Arctic 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 Arctic Ocean. Ming is also portrayed as having green skin and pointed ears.

Flash Gordon animated series (1996)
In the 1996 animated series, 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 2007 Sci Fi Channel television series, Ming is portrayed by John Ralston 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 Saddam Hussein.

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. Princess Aura 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. He has also used her as a political tool, such as when he arranges for her to marry Barin of the Verdan in an attempt to create an alliance and further his own power.

He has his scientist, Rankol, keep Flash's father hostage and stole the Imex (an alien computing device found in an Incan temple in Nazca, Peru, it had been discovered that it's a molecular computer, containing a schematic for the genetic code of the universe) to perfect his Rift Generator and steal water from the Earth, as his own supply is running out.

It has recently been revealed that Ming has a son named Terek, whom he had ordered to be killed at birth for being a Deviate. He also banished his wife (Aura's mother). When it becomes apparent that his son is alive and attempting to overthrow him, Ming captures Aura's mother and poisons her with Grey Water to make her a Deviate as well. Since Aura knows her mother's bloodline is pure, it has been revealed that Ming is the source of Terek's deviation.

When Flash Gordon releases Ming's stolen water, Ming has it poisoned and places the blame upon Terek. It is later revealed to his people that Ming had poisoned the water. This begins the spark of revolution against him. It is prophesied by monks that Ming will fall. Terek gathers an army of the various races of Mongo to battle Ming while his forces are weakened because of a war in the north.

Ming forms an alliance with Azura and her warriors in exchange for making her his queen, her army would battle against the rebels. She gives him an amulet. Ming is captured after a battle with Flash Gordon and Aura. Terek orders his execution. When Aura coldly tells her father 'good-bye', Ming finally admits he is proud of his daughter. Ming is placed inside a gas chamber. As the chamber filled with gas, Ming vanishes, having been teleported to safety by Azura's amulet.

In popular culture
Many parodies of Ming the Merciless have appeared in popular culture, including:
 * "Mung the Mirthless" in Wally Wood's comic strip Sally Forth
 * "Wang the Perverted" in the pornographic film Flesh Gordon
 * "Gorzo the Mighty", a columnist for The Onion
 * "Ding the Merciless", an opponent of Trash Gordon in one segment on Sesame Street
 * "Supreme Overlord Maximus IQ", the main villain in the animated series Atomic Betty

Scottish politician Menzies Campbell is sometimes nicknamed (with significant irony) "Ming the Merciless". Luke 'Ming' Flanagan, the Irish politician and cannabis legalisation campaigner, takes his name from his resemblance to the fictional Ming the Merciless.

George Lucas has cited Ming the Merciless as a basis for Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader from the Star Wars series

In 2007, Ming the Merciless was ranked number 2 on the Forbes Fictional 15.