Five Weapons Society
The Five Weapons Society is a fictional organization appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Five Weapons Society was an organization created by the brothers Zheng Yi and Zheng Zu to defend China during the Qing dynasty, after Yi's death, the society became a criminal organization, using names such as the Celestial Order of the Si-Fan and the Celestial Order of the Hai- Dai.
The organization debuted in Special Marvel Edition #15 in the Bronze Age of Comic Books, under the name Celestial Order of Si-Fan, the organization of Fu Manchu, created by writer Sax Rohmer, with Manchu adapted as Zheng Zu, the father of Shang-Chi.
Publication history
In the early 1970s, writer Steve Englehart and artist Jim Starlin approached Marvel 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. 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. Though an original character himself, many of Shang-Chi's supporting characters were Rohmer creations. The Si-Fan first appeared in Special Marvel Edition #15, which was later retitled Master of Kung Fu two issues later.In the Rohmer novels, the Si-Fan were a tong turned international criminal organization that Fu Manchu led as part of his plans for world domination. In the comics, the Si-Fan retained the same role as the novels and were often portrayed as a ninja-like clan similar to the Hand.
After Marvel's license with the Rohmer estate expired, Master of Kung Fu was cancelled in 1983. Despite subsequent issues either mentioning characters from the novels cryptically or phased out entirely, the Si-Fan still kept its original name in its appearances.
In 2010's Secret Avengers #6–10, writer Ed Brubaker sidestepped the entire issue via a storyline where the Shadow Council resurrects a zombified version of Fu Manchu, only to discover that Manchu was only an alias and that Shang-Chi's father real name is Zheng Zu while the Si-Fan is referred to as the Hai-Dai.
In the 2020 Shang-Chi miniseries, writer Gene Luen Yang made a complete overhaul of the Shang-Chi mythos by introducing the Five Weapons Society, the true name of his father's organization that, was once a heroic secret society that became a criminal organization and that the Si-Fan and Hai-Dai were aliases the Society went through during its history. Dismayed by the orientalist depictions of the organization in older comics, Yang worked to bring an authentic portrayal of Chinese culture with the Five Weapons Society, depicting them as a cult "frozen in time" of the Qing dynasty and cut off from modern China. Yang based the Five Houses of the Society off the five elements of Eastern culture, with: Fire, Water, Wood, Metal and Earth. Shang-Chi being the Champion of the House of the Deadly Hand is a reference to The Hands of Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu, and The Deadly Hands of Kung Fu series he previously starred in. In a departure of previous stories of Shang-Chi rejecting his father's legacy, Yang ended the miniseries with Shang-Chi taking over his father's organization, vowing to return it to its heroic roots.
Fictional organization history
Origins
The Five Weapons Society was created during the Qing dynasty to protect China by the Sorcerer Brothers Zheng Zu and Zheng Yi and their five disciples, the Deadly Warriors. Zu based the Deadly Warrior's names and the Society's structure off the Five Sets of Heavenly Weapons of Ta-Lo: One Hammer, Two Swords, Nine Daggers, Three Staffs and Ten Rings.On one such mission, the Sorcerer Brothers and the Deadly Warriors protected the Tianjin Prefecture from Fin Fang Foom. The Ancient One, a fellow sorcerer and friend, provided the brothers the Eyes of the Dragon, a pair of stones that granted longevity and vigor while requiring the sacrifice of another. By 1860, the brothers had aged decades beyond their natural lifespans through the use of longevity spells and outlived the original Deadly Warriors, but had grown weaker as a result. During the Second Opium War, the Society fought against British forces, but were defeated by Dormammu and the Mindless Ones summoned by the British sorcerer Baron Harkness, resulting in the deaths of the era's Deadly Warriors. Zu attempted to use the Eyes of the Dragon to save the fatally wounded Yi at the cost of his own life, but not wanting to rule the Society alone, Yi reversed the spell, granting Zu immortality and restoring his youth, giving him the power to defeat the combined British forces. Following the death of his brother and the Deadly Warriors, Zu led the Society alone, establishing five houses in their honor. Without his brother's guidance, Zu became increasingly bitter and ruthless. After losing one of the houses during the Boxer Rebellion, Zu renounced his country and followers for their perceived weakness and lied about his brother's death, claiming he killed him for being weak as well and stole his spirit energy to augment his own. Zu subsequently relocated four of the Society's five houses to foreign countries within the Eight-Nation Alliance to monitor those who had fought against China and the Society during the conflict. Only the House of the Deadly Hand would remain in China, which would also serve as his personal retreat and base of operations.
In the following years, each of the five Houses became supplemented with scores of Warriors, with the best ones being named the Champion of their house. Several of Zu's children would be raised in each of the Houses, with five of them each emerging as Champion. Zu turned the Society into a criminal empire, adopting the moniker Fu Manchu and renaming the Society as the Celestial Order of the Si-Fan. Despite the changing times, the Society retained the image it had during the Qing dynasty, with all of its members still wearing clothing of the era well into the 21st century. Members who were raised within the confines of the Society had little to no exposure to modern culture, including Zu's children. By the time of the present day, the Si-Fan had made connections with organizations like Triads in Asia and Tongs in America.
Celestial Order of the Si-Fan
Fu Manchu's son Shang-Chi was raised from infancy to be the Society's ultimate warrior. During his upbringing, Shang-Chi was unaware of the Si-Fan's true name or goals, nor the fact that he was the designated Champion of the House of the Deadly Hand. After discovering his father's evil nature, Shang-Chi defects from the Si-Fan, sparking a years long conflict with his father's criminal empire. Shang-Chi's half-sister Fah Lo Suee gains control over her own faction of the Si-Fan from their father but fails to co-opt Shang-Chi into her own schemes to usurp their father's criminal empire. At one point, Fu Manchu unites the Si-Fan with various groups like the Dacoits, Thugees, Knights Templar, and Hashashins into a single organization named the Order of the Golden Dawn. The Golden Dawn's attempt to start World War III is thwarted by Shang-Chi and his allies. He became a tong leader using the name Wang Yu-Seng.After Fu Manchu's apparent death, their organization was divided into factions: Sleeping Dragon Clan, Steel Lotus Group, Wild Tiger Mob and Coiled Serpent Syndicate. The Kingpin takes control of his own faction of the Si-Fan in Hong Kong and provides them cybernetics. Shang-Chi joins forces with the X-Men and Elektra against the Kingpin's Si-Fan. Under the name Cursed Lotus, his daughter Fah Lo Suee teamed up with Deng Ling-Xiao and the Wild Tiger Mob and marketed a new drug called Wild Tiger, Despite the Wild Tiger mob being brought down by Shang-Chi, she eludes capture. Shang-Chi never discovers his half-sister's involvement.
Fu Manchu eventually resurfaces and employed Zaran to retrieve a chemical from A.I.M. and later directed him to kill Shang-Chi for him. He sent his dacoits to aid Zaran against Shang-Chi and the Marvel Knights. Although they succeeded in destroying the building that Shang-Chi was in, Zaran failed to slay him. Later retakes control of the Si-Fan but his plot to deploy his Hellfire Weapon is thwarted once again by his son and his allies, at that time it was known as Comte de Saint Germain or Ghost.
Celestial Order of the Hai-Dai
Sometime after Fu Manchu's next death, Steve Rogers tracks down Shang-Chi after the Shadow Council resurrects Shang-Chi's father and employs the Si-Fan, now called the Celestial Order of the Hai-Dai, to capture Shang-Chi. Shang-Chi discovers with the Secret Avengers his father's real identity as Zheng Zu. Shang-Chi is eventually captured by the Hai-Dai and taken to the Shadow Council and Zu, who plans to sacrifice Shang-Chi with the Eyes of the Dragon to complete his resurrection. The Shadow Council and Zu are thwarted when the Prince of Orphans disrupts the ritual and kills Zu, resulting in his permanent death.The reveal of Zu's true identity results Fah Lo Suee's real identity, Zheng Bao Yu being revealed as well. Now in full control of the Hai-Dai, Bao Yu resumes her father's long-forgotten experiment of bio-engineering Brood eggs as weapons, which she uses to carry out hits in New York's Chinatown. The plot is uncovered by Misty Knight and Annabelle Riggs of the Fearless Defenders with help from Elsa Bloodstone; the three track Bao Yu and the Hai-Dai assassins and scientists to an underground laboratory. With the help of No-Name of the Brood, the Fearless Defenders defeat the Hai-Dai and destroy the experiments, forcing Bao Yu to teleport away from her lair.