Is the villain in Flash Gordon suppose to be Asian?

I read online about how the villain's portrayal was considered to be racist against Asians because of how it was played, especially by a white actor. Not just in the 1981 version but in the 1936 version as well.

However, I had no idea that this character was suppose to be Asian. I thought he was a alien from another galaxy, which is why the white actors were made up to look weird. I thought they were trying to look like an alien, not an Asian.

Or was the character actually suppose to be just an alien, and perhaps people are seeing it was Asian, when it's not suppose to be?

He's definitely an alien but the character is seen to have racist connotations isn't it? In the comics Ming and Aura also have yellow skin; however in the cartoon Defenders of the Earth Ming was green.

I must say that with Max von Sydow's Ming he just looks exotically alien and I think the racial stereotype isn't as strong.

The weirdest piece of logic was taking away Ming's traditional look in the 2007 TV series. And yet the character is still called Ming, so the racial association remains . Silly buggers.

I think we've got to understand that Flash Gordon is of its time and appreciate it warts and all. I certainly do, and I love the Buster Crabbe series as much as the 1980 film. I wouldn't want any future version to be hampered by the sort of concerns that affected something like Doctor Strange.

Meh, it's the Snowflake "everything offends me" thing.


Ming is an alien from the planet Mongo.


Sure, "Ming" sounds Asian and "Mongo" is close to "Mongolian" but that's where the similarities end.
Ming is not human... so how can he be a racist stereotype?


It's like saying Nien Nunb from Star Wars is racist because he has almond shaped eyes and speaks a funny language... or Chewbacca is prejudice toward bikers because he is hairy and grunts a lot


It's all overly-sensitive bull.

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It'd be one thing if it was just the name, but the heavy eye makeup and the Fu Manchu-looking facial hair (to say nothing of the flowing red-and-gold robes) certainly make it hard to disregard how much his appearance in the 1980 film is rooted in Asian aesthetics. Saying that it can't be racist since he's meant to be a non-human alien is a bit of a cop-out because he's still a fictional character being created by real-life humans who are drawing on their influences (which may well include conscious and unconscious prejudices) to create him.

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It's about what informs the character, and of course about his appearance. Fu Manchu's an example of a non sci-fi equivalent in literature and film and has influenced lots of similar creations, like the Klingons – obviously based on one or more non-Western cultures.

I think the Gungans are the most criticised as a racist stereotype, and that inference towards several aliens came to the fore with the prequels. Some of the choices do come over as incredibly ignorant. There are even characters who you could say have been based on medical conditions, and in the case of Bib Fortuna possibly that and World War I injuries, so you've got to wonder about the morality behind it all.

I've always perceived him as Ecuadorian myself

I think Iro has summed it up quite well. Is he supposed to be Asian? No. Has the person/people who 'designed' him/the look drawn on Asian aesthetics? Almost certainly. I don't see that as racist myself, but I don't think it's a question which can be shot down simply by saying there's no connection between the look and the influences of his/its design.

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No, the source of his look is blatantly obvious. If you were coming up with an exotic alien planet with an emperor you might well look to China as inspiration. However, he's the villain, so the question of racism and the Yellow Peril is bound to arise.

Conversely in Doctor Who you had the Draconians, reptilian aliens who were based on feudal Japan. Like the Dracs in Enemy Mine they're not evil, but have been drawn into war with humans.

In the pulp fiction days of the early 20th century there was something called the "yellow peril" - a racist fear of Asians. Thus, many of the villains and enemy agents in pulp fiction were Asian (thus characters like Fu Manchu). Flash Gordon began in 1934, so it's quite possible (as some are saying) that Ming's character drew upon existing prejudices as a remnant of the "yellow peril" even though he was supposed to be an alien from another world.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ming_t...s#Yellow_peril

People need to stop getting offended by every racist caricature and stereotype they see in movies.

Why?

Do you think it could be considered offensive that in Superman how General Zod appears white, or is it evened out by Superman appearing white as well?

I think the only stereotyping there is that the villain wears black and has a beard . There may be some villains in Superman with racist undertones but I don't know that universe and its characters well enough.

Up to a point that's what I was saying about Flash Gordon and any possible future adaptations. We shouldn't lose sight of or try to hide why, culturally, Ming was represented like he was. It is what it is.

If I was making it I'd probably have him with yellow skin as in the comics – an extreme yellow like a poisonous frog – and give him a slightly more alien look whilst keeping the human features. Same with Aura – she'd probably look like one of Star Trek's Orion slave girls .

I think Ming inspired the Mandarin? I mean the TRUE Mandarin from Marvel comic books, not the travesty in "Iron Man 3".

Very likely.

Particularly for those of you who have never seen these Ming parodies, from the 1998 British comedy Big Train :

Oh okay I see. Well I read that some people in the Asian community feel that Ming being Asian portrayed was offensive, cause he is suppose to be an alien.

So do you think that Max Von Sydow playing the character adds to the offense, or does it lessen it? People could look at it and say that it's 'yellowface', or 'white washing'.

But others can look at it and say, 'hey, the alien character is not portrayed as Asian this time, cause a white actor is playing the role'. What do you think?

I thought Max von Sydow looked more 'coincidentally' Asian than Charles Middleton did in the old serials. They're both white actors but Max's Ming just looks more alien to me.

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