The Celestial Order of the Hai-Dai is a group of assassins, and one of many criminal organizations dedicated to serve Zheng Zu (also known as Fu Manchu).
History
Early years[]
The Celestial Order of the Hai-Dai was a criminal organization of ninjas,[2] and of many groups living to serve only Zheng Zu.
Like other of those organizations, the Hai-Dai disbanded after their master's death, purposeless.[1]
Recent years[]
Years later, upon Zheng Zu's partial resurrection by Shadow Council director Director Aloysius Thorndrake, they reformed, and attacked underground temples in Shanghai, looking for a scroll about the Eyes of the Dragon, two gems working in tandem, said to date back at least 3000 years, to be imbued with great spiritual energy bringing extraordinary luck to their owner, and (due to its creators pouring the last of their essence into them before death) to complete a resurrection spell, necessary for completing Zheng Zu's resurrection. They also targeted Zheng Zu's son Shang-Chi, another ingredient for that.
They next set up a trap at an exhibit of ancient Chinese art in the International Finance Centre in Hong Kong where Secret Avengers, including Shang-Chi, went, believing one of the gems was there.[1] The Hai-Dai captured Shang-Chi and brought him onto their plane to execute him, but Ant-Man, hidden in Shang-Chi's hair, caused the plane to crash.[4]
They soon led an attack in broad daylight in downtown Hong Kong, led by Zheng Zu, as part of a trick. As the Secret Avengers intervened, Shadow Council agents Max Fury and John Steele to capture Sharon Carter, to exchange her for Shang-Chi. As soon as she was captive, the Hai-Dai and Zheng Zu vanished.[5]
Shang-Chi was finally captured, and brought to the Sacred Temple of Zheng Zu, in China, where Shadow Council and Hai-Dai guarded over him before the ritual's completion. The Secret Avengers intervened in the course of the ritual, stopping it. The Hai-Dai weren't seen during the ensuing battle, in which Zheng Zu was killed.[6]
Shang-Chi trained Spider-Man at an abandoned Hai-Dai training facility in Croton-on-Hudson.[7]
Later, led by Zheng Zu's daughter Zheng Bao Yu, they set up a lab under Chinatown, in New York City, where they continued a long-forgotten experiment of Zheng Zu by bio-engineering Brood (or rather "genetic mutations spawned from tainted Brood DNA"), which they used for assassinations, until the Defenders Valkyrie and Misty Knight recruited Elsa Bloodstone in their inquiry about monsters in Chinatown, and tracked down the lab. During the fight against the Brood, Hai Dai, and Zheng Bao Yu, the Defenders were joined by No-Name of Brood.[2]
It was later revealed by Shi-Hua that the Hai-Dai, along with the Order of the Si-Fan and the Order of the Golden Dawn, were aliases used for the Five Weapons Society, much like how Fu Manchu was an alias for Zheng Zu.[3]Notes
- It is unclear whether the Celestial Order of the Hai-Dai is another name for the Celestial Order of the Si-Fan (to further distancing the modern Zheng Zu from his Fu Manchu origin as non-Marvel-created content), or if they are an independent group.
- In Marvel Knights #12-14, Zheng Zu used Dacoits, however, they looked like ninjas.[8] As Dacoits were also used by Fu Manchu in Sax Rohmer's novels, the name Hai-Dai may have been used to distance itself from the source material. In the original series, Dacoits, Thugges, Phansigars, Templars and other cults were gathered into the Order of the Golden Dawn.[9]
- Although the Order of Hai-Dai is mentioned, the same was not true of Zheng Bao Yu. Apparently, Shi-Hua was created to replace her, as Bao Yu is a version of Fah Lo Suee, the daughter of Fu Manchu.
See Also
- 5 appearance(s) of Celestial Order of the Hai-Dai (Earth-616)
- 3 mention(s) of Celestial Order of the Hai-Dai (Earth-616)
- 1 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Celestial Order of the Hai-Dai (Earth-616)
- 5 image(s) of Celestial Order of the Hai-Dai (Earth-616)
- 2 member(s) of Celestial Order of the Hai-Dai (Earth-616)