Plan Chu

Plan Chu, known as the Yellow Claw, is an ancient Chinese warlord who emerged in the Cold War era as a master schemer bent on world domination, wielding formidable psychic illusionist powers and arcane knowledge of necromancy while commanding shadowy organizations including the Atlas Foundation.

Few villains from Marvel's earliest days carry the Cold War menace of Plan Chu, who first stalked the pages of Yellow Claw #1 in 1956, brought to life by the legendary team of Al Feldstein and Joe Maneely. Emerging at the tail end of the Golden Age, this sinister figure has proven remarkably durable — a presence in Marvel's universe across an extraordinary span stretching all the way to 2023, turning up in titles as varied as Strange Tales, Iron Man, and Giant-Size Master of Kung Fu. With three key-issue appearances to their name and a rogues' gallery of company that includes The Yellow Claw, Jimmy Woo, and Suwan, Plan Chu is woven into the fabric of Marvel's espionage and adventure tradition in ways that reward the dedicated collector who digs beneath the surface. Thirty-eight catalogued appearances across nearly seven decades is a quiet testament to a character who has never quite let go of the Marvel universe — or vice versa.