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Quote1 Ming-Zu is dead. Long live Red Orchid! Quote2
Red Orchid src

Chang Ming-Zu is also known as Red Orchid, a scientist turned professional criminal along with her brother Yo-Yo. She has once fought the Suicide Squad and now an adversary to Super-Man of China and the Justice League of China.

Origin

Chang Ming-Zu was once a scientist working at Metropolis University Research Center. She had a close but uneasy relationship with her brother, Chang Jie-Ru. He was nothing more than a "two-bit hood," who often asking her for money or to bail him out of trouble. As opposed to her brother's immaturity, Chang Ming-Zu was a golden child and understood the hardship that their father had to take to better their life. For that reason, she grew more and more disapproval to Jie-Ru's lifestyle and how he wasted his potential by following his father's footstep as a small thug.[1]

Chang Ming-Zu was herself a successful scientist. At the time, she was working on a geothermal reactor that can utilize the power source under Metropolis to provide an unlimited power for the city. During one of many times Jie-Ru begged her for money, he sneaked past the security using Ming-Zu's roommate's ID and following her to her lab at Metropolis University. Deciding to finally have enough of Jie-Ru's nonsense, Ming-Zu had an argument with him, refusing to help him anymore and asking him to be more understandable about his family and be better. At that moment, the lab was suddenly collapsed, as a result of one of Superman's fights, and broke the reactor. The siblings were caught by the radiation energy that transformed their physiology. Some time later, Chang Ming-Zu abandoned her old life and became involved with organized crime, leading Chang Gang in Chinatown. With her newfound powers, she was known as Red Orchid.[1]

Death is for Suckers

Chang Ming-Zu was first mentioned in one of the missions of the Task Force X to Chinatown, Gotham. Amanda Waller sent the Suicide Squad to swiftly retrieve an important "package" that was in the possession of Chang Gang, one of the Triad's five fingers in Chinatown. However, that was only part of the mission. The second part of the mission was directed at Yo-Yo as it was to erase the Chang Gang's leader and also Yo-Yo's sister, Chang Ming-Zu.[2]

The squad's first assault was at Tong Yan Fau, also known as Red Orchid's garden. As they continued slaughtering the gang members, Yo-Yo revealed his back story and the accident at Metropolis that transformed his sister and him into Red Orchid and Yo-Yo to Deadshot. Then the squad moved toward Red Orchid's Penthouse, where they encountered the Sĭ Wáng , Red Orchid's bodyguards, at the hallway and quickly defeated them. Red Orchid soon appeared with the "package" and attacked Harley Quinn with her poisonous thorn and using toxic gas to immobilize Deadshot and the squad. Yo-Yo questioned her intention as so did she. It was then revealed that Red Orchid was working with the thought-to-be-dead leader of Basilisk: Regulus.[1]

As the squad attacked, Yo-Yo quickly came to get the "package," which was revealed to be Black Canary's late husband, Kurt Lance. During the time, Red Orchid fought with most of the squad members, such as Voltaic and King Shark, and incapacitating all of them. She continued to treat her brother with dishonor and attacked him and his team without mercy. Through the combined force of Harley Quinn and Yo-Yo, the Suicide Squad momentarily escaped from Red Orchid in order to secure Kurt Lance. However, they were once again being caught and immobilized by Red Orchid. She mentioned she was happy to accommodate Regulus and Grey Lora. As Regulus was then taking Kurt Lance away, he expressed his gratitude and asked Red Orchid to "clean the mess," which she was happy to obey.[3]

Then, she moved closer to Yo-Yo so as to have the final word by still expressing her disappointment in her brother for having failed her and dishonoring their family. Yo-Yo begged Red Orchid to remember back to who she was back then because he knew she was deep down still a good person. However, it was to no avail as she commented that Chang Ming-Zu was dead and there was only Red Orchid. She proceeded to murder the squad, but as soon as she was taken off guard, Yo-Yo stretched his neck and trapped his sister's neck with him in the process. He then asked Deadshot to shoot at his neck bomb, thereby detonating it and allowing it to kill both him and his sister.[3] As the squad regrouped later after the wreckage, both Yo-Yo and Red Orchid were nowhere to be found and presumed dead.

New Super-Man and the Justice League of China

Much later, Red Orchid revealed to survive the explosion. She now operated in Shanghai, China and was known to Super-Man of China and his friends, Wonder-Woman and Bat-Man. Red Orchid attacked Shanghai with the goal of turning it to its "natural state" in the name of Dongzhi day, the day of returning. She was later captured by Super-Man and his two friends but before sending her to jail, she was seen celebrating Dongzhi day with the trio.[4]

She was seen again emerging from Huangpu River with an army of super-villains attacking Shanghai city. However, all the networks were temporarily shut down which meant that no one learned about this incident. It was revealed that Red Orchid and others were freed from imprisonment by Emperor Super-Man to become a part of his Imperial Army with the purpose of wreaking havoc and bringing Shanghai under his control. However, they were ambushed by the Great Ten. Red Orchid was presumably fought, defeated, and imprisoned again by the Great Ten and the Justice League of China.[5][6] Some time later, she was shown fighting and then being subsequently defeated again by the Justice League of China along with other super villains.[7]

Powers

  • Plant Physiology: As a result of the radiation from the geothermal reactors, Red Orchid's physiology is greatly changed, mimicking that of a plant life. Her skin has red vine-like marks and later is depicted as green in color. Her brown eyes have turned red with no visible iris or pupils. Her body transformed to that of a plant as her hands become woods that can branch out. Her body can change shape and form at will and can even grow a carnivore plant within her own chest.[1][3]
    • Chlorokinesis: Red Orchid can control and grow plant life. She was seen growing plants from her body and control it to attack, grab, and encased others. She can also shoot out poisonous thorn from her body.[3]
    • Elasticity: Her body is similar to her brother as she can stretch out though not to an extent that her brother can. She was seen to stretch out her neck and body.[3]
    • Metamorphosis: Red Orchid can morph her body into plant materials or different shape and forms at will.[3]
    • Toxikinesis: Red Orchid can secrete toxins and coat it onto her thorns. She can also release toxin gas from her mouth blinding and paralyzing the target.[1]

Abilities

  • Leadership: Red Orchid managed to build a small empire of organized crime by herself. She is the only leader of Chang Gang, one of the five fingers of the Triad in Chinatown, Gotham City.[2]
  • Science: Chang Ming-Zu was a successful scientist working for Metropolis University. She came close to create an reactor that can supply unlimited power to a city.[1]


  • Suicide Squad: Death is for Suckers

Related

Footnotes


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Superman Villain(s)
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This character has been primarily an enemy of Superman in any of his various incarnations, or members of the Superman Family. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Superman Villains category."

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Justice League Villain
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This character is or was primarily an enemy of the Justice League, in any of its various incarnations. This template will categorize articles that include it into the category "Justice League Villains."

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