MASTER C'HAAJ

Real Name: Unrevealed, possibly C'haaj

Identity/Class: Human martial artist

Occupation: Martial arts trainer, owner of Master C'haaj Martial Arts Extravaganza

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Trained Count Macho, Howard the Duck, many others;
    presumably Andy the Angel, Chirreep, Jennifer Kale, Korrek, Master C'haaj, Hemlock Shoals, Claude Starkowski (see comments);

Enemies: Count Macho;
    presumably the Band of the Bland (Black Hole/Morton Kribbee, Sitting Bullseye/Oliver Bedwette, Spanker/Fred Hovel, Tillie the Hun/Matilda von Tromp), le Beaver (Pierre Dentfris), Black Talon (Thibodaux Boudreaux), Brotherhood of Evil Prepositions (Amonger, Arounder, Betweener, Of, Underneather, Withiner), Dr. Angst (Floyd Mangles), Galactongue, Jackpot, Jokester, Greedy Killerwatt, Kong Lomerate, Maller, Pro-Rata, Puffin, Quizling, and Wally Sidney (see comments)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Master C'haaj Martial Arts Extravaganza, 7014 Oak Street (at corner Elm), Cleveland, Ohio...or maybe it's all in the mind, man!

First Appearance: Howard the Duck I#3 (May 1976)

Powers/Abilities: C'haaj possesses a mastery of the martial arts and is skilled in training others in that discipline. He trains others in Kung Fu, Karate, T'ai Chi, Aikido, Quak Fu, and even Eastern proverbs for all occasions.

History: Master C'haaj's origins are unrevealed, though he has had extensive training in various martial arts disciplines.

(Howard the Duck I#3 (fb) - BTS) - C'haaj opened a training facility in Cleveland. Those who graduated from his program received a certain medallion...for only $5.98.

(Howard the Duck I#3 (fb) - BTS) - C'haaj trained Count Macho, who went on to abuse his skills.

(Howard the Duck I#3) - After an encounter with Macho, Howard the Duck sought out his own martial arts training to take Macho down. He happened to visit C'haaj, learning that he was the one who had trained Macho. C'haaj decided that Macho must learn one lesson more and that Howard should be the one to teach him. After a series of metaphysical exercises, C'haaj then trained Howard in physical skills. C'haaj congratulated Howard as his will to achieve had enabled him to complete a lifetime of study in a mere three hours and seventeen minutes. C'haaj then gave Howard his medallion, as well as a silken robe, rechristening Howard "Shang-Op," meaning the "Rising and Advancing of a Duck," whose flashing feathered fingers and indomitable courage made him--Master of Quak Fu.

    After admiring his new garb, Howard turned to find himself back in the Lavender Flamingo bookstore (where he had seen the advertisement for Master C'haaj). Howard wondered if he had fantasized the whole thing, but then realized that he still wore the robe and medallion C'haaj had given him.

    Howard used his training to stop Count Macho.

(Steve Gerber's unpublished script for Howard the Duck#1 "Secret Crisis II" (fb) - BTS) - C'haaj was transported -- along with Andy the Angel, Dakimh the Enchanter, Jennifer Kale, Korrek the Barbarian, Man-Thing, Hemlock Shoals, Claude Starkowski -- to within a motorhome (specifically a Winnebago)-like construct in an interdimensional space between Reality-616 and Reality-791021 (mirroring the storyline generated by the dark matter-powered Poporb of Krylorian techno-artist Chirreep).

(Steve Gerber's unpublished script for Howard the Duck#1 "Secret Crisis II") - Entering the Winnebago, Howard recognized C'haaj among its occupants.

    After Hemlock Shoals pointed out the arrival another vehicle/conveyance in the interdimensional space, and Claude noted it to be a fire hydrant, Dakimh explained that it, like their "RV,"  was an artificial construct, crafted to resemble a common object. Pressing his fingertips to his temples, Dakimh mystically probed the "fire hydrant," sensing its inhabitants to be Dr. Angst and the Band of the Bland (Black Hole Sitting Bullseye, Spanker, Tillie the Hun), le Beaver, Black Talon, Bzzk J'oh, Dr. Bong, Jackpot, Jokester, Greedy Killerwatt, Kong-Lomerate, Maller, Pro-Rata, Puffin, Quizling, and Wally Sidney. Dakimh noted that, apart from their evil, they seemed to have little in common...except that they all wanted Howard dead.

    The monstrous mouth Galactongue then appeared and disgorged an entire galaxy. As the contents formed a planet with an immense office building, Dakimh noted with concern the objects streaking toward them: The Brotherhood of Evil Prepositions (Amonger, Arounder, Betweener, Of, Underneather, Withiner) then appeared and challenged both groups to "Play both ends against the middle, and all you desire shall be yours."

    Both groups were transported to the office building on the planet formed from contents disgorged by Galactongue; Dakimh's group arrived in the unlit mailroom, sprawled amid boxes, carts, postal scales, stamps, a few thousand unsorted envelopes, etc.

(Steve Gerber's unpublished script for Howard the Duck#1 "Secret Crisis II" - BTS) - Kong Lomerate led the villains in a plot to destroy the other group.

    Bong, presumably along with some of the others, targeted Andy the Angel, Dakimh the Enchanter, Jennifer Kale, Korrek the Barbarian, Man-Thing, Master C'haaj, Hemlock Shoals, and Claude Starkowski, while Kong led Maller, Jackpot, and Greedy Killerwatt to attack Howard and Chireep, who had followed Howard..

Comments: Created by Steve Gerber, John Buscema, and Steve Leialoha.

• Obviously, the point at the start of these was that the events of the Howard the Duck magazine series and Bizarre Adventures#34 never happened in Reality-616. 
• I don't know how the story was to end, but Howard's Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe entry confirmed Howard as not originally coming from Duckworld but that his reality had been warped/merged so that it was now his native world. The events of the Howard the Duck magazine occurred in Howard's history as a result of the reality merger. Steve Gerber himself approved the entry before it was published.
• Chireep's stories created or were based on an alternate reality (Earth-791021), which then merged with (or overwrote) Earth-616's, affecting Howard's behavior and memory. Howard indeed had all of the adventures from the magazines, and the few other stories prior to 1985, but they were the merged Howard, which is why he remembered Duckworld as his home. In that reality, his parents' names were Ronald and Henrietta according to Gerber's story, BTW.
• When Chireep stopped making stories, the alternate reality split from Earth-616, and Howard was flung into the void, which is where Gerber's unpublished story took place.
• The "next issue" blurb was to be:
                                 POWER PLAYS!  BACK-STABBING!  CAREER

                                  STRATEGIES!  RUG-PULLING!  DEATH!  NEW

                                  CLOTHES!  MORE DEATH!  PLUS-- IN CASE

                                  YOU MISSED IT IN 1974-- THE ORIGIN OF

                                  HOWARD THE DUCK!  ALL IN THE ASTOUNDING

                                  CONCLUSION OF "SECRET CRISIS II"--

                                  REALITY: ITS PREVENTION AND CURE!

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
No known connection to:

• Master Kee (Kee) - trained Sons of the Tiger and Harmony Killdragon--Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #1

• too many "Master" characters to list, but C'haaj ain't related to any of them

images:
Howard the Duck I#3 (cover)
    p22, panel 2 (face + medallion)
    p15, panel 5 (ad)
    p22, panel 5 (Shang-Op)

images:

First posted: 08/14/2004
Last updated:  09/30/2019

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Non-Marvel Copyright info
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Special Thanks to www.g-mart.com for hosting the Appendix, Master List, etc.!

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