SHOU-HSING
Real Name: Zhao Yen
Identity/Class: Chinese god
Occupation: God of time, stars and immortality, vizier to Yu-Huang, mentor to the Ba-Xian
Affiliations: The Council of God-Kings, The San Hsing (gods of fortune) of the Xian
Enemies: Akhenaten
Place of Birth: State of Wei (near modern-day Kaifeng, China)
Known Relatives: Lu-Hsing, Fu-Hsing (brothers), Nugua (sister-in-law), Mo-Ye (nephew), Fu-Fei (neice)
Aliases: Nanji Laoren ("Old Man of the South Pole"), Shou-Xing, Shou-Shen, Shou-Lao, Star of Long Life
Base of Operations: Palace of the Happy Isles in Ta-Lo (Chinese Heaven)
First Appearance: Marvel Universe: The End#2 (May, 2003)
Powers/Abilities: Shou-Hsing possesses the conventional attributes of
the Chinese Gods. He has superhuman strength (Class 15 perhaps), resistance to
injury and a long-life enchantment. He quite possibly has mystical skills that
have yet to be revealed. In myth, he could predict the life spans of mortals and inscribe them in stone.
Height: 5'4" History: (Thor & Hercules: Encyclopaedia Mythologica) - In the 4th century Zhao Yen was born. A frail and sickly child he was destined to die before the age of twenty, but a fortune teller instructed him to travel to a nearby field with food and rice wine, where he met two elderly men playing a game of strategy. Thankful for Zhao's hospitality they revealed themselves as gods in Yu Huang's service who were responsible for fixing the dates of mortal birth and death. They granted Zhao immortality and he became Shou-Hsing, the god of health and longevity. Inheriting the responsibility of assigning the life span of mortals. He became closely associated with fellow deities Fu-Hsing (god of good fortune) and Lu-Hsing (god of prosperity). He later became Yu Huang's official vizier within the Jade Court at Yujing Shan.
(Marvel Universe: The End#2) - A group of
Godheads met to discuss the actions of Akhenaten against humanity: Atar
(Vedic/Persian), Horus (Egyptian), Hunab Ku (Mayan), Izanagi
(Japanese), Ndriananahary (African, Buluku), Thor
(Asgardian), Vishnu (Hindu), Zeus (Olympian), and Shou-Hsing. They also discussed
summoning Those of the Forgotten Realm. Horus, who was most familiar
with Akhenaten used the Eye of Ra to spy on the powerful being, but Akhenaten
detected them and attacked, destroying all present, except Thor and Zeus, who managed to flee.
(Marvel Universe: The End#4 - BTS) - Thanos
gained the virtually unlimited power of the Heart of the Infinite and altered
time so that Akhenaten never gained his power, effectively undoing his actions
and restoring those he had destroyed. However, to those who could understand or
even remember what had happened, these actions were seen as the replacement of
one threat with another, perhaps even worse.
(Marvel Universe: The End#5-6) - The Godheads joined together with a multitude of heroes and villains from Earth and
the rest of the universe to oppose Thanos, who had gained supreme power from
the Heart of the Infinite. Thanos easily wiped out every single being in the
universe, but later was convinced by Adam Warlock to sacrifice himself to
restore the universe to its previous state.
(Heroic Age: Prince of Power#1) - The Council met to discuss who would be the greatest hero of the heroic age. Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor were proposed by some, and Athena told them with certainty that it was Amadeus Cho. (Heroic Age: Prince of Power#2) - When Vali Halfling of the Pantheon extinguished the Promethean Flame that granted Olympians their immortality, Athena screamed in pain. She was comforted by Izanagi. Threatened by Vali's threat to attain everything he needed to gain full omniscience all Council members returrned to their respective realms. Comments: Adapted by Jim Starlin and Al Milgrom
The San-Hsing are China's counterpart to the Olympian Fates.
Shou-Hsing’s trademarks were the peach which
represented long life and the crane, a sign of immortality. The concept of
storks delivering babies supposedly comes from Chinese myth.
While it is entirely possible the denizens of K'un-L'un posed as the Chinese
Gods, as the Eternals did for the Olympians, the extent of their coincidences
could be attributed to interaction between their races.
In Chinese myth Shou-Hsing is one of the San Hsing, Chinese gods of
fortune who predestined the fates and destinies of mortals. He has serves as an
advisor to Yu-Huang who rules the Chinese Gods and protects the sacred garden
of Hsi Wang Mu, the queen of the
Chinese Gods, whose apples, the P’an-T’ao, offer immortality. He also serves as
mentor to the Ba-Xian, eight mortals who were favored by the gods that they
were given immortality.
by CLARIFICATIONS: Appearances:
First Posted: 08/25/2003 Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel Copyright info Special Thanks to www.g-mart.com for hosting the Appendix, Master List, etc.!
Weight: 290 lbs.
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Bald (white facial hair; formerly black)
Shou-Hsing should not be confused with:
Marvel Universe: The End#2 (May, 2003) - Jim Starlin (writer/pencils), Al Milgrom (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Marvel Universe: The End#4-6 (June-August, 2003) - Jim Starlin (writer/pencils), Al Milgrom (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Heroic Age: Prince of Power#1 (July, 2010) - Greg Pak & Fred Van Lente (writrers), Reilly Brown (pencils), Terry Pallot with Jason Paz (inks), Mark Paniccia (editor)
Heroic Age: Prince of Power#2 (August, 2010) - Greg Pak & Fred Van Lente (writrers), Reilly Brown (pencils), Terry Pallot (inks), Mark Paniccia (editor)
Last updated: 06/13/2016
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™ and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com