CHU SAN

Real Name: Chu San

Identity/Class: Human (post-World War II era) (Korean)

Occupation: Spy

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: The People's Army of China

Enemies: Captain Clark Mason

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: A village at Lake Lasai, Korea

First Appearance: Spy Fighters I#11 (November, 1952)

Powers/Abilities: Chu San was a cunning intelligence operative and she was skilled at deception.

Height: Unrevealed (approximately 5'2")
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 104 lbs.)
Eyes: Black
Hair: Black

History:
(Spy Fighters I#11/4 (fb) - BTS) - Chu San participated in a plot by Communist forces in Korea to demoralize U.S. soldiers. Chu San and other agents based at Lake Lasai posed as ordinary civilians and lured American soldiers into being captured. The soldiers were then photographed for propaganda leaflets that Communist planes dropped over U.S. lines, claiming those soldiers had deserted and joined the Communist cause.

(Spy Fighters I#11/4) - When the American soldier Captain Clark Mason led an Army force to Lake Lasai to investigate the source of the leaflets, Chu San led a number of fellow intelligence operatives who posed as villagers. Chu San confronted Captain Mason, claiming that her village was being threatened by the Chinese because they knew where the prisoners were confined and the location of the airfield sending the planes with the leaflets. Chu San guided Mason to Lake Lasai and indicated an island in the middle of the lake as the location of both the prison camp and the airfield.

    Chu San directed Captain Mason and some of his men to board fishing boats and set across Lake Lasai to the island. On shore, a squad of Chinese soldiers were already situated and pinned down his men. Mason decided to retreat and obtain reinforcements from the opposite shore for his men and Chu San offered to accompany him back across the lake. As Mason cast the fishing boat off across the water, Chu San used a rock to club him over the head.

    Chu San brought squads of Chinese soldiers to the fishing boats and guided them across the lake, intending to capture Mason's reinforcements by threatening Mason's life. When Captain Mason awoke, he found himself held at gunpoint by the Communists. Chu San admitted she had been a Communist operative the entire time. Mason suddenly dove out of the fishing boat, overturning it. Unable to swim, Chu San begged Mason for help and he assisted her in the water. The soldiers in another fishing boat drew their rifles on Mason and indicated they were willing to sacrifice Chu San rather than let Mason escape. Fortunately, fog was rolling across the water and it hid Mason and Chu San from view.

    Mason swam with Chu San across the shore. Realizing Mason had been willing to save her life when her own side considered her expendable, Chu San asked to demonstrate her gratitude to Mason. So saying, she fled from him and set back across the lake to the airfield, where another Communist plane was preparing to drop leaflets. Instead of leaflets, Chu San dropped bombs from the plane on the Communists' own positions, killing many of them. Battling for control of the plane with the pilot, she struck the pilot over the head. The plane collided with another Communist plane and both exploded. After Captain Mason routed the remaining Communists and liberated the prison camp on the island, he viewed the wreckage of the airplane and found Chu San's lifeless body. Mason and his men realized that without her help, they wouldn't have escaped.

Comments: Created by Robert Bernstein and an unidentified artist.

    All Asian femme fatales owe a great debt to Milton Caniff and his creation the Dragon Lady from the newspaper comic strip Terry and the Pirates.

Profile by Prime Eternal.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Chu San should not be confused with:

• COMRADE CHINA - Combat Casey foe--Combat Casey I#14
• HAN RIVER HELEN - Iron Mike McGraw foe--Marines in Battle I#1
• KAESONG KATIE - Combat Casey foe--Combat Casey I#10
• KIMA - Doug Grant foe--Spy Cases I#15
• KOREA KATIE - Combat Kelly foe--Combat Kelly I#13
• LEE-SIK - Iron Mike McGraw foe--Marines in Battle I#1
• LING - Combat Kelly foe--Combat Kelly I#28
• MANCHURIA MARY - Battle Brady foe--Battle Brady I#11
• MUKTONG MOLLIE - Combat Kelly foe--Combat Kelly I#19
• NITA - Combat Casey foe--Combat Casey I#15
• GENERAL OLGA - Buzz Brand foe--Battle Action I#11
• PANTHER LADY - Combat Casey foe--Combat Casey I#8
• THE PEARL OF PYONGYANG - Battle Brady foe--Battle Action I#8
• PUSAN POLLY - Combat Kelly foe--Combat Kelly I#24
• RED MARY - Combat Kelly foe--Combat Kelly I#21
• RED POPPY - Combat Casey foe--Combat Casey I#17
• THE SNAKE LADY OF SINYONG - Combat Casey foe foe--Combat Casey I#18
• SWEET LOTUS - Doug Grant foe--Spy Cases I#14
• THE WASP - Battle Brady foe--Battle I#25
• YALU RIVER ROSIE - Combat Kelly foe--Combat Kelly I#7
• or any other beautiful Asian communist women

images: (without ads)
Spy Fighters I#11/4, page 6, panel 4 (Chu San, main)
Spy Fighters I#11/4, page 5, panel 6 (Chu San, face)

Appearances:
Spy Fighters I#11/4 (November, 1952) - Robert Bernstein (writer), unidentified artist, Stan Lee (editor)

First posted: 09/15/2025
Last updated: 09/15/2025

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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