Jimmy Woo
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James "Jimmy" Woo (Woo Yen Jet) is a
fictional Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a tradit ...
secret agent appearing in
American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...
s published by
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in ...
. Created by
EC Comics Entertaining Comics, more commonly known as EC Comics, was an American publisher of comic books, which specialized in horror fiction, crime fiction, satire, war novel, military fiction, dark fantasy, and science fiction from the 1940s through th ...
writer
Al Feldstein Albert Bernard Feldstein ( ; October 24, 1925 – April 29, 2014) was an American writer, editor, and artist, best known for his work at EC Comics and, from 1956 to 1985, as the editor of the satirical magazine '' Mad''. After retiring from ''Mad' ...
and artist Joe Maneely, the Chinese-American character first appeared in '' Yellow Claw'' #1 (October 1956) from
Atlas Comics Atlas Comics may refer to * Atlas Comics (1950s) Atlas Comics is the 1950s comic-book publishing label that evolved into Marvel Comics. Magazine and paperback novel publisher Martin Goodman, whose business strategy involved having a multitud ...
, the 1950s predecessor of Marvel. Woo has since appeared occasionally in a variety of Marvel publications. The character has made minor appearances in animated media and video games. Additionally, he appears in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by ...
film ''
Ant-Man and the Wasp ''Ant-Man and the Wasp'' is a 2018 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the characters Scott Lang / Ant-Man and Hope Pym / Wasp. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is th ...
'' (2018) and
Disney+ Disney+ is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned and operated by the Media and Entertainment Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. The service primarily distributes films and television se ...
series ''
WandaVision ''WandaVision'' is an American television miniseries created by Jac Schaeffer for the streaming service Disney+, based on Marvel Comics featuring the characters Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch and Vision. It is the first television series in ...
'' (2021), portrayed by
Randall Park Randall may refer to the following: Places United States *Randall, California, former name of White Hall, California, an unincorporated community * Randall, Indiana, a former town *Randall, Iowa, a city *Randall, Kansas, a city * Randall, Minneso ...
.


Publication history

Jimmy Woo was the hero of the
espionage Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangib ...
series '' Yellow Claw'', named for his antagonist, a "
yellow peril The Yellow Peril (also the Yellow Terror and the Yellow Specter) is a racial color metaphor that depicts the peoples of East and Southeast Asia as an existential danger to the Western world. As a psychocultural menace from the Eastern world ...
" Communist
mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...
. While the short-lived series named after that villain ran only four issues (October 1956 – April 1957), it featured art by Maneely,
Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comic book artist, writer and editor, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He gre ...
, and
John Severin John Powers Severin (; December 26, 1921 – February 12, 2012) was an American comics artist noted for his distinctive work with EC Comics, primarily on the war comics ''Two-Fisted Tales'' and ''Frontline Combat''; for Marvel Comics, ...
. Kirby took over as writer-artist with issue #2—
inking Inking may refer to: *Inking (attack), act of throwing ink on other person *Inking, a defensive activity of certain cephalopods and sea hares * Inking (comic book production) *Pen computing Pen computing refers to any computer user-interface using ...
his own pencil art there and in the following issue, representing two of the very rare occasions on which he did so. On the final issue, the inking was done by
Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...
- and
war-comics War comics is a genre of comic books that gained popularity in English-speaking countries following World War II. History American war comics Shortly after the birth of the modern comic book in the mid- to late 1930s, comics publishers began incl ...
veteran Severin. Also, other artists drew the covers: Severin on #2 and #4,
Bill Everett William Blake Everett (; May 18, 1917 – February 27, 1973) was an American comic book writer-artist best known for creating Namor the Sub-Mariner as well as co-creating Zombie and Daredevil with writer Stan Lee for Marvel Comics. He was alleg ...
on #3. Well regarded for its relatively mature storyline with a rare Asian fictional hero for the period and in particular for Maneely's exquisitely atmospheric art, the book nevertheless failed to find an audience. Woo and other characters from the series were brought into the Marvel universe a decade later, beginning with the "
S.H.I.E.L.D. S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage, special law enforcement, and counter-terrorism agency appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in ''Strange Tales'' #135 (August 1965), it often dea ...
" story in ''
Strange Tales ''Strange Tales'' is a Marvel Comics anthology series. The title was revived in different forms on multiple occasions. Doctor Strange and Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. made their debuts in ''Strange Tales''. It was a showcase for the science ...
'' #160 (Sept. 1967). Woo joins that espionage agency in '' Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' #2 (July 1968). Woo went on to be featured in the 1977–1979 Marvel series ''
Godzilla is a fictional monster, or '' kaiju'', originating from a series of Japanese films. The character first appeared in the 1954 film '' Godzilla'' and became a worldwide pop culture icon, appearing in various media, including 32 films prod ...
'' and the 2006–07 Marvel series ''
Agents of Atlas The Agents of Atlas are a fictional character, fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first lineup was composed of characters originally appearing in unrelated stories published in the 1950s by M ...
''. Before the cancellation of the 1990s alternate universe Marvel imprint
Razorline Razorline was an imprint of American comic book company Marvel Comics that ran from 1993 to 1995. It was created by filmmaker and horror/fantasy novelist Clive Barker, with its characters existing in one of the many alternate universes outside ...
, as produced but unpublished titles of its various series were preparing to blend the Razorline into primary Marvel continuity, Woo as well as Nick Fury and other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents guest-starred in ''Wraitheart'' #5. Woo starred as the leader of a team of S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives code-named
Agents of Atlas The Agents of Atlas are a fictional character, fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first lineup was composed of characters originally appearing in unrelated stories published in the 1950s by M ...
, in the 2006–2007 series of that name.


Fictional character biography

James Woo is an Asian-American
FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...
agent assigned primarily to investigate and apprehend the
Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
-national mandarin known as the Yellow Claw, a
Fu Manchu Dr. Fu Manchu () is a supervillain who was introduced in a series of novels by the English author Sax Rohmer beginning shortly before World War I and continuing for another forty years. The character featured in cinema, television, radio, com ...
manqué (author
Sax Rohmer Arthur Henry "Sarsfield" Ward (15 February 1883 – 1 June 1959), better known as Sax Rohmer, was an English novelist. He is best remembered for his series of novels featuring the master criminal Dr. Fu Manchu."Rohmer, Sax" by Jack Adrian in Da ...
had a Fu Manchu novel titled '' The Yellow Claw''). The Yellow Claw, who attempts world domination, claimed in 2000s comics that his American rubric is a mistransliteration of the Chinese characters for "Golden Claw". Complicating matters, the Claw's grandniece, Suwan, was in love with Woo in the 1950s series. In
retcon Retroactive continuity, or retcon for short, is a literary device in which established diegetic facts in the plot of a fictional work (those established through the narrative itself) are adjusted, ignored, supplemented, or contradicted by a subs ...
stories, Woo is the
FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...
agent assigned in 1958 to oversee the 1950s superhero team the
Avengers Avenger, Avengers, The Avenger, or The Avengers may refer to: Arts and entertainment In the Marvel Comics universe * Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes **Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes of ...
, a short-lived predecessor of the later, more established team of that name. As a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, Woo went on to join its " Godzilla Squad" to hunt down the giant monster
Godzilla is a fictional monster, or '' kaiju'', originating from a series of Japanese films. The character first appeared in the 1954 film '' Godzilla'' and became a worldwide pop culture icon, appearing in various media, including 32 films prod ...
(the character from the long-running series of films from the Japanese movie studio
Toho is a Japanese film, theatre production and distribution company. It has its headquarters in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. Outside of Japan, it is best known as the producer ...
). This unit, led by
Dum Dum Dugan Timothy Aloysius Cadwallader "Dum Dum" Dugan is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is an officer of S.H.I.E.L.D. and is one of the most experienced members of Nick Fury's team, known for his mark ...
, employed such weapons as a giant robot called
Red Ronin Red Ronin is a fictional gigantic humanoid robotic construct (mecha) appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, and went on to be a menace to other Marvel characters such as the Avengers and Wolverine. Publication history Orig ...
(for which Woo was shortlisted as a pilot candidate), and was headquartered in a smaller version of the S.H.I.E.L.D.
Helicarrier The Helicarrier is a fictional flying aircraft carrier appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is depicted as the crucial mobile command center, forward operations platform, and signature capital ship of the fictional int ...
, known as the Behemoth. Woo was temporarily replaced by a
Life Model Decoy A Life Model Decoy (frequently known by the abbreviation LMD) is a fictional android appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. LMDs duplicate all outward aspects of a real living person with such authenticity that they can easi ...
(a form of artificial human utilized by S.H.I.E.L.D.) of the self-aware, renegade "Deltan" class, and went through five such bodies before dying with other repentant LMDs. Woo reemerged from stasis, along with other high-ranking officers that had been taken and replaced. In 2006–2007 stories, Woo attempted a secret raid of a group identified as The Atlas Foundation. Going
AWOL Desertion is the abandonment of a military duty or post without permission (a pass, liberty or leave) and is done with the intention of not returning. This contrasts with unauthorized absence (UA) or absence without leave (AWOL ), which ...
and taking several other willing agents with him, he infiltrated an Atlas Foundation location, resulting in all the recruits being killed. Woo was critically burned and lost higher brain function. The former 1950s Avenger
Gorilla-Man Gorilla-Man is an alias used by three different fictional superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, beginning in 1954 with the character of Kenneth Hale, and continuing with Arthur Nagan, who also appeared in 1954 ...
, by now also a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, gave the organization a classified record of the 1950s team, of which S.H.I.E.L.D. had no prior knowledge. Gorilla-Man rescues Woo with the aid of fellow 1950s teammates M-11 and
Marvel Boy M-11 Originally known as the Human Robot, the character was given the name "M-11" in the 2006 to 2007 ''Agents of Atlas'' miniseries as an allusion to its first appearance in '' Menace'' #11 from Marvel Comics' 1950s predecessor, Atlas Comics. ...
, who restores Woo to his 1958 self. With his teammates he follows the Atlas Foundation around the world, restoring
Namora Namora () is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Ken Bald and Syd Shores, she first appeared in '' Marvel Mystery Comics'' #82 (May 1947). She is from Atlantis and is the daughter of a ...
to life, and eventually confronting the Yellow Claw, who reveals that the whole ordeal was only a test. As Woo passed it, the Yellow Claw commits suicide, ending his long life and placing Woo as head of the Atlas Foundation. Woo later surfaces in New York, where he and Spider-Man shut down a rebellious cell of the Atlas Foundation. Later, Woo becomes head of the Pan-Asian School for the Unusually Gifted, a
Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...
, India-based school for Asian teenagers with superhuman abilities. Sanjar Javeed is a teacher there. Woo appears alongside the Asian-American superheroes The Hulk (Amadeus Cho),
Ms. Marvel Ms. Marvel is the name of several fictional superheroes appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was originally conceived as a female counterpart to Captain Marvel. Like Captain Marvel, most of the bearers of the Ms. M ...
,
Shang-Chi Zheng Shang-Chi ( ), also known as the Master of Kung Fu and Brother Hand, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Jim Starlin, debuting in '' ...
, and
Silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the ...
and SHIELD agent Jake Oh, at a charity event attacked by an alien army. Dubbing their group the Protectors, Woo rallies the heroes and bystanders into defeating their captors. During the
War of the Realms "The War of the Realms" is a 2019 comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics. The storyline has been met with positive reviews, with critics praising the storyline and the art. Premise The story details the heroes banding together when Male ...
, Woo recruits most of the Protectors and several other Asian and Pacific superheroes into the Atlas Foundation as the New Agents of Atlas. Afterward, Woo resumes his duties as the head of the Atlas Foundation and installs Brawn as leader of the New Agents. He also teams with
Blue Marvel Blue Marvel (Adam Bernard Brashear) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Blue Marvel debuted in ''Adam: Legend of the Blue Marvel'' #1 (Nov. 2008) and was created by actor/writer Kevin Gre ...
and
Night Thrasher In comics, Night Thrasher may refer to: * Night Thrasher (Dwayne Taylor), the first Night Thrasher, a fictional superhero appearing in books published by Marvel Comics * Donyell Taylor N'astirh N'Garai N'Kantu, the Living Mummy Naga Nah ...
to form a new iteration of the Three Xs. During an attack by the undersea kingdom Atlantis led by
Namor Namor (), also known as the Sub-Mariner, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Debuting in early 1939, the character was created by writer-artist Bill Everett for comic book packager Funnies Inc ...
against the portal-city of Pan, Woo introduces the original and new Agents of Atlas to each other.


Reception

Jeff Yang, curator of the "Marvels & Monsters: Unmasking Asian Images in U.S. Comics, 1942–1986" exhibit at the
Japanese American National Museum The is located in Los Angeles, California, and dedicated to preserving the history and culture of Japanese Americans. Founded in 1992, it is located in the Little Tokyo area near downtown. The museum is an affiliate within the Smithsonian Affil ...
, called Jimmy Woo a "positive exception" to the "largely negative" depiction of Asians and Asian-Americans in comics at time when "the view of Asians was shaped by racist, xenophobic wartime propaganda."


Other versions


Ultimate Marvel

In the
Ultimate Marvel Ultimate Marvel, later known as Ultimate Comics, was an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring re-imagined and modernized versions of the company's superhero characters from the Ultimate Marvel Universe. Those characters ...
universe, Jimmy Woo is an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., partnered with
Sharon Carter Sharon Carter (also known as Agent 13) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is usually depicted as a secret agent, an ex-field agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. under Nick Fury, and a love interest of St ...
. He was introduced in ''
Ultimate Spider-Man ''Ultimate Spider-Man'' is a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2000 to 2011. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Spider-Man comic book franchise as part of the company's Ultimate ...
'' #16, in which he and Carter are trying to capture
Doctor Octopus Doctor Octopus (Dr. Otto Gunther Octavius), also known as Doc Ock for short, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and first appeared in ''Th ...
.


In other media


Television

Jimmy Woo appears in '' The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes'', voiced by
Nolan North Nolan North (born October 31, 1970) is an American actor best known for his voice acting roles. After his breakthrough role as Dr. Chris Ramsey on the ABC soap opera '' Port Charles'' in 1997, North moved into voice acting when the show ended ...
.


Marvel Cinematic Universe

Jimmy Woo appears in media set in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by ...
, portrayed by
Randall Park Randall may refer to the following: Places United States *Randall, California, former name of White Hall, California, an unincorporated community * Randall, Indiana, a former town *Randall, Iowa, a city *Randall, Kansas, a city * Randall, Minneso ...
. This version's full name is James E. Woo, works as an FBI agent, and hails from Bakersfield, California. Additionally, he is more comical than his comic book incarnation. * Introduced in the live-action film ''
Ant-Man and the Wasp ''Ant-Man and the Wasp'' is a 2018 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the characters Scott Lang / Ant-Man and Hope Pym / Wasp. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is th ...
'' (2018), Woo monitors Scott Lang while the latter is on house arrest. Despite showing some animosity towards Lang, Woo appears to want to be sociably friendly with him. * In the live-action miniseries ''
WandaVision ''WandaVision'' is an American television miniseries created by Jac Schaeffer for the streaming service Disney+, based on Marvel Comics featuring the characters Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch and Vision. It is the first television series in ...
'' (2021), which takes place in 2023, Woo became involved in a missing persons' case at Westview, New Jersey and works with S.W.O.R.D. as a federal liaison when the town's population disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Collaborating with S.W.O.R.D. agent
Monica Rambeau Monica Rambeau is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roger Stern and artist John Romita Jr., the character debuted in ''The Amazing Spider-Man Annual'' #16 (October 1982). Monica ...
and astrophysicist Dr.
Darcy Lewis Darcy, Darci or Darcey may refer to: Science * Darcy's law, which describes the flow of a fluid through porous material * Darcy (unit), a unit of permeability of fluids in porous material * Darcy friction factor in the field of fluid mechanics * ...
, they discover that
Wanda Maximoff Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby. Her first appearance was in '' The X-Men'' #4 (March 1964) ...
had taken over the town via a hex. After he, Rambeau, and Lewis attempt to stop acting S.W.O.R.D. Director
Tyler Hayward Tyler may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tyler (name), an English name; with lists of people with the surname or given name * Tyler, the Creator (born 1991), American rap artist and producer * John Tyler, 10th president of the United ...
from attacking Maximoff, Hayward removes them from the investigation, but they go rogue to stop him and help Maximoff. After Maximoff removes the hex, Woo and the FBI take over the investigation. * Park will reprise his role as Woo in the upcoming live-action film '' Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania''. * An alternate universe version of Woo will appear in the upcoming animated series '' Marvel Zombies''.


Video games

* Jimmy Woo appears in '' Marvel Heroes'', voiced by
James Sie James Sie is an American actor and author. He was the voice of an animated Jackie Chan and several other characters in '' Jackie Chan Adventures'', Master Monkey in '' Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness'', taking over for Chan, and Eddy Ra ...
. Check mark indicates role has been confirmed using screenshots of closing credits and other reliable sources. * Jimmy Woo appears in '' Marvel's Avengers'', voiced by Aleks Le.


See also

* List of S.H.I.E.L.D. members


References


External links


Don Markstein's Toonopedia: ''The Yellow Claw''


* ttp://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=7542 ''Comic Book Resources'' (June 12, 2006): "''Agents Of Atlas'' Agent Profile: Woo, Jimmy Woo", by Dave Richards
The Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators



Atlas Tales

The Grand Comics Database

Comic Book Resources – Parker Talks "Agents Of Atlas"


{{DEFAULTSORT:Woo, Jimmy Characters created by Al Feldstein Characters created by Joe Maneely Comics characters introduced in 1956 Fictional Chinese American people Fictional Federal Bureau of Investigation personnel Fictional special forces personnel Male characters in comics Marvel Comics martial artists Marvel Comics superheroes S.H.I.E.L.D. agents