Shou-Lao (alternatively spelled Shao-Lao) is a fictional character appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

s published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

. Appearing primarily in association with Iron Fist, he is the source of power for him and other holders of the name.

Publication history

Shou-Lao first appeared in ''

Marvel Premiere ''Marvel Premiere'' is an American comic book anthology series that was published by Marvel Comics. In concept it was a tryout book, intended to determine if a character or concept could attract enough readers to justify launching their own ser ...

'' #16 (July 1974) and was created by

Len Wein Leonard Norman Wein (; June 12, 1948 – September 10, 2017) was an American comic book writer and editor best known for co-creating DC Comics' Swamp Thing and Marvel Comics' Wolverine (character), Wolverine, and for helping revive the Marvel sup ...

Roy Thomas Roy William Thomas Jr."Roy Thomas Checklist" ''Alter Ego'' vol. 3, #50 (July 2005) p. 16 (born November 22, 1940) is an American comic book writer and editor. He was Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics and possibly bes ...

, and

Larry Hama Larry Hama (; born June 7, 1949) is an People of the United States, American comic-book writer, artist, actor, and musician who has worked in the fields of entertainment and publishing since the 1960s. During the 1970s, he was seen in minor roles ...

Fictional character biography

Shou-Lao is a

Chinese dragon The Chinese dragon or loong is a legendary creature in Chinese mythology, Chinese folklore, and Chinese culture generally. Chinese dragons have many animal-like forms, such as Bixi (mythology), turtles and Chiwen, fish, but are most commonly ...

who was previously killed by

K'un-L'un The comic book stories published by Marvel Comics since the 1940s have featured several noteworthy concepts besides its fictional characters, such as unique places and artifacts. There follows a list of those features. Places Certain places fe ...

citizen Quan-St'ar and had its heart removed. Enraged at this,

Yu-Ti Yu-Ti is the name of several characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Yu-Ti is the leader of the mythical city K'un-Lun and is a supporting character of Iron Fist. Publication history The Yu-Ti first appeare ...

banishes Quan-St'ar, resurrects Shou-Lao, and places it in a sacred cavern. Following this, Shou-Lao is repeatedly killed and resurrected as part of a trial undergone by holders of the Iron Fist mantle to gain his power. During the ''

Avengers vs. X-Men ''Avengers vs. X-Men'' (''AvX'' or ''AvsX'') is a 2012 crossover event that was featured in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The event, consisting of an eponymous limited series and numerous tie-in books, involves the return of the Phoe ...

'' storyline, Shou-Lao helps the

Avengers Avenger(s) or The Avenger(s) may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Marvel Comics universe * Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes **Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes of "The Infinity Sag ...

battle the

X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, the team first appeared in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 (September 1963). Although initial ...

in K'un-L'un. During the '' A.X.E.: Judgment Day'' event,

Lin Lie Lin Lie ( Chinese: 林烈) is a superhero who appears in media produced by American comic book publisher Marvel Comics. Created in partnership with the Chinese media company NetEase, the character first appeared in the 2018 Chinese digital ''man ...

is instructed to kill Shou-Lao, but refuses, and instead gains his power by having him give it willingly.

Powers and abilities

As a dragon, Shou-Lao possesses superhuman physical abilities and the ability to fly and breathe fire. Additionally, he does not age and possesses resistance to disease and the ability to camouflage himself.

In other media

Television

* Shou-Lao appears 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 Ma ...

'', voiced by

Mark Hamill Mark Richard Hamill (; born September 25, 1951) is an American actor. He is best known for starring as Luke Skywalker in the ''Star Wars'' franchise, and the Joker (character), Joker in various animated DC Comics projects, starting with ''Batm ...

via

Nightmare A nightmare, also known as a bad dream, Retrieved 11 July 2016. is an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong emotional response from the mind, typically fear but also despair, anxiety, disgust or sadness. The dream may contain situations o ...

. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. This version lacks wings. * Shou-Lao makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in a flashback in the '' Iron Fist'' episode "Dragon Plays with Fire".

Finn Jones Finn Jones (born Terence Jones; 24 March 1988) is an English actor known for his roles as Loras Tyrell in the HBO series ''Game of Thrones'' (2011–2016) and Danny Rand / Iron Fist in the Marvel Cinematic Universe television shows '' Iron Fi ...

, who portrays Iron Fist, stated that Shou-Lao could not be shown onscreen due to budgetary constraints and would appear in future seasons, though this never came to pass. Additionally, '' The Defenders'' reveals that the bones of Shou-Lao's species contain a substance with resurrective properties, which is used by the

Hand A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered appendage located at the end of the forearm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. A few other vertebrates such as the Koala#Characteristics, koala (which has two thumb#O ...

Video games

Shou-Lao appears in '' Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2''.

References

{{Iron Fist Characters created by Larry Hama Characters created by Len Wein Characters created by Roy Thomas Comics characters introduced in 1974 Fictional characters with fire or heat abilities Fictional dragons Marvel Comics characters Marvel Comics characters who can move at superhuman speeds Marvel Comics characters with superhuman durability or invulnerability Marvel Comics characters with superhuman strength Marvel Comics immortals Iron Fist (comics)