TRAN COY MANH

Real Name: Tran Coy Manh

Identity/Class: Human Mutant, Vietemese

Occupation: Head enforcer of his uncle's criminal organization

Affiliations: None

Enemies: Fantastic Four (Human Torch, Invisible Woman, Mr. Fantastic, Thing), Karma, Madame Hydra (Viper), Spider-Man

Known Relatives: Leong (brother), Nga (sister), Nguyen Ngoc Coy (uncle), Unnamed parents, Xi'an Coy Manh (Karma, sister)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Formerly South Vietnam, later New York

First Appearance: Marvel Team-Up I#100 (December, 1980)

Powers/Abilities: Tran possessed the ability to takeover people's minds and force them to do whatever he wanted them to. He could do this to several people at once, and the upper limit is unknown. He could also use his power as a blast of force, sufficient to knock out a person. He levitated while possessing the Fantastic Four, but he does not appear able to fly. He had his uncle's wealth and resources at his disposal as well as a moderate number of hired guns.

History: (Marvel Team-Up I#100 (fb)) - Tran's father was a Colonel in the South Vietnamese army and was given the most dangerous assignments. Wherever he went, Tran, his siblings, and his mother would follow. One day, the Vietcong attacked their village, and a soldier was about to kill Tran when Tran's sister, Xi'an, used her mutant power for the first time, and took over the soldier's mind. Tran soon realized he had the same ability, and forced the Vietcong soldier to kill himself. Tran revealed his new abilities to his uncle. Later, after South Vietnam fell, their uncle tried to evacuate Tran's family, but only Tran was successfully rescued. Years later, Xi'an, and her two siblings managed to make it to the U.S., but she found that Tran had become cold and inhumane, using his powers in his uncle's service to further his criminal organization. Xi'an refused to use her powers in her uncle's service and Tran and his uncle kidnapped Tran and Xian's two other siblings, Leong and Nga, saying that they would be unharmed if Xi'an agreed to serve.

(Beast#3 (fb)) - Viper led a Hydra assault against crimelord Nguyen Ngoc Coy as he established a foothold in the New York underworld. She easily took out his subordinates, but when she aimed at Coy, his nephew, Tran Coy Manh, mentally possessed her and forced her to shoot her partner (some blond woman in a yellow version of the Viper's costume) dead.

(Marvel Team-Up I#100) - Tran and his uncle met the Fantastic Four at an art exhibition of Alicia Masters. While he was there, Xi'an possessed Spider-Man and sent him to the exhibit to rescue Leong and Nga, but Tran, seeing that the Fantastic Four was not faring well against Spider-Man, forced his sister out of Spider-Man's mind with his own mental powers.

Later, the Fantastic Four and Spider-Man accompanied Xi'an on a rescue mission to rescue her siblings. The heroes took out all the hired guns, but Tran confronted them and knocked out Xi'an with his mental powers and then took over the minds of all four members of the Fantastic Four. He forced the Fantastic Four to battle Spider-Man. Spider-Man fought with the other heroes until Xi'an regained consciousness and reached out with her mind to mentally attack Tran. Her mental powers overpowered his and she somehow absorbed her brother's life essence into herself.

Comments: Created by Chris Claremont, Frank Miller, and Bob Wiacek.

see the Vietnam "War" in the Marvel Universe

This was Tran's first and last appearance, but Xi'an went onto have many more appearances as Karma.

    Since Karma absorbed Tran's mind, I'd think there would be potential for a story with his mind trying to fight hers. He could be some Shadow King types. Also, you'd think with all of her training and experience, Karma might have learned how to project force blasts or levitate like Tran.

    One thing that I never quite understood about Tran - or for that matter his sister Xi'an (Karma) is their religious imagery. When introduced they had chest emblems with one half each of the Yin-Yang symbol from Thaoism (which is in itself unusual) that somehow melded together into Xi'an when she attacked her brother. Then she chose herself a name from Hinduist/Buddhist concepts, and finally she was later revealed to be a Catholic. Not really inconsistent per se - she may just be very interested in other religions - but worth of comment anyway. I can't help but wonder if Chris Claremont - who for years failed to realize that Roberto da Costa was meant to speak Portuguese instead of Spanish - did not get Thaoism confused with either Hinduism or Buddhism. The explanation of Nirvana that he gave us through Reed Richards in the last panel of the story has a distinctly Hinduist flavor, but could be Tibetan Buddhism as well, I suppose. - Daevanator

PROFILE BY STUNNER

CLARIFICATIONS: Not to be confused with:

• Tran, Cloe - knights Templar, last survivor --Moon Knight III#1
• Tranh, General Buktir Van --Punisher II#1, 2