LAO-TSE THE MYSTIC

Real Name: Lao-Tse

Identity/Class: Human/magic user; citizen of an unnamed Asian country

Occupation: General

Affiliations: Prince Bayan

Enemies: Alyssa Moy; Dr. Strange; Franklin Richards; Prince Bayan; Reed Richards

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: General Lao-Tse

Base of Operations: unnamed Asian country

First Appearance: Before the Fantastic Four: Reed Richards#1 (September, 2000)

Powers/Abilities: Lao-Tse was a capable magic user of unknown power.

History: (Before the Fantastic Four: Reed Richards#1-fb) Seeking to use the Prince Bayan to open the Lopnor Gateway, General Lao-Tse fell out of favor with the Prince. Reed Richards and Alyssa Moy stepped in to try to find a diplomatic solution, but ended up having to run for their lives, as they, along with the Prince, came under fire by the General's men. Reed was able to cause a landslide, and tricked the General's men into believing the three had died. Lao-Tse wasn't positive they were dead, but knew the Prince was now gone, and so was his chance to open the Gateway.

(Before the Fantastic Four: Reed Richards#3[fb]-BTS) In an attempt to find the Prince, Lao-Tse studied the dark arts, still determined to open the Lopnor Gateway. Despite Lao-Tse's improvement, the Prince was hidden too well, and his powers proved to be futile.

(Before the Fantastic Four: Reed Richards#3) While Reed Richards told his son, Franklin, of some of his past exploits, Lao-Tse was able to use his magic to trap him. Lao-Tse demanded Reed tell him where the Prince was hidden, but Franklin threw a Cryo Sphere at him, freezing him in a suspended state. Now free, Reed commented that he'd take the General to Dr. Strange to be dealt with, as this was more his line of work.

Comments: Created by Peter David and Duncan Fegredo

On October 16th, 1964, China detonated an atomic bomb in Lop Nor Lake, becoming the third country to possess the power of the atom bomb. What this had to do with Lao-Tse's quest is unrevealed, if anything.

Profile by: Zerostar

CLARIFICATIONS:

Lao-Tse the Mystic has no known connection to...

• The General: Punisher enemy--Punisher II#1;2
• General Fang: Hulk enemy--Incredible Hulk I#5
• General Ten Per Cent: World War II pirate--Captain Savage and the Battlefield Raiders#15
• General Wo: former sumo wrestler--Tales of Suspense I#61
• Laodamas: of the Hyborian era, Aquilonian soldier--Moon Of Blood; Savage Sword of Conan#46
• Lao-Tse: the philosopher, who wrote the Te-Tao Ching - Wikipedia entry
• Mystic: Thanosi, designed as opponent of Dr. Strange--Infinity Abyss#1
• Any other "General" or "Mystic" characters

Prince Bayan

The Prince of an unnamed Asian country, Bayan was forced to go into self-appointed exile, as the corrupt General Lao-Tse hoped to use him to open the Lopnor Gateway. Although he attempted to execute Reed Richards and Alyssa Moy following a misunderstanding during their first meeting, the two ended up helping Bayan escape. Before he left, Bayan gave Reed Richards the Scepter of Bast. After Lao-Tse's defeat, Bayan was finally able to return to his home.

--Fantastic Four III#18-fb (Before the Fantastic Four: Reed Richards #1-fb,3-fb

Last updated: 02/16/04

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Non-Marvel Copyright info
All 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

Back to Characters