From the first pencil stroke of Flash Gordon by Alex Raymond in 1934, and throughout almost every incarnation since, Flash's primary antagonist has been Ming the Merciless, ruler of planet Mongo. Living up to his title, Ming has always ruled with an iron fist and proved himself through word and deed to be cruel, sadistic and dishonorable.

In the original Sunday strip, Ming and everyone on his floating air base were Asian stereotypes — their skin was colored yellow, a common visual shorthand of the time. Indeed, Ming was likely inspired by Sax Rohmer's popular Chinese villain Fu Manchu (a character that later inspired such bad guys as the Mandarin in the Iron Man comics).

Flash Gordon was adapted in 1935 for a radio serial that followed the strip fairly closely. Ming was voiced by German-born actor Bruno Wick, a famous Broadway actor.

In three 1936 movie serials, Ming was played by Charles Middleton. His portrayal of the archvillain is one that some cite as an inspiration for the film version of James Bond's archnemesis Ernst Blofeld.

Next came a movie serial in 1936, starring Buster Crabbe in the title role, with two follow-ups: Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars, in 1938, and Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe, in 1940.

Ming wasn't used in the Flash Gordon TV series that debuted in 1954, but he was in Filmation's well-regarded animated series in 1979. For that animated offering, Ming was given a more alien appearance (pointed ears, fangs), though he still had Asian overtones. He was voiced by longtime character actor Alan Oppenheimer.

Ming was also used in the follow-up animated series Defenders of the Earth, which teamed Flash with the Phantom and Mandrake the Magician.

As with the casting of Middleton in the 1930s, the producers of the 1980 Flash Gordon feature film chose for the role of Ming an actor known for playing villains: Max Von Sydow.

In recent times, the character has evolved away from "yellow peril" paranoia. In the 1996 animated series, in which the protagonists were teenagers, Ming was a reptilian alien.

Now, in the 2007 SCI FI Original series, he's played by blond-haired Canadian John Ralston. Talk about a makeover….