For nearly 35 years, The Hand has been present in almost every Marvel film. They are a formidable ninja organization loyal to the Beast, a demonic master. The Hand first appeared in The Daredevil and has since appeared in a variety of comic books, from Spider-Man to the Avengers.
Frank Miller created The Hand in 1981, and its origins date back over 4 billion years. Members of the Hand are highly competent, dangerous, and are always attempting to spread their darkness over the world. The members are rumored to include some of the most formidable villains and even well-known heroes, but I will not tell you who they are just yet. So, let us see what this hazardous ninja gang is all about.
The Hand: Origins
The Hand’s origin date back to 16th Century Japan. Initially, the Hand wasn’t the twisted organization it has become today. The organization was founded by Kagenobu Yoshioka, who wanted to harness the powers of the five Japanese islands under one fist, hence the name. Yoshioka turned his samurai school into a place for the support of the commoner. The organization was initially created to fight the oppressive class system prevalent in Japan and the country’s wealthy elite.
The people who had lost their homes sought refuge in the mountains became versed in ninjitsu and became expert ninjas and assassins. Unfortunately, Yoshioka was assassinated, and the reigns of the organization fell into the hands of the Snakeroot clan. This was when everything took a sinister turn. The Snakeroot clan was a demon-worshiping cult that worshipped the Beast.
Once the Hand merged with the Snakeroot clan, it turned into a violent organization, where members possessed excellent fighting capabilities and were also armed with the knowledge of black magic. The Hand now began working as assassins and mercenaries, trying to spread their influence worldwide. There have been many comparisons between the Hand and Hydra. The comic version of the Hydra was known to be founded by some Hand members.
The MCU origin of the Hand is slightly different from how the comics go. Centuries ago, the Order of the Crane Mother monks of K’un-Lun studied the origins and secrets of Chi and tried to use it for various mystic arts, the primary one being to heal. But five monks, Alexandra Reid, Madame Gao, Bakuto, Murakami, and Sowande, decided to betray their peers and use these secrets to cheat death. After being discovered, they were banished from K’un-Lun and became the Hand’s five fingers. They traveled back to the lands of their birth and built their factions and criminal empires.
The Hand discovered the secret of immortality using the substance of dead dragon bones. Coupled with the mystic arts and mysteries of immortality, the Hand became a fearless group that expanded its hold over Asia. Post to these events, they came to be known as “Yami no te” (Dark Hand) or the “Hand.” The organization’s main goal was to activate the human weapon known as Black Sky. The Hand was behind the destruction of several cities, such as Pompeii and Chornobyl, to find the bones of dead dragons lying beneath cities.
The Hand has had countless enemies over the years. Their main nemesis is “Chaste,” a rival ninja faction that recruited warriors to fight the Hand over the years. The Order of the Crane Mother was also threatened by their previous monks and trained their warriors and Iron Fist to defeat the group. The organization isn’t without internal conflicts, especially among the Five Fingers. Each leader would sanction many assassination attempts against the others to obtain more power.
The Hand’s first comic book appearance
The Hand’s first appearance happened in the 1964 issue of Daredevil #174. We see Elektra, the famous assassin, in the pursuit of a bounty of a man whom someone before her kills. Elektra decides to pursue the other killer and makes out the person to be a ninja. She follows the ninja to their hideout and realizes that he is part of the Hand, which shocks her as the Hand had a significant hold in Asia but not in other countries. While in the years that Elekta had left the organization, the Hand had expanded its operations to Europe and America. She witnesses the ninja being given photos of Matt Murdock, Daredevil, as the next target. As Matt’s former lover, Elektra gives in to her feelings and decides to fly to New York.
Back in New York, Matt is struggling with the case of the Gladiator without the help of his friend and partner Foggy. Soon, upon his return home, he is ambushed by a group of four ninjas, but he manages to defeat them all thanks to his keen senses. He finds another body of a 5th ninja in the closet and wonders who it was that came to his aid, and we see Elektra outside his apartment.
The ninjas constantly plot to assassinate Matt and his client Gladiator. One such attempt led to an explosion in Matt’s office as he reconciled with his partner Foggy. The explosion leaves Matt unconscious, and he lands in the hospital. After coming to his senses, he hears on the radio that the Gladiator is being transferred to a different facility, and he realizes that his life is in danger and rushes to his aid. Still, as soon as he gets out of bed, he falls to the floor and realizes that his radar is gone.
The members of the Hand attack the vehicle in which Gladiator is being transported. Elektra arrives and fends off the ninjas as she urges the Gladiator to put on his armor so they can get out of this situation alive. The two fight against the ninjas as Matt arrives but is unaware of Elektra’s presence. Using his previous tactics of fancy footwork and pure luck, he manages to defeat the ninjas. Gladiator suffers some injuries but thanks Matt and expresses his gratitude to the woman with the Sai who helped him, leading Matt to realize that it had been Elektra aiding him.
The 3 remaining members of the Hand who managed to run away, come back to their hideout and inform Jonin, their leader, about Elektra. He orders another ninja to kill all of them as they had failed their mission, which was unacceptable. The ninja kills the three in one stroke of his sword and then is handed a picture of Eketra, who is to be his target.
10 Strongest members of the Hand
The Hand has had many strong members over time. You’re probably not going to expect some of these names on this list. Here are 10 of the most potent known Hand members
Makro
Makro was one of the Hand’s elite female assassins. She was a cyborg with body modifications and augmentations. The Hand wanted her to look like the Indian goddess Kali, the Goddess of Fear and Destruction. Hence, she had an extra set of limbs. She was confined in the lab where she was created for years till, she was freed by the Daredevil and offered a place in the Nail- a band of elite assassins.
Lady Bullseye
As a young girl, Lady Bullseye was sold as a sex slave to the Yakuza of Japan. When Bullseye infiltrated the territory where she was held, and she saw Bullseye take down all the men, she was in awe and incredibly inspired. After escaping from the hideout, she vowed to become just like Bullseye. Master Izo trained her in several forms of martial arts, and she joined the Hand as one of their elite assassins.
Lord Shingen
Lord Shingen or Shingen Harada was a Yakuza crime boss who was the father of Wolverine’s love interest Mariko Yashida and Kenuichio Harada, a mutant later known as Silver Samurai. Lord Shingen was one of the finest martial artists. He was a businessman, but after going into debt, he was forced into an eternal life of servitude to the Hand. Even though he had no superpowers, he once challenged Wolverine to a fight and almost won it.
Silver Samurai
Kenuichio Harada, aka Silver Samurai, was the heir to the Yashida Clan and the son of Lord Shingen. He tried to have his sister Mariko killed after she was announced as the would-be heir of the clan, but Wolverine thwarted his plans. He joined the Hand as an assassin and quickly rose to the top. His mutant ability is to emit a tachyon energy field around any object he holds, making the thing gain a molecular blade, helping it cut through anything but adamantium.
Black Tarantula
Black Tarantula is a legacy that allegedly has been passed down for over 700 years from father to son. The current Black Tarantula is Carlos LaMuerto, a crime lord in South America. Black Tarantula is one of the most powerful warriors in the Hand. He can shoot energy beams from his eyes, possesses super strength, and is very agile. He even has a healing factor that rivals the likes of Wolverine.
Elektra
Elektra Natchios, aka Elektra or the Scarlett Assassin, is the world’s most dangerous assassin. She was trained in various forms of martial arts by Stick, who was also Daredevil’s mentor. Elektra loved to use a pair of Sais. She also had some abilities like hypnosis and healing, but primarily she was a highly-skilled assassin with knowledge of all combat techniques and weapons.
Daredevil
Pretty sure no one expected Daredevil to be on this list. Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil, is a blind superhero trained by Stick after his accident left him with no vision but a superhuman radar. After Elektra, the most recent Hand leader, the organization erupted into chaos. Although he resists for a long time, suffering many consequences, he finally becomes the leader because if not, the organization would have fallen into the hands of Kingpin.
Gorgon
Tomi Shishido was a child prodigy who achieved many great things in the early stages of life. This left him craving for more. He soon developed a mutant ability to petrify people when he locked eyes with them, just like Medusa the Gorgon. He started a radical mutant group called Dawn of the White Light, and its goal was to purge everything and start afresh. He was an expert swordsman and worked for Hydra and the Hand.
Master Izo
Master Izo is one of the founding members of the Hand, so yeah, he’s ancient. But don’t let his age fool you. He was knowledgeable in over 100 different kinds of martial arts. After the Snakeroot clan took possession of the Hand, Master Izo gouged his own eyes out and left the group. He then started the Chaste, which are the Hand’s primary rivals.
Kagenobu Yoshioka
Kagenobu Yoshioka was the founder of the Hand. He was a trained samurai and exceptionally skilled in martial arts. He does not have any superpowers but could easily rival the likes of Daredevil and Elektra with his skills.
Where else have they appeared?
The Hand has not only appeared in several Marvel comics but has also made appearances in other media. In the 2005 movie Elektra, the Hand played the movie’s central antagonist role. The film revolved around Elektra, who was revived by Stick and taught the ancient art of Kimagure. When Elektra begins her work as a contract killer, she is hired to assassinate targets unknown to her. She travels to the place of the assassination and meets Abby and her father, Mark Miller. She forms a bond with the two but soon realizes they are her targets.
She decides to spare their lives and leaves but returns in time to save them from the assassins sent by the Hand. When Roshi, the master of the Hand, learns of this failed attempt, he sends his son Kirigi with a team to kill Elektra and abduct Abby, referred to as “The Treasure.” Kirigi and his team, Typhoid, Stone, Kinkou, and Tattoo, track Elektra, Abby, and Mark to a country house owned by Elektra’s agent, McCabe. The trio manages to escape but is actively hunted by the assassins.
Elektra manages to kill Stone, while Abby and Mark kill Kinkou using one of his weapons. Typhoid gives Elektra the “Kiss of Death” and poisons her. Kirigi then abducts Abby. Elektra is rescued from death by Stick and the Chaste. Stick confirms that Abby is “The Treasure,” a martial arts prodigy whom the Hand intends to brainwash and use. Elektra was a treasure herself, which had led to her mother’s death during a conflict between the Chaste and the Hand. Kirigi is challenged to a fight by Elektra with the terms that whoever wins gets to take Abby.
Kirigi also happens to be the demon who killed Elektra’s mother. He manages to defeat Elektra, but Abby arrives and stalls him, giving Elektra a chance to recover. While trying to escape using a hedge maze, Tattoo captures Abby but is killed by Elektra snapping his neck. Elektra and Kirigi fight again, but this time, Elektra emerges victorious. Typhoid poisons Abby but is killed by Elektra throwing a Sai at her.
In the series Daredevil, a Japanese yakuza boss known as Nobu (played by Peter Shinkoda) is a villain in the first season. He turns out to be a part of a mysterious Japanese syndicate, implied to be the Hand. During his fight with Daredevil, Nobu wears a red ninja outfit, just like the members in the comics. In the second season, the Hand plays a much more significant part and tries t activate the Black Sky.
The Hand plays a significant role in the series Iron Fist. The Iron Fist is known to be the sworn enemy of the Hand, and Madame Gao from Daredevil is the leader of the Chinese faction of the organization. They also control Harold Meachum and Rand Corporation. Colleen Wing was a Hand member but left soon after witnessing their malice. The Hand also is an antagonist in the series The Defenders.
The Hand has created much trouble over the years for all heroes. Even though there is still important information about the organization unknown to us, the Hand is slowly and steadily making more extensive appearances and entering mainstream MCU shows. Hopefully, soon, we’ll see them play the antagonists in significant movies. The organization would make for a fantastic villain group, and their story could be well explored, so it’s safe to hope we get something that brings out the best of the Hand to the screens and gives fans a new deadly villain faction in live-action adaptations soon.