It's only the first issue, so I can't say much as to how the Monkey King will actually influence the affairs of Fear Itself.
To those who have no idea who he is, the Monkey King is normally depicted as a trickster in Chinese folklore, pretty much the Loki of Asia, save he wielded a magical staff capable of shifting in size at will, to rather exaggerated extents as perpetuated throughout most variations of the lore, which as much as I could recall on the later half concerns the Monkey King being company to a monk in the latter's quest to the East, where enlightenment awaited.
It all sounds pretty far-fetched, especially considering I had only my nine-year-old-or-so recollections of the story as the basis of my account here. Anywho, back to the main issue. Apparently Marvel holds quite a penchant for ripping off multicultural mythologies, though unlike the big names such as Thor or Hercules, the Monkey King was once in fact a crime boss running the underworld of... well, Marvel wasn't being too specific on names anyway, so we'll have to settle with Hong Kong here. Tricked into stealing the Monkey King's staff, he was subsequently visited upon by the actual Monkey King, who wasn't entirely enthusiastic about being the paradigm of the goodness in heart and all that, and cast off to the Eighth City, where it will be decided whether the man should remain to be tortured for eternity or freed to use the powers of the Monkey King's staff for the better good. That is, till one of the Asgardian hammers landed on the City, which had apparently belonged to the Absorbing Man, at the same time breaking the barrier between both worlds. Freed, the more human bearer of the name Monkey King embarked on his quest to do good and all that, not before a celebratory bout of getting back at the person who had deceived him in the first place.
When it comes to female ninja assassins, one should naturally come to expect a lot of butt-kicking, as is the case of the concerned issue. Unlike the Merc with the Mouth, the Monkey King doesn't do pop culture references, shows poor taste in wisecracking and equally poor comprehension as to the meaning of actually doing good. He is after all a former crime boss, whose leanings toward drugs and women may easily overwhelm any inclination to abide to the purpose of the man's premature freedom.
So, again, what role will the Monkey King play in the ensuing chaos of Fear Itself? As if the inhabitants of the Marvel Universe actually needs another mischief maker in their company.
It all sounds pretty far-fetched, especially considering I had only my nine-year-old-or-so recollections of the story as the basis of my account here. Anywho, back to the main issue. Apparently Marvel holds quite a penchant for ripping off multicultural mythologies, though unlike the big names such as Thor or Hercules, the Monkey King was once in fact a crime boss running the underworld of... well, Marvel wasn't being too specific on names anyway, so we'll have to settle with Hong Kong here. Tricked into stealing the Monkey King's staff, he was subsequently visited upon by the actual Monkey King, who wasn't entirely enthusiastic about being the paradigm of the goodness in heart and all that, and cast off to the Eighth City, where it will be decided whether the man should remain to be tortured for eternity or freed to use the powers of the Monkey King's staff for the better good. That is, till one of the Asgardian hammers landed on the City, which had apparently belonged to the Absorbing Man, at the same time breaking the barrier between both worlds. Freed, the more human bearer of the name Monkey King embarked on his quest to do good and all that, not before a celebratory bout of getting back at the person who had deceived him in the first place.
When it comes to female ninja assassins, one should naturally come to expect a lot of butt-kicking, as is the case of the concerned issue. Unlike the Merc with the Mouth, the Monkey King doesn't do pop culture references, shows poor taste in wisecracking and equally poor comprehension as to the meaning of actually doing good. He is after all a former crime boss, whose leanings toward drugs and women may easily overwhelm any inclination to abide to the purpose of the man's premature freedom.
So, again, what role will the Monkey King play in the ensuing chaos of Fear Itself? As if the inhabitants of the Marvel Universe actually needs another mischief maker in their company.