Dr. Hans Zarkov is a fictional character appearing in the Flash Gordon comic strip and the following serials, films, television shows and comic books. Zarkov is a brilliant scientist who creates a rocket and forces Flash and Dale Arden to come with him to the planet Mongo, and fight against Ming the Merciless. In the original comic strip, he was first thought to have died when his ship crashed into the planet Mongo. It is later revealed that Ming's minions pulled him out of the wreckage. Zarkov's character in the 1980s DC comic was handled the same way. Alex Raymond's comic strip In the first Flash Gordon storyline, Zarkov discovers the Earth is endangered by an impending collision with the planet Mongo. Discovering Flash and Dale near his laboratory, he abducts them at gunpoint and forces them into his spacecraft, which he then launches at the planet Mongo. By the second storyline in the strip, Zarkov becomes a more sympathetic character who works with the heroes to become a regular companion. Comic books The 1996 Flash Gordon comic book published by King Features has Zarkov perform his traditional role of assisting Flash in his adventures. It also resolves the discrepancy in the serials about Zarkov's first name, by giving the character's full name as Hans Alexis Zarkov. In the 2011 Dynamite Comics comic Flash Gordon: Zeitgeist, Doctor Hans Zarkov is a Russian émigré, suffering from clinical paranoia, living in Switzerland. He abducts Flash and Dale and takes them to Mongo on board his rocket, here named Copernicus. In other media Zarkov was first portrayed in the Flash Gordon film serials by Frank Shannon. He is identified as "Alexis Zarkov" in the 1938 serial Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars. The character was portrayed by Joseph Nash in the 1954 Flash Gordon TV series. In 1977, Zarkov appeared as a scientist bent on saving the Earth and introducing immense alien powers to the Earth in the Super Friends season 2 episode 11 titled "Forbidden Powers." In this episode, Flash Gordon and Dale Arden are replaced by Batman and Wonder Woman who journey to space in order to rescue Zarkov and his assistant. The assistant is kidnapped much like he attempted to do to Munson in the 1980 Flash Gordon film. Alan Oppenheimer provided the voice for the character in the 1979 Filmation animated series. The issue of Zarkov forcing the heroes to