Madame Gao

"Lying to that woman is impossible."

- Wilson Fisk

Madame Gao is a powerful woman running her own trade of Heroin in Hell's Kitchen.

Early Life
Madame Gao hailed from a distant land, and despite many of her associates in New York City believing that she was from China, she ended up revealing that she was not.

Drug Dealer
Madame Gao is a master in the drug trade; she is in charge of an illegal drug manufacturing company where her subordinates allowed themselves to be blinded, except for the security guards. Gao was approached by Wilson Fisk for assistance in his ambition to change Hell's Kitchen and sought to assist her in the distribution of her heroin. Together they worked out a system where Gao's blind workers would take bags of heroin to the Vladimir Ranskahov and Anatoly Ranskahov who would help deliver it.

Clandestine Meeting
One night, Madame Gao sat atop a building, along with Nobu, Leland Owlsley, Anatoly Ranskahov, and Vladimir Ranskahov, awaiting the arrival of Wilson Fisk; James Wesley came instead, citing that Fisk was busy. Gao listened as Owlsley protested about Fisk's absence and Anatoly and Vladimir called Wesley a lapdog. When Wesley questioned Anatoly and Vladimir about why their payment was short, they explained that a masked man freed their captive girls and beat up their subordinates. Gao spoke in Chinese, but only Wesley understood, asking if the masked man took the girls for himself. Gao quietly listened as the meeting continued.

War with the Russians
Gao was later called for another meeting, this time without the Ranskahov brothers; Leland Owlsley commented on the pints of blood being drained from a nearby car, to which Gao only laughed. They were interrupted by the arrival of James Wesley and Wilson Fisk; Gao told Fisk she was happy to see him. Fisk however announced that the Ranskahov brothers were no longer a part of their organisation since Fisk had murdered Anatoly. Both Gao and Nobu expressed their anger at the news; Gao was told to continue moving her shipments of heroin to the Russians until Fisk could take over the distribution. The group agreed on the matter and departed while Fisk offered to walk Gao to her car,where she asked if he wanted something from her.

Tea with Wilson Fisk
"I am not here to pluck flowers from the thicket. This is a courtesy, because you have shown me respect. Restore your house to order, or I will begin dealing with Nobu and Leland directly."

- Gao speaks to Wilson Fisk

Without much effort, Gao learned the location of Wilson Fisk's penthouse and arrived for a meeting with him. Fisk poured her tea which he had brought back from his last trip to China which Gao approved of, but she assured him that she had not come to his home for tea. Gao then began speaking to Fisk in English and revealed that she was aware that Fisk spoke both Chinese and Japanese so did not need James Wesley to translate for him. They began speaking to each other in Chinese and Gao told him that neither Nobu nor Leland Owlsley were happy with Fisk's handling of recent events. She called Fisk emotional and sloppy, making an example of her knowledge of his residence. Before she departed, she said if he did not restore his business to order, she would cut him out of their organization and deal with Nobu and Leland directly.

Making a Choice
"There is conflict within you." "Conflict?" "Man cannot be both saviour and oppressor, light and shadow, one has to be sacrificed for the other. Choose, and choose wisely, or others will choose for you."

- Madame Gao and Wilson Fisk

Gao had a meeting with Wilson Fisk on a rooftop garden, when he arrived she commented on James Wesley's absence, as he was no needed to translate. Gao spoke to Fisk in Chinese and told him a metaphorical tale of a snake that died after mistaking an elephant for prey. When Gao expressed her disappointment at Nobu's death, Fisk claimed he did not expect Nobu to go against the masked man himself.

Gao warned Fisk that Nobu's Clan were preparing for retaliation after their boss's death, she asked him if his ambition would ever turn to her, but Fisk assured her that she had his respect so he would not. She told him his mind was distracted by his heart since falling in love with Vanessa Marianna, switching to English she told him to decide if he was the saviour or oppressor of the city.

Believing Fisk's love for Vanessa Marianna would endanger their buisness, Gao joined forces with Leland Owlsley and together they organised a plan poison Marianna at the benefit Fisk was attending. Although Marianna did drink the poison, she was rushed to the hospital in time to be saved.

Reflecting upon the Future
Gao returned to overview the heroin production. As Murdock made his way into her warehouse, Gao ordered her workers to surround him as she escapes. This plan, however, fails, as Murdock dodges all of her men's bullets and gets to her. He confronted Gao about her blind workers and the production of heroin, to which Gao responded that they chose to be blind and that the chaos in the city is not as important as their bigger picture. With the destruction of her heroin warehouse, Gao said that her workers will have nothing left. As Murdock attempted to interrogate Gao about information on Fisk, she pushed him back with great force and escaped.

Afterwards, Gao met up with Leland and apologized about her tardiness in english, to the surprise of Leland. Questioned by Leland about the nearby sirens and the status of the heroin, Gao responded with "the man in the mask" and "lost in the flames" respectively. Leland asked to have more shipped but Gao stated that she has no need for it anymore. Leland saw the futility of worrying about the heroin, choosing instead to be more concerned with Fisk learning about their involvement in Vanessa's attempted assassination. Gao tried to ease his mind and keep him calm. Leland then brought up Wesley's death and tried to point it at Gao, with Gao replying that she didn't kill him because he never showed her discourtesy. Upon Leland's asking of what their next step should be, Gao replied that they'd have to adapt to Fisk's change and she would go back home to reflect on the future. Leland thought she meant China, but, as she would clarify, she wasn't from China. Her home was a more considerable distance away. She parted ways with Leland and Hell's Kitchen, stating that they'd never speak again.

Personality
Madame Gao is a ruthless criminal, able to gain complete trust of her subordinates and even made them blind themselves. While working with others she is highly calculating and even spoke only Mandarin to make them underestimate her and let them believe she would not understand them without translation. She was quick to turn on her allies but seemed to respect Wilson Fisk more than the rest of his associates, as she warned him that he was losing himself on his mission. Despite this she ultimately ended up trying to kill Vanessa Marianna as she considered her a distraction for him.

Madame Gao speaks a lot in riddles and surrounds herself with an air of mysticism during her interactions.

Allies

 * Wilson Fisk
 * Leland Owlsley †
 * Nobu †
 * Anatoly Ranskahov †
 * Vladimir Ranskahov †
 * James Wesley †

Enemies

 * Daredevil
 * Vanessa Marianna - Attempted Victim

Abilities

 * Multilingualism: Gao is fluent in Mandarin, English, and Japanese; and she claims to be able to speak all languages.
 * Master Martial Artist: She appears highly trained, able to subdue Daredevil with a single strike (Though Murdock was still suffering from his injuries taken in the duel with Nobu.)

Trivia

 * Steven S. DeKnight confirmed Gao is connected to the Iron Fist villain, whose sigil was visible on the heroin packets.