Samuel Wing, also known as Sam[2] was the owner and caretaker of Gizmo, until his passing in 1990. He owned an antique shop in New York City, having a grandson as helper.
He is the main character of Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai set in 1920 in Shanghai.
He is portrayed by Keye Luke in the live-action movies and voiced by Izaac Wang as a kid.
Appearance[]
As a young boy, Sam had black hair but he shaved most of his head bald, leaving only a small stripe of hair in the middle.
As an old man, he has long, white hair and a white beard.
Personality[]
As a child Sam was a happy, optimistic boy, always eager to help others. However, he could also be quite naive and too quick to trust people.
As an old man, he has become notably more jaded. He doesn't trust anyone with the care of Gizmo, hence why he refuses to sell Gizmo to Rand Peltzer. However, he is willing to admit that Billy Peltzer has the potential to one day be ready to care for a mogwai. He also adamantly refuses to sell his store to Daniel Clamp.
History[]
Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai[]
In Shanghai 1920, a boy named Sam makes medicine for Mr. Shao, ordering his two parents on how to correctly make it until he is told to give his grandfather his medicine. He walks into his room, and is grabbed by his grandfather from under the bed. His grandfather tells him that he is growing strong and is given arthritis medicine by Sam, which he does not drink all of.
Sam's grandfather gifted him his adventures box.
Sam's mother tells Sam he can go shopping with his father, Hon, which excites the boy. His grandfather says he is inspired and wants to go with his grandson, convincing his daughter to let him go with Sam. He pulls out his adventures box, which fascinates Sam, so his grandfather gifts it to him.
Sam is excited to go grocery shopping, but his grandfather takes his list and says he could get all that for half the price at the South market, which Sam says is filled with thieves and freeloaders. However, his grandfather tells him they should save up so they can go on an adventure. Sam wants to leave, but his grandfather takes him.
Gizmo was forced to dance so that the audience would be entertained.
Sam's grandfather tells his grandson that if he wants to be a good doctor like his mother, then he needs to explore, which he could not do from his parent's sight. They go to the Seven Brothers Circus, where they present a white mountain yeti, which is simply a monkey painted white. Sam can tell they are getting tricked, but his grandfather tells him to stick around. The circus presents the mogwai as a cat-dog, which sparks Sam's interest, calling it cute and sad. The mogwai dances to entertain everyone.
Elle approaches the mogwai, who uses weapons to cut the chord that is holding him. As he tries to run, he bumps into one of the brothers, who grabs him and tells him to take a bow. Sam's grandfather tells him they cannot leave and takes him away.
Elle offered to buy Gizmo, eventually convincing the circus master.
The mogwai is put in a cage and yelled at while Sam's grandfather tells him that he is a Mogwai. Mogwai are the rarest mystical creatures, and they have not been seen in centuries because they are very dangerous under human care. Sam's grandfather tells him that they need to take it, but the circus master is approached by Elle, who offers to buy the creature.
Sam sees this and gives up, but his grandfather pulls out a knife, saying that he will cause a distraction by cutting a rope. However, he falls, and the circus master notices. His grandfather pulls out a marble, which he throws at the circus master. There is an explosion when he picks it up, and Elle takes the mogwai. However, he bites her and escapes his cage, so Sam's grandfather tells him to go after him.
Sam runs after the mogwai and the circus master, who manages to grab him. Sam gets him away from the circus master, but the mogwai also runs from him. Elle grabs the mogwai, so Sam runs after her. Sam's grandfather knocks down a pillar, which makes Elle throw the creature into the air. He is caught by Sam, who tells him that he will not hurt him.
The mogwai is surprised when Sam and his grandfather reveal that they know he is a mogwai, and Sam's grandfather begins humming a song, which makes the mogwai trust them. Elle gets up and finds a flyer, which she can use to identify Sam and his family.
When Sam got Gizmo wet, small fur balls which turned out to be mogwai burst out from him.
Sam and his grandfather make it back. The mogwai introduces himself as Gizmo to Sam as his grandfather packs, telling Sam they must leave. Sam's grandfather says that they need to leave because mogwais are dangerous. This statement offends Gizmo, but Sam's grandfather says he knows all about them, so they must return him to his home. As Sam wonders how dangerous Gizmo could really be, he knocks a glass of water over Gizmo, spilling him. Gizmo screams in pain as Sam's parents enter the room. Small fur balls pop out of Gizmo's back, which are more mogwais. Sam's grandfather tells him that he should never get them wet.
Sam's grandfather told them that mogwai have many rules to them.
Gizmo is scared, looking at the other mogwai. Sam's grandfather tells him that there are many rules to mogwai, such as no bright light and never feeding them after midnight. He puts them in a box while his daughter mentions that she believes his stories are not real. Sam's grandfather explained that the mogwai was real, and Sam and he would be heading to Fengdong, which the mogwai had destroyed. Sam's grandfather invites his daughter and son-in-law while people show up at their shop.
Elle knocks while her boss tells her to behave like she works for him. Sam's family hides, and Sam's grandfather says that he could protect Gizmo since he has a kind heart. He hands him a book and says he will scare the people outside, who threaten Gizmo's safety.
Sam's grandfather tells the mysterious man that their shop is closed, but the man says nothing closes for him. After talking for a bit, the man infers that he used to be a treasure hunter, asking if he knows the value of what he had stolen from him. He introduces himself as Riley Green, saying he also considers himself a treasure hunter, offering to leave if he gives him the mogwai. Sam's grandfather laughs, saying that he does have the mogwai, but had never come home empty-handed during his days as a treasure hunter. He pulls out a spin drum and begins playing it, shooting at Riley's security and at Riley.
Riley turned Sam's grandfather into a pearl he swallowed in order to consume his knowledge.
After the smoke clears, Riley is unfazed, saying he had learned that trick as a child and shooting at Sam's grandfather with something he mastered as an adult. Both clash with magic, but Riley overpowers Sam's grandfather and captures it into a small pearl. Elle tries to escape but is not allowed to do so by Riley. Riley opens his mouth wide and swallows the pearl Sam's grandfather was in.
Riley and his team hear Sam's family. Sam's father tells Sam and his mother to leave, which they do instantly, followed through the city by Riley's men and Elle. Sam and his mother make it to an alley and manage to escape. After catching their breath, Sam's mother tells him to hide while she diverts the villains. While hiding, Gizmo sings a song that calms the mogwais down, hugging Sam since he can tell he is sad. Sam apologizes, saying he does not know how to get Gizmo back, and they fall asleep.
After seeing Sam and Gizmo asleep, the other mogwai woke up, escaped their box, and walked through the city. They entered a dumpling restaurant, stole food, and scared everyone except the boy who helped Elle.
Gizmo does not wake Sam up, but he quickly runs over to Gizmo and says they need to be careful about looking for his sibling-kids.
A man leaves the dumpling restaurant while Sam and Gizmo make it. They look for the mogwai inside, seeing them in cocoons because they've eaten after midnight. Riley walks in with Elle, revealing he knows Sam's name. Sam refuses to hand over Gizmo because of what he has seen him do to his grandfather. Riley reveals that he knows everything Sam's grandfather knew, including his plan to go to the Valley of Jade. Riley freezes Sam and takes Gizmo, taunting Sam until he is hit in the head from behind by Elle, which knocks him out.
Elle told Sam that she would help him, as she was opposed to Riley's plans.
Sam runs away with Gizmo, with Elle following closely behind. Elle reaches Sam and says that she will help him since she did not know Riley was going to do any of the things he had done. Elle says that they should help each other out since Green will be following them both. Elle blows a whistle, saying that she can get a message to his parents.
Sam tells Elle they need to get to Fengdong, so Elle steals some keys and has both of them jump on top of a train. Sam, Elle, and Gizmo are impressed at the view on the train. Sam explains that the key to the Valley of Jade is in Ghost City, but he does not know what that means. Gizmo knows what it means, but Elle argues they cannot understand him. The train staff started asking for tickets they did not have, so Elle said she would talk to the conductor. On her way, she steals tickets and asks for first class, which they are taken to.
In the first-class cabin, Sam says that stealing is wrong and reminds Elle that she is no longer working for Greene so she can stop doing that. However, she says that she has been using her skills since before working for Greene. Sam says he would be earning money and wants to leave, but Gizmo falls asleep and stays with Elle.
Sam polished Yao's shoes, finding out he was a Ministry Railways Inspector.
As Sam goes around the train, offering people the chance to shine their shoes, Gizmo is approached by a shadow, which scares him. However, when Elle looks, she sees nothing there. Sam cleans a man's shoe, who turns out to be a Ministry Railways Inspector named Yao. He asks Sam about Elle, saying that she uses other people's wallets and he has seen her do it. Yao tells him not to leave anything important with her, so he leaves.
Elle tells Gizmo that she has finally been able to sleep in a bed in years, so she wants to go back to the first-class cabin. Sam walks in, acting strangely, which makes Elle feel suspicious. Elle pokes his foot, which reveals that it is not Sam but a monster trying to get Gizmo.
Sam walks in with Elle and Gizmo, saying he knew he could not trust her. Elle tells him to back off, asking him where they had met, which Sam answers correctly. Elle reveals that there is a monster on the train, which Sam does not believe, so they start fighting for Gizmo. Yao walks in, asking what is going on. Elle recognizes him as a train cop, which makes Sam tell her that he trusts him, handing Yao Gizmo. Yao thanks him for handing him the mogwai, and the monster reveals itself, shooting at Sam and Elle and pinning them to a wall.
Odd-Odd revealed himself to really be a monster and not the inspector they thought he was.
The monster asks if Sam never suspected Yao was not real, saying that he shapeshifts into different people. The monster smells Gizmo, turning on a stove, which makes Sam wonder why he would eat Gizmo. The monster reveals that he wants to live forever.
As the monster, who calls himself Odd-Odd, explains how to cook mogwai, Sam asks him if he is a shapeshifter and wonders why he did not simply take Gizmo when he had the chance. Odd-Odd says that he was a performer who played in the greatest stories but was now stuck on the train, where travelers would give him whatever he wanted. However, he mentions that age is not kind and mentions that finding a mogwai was a huge success. Elle and Sam ask more questions, which Odd-Odd happily answers while Gizmo escapes the rope and climbs to the top of the train.
As Sam and Elle faced Odd-Odd, the former got too nervous and ended up missing his chance to throw a gourd at the monster.
Elle breaks free and says they must save Gizmo, who is now on the train's roof, followed by Odd-Odd. Odd-Odd chases Gizmo, telling him he wants to eat him. Sam reads his grandfather's book, hoping to find something to help them against a shapeshifter. He says that with a few spices, they can attack Odd-Odd. They grab the spices and ingredients, rushing to the top of the train so they can help Gizmo. As Odd-Odd attacks Sam and Elle, Sam gets nervous before throwing the gourd with the ingredients at Odd-Odd and it slips from out of his hands.
However, Elle sees Odd-Odd from behind, realizes that he is small, and attacks him with a stick. Odd-Odd is left crying and says goodbye. Sam says he does not know what they would do without her, and they decide to get off the train.
When Sam trusted Elle, she betrayed him, taking Gizmo with her.
Sam apologizes for not trusting Elle, saying he could hold Gizmo whenever she wanted. Elle thanks him for the confidence and holds Gizmo before separating their wagons and leaving Sam stranded.
Sam complains that he lost Gizmo as he slips in the countryside. However, in the distance, he sees the same inn that Elle had previously walked into.
Sam walks into the inn, busting open the doors and demanding to see Elle. Meng Po sympathizes with him and offers him tea, which he gladly accepts and drinks. She sees that he has lived through a lot of things. Sam says that he feels happy and gladly helps her out when she asks him to.
Much to their surprise, Sam was not able to recall who Elle and Gizmo were.
Elle realizes that everyone thinks they arrived that same day as Sam walks in. Elle says that Sam must want to kill her as Gizmo breaks free from her grip and hugs Sam. Sam does not recognize Gizmo and calls him a panda dragon, which confuses the mogwai. Sam greets Elle happily, saying that he does not know who they are but that they could have tea after he is done cleaning.
Elle realizes that the tea is wiping people's memories. She tells Gizmo to fix it, but he says that there is nothing he can do. However, he has an idea, and Elle understands Sam could help with his herb knowledge. Elle says that she has a new chore for Sam, which excites him as he sees all the leaves and spices that Meng Po has. When asked if there was anything that could help with memory loss, he said that there was a powder that could reduce any bad effects.
Sam quickly mixes many different spices. When he is done, he tells Elle that she can eat or inhale the dust and that all the toxins should clear. She hesitates to blow the dust in his face when she remembers how angry he was at her. A bell begins to ring, signaling the start of the Mid-Autumn Festival, which excites Sam.
Meng Po approaches Elle from behind, saying that she knew something was off about her. Elle thinks quickly and throws dust in Meng Po's eyes as she runs for the door. Meng Po runs after her while Gizmo grabs the small pouch with Sam's prepared dust.
Gizmo runs to Sam and blows the dust he has prepared on his face, which gives him his memory back. He sees Gizmo and is excited, hugging him and asking where they are. Meng Po tells all her guests to stop Elle, but she tells them she prefers coffee.
Meng Po tells Elle that she gives her tea to those who need it and have no family or friends. She explained that she had been left alone, so she created tea for people not to leave. She forces Elle to drink the tea, which reveals that she was separated from her parents during the Mid-Autumn Festival, during which Greene grabbed her for trying to steal from him. She found out her parents never went back for her because they got greedy and stole so many lanterns that they floated high above the city, and their cries echoed through the night. Her mother's right shoe was found, but nothing else.
Sam and Gizmo hear Elle's story. Sam is conflicted about saving her because she ditched him, but in the end, he chooses to help her. Gizmo has an idea, which he communicates to Sam, who tells him he misses him. Gizmo grabs the dust Sam made and dumps it all over the food.
As the guests start to eat, their memories start returning, and they realize what had happened to them. Sam walks up to Elle and gives her her memories back. Sam tells Elle that he remembers her now as the guests pin Meng Po to the table and force her to drink her own tea. However, Elle stops them from doing it, telling them that she will end up all alone and that she should be able to remember that she has lost everything.
Sam, Elle and Gizmo officially rejoined in order to get Gizmo back to his home.
Sam, Gizmo and Elle start walking, while Elle wonders if they still want her. Sam tells her they need her, convincing her to go with him.
Walking through a scary forest would take the children where they needed to go.
Meanwhile, Sam tells Elle and Gizmo that his grandfather's map should take them straight to Ghost City after crossing the forest they were in. They mention that the forest is scary, which Sam's grandfather also wrote down. Looking at his notebook, Sam also reads that his grandfather suggested stabbing or running when encountering creatures in the forest.
Sam, Elle, and Gizmo start hearing things, so they run until they stumble upon a man who tells them to give him everything they have. The man holds a small blade and points it at them, so Sam tells Elle to do what the thief says. However, Elle kicks the blade out of the man's hand and says the bandit is weak. When they turn around, another creature runs up to the bandit and kills him with its claws, turning the man into another creature just like him. They realize that many identical creatures are chasing them, so they start running away from them until they reach a small cabin, which they go into and shut the doors.
Sam, Elle and Gizmo met Radish while escaping from the monsters.
Sam and Elle struggle to hold the creatures out of the cabin and are surrounded. Elle falls through a hole on the floor, where Sam follows her. However, Elle points out that they are not alone, and a kid greets them and introduces himself as Radish. He presents his best friend, who is a radish he calls Theodore. Radish tells them he grows carrots and has run away from the orphanage. The monsters break in through the door and start looking for the children.
In the cabin, the hopping monsters wait for the children to come out as Sam reads his grandfather's book, and Elle asks Radish if he has ever thought of digging another way out. Radish says he had a perfect life there, so he did not need to do so. He reveals that a man had called for his help, calling the monsters Jiangxi, which makes Sam remember when his grandfather told him about the history of the Jiangxi and how using a talisman would freeze them right where they hop. Still, he needs to place it on its forehead.
The Jiangxi begin to attack the children and manage to grab hold of Theodore. Radish yells at them, telling the monsters that they cannot have his friend, but he is told to let the radish go by Elle. However, Radish says that he is Radish, and his friend is Theodore. He bolts out of the house and goes after the Jiangxi, so Elle tells Sam that their new acquaintance will not make it out there. Sam looks for the talisman and draws the symbols, going after the Jiangxi. Gizmo and Elle go after him as well.
Forcing himself to be brave, Sam was able to place a talisman on a Jiangxi's forehead.
Sam and Elle grab Jiangxi's attention so Radish can grab Theodore. The Jiangxi begin to chase them while Gizmo calls for Radish's attention so they can also take care of a few. Sam places a talisman on one of the Jiangxi, which makes it freeze, but he is approached by some more. Working as a team, Elle and Sam place more talismans on the Jiangxi while Radish and Gizmo throw carrots at the monsters, allowing them to place talismans on their foreheads. Eventually, all Jiangxi have talismans on their foreheads, after which Sam invites Radish to join them on their adventure. Radish asks Theodore and says that they are both in.
Sam, Elle, Gizmo, and Radish walk until they reach the end of the forest and look down upon Ghost City. Sam is excited that his grandfather's directions are correct, but Elle gives Sam the credit he deserves for getting them through the forest.
The children finally made it to Fengdong, which Elle found underwhelming.
As Sam, Radish, and Elle walk with Gizmo, the latter recognizes Fengdong, the Ghost City, which Sam says is only a quick stop to find the key to the Valley of Jade.
As the children walk through Ghost City, Riley's ship also approaches. Riley tells his mogwai to go because he knows the key is somewhere.
Gizmo guides the group, but they are all surprised when they see Greene's mogwai approaching them, creating chaos everywhere. Sam and Elle are very confused as to how the mogwai approached them, realizing that Greene may be there as well. Sam realizes they only need to wait until sunrise and sees Gizmo moving away discretely.
Gizmo finally makes it to a clearing, followed by Sam, Radish, and Elle. Gizmo starts to sing, which opens a portal, so they all walk inside. One of Greene's mogwai sees this and tries to follow them, to no avail.
As the children walked through the city, they were very surprised.
Sam, Elle, Radish, and Gizmo see many different creatures inside the portal. Elle says that the place is creepy. Radish is delighted when his radish comes to life, introducing herself as Theodora. Gizmo calls out and points to a statue. Gizmo looks for someone, who he is told is in the tavern. Surprised to see a mogwai, many creatures approach, so the children start running.
Elle, Sam, Radish, and Gizmo make their way into a tavern, where they are followed by creatures that want Gizmo. However, they are protected by a woman whom Gizmo greets happily. She introduces herself as Nuwa, calling herself the goddess of creation.
Nuwa introduced herself as the goddess of creation and was able to communicate with Gizmo.
Nuwa asks if the Valley of Jade is okay, talking with Gizmo, who she can understand perfectly. She tells Gimzo that he has always been too kind to humans. Nuwa tells Sam she can understand Gizmo, while Elle asks Nuwa to get them to the Valley of Jade. Nuwa refuses, saying she would not allow humans to go to the Valley of Jade. Nuwa says she would send Gizmo back to his home, opening a portal and telling them she would not help the humans.
Gizmo is sad to be leaving Sam as they share one last hug. Elle also gets a hug, but she uses the hug to spill Nuwa's drink, distract her, and be able to run into the portal. However, she is dragged back, and Nuwa holds her and Sam.
Gizmo refused to go inside the portal Nuwa created.
Elle and Sam fight while Nuwa tells Gizmo to go through the portal. However, he refuses to do so. Nuwa tells him to go, wondering if he would give up going home for Elle and Sam. Gizmo responds that he would give it up, so Nuwa tells him that Elle only cares about the treasure and Sam, his family. Nuwa tells Elle and Sam that she would have liked not to have created humans.
Nuwa explains that long ago, she and her brother argued about humans. Nuwa says they are fairly good, but the mogwai were created as tests. In the end, the humans broke the rules that were laid out for them. Nuwa stopped the test before China was destroyed and so created the Valley of Jade. After her explanation, Sam and Elle don't defend themselves, but Gizmo does it for them.
Riley demanded that he be handed over the mogwai.
Looking up, Nuwa sees Greene's mogwai. Sam says that they did not break all the rules, as Nuwa says she would need to clean up their mess. However, she realizes her magic is not working and starts feeling bad after drinking a bottle. Greene's mogwai attacks Sam and Elle as Riley tries to enter the tavern. Riley tells her to hand over the mogwai.
The evil mogwai started wreaking havoc all over town.
The mogwai wreaks havoc across town while Riley tells Elle to hand over the mogwai, saying he will forgive her if she does. Inside the tavern, Nuwa, Gizmo, Sam, and Elle hide from them. Nuwa complains that if Elle had not tried to enter the portal, she would not have been poisoned, and Gizmo would have been safe at home. Elle fights off the rogue mogwai while Radish shows up, saying he thought he and Theodora should warn them that Greene and the rest of the mogwai were there.
The evil mogwai keeps attacking Sam and Elle, so Sam lights a fire, which scares off the rest of the mogwai. Riley still waits outside, telling his mogwai to wait until the poison takes effect because he prefers to win when he fights. However, when he sees that his mogwai is scared because of the fire Sam lit, he goes inside the tavern. He asks where his mogwai, the goddess, and the children are. He believes he found Sam, but is surprised to see Radish there instead, who he shoots at to push him away.
The group was forced to run from fox spirits.
Sam, Elle, Gizmo, and Nuwa walk away from the bar while a fox spirit looks at them and tells her crew that since a mogwai was on the loose and Nuwa was too weak to protect it, they should go after it. Elle helps Nuwa walk as the goddess complains. However, she tells them that Gizmo is in danger, so they must go to the Bagua room to find someone there who can send Gizmo home. They see a fox spirit, so Nuwa says they must go. However, Sam stops to greet them, only to be chased by them, so they are forced to leave as soon as possible, pulling Nuwa on a wagon.
As they move, an explosion occurs. Elle tells Sam to give her the box while he takes Gizmo so that she can work as bait. Sam runs with Gizmo as fast as possible, but he is still being chased by other creatures. Gizmo and Sam realize that they can smell Gizmo, so the mogwai rubs himself with fish in a cart, which Sam pulls. With the cart, they can cloud Gizmo's smell and move freely.
Riley was forced to fight off the fox spirits when Elle diverted them towards him.
Elle is still pushing Nuwa, who still complains that Elle only wants to go to the Valley of Jade for treasure. Elle stops and runs into Riley, who says she could still be somewhat forgiven. She realizes that the fox spirits are still chasing her, so she runs away from them, telling Nuwa that she will introduce two monsters to each other. Riley sees her approaching and tells his mogwai to block her. However, Elle pulls away, which makes the spirits unable to divert in time, so they run into the mogwai and Riley, who begins to shoot at them.
Gizmo happily rides the fish cart Sam grabbed until they make it to the Bagua room. However, outside, Sam is saddened that he must leave Gizmo. Elle and Nuwa reveal that they made it in time as well. Sam and Elle drag Nuwa, which makes them forget Gizmo, whose cart begins to move backward. The cart was a fish who wanted to eat Gizmo, so Sam and Elle rushed to help. Sam hurries and throws poison into the fish's mouth, which makes it let Gizmo go. They push it into the river and celebrate.
Nuwa tells Sam and Elle that they are stupid because they pushed a river spirit into the river, which is the source of its power. The fish jumps up and heads straight for Gizmo, so Elle throws herself and pushes Gizmo out of the way, saving him but making the fish eat her instead. Nuwa kills the spirit, and Sam sees Elle, whose pulse is weak and she is not breathing. Nuwa says that there is nothing that any human could do for her.
The Celstial Administrator helped bring Elle back to life.
A man called Administrator opens the door and sees Elle lying on the floor, so Nuwa tells him to help her out. The man takes out some ingredients as Sam cries for her friend. He says that he has a special magic ingredient, which he takes out and uses to help Elle, who wakes up. Gizmo and Sam are happy to see Elle is okay; the first thing she asks is if Gizmo is okay, which Nuwa says surprises her.
Evil mogwai laughs outside and joins Riley as he travels to the Bagua room. Nuwa closes the door and tells the Administrator to prepare a portal to the Valley of Jade. She tells Sam and Elle that they will be going through the portal as well. Nuwa tells them to try not to mess everything up as she hands them passports, mentioning that she will be trying to hold them off as much as possible. Everybody tells her to go with them, but she refuses, saying goodbye to Gizmo.
The children were amazed at how beautiful the Valley of Jade is.
In the Valley of Jade, Gizmo, Sam, and Elle are amazed at its beauty. Sam wishes his grandfather was there to see it, while Gizmo wishes Nuwa was there. Elle tells them not to get worried since things were okay after she died.
Gizmo looks down and runs up to his friend, who is excited to see him. They run off to find the other mogwai, while Sam and Elle follow closely behind. The other mogwai are excited until they see Sam and Elle, who scare them. However, Gizmo tells them that the humans are okay, and the mogwai approaches them. After that, Gizmo starts to sing along with the other mogwai, making all the plants glow.
Elle held the knife of creation, saying that she would create treasure with it.
Gizmo plays with his friends as Sam and Elle watch. However, Elle tells Gizmo that she would like some treasure to live a good life. She sees a knife buried in a rock, which she pulls out. Sam recognizes it as Nuwa's creating knife, so Elle decides that she will create gold with it. Once she creates a golden butterfly, Sam returns the knife, saying mortals should not play god. Gizmo hands Elle a rock, which she recognizes as jade, which excites her. Sam reminds her that she promised to help out with his parents, which Elle says she remembers.
Gizmo is sad that Sam and Elle are leaving; Sam and Elle say they would also miss him. Sam wonders if they could visit sometime, but Elle says they probably could not. Gizmo beckons them over and places some paint on their face, saying he would always be with them. All three of them hug, but are interrupted when a mogwai is scared by Riley's evil mogwai.
Riley floats down to Elle, Sam, and Gizmo, revealing that he had swallowed Nuwa, taking all her knowledge. Riley also mentions that he originally intended to take all the mogwai to sell immortality, but he realized that the valley held just the mogwai, looking at the knife.
As Sam held the knife up towards Riley, the latter taunted him.
Gizmo and Elle are attacked by evil mogwai, but Sam manages to avoid them and grabs the knife, telling Riley to stand back. Riley says the knife is dangerous, but Sam remembers his grandfather and knows he could protect the mogwai. Riley taunts him, showing Sam his parents and telling him that the knife is very dangerous to use. Sam is now confused and worried about his parents as Elle tells him it was a lie and he could use it.
Since he hesitates, Sam has the knife taken away from him by Riley, who says that he now only needs a taste of eternal life. He takes a mogwai and swallows him, declaring himself immortal. Elle and Sam exclaim in horror while Riley's eyes glow full of color.
Sam apologized to Elle for not having used the knife.
Sam wakes up startled, asking where his parents and Gizmo are. Elle tells him to look down towards the center of the Valley of Jade, where he sees the evil mogwai playing bowling with Gizmo as the ball. Elle complains that Sam did not even try to create anything while holding the knife, but Sam says he did not know what to do, apologizing.
Riley flies up to Sam and Elle. Elle is tired of listening to Riley and asks him to kill her, but he says that he would not, as he is now a god and she is irrelevant. He mentions he has a present for Sam, telling him that he could not have done it without him, throwing his parents back at him, and saying goodbye.
Sam apologizes to Fong and Hon, saying he should never have left and admitting failure. He cries as his parents hug and comfort him. Elle makes a sarcastic comment, to which Fong responds by yelling at her, saying they do not like her, but Sam tells her to stop as she has saved his life. Elle says that they have to go and help Gizmo, so she calls out to the evil mogwai and distracts them from their attention. Elle heads down, followed by Sam, Fong, and Hon.
The evil mogwai starts dancing and singing together, which surprises Elle, Sam, Fong, and Hon. Sam mentions this strange behavior, which probably indicates something is wrong. Riley turns around, and Claw throws herself at him, hugging him. A mogwai tells Riley to allow himself to accept love since he has always wanted a hug. However, Claw bites him, followed by some other mogwai. Riley frees himself, saying that he is the most powerful being and that they would never win with brute force.
Elle tries to grab her mogwai friend, but Claw pushes him into the portal and closes it behind her, leaving Sam, Fong, and Hon trapped with her in the Valley of Jade.
Sam is sad, so Hon approaches him, recognizing that his son misses his friend. Hon tries to comfort his son as Elle approaches, throwing a big rock into the ground and causing it to crack. A portal opens, and the Celestial Administrator asks where the mogwai and the knife are. The Celestial Administrator stops Elle from breaking the runes, but she tells him she must return to Shanghai. The Administrator complains that he is not a taxi, but he sees that he has to take them to Shanghai, so he opens a portal.
Sam was protected by his parents, who were not eager to have him running around again.
Sam, Elle, Hong, Fong, and Riley make it to Shanghai, where Hon says that they will never leave again. However, a window breaks, and an evil mogwai enters. Looking through a hole in their door, they see the evil mogwai causing chaos and hurting people. Hon knocks Riley out as he is about to change the mogwai's name, so Fong tells the children to put him in a trunk and fortify the windows. Sam says they should fortify the back door as well, but Elle says they were not staying since they needed to save their mogwai friend and get out of the city. However, Sam refuses, saying he cannot since he had let him down once before, and everything was his fault. Elle tells him to do better now that they can try again, but Fong says they will stay inside the shop until the danger passes, so Elle leaves.
Sam, Hon, and Fong secure their home with boards that cover the windows so they cannot see outside. Sam peeks outside and sees the mogwai attacking people all over town. Fong comforts him and asks him to get more nails for her. Sam looks at everything he had collected during his adventure and sees a drawing of Gizmo, so he puts on his backpack and heads outside.
Sam is followed by Hon and Fong, who tells him that it is not safe for him to be out there since he would get hurt. However, Sam says that he needs to try to do something. Sam is attacked by mogwai and fights them, effectively proving to his parents that he is not the same Sam that they had known their whole lives.
Elle attacks the mogwai at Madame Claw's, which confuses Claw. She begins to use the knife of creation while Elle walks up to Gizmo, releasing him from his cafe. However, she is pushed into the middle of Madame Claw's, and Claw attacks her. Sam, Fong, and Hon use bright lights to distract Claw and the rest of the mogwai, which allows Elle to grab Gizmo and run with him. Sam walks up to Gizmo and Elle, telling his mogwai friend that he will never leave him again.
Desperate to get Gizmo back, Claw made herself enormous so she could destroy Shanghai to get him back.
Sam tells Elle that they should steal the knife of creation back to turn all the bad mogwai into good ones. Elle says she agrees, so she, Sam, and Gizmo declare they will do it for Nuwa. Sam manages to knock Claw down, but she takes the knife back and uses it to become enormous. She starts attacking everyone as Sam, Gizmo and Elle leave Madame Claw's.
Claw starts destroying everything in her path, as Fong can save Elle from a falling structure. Sam and Hon see this, trying to lift the structure and worrying about Fong.
Fong saved Elle's life when Claw became huge.
Sam, Hon, Elle, and Gizmo uncover Fong, who had saved Elle's life. She is weak but okay, so Elle says that they should go as they are searched for. Elle thanks Fong for saving her life, but the latter mentions that she only did it to become a better person. Sam says they could now move on to step four of his plan, which involved stealing the clay knife.
Gizmo tells Sam that he could be bait for Claw, which he says could work so that they could grab the knife back. Sam mentions that that had happened before, which shocks Hon. Sam says that Nuwa had used the knife to turn them back into good mogwai, but Elle says that Nuwa was a god. However, Sam says they were the only ones who knew what to do. With that said, Sam asks Hon and Fong to return home, as Elle hands them a whistle they could blow if they got into trouble.
Claw holds on to the knife as Sam, Elle, and Gizmo watch her. As they are about to start their plan to get the knife back; however, Claw swallows it. Sam says that he could make a laxative, but Elle suggests tricking her into eating explosives. As they talk, Gizmo leaves and throws himself into Claw's mouth, causing her to choke.
Sam runs across the city looking for Gizmo. However, when he finally reaches his friend, he sees that Riley has his friend in his arms and the knife in his mouth. Elle complains but is told that they could not possibly stop a god.
After getting the knife back, Riley created a portal to Tahiti, which shone a painful bright light for the mogwai.
As Elle and Sam rush towards Riley, he uses the knife to grow his hands back. Gizmo bites him to escape from his hands. As Riley begins to declare himself a god, Claw sneaks up from behind him and grabs him. Riley congratulates her for her boldness, saying he would fulfill her dream of seeing the world, but she refuses, crushing him. However, Riley opens up a portal to Tahiti, which shines a bright light and causes excruciating pain for the mogwai.
Claw lets Riley go as she orders every single one of them to kill Greene. As she begins to melt, she reaches for him, but explodes. Sam and Elle gag as Riley walks up to them, repeating that he is a god. He binds them with rope, and Elle provokes him, but Sam and Riley say it is not a good idea. Elle says he does no good by bragging, but Riley says he would earn respect by using the knife to turn everyone into cockroaches. He says that after destroying Shanghai, the rest of the world would have to respect him.
Riley was killed by the knife when he turned himself into a cockroach.
Elle keeps provoking Riley, saying he was crushing them to death with them, but it might be better for him to say, "Hug me, Daddy." Sam says he could do something wrong if he does not have perfect focus. As Riley tortures them, they keep taunting him. When Riley uses the knife, they keep telling him not to think of turning himself into a cockroach, and Gizmo joins them. Riley spits out the magical pearls he had swallowed with people in them, and he turns into a cockroach, which is killed by the knife falling back to the ground.
Evil mogwai approach Sam, Elle, and Gizmo. Sam wields the knife, and his friends give him a look of confidence. Sam concentrates and uses the knife, which sends out a big shockwave, turning all the evil mogwai into their normal selves.
After Riley's death, Sam's grandfather came back.
In front of Sam, a pearl reveals Sam's grandfather, who hugs Sam. All of the other pearls begin to show more people that Greene had swallowed, including Nuwa and Greene's personal chef. Sam tells his grandfather about everything that has happened, which makes him sad since he cannot see everything with him.
Nuwa says that the most difficult part would be gathering all the mogwai, who are led by Sam and Elle, to the Valley of Jade once again. The celestial administrator shows up, saying that the city has been destroyed, and he walks into the portal, followed by Nuwa. Sam asks his grandfather if he wants to go to the Valley of Jade like he has wanted to his whole life, but he is told that he has had enough adventure being pearled up.
Gizmo was allowed to return to Sam and his family by Nuwa.
Nuwa says goodbye to Sam, calling for Gizmo, who says goodbye to Elle. Sam approaches Gizmo and mentions that they could return to their normal lives, even though he would miss their adventures. As Gizmo approaches the portal, he turns around one last time and says goodbye sadly. Nuwa asks Gizmo if he does not want to leave Shanghai and allows him to return to Sam, saying that she would trust humanity again and would not be returning if it did not go well.
At the Wing Family Medicine shop, Sam and Elle work as Hon and Fong mention that they would probably end up working for the children someday. Gizmo watches happily as Sam's grandfather asks who could help him with deliveries.
Gremlins: The Wild Batch[]
Eleven months after the adventures from season 1, Gizmo begins to display disruptive behavior; his eyes glow red, and his personality shifts from that of the usually friendly Mogwai to that of a newly spawned naughty Mogwai. Around the same time, Elle begins to get visions of her mother Margot, who begs Elle to find her in America. One night, during one of his evil spells, Gizmo escapes from the shop and wanders around Shanghai. Sam, his parents, and Elle barely keep Gizmo from eating after midnight. Sam ultimately catches Gizmo with Elle's help, after which he wakes up. Back in the Wing Family house, Sam expresses his concerns regarding Gizmo's new behavior, but Gizmo himself has no idea what is happening to him. Sam would like to investigate further, and both Elle and Grandpa are willing to help, but Sam's parents disagree as they have not forgotten the last adventure Sam got dragged into. Sam agrees to deliver medicines instead, much to Elle's chagrin. As they make their deliveries, the two kids overhear a sailor that the same "mutant Komodo dragons" that wrecked Shanghai have been seen in San Francisco. Realizing that there are still Gremlins out there, Sam and Elle plan to go on another journey. Sam wants to seek Nuwa's help in the Valley of Jade, and Grandpa offers to show the kids a secret door beneath Shanghai to the Bagua room.
Sam and Elle in Alcatraz.
After making their way to the tunnels under the city, where they must get past the ice dragon Little Little, the kids and Grandpa reach the Bagua room. The Celestial Administrator refuses to send them to the Valley of Jade. However, when he learns there are Gremlins in San Francisco, he offers to solve this problem himself. His solution, however, is to open a portal to an active volcano above the city and burn the city to cinders. Sam protests that this will kill the people there, too, but the Administrator waves away his concerns, stating that San Francisco is on borrowed time anyway, considering it's built on top of fault lines. He begins by opening a portal to San Francisco, but before he can execute his plan, Grandpa Wing opens the door to the Ice Dragons' lair again and lets Little Little in. The Celestial Administrator is thus forced to fight off the giant Ice Dragon. With the Celestial Administrator distracted, Grandpa pushes Sam, Elle, and Gizmo through the portal to San Francisco.
Sam moves the fog towards Alcatraz.
The three end up in the prison island Alcatraz, where the Warden has them imprisoned so he can take Gizmo for himself. In the prison, they meet another inmate, Chang. Sam sees in Chang a potential ally, and after Elle gets their cell door open with her hairpin, Sam offers Chang the chance to join them, telling him San Francisco is in danger. Chang has a hard time believing this. Elle wants to hurry along, so Sam gives Chang the hairpin so he can free himself. As Sam and Elle go to retrieve Gizmo and Sam's adventure box, they learn the secret of Alcatraz; the guards are all undead immortals. Fortunately, Chang comes to their aid, and with his help, they rescue Gizmo, who has spawned two new Mogwai by now. The group goes outside, where Chang claims they need to get past the wall. To make the escape easier, Sam uses one of Grandpa Wings' magic gadgets, a tornado in a jar, to move the fog currently covering the city to Alcatraz, covering the whole island in a thick fog. The group uses this fog to elude the guards and make it to the shore, where Chang instructs them to jump into the ocean at exactly the right moment. The reason for this, it turns out, is because, at that very moment, a boat was passing by, and Chang had bribed the captain with some of his smuggled liquor. The boat brings the group to the shore. There, Elle notices the building she saw in her dreams. She finally admits to Sam that she has been dreaming about her mom, and Sam believes her since prophetic dreams are the least weird thing that has happened to them.
Sam as the Kid in the Hat.
Elle goes off to find her mother, while Chang takes Sam to Chinatown. They learn Gremlins are running the place there, with Noggin as their leader. Chang believes Noggin killed his father and swears revenge. When Gremlins attack the restaurant, Sam and Chang fight them off with fire, but Gizmo is taken captive and brought to Noggin. To get Gizmo back, Sam uses a spell his grandfather taught him to track down other magical creatures in Chinatown. They thus find a disgruntled Guardian Lion. To convince the lion to help them, Sam, with Chang's help, claims to be a monster helper named the Kid in the Hat.
The Lion takes Sam, Elle, and Chang to the headquarters of the Chinatown Benevolent Society, where he is reunited with his sister. The two lions get into a fight because the Lion thinks his sister betrayed him years ago, but Sam breaks up the fight and helps the Lioness clear up the misunderstanding. Together, they break into the building and free Gizmo. While the lions hold off, the Gremlins, Sam, Chang, Gizmo, and Elle flee into the old smuggler's tunnels. Too late do they find out Noggin had all the tunnels sealed off. The group is chased into a dead end by Noggin's human mooks, but is saved by Margot, who is revealed to have water-manipulating powers. Thanks to Margot, the group escapes from the tunnels. Chang takes the kids and Gizmo to a secret bar under a laundry, where he tries to rally the people of Chinatown to fight back against the Gremlins. Nobody is interested, however, since Chang has a reputation of only helping people for his own gain. Disillusioned, Chang gives up on Chinatown and retreats to his late father's restaurant.
The group sets off to find Kung Kung.
Things look bleak, but Sam is unwilling to give up and convinces Elle and Gizmo to do the same. Sam and Elle confront Noggin and pretend to hand over Gizmo, but when Noggin looks in the box, he finds it empty. That is when Gizmo shows up, driving a streetcar. Elle and Sam hop on board and begin to shoot fireworks at the Gremlins to drive them out of the city. The people of Chinatown see them and join the kids by also setting off fireworks or turning on the lights in the buildings. Even Chang comes around when he sees the plan is succeeding. With the help of the people of Chinatown, Sam, Elle, and Gizmo drive all the Gremlins to the harbor, where Sam hopes they will board the boat back to Shanghai. However, noggin is unwilling to leave Chinatown and instead orders the Gremlins to regroup in a fortune cookie factory. This becomes their undoing when it turns out the factory also makes fireworks, and with their antics, the Gremlins end up lighting up these fireworks. The entire factory explodes, seemingly killing all the Gremlins inside. Sam is hailed as a hero by the people of Chinatown.
After this, Sam and Elle learn from Margot that she is no longer human but a water spirit in the service of Kung Kung. She asks Elle to find Kung Kung's prison and free him so he can restore Margot's humanity. Elle, Sam, Chang and Gizmo thus set out on a roadtrip to find Kung Kung. When Sam's parents arrive in the United States to find their son, they learn of Sam's attempt. This causes alarm in Grandpa Wing, who states that Sam and the others are in danger.
Intervening years[]
In the years between the events of the animated series and the first movie, Sam Wing eventually moved to New York City, taking Gizmo with him. In New York, he started an antique shop, thus choosing a career path different from that of his parents. He also started a family, becoming a father and eventually grandfather.
Gremlins[]
Mr. Wing's shop was visited by inventor Rand Peltzer, who was taken with Gizmo and offered to buy him from Mr. Wing as a gift for his son Billy Peltzer. However, Sam adamantly refused, believing that Peltzer was not ready for the responsibility of caring for a Mogwai. His grandson, however, decided to sell Gizmo to Rand Peltzer without his grandfather's knowledge, though his grandson also stressed the rules of keeping him away from bright lights and water, and to never feed him after midnight.
Mr. Wing's concerns proved justified, as the Peltzer's keeping Gizmo would lead to an army of gremlins wrecking their home town of Kingston Falls. Mr. Wing returned soon after to take back Gizmo. Mr. Wing scolded the family for not following the rules, though he suggested that they would be ready some day. A remorseful Rand gave Mr. Wing a Smokeless Ash Tray he had invented as an apology, which Mr. Wing accepted graciously before leaving with Gizmo.
Gremlins 2: The New Batch[]
By 1990, much of the real estate in the neighborhood of Mr. Wing's shop had been bought up by businessman and media mogul Daniel Clamp to make way for his new Clamp Chinatown Center. Mr. Wing refused numerous offers to sell his shop, eventually becoming the last holdout. Mr. Clamp even made a recorded message directly to Mr. Wing, shown on a television that his representative Frank Forster provided, offering him a shop in the new facility.
Ultimately, Mr. Wing still refused, and Forster left, leaving the TV behind. Gizmo switched the TV to the film Rambo: First Blood, Part II, though Mr. Wing quickly turned it off and dismissed the TV as "invention for fools".
By this point, however, Mr. Wing's health was failing which was something Forster had noticed and concluded they could simply wait him out. Indeed, within six weeks, Mr. Wing had passed away and left Gizmo to mourn him, wearing a black arm band. With Mr. Wing gone, his shop was promptly demolished, with Gizmo only narrowly escaping.
After later being reunited with Billy, he noticed Gizmo's armband and guess that Mr. Wing had passed away.
Afterward, Billy becomes Gizmo's new caretaker, Succeeding Mr. Wing.
Relationships[]
In 1920, Sam lived with his parents and grandfather. He was an only child.
In 1984 he has a grandson, proving that at some point he must have gotten married and sired at least one child. It is unknown if he was the boy's maternal or paternal grandfather.
Trivia[]
- Mr. Wing was played by Keye Luke. When Luke realized that his character (Mr. Wing) will die in the second film, he said, "Remember, in Gremlins 3, I'm a flashback!" Although Luke himself died only months after the film's release, a younger Mr Wing would indeed be featured in the film's follow-up Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai
- His name is never mentioned in the first film and he was only referred to as "Grandfather". However, his last name, Mr. Wing was mentioned in the second film, and his first name is revealed in the animated series.
- Gizmo was wearing a red and black wristband on his arm between after the first film and the start of the second film until Mohawk ripped it off. It is most likely Mr. Wing who put the red wristband on Gizmo's arm.
- He regularly keeps Gizmo locked in a cage. However, after he died, Gizmo is seen with the cage doors open, possibly meaning he let Gizmo free before dying.
- Mr. Wing was originally named Mr. Wong.
- During this point in development, Mr. Wing's musical theme was also originally going to be played by traditional Chinese gongs, but this idea was scrapped early in development, due to being racially insensitive.
- Additionally, the musical theme was criticized for its length, which was lambasted for ruining the film's pacing.
- Mr. Wing makes an appearance in Gremlins 2 video game, where he aids the player with four different items, at the price of crystal balls, one or two crystal orbs that are released and collectible after defeating a stage enemy. Gizmo is a customer to Mr. Wing in the video game, while in the movies, he is a non-purchasable creature who lives in Mr. Wing's store.
- Balloon - Saves Gizmo from falling down a pit (for one use).
- Life - Completely refills Gizmo's life energy.
- Heart - Completely refills Gizmo's life energy and grants him an extra hit.
- Hammer and Sickle - Allows Gizmo to seize the means of production.
- Chinese Gong - Allows Gizmo to utilize the "Power of the Orient" power-up (single-use).
- Gizmo Clone - Grants an extra life after death. (Basically grants him 3 extra hits.)
- Power Pak - Powers up Gizmo's current weapon:
- Tomato - Can't be powered up.
- Match - Gizmos tosses out two more shots to his left and right.
- Paperclip - Gizmo throws two more paperclips to his diagonal left and right.
- Bow and Arrow - Gizmo fires four extra arrows, two to his diagonal left and right.
- Bow and Fire-Headed Arrow - The flaming pencil explodes in a 5-shot spiral.
- According to Secrets of the Mogwai supervising producer Dan Krell, Wing was 70 years old in the first Gremlins film.[3] This statement however contradicts with the fact that the movie is set in 1984 while "Secrets of the Mogwai" is set in 1920, which is a 64 year gap rather than 60.
References[]
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