Leinil Francis Yu is a Filipino comic book artist born on July 31, 1977, who has become a significant figure in the American comic book industry. His career began in the mid-1990s after he won the Wizard's Drawing Board Contest, which led to initial work for Wildstorm Productions. In 1997, through the assistance of fellow Filipino artist Whilce Portacio, Yu was hired by Marvel Comics to work on the series Wolverine, marking his major entry into the professional mainstream market. Following his successful run on Wolverine, Yu became a prominent artist for Marvel, working on core titles such as X-Men, New Avengers, and the event series Secret Invasion. He has also worked extensively for DC Comics, most notably on the Superman: Birthright series with writer Mark Waid. Beyond comics, his skills as a conceptual artist have been utilized in other media, including the 2005 film Serenity directed by Joss Whedon.

Yu is best known for his dynamic and detailed penciling style, frequently collaborating with inker Gerry Alanguilan. His body of work includes numerous high-profile projects with top-tier writers, including a long-running collaboration with Mark Millar. Together, Millar and Yu co-created the graphic novel Supercrooks, published as a four-issue miniseries in 2012 under Marvel's Icon imprint. This original story, which follows a crew of small-time super-powered villains attempting one last heist in Spain, serves as a prime example of Yu's work as a co-creator of original intellectual property.

The graphic novel Supercrooks was subsequently adapted into an anime television series of the same name, released globally on Netflix in November 2021. The 13-episode series was produced by the acclaimed Japanese animation studio Bones, with Motonobu Hori serving as director. In the production of the Super Crooks anime, Leinil Yu was not a voice actor but was credited in key creative roles directly related to his original work. He is officially listed as the co-creator of the source material alongside Mark Millar. Furthermore, Yu served as the character design supervisor for the series, with Takashi Mitani adapting his original character drafts into the final animation designs.

Beyond Supercrooks, Yu has been the co-creator of several other notable works and characters. He co-created the series High Roads with writer Scott Lobdell and Silent Dragon with Andy Diggle. His artistic identity is characterized by a highly detailed, realistic style that effectively conveys action and emotion, making him a sought-after artist for major superhero event comics. In 2019, he made a significant contribution to representation in comics by creating the first Filipino superhero for Marvel Comics, a character named Wave, who first appeared in War of the Realms: New Agents of Atlas. His significance to the industry is underscored by his involvement in a 2011 Guinness World Record-setting event in London, where he and over 60 other creators produced a complete comic book in under twelve hours.