| Kid Eternity | |
|---|---|
 The various incarnations of Christoper "Kit" Freeman as Kid Eternity. Art by Rafael Del Latorre. Colors by Luis Guerrero. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Quality Comics DC Comics |
| First appearance | Chistopher Freeman Hit Comics #25 (December, 1942) Kid Eternity II JSA (vol. 2) #3 (January, 2025) |
| Created by | Christopher Freeman Otto Binder (writer) Sheldon Moldoff (artist) Kid Eternity II Jeff Lemire (writer) Diego Olortegui (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Full name | Christopher "Kit" Freeman(I) Unrevealed(II) |
| Species | Ghost |
| Place of origin | Kit Freeman England New York City(current) |
| Team affiliations | Lords of Chaos and Order |
| Partnerships | Mister Keeper Marvel Family |
| Supporting character of | Shazam Teen Titans |
| Abilities |
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Kid Eternity is the name of severalsuperheroes published by originallyQuality Comics and thenDC Comics. The character debuted in Quality Comic'sHit Comics #25 (December, 1942), written byOtto Binder and drawn bySheldon Moldoff. In the 1980s, Kid Eternity was folded into theShazam! series. Kid Eternity was rebooted in 1991 byGrant Morrison with a new focus and backstory, appearing sporadically since then and became associated with theTeen Titans. A new, female version debuted inJSA (vol. 2) #3, written by Jeff Lemire and illustrated by Diego Olortegui.
The first version of Kid Eternity isChristopher "Kit" Freeman, a teenager whose death in the 1940s was considered too soon due a to a supernatural mishap. The supernatural entity, Mr. Keeper, would rectify this bringing him to life as a superhero upholding good in the world while bestowing the power to summoning mythological or historical figures by saying "Eternity" and granting him ghost-like powers.[1] Subjected to various revisions, the character, is retroactively connected as an agent of theLords of Chaos. Following the New 52 reboot, he is instead a youngcoroner able to resurrect the dead.[2] The second Kid Eternity is an unrevealed, teenage ghost girl whom happens uponHawkman while the JSA battles the Injustice Society and helps the hero while learning of her origins. This version is alternatively an agent for theLords of Order.
Prior to issue #25,Hit Comics had a series of rotating cover features, includingHercules, theRed Bee, Stormy Foster andNeon the Unknown. However, December 1942 saw the entire line-up of comics at Quality change their features (if not always the cover feature). Kid Eternity was brought in from the start as the new cover feature forHit.[3] The character may have been based on the 1941 filmHere Comes Mr. Jordan, in which a prizefighter dies too soon in a plane crash and is given a new life by a celestial guide.[4] Kid Eternity received a self-titled solo series in spring 1946.[5] Hisantagonists, Her Highness and Silk were given their own strip inHit Comics #29 through #57. By the late 1940s, however, Quality Comics was experiencing the post-war bust that mostsuperhero comics were. In November 1949, Kid Eternity's self-titled magazine was discontinued and his lead slot inHit Comics was given to Jeb Rivers, a riverboat captain.
In 1991,DC Comics'Vertigo line debuted a three-issue self-titled mini-series, written byGrant Morrison and illustrated byDuncan Fegredo, in which Kid Eternity must free Mr. Keeper from Hell.
Kid Eternity was originally a nameless boy (who remembered being called only "Kid" by his "Gran'pa") who was killed when aU-boat sank his grandfather's fishing boat duringWorld War II. Due to a supernatural mix-up however, he was killed 75 years too soon. To rectify the error, the Kid is brought back to life for another 75 years with the mission of upholding good in the world.[6] He is given the power to summon any good historical or mythological figure or animal by saying the word "Eternity" as well as to use the same word to make himself intangible and invisible. Kid Eternity is assisted on his duties by the clerk who had made the error, Mr. Keeper. He is sometimes shown summoning fictional figures, likeJean Valjean or theThree Witches. According toJess Nevins' Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes, "with the help of people likeSir Launcelot,Merlin andHercules, [Kid Eternity] fights against crime, evil, the Germans, the super-strong Mr. Puny, Master Man (Satan's personal servant, who can summon history's greatest villains), and Dr. Pain, the master of agony".[1]
Following DC's acquiring the character and later revived his title in the 1980s, the character was made a sibling ofCaptain Marvel Jr. (Freddy Freeman) with a similar background. Upon the death of their parents, both would be raised by their separate grandfathers. While Freddy lived with their paternal grandfather Jacob Freeman, Kitt is given to their maternal grandfather Daniel Troop, a merchant captain who's best friends with the ship's owner. Few years later during World War II, Kit and Daniel are attacked by a German U-bot and their ship is sunk, killing them in the process. When their bodies were washed ashore, Daniel's cause of death is blood loss but Kit's death was notably unusual due to his healthy appearance. While Daniel is let into the afterlife, theWizard Shazam prevents Kit and alerts Mister Keeper, who learns Freddy was originally fated to be killed and Kit was to live to be over 75. Unable to be sent back to the living, Mister Keeper instead empowers him as a superhero and occasionally, he assists the Marvel Family while keeping his brotherhood a secret from Freddy, a fact he eventually learns alongside the Marvel Family.[7]
In post-Crisis continuity, Kid Eternity is a servant of theLords of Chaos, who manipulated him into serving them. Furthermore, the entities he summons are demons who assume the form of the figures he desires.[8] InJSA, Kid Eternity is killed byMordru.[9] He later returns,[10] but is killed by theCalculator.[11][12][13]
In 2011, "The New 52" rebooted the DC universe. Kid Eternity is a police coroner who can resurrect the dead.[2]
In the "DC All In" initiative, there is a ghostly girl calling herself Kid Eternity. She encountersHawkman in Hell after he is captured byWotan and theDemons Three. She helps to free Hawkman and reunites him withHawkgirl as they work to avoid the demons. Kid Eternity enters the afterlife and encountersWildcat, who was recently killed byLady Eve. She follows him into the afterlife where Wildcat and fellowJSA membersAtom,Doctor Fate (Kent Nelson),Doctor Mid-Nite,Hourman, andSandman tell her that the JSA is in danger and that they will need her help.[14]
As the deceased JSA members tell Kid Eternity that the JSA needs her help, Mister Keeper appears and explains to Kid Eternity that there were many people who went by the name of Kid Eternity and she is the most important incarnation right now. Kid Eternity does not know who she was prior to assuming the mantle and has brief memories of her mother. Mister Keeper states that he cannot give Kid Eternity answers until she fulfills her duties. Doctor Fate gives Kid Eternity the ability to harness the powers of the dead JSA members, which she uses to save Hawkman and Hawkgirl fromGentleman Ghost,Solomon Grundy, and theDemons Three.[15] Then Kid Eternity, Hawkman, and Hawkgirl save the JSA fromInjustice Society members Wotan,Johnny Sorrow,Fog, Lady Eve,Red Lantern, andShadow Thief by driving them off with Doctor Fate's magic. Afterwards, Kid Eternity accompanies the JSA in confronting the Injustice Society as the summon the Unnamed Ones from the Subtle Realms.[16] Kid Eternity givesDoctor Fate (Khalid Nassour) the information necessary to vanquish the Unnamed Ones and later officially joins the JSA. She is called into the afterlife by a chained-upSpectre, who is in need of her service. The Spectre bonds with Kid Eternity, who states that "vengeance is coming".[17]
While empowered by Mister Keeper and able to use power by saying the term "Eternity", Kid Eternity can travel to and from Earth, possess ghostly powers such as intangibility and invisibility, time travel, and can call upon the spirit of the deceased, especially those originating of historical or mythological prominence, to advise him.[7][18]
Kid Eternity II has ghost-based abilities and can sense when someone has died. She later gains the ability to channel the powers of the deceased JSA members like Doctor Fate's magic and Johnny Quick's super-speed.
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