| Karate Kid | |
|---|---|
 Karate Kid as depicted inCountdown to Final Crisis #45 (June 2007). Art byEd Benes. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Adventure Comics #346 (July 1966) |
| Created by | Jim Shooter (writer and artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Val Armorr |
| Species | Human |
| Place of origin | Earth (31st century) |
| Team affiliations | Legion of Super-Heroes Justice League |
| Abilities | Master of everymartial art up to the 31st century across the galaxy Peak human physical condition Able to sense weak spots in objects Resistance to mind control |
Karate Kid (Val Armorr) is asuperhero appearing in theDC Comics universe, primarily as a member of theLegion of Super-Heroes. He is a master of every form ofmartial arts to have been developed by the 31st century.[1] The extent of his skill is so great that he can severely damage various types of hard material with a single blow and was briefly able to hold his own againstSuperboy through what he called "Super Karate".
Karate Kid has made limited appearances in other media, primarily in association with the Legion. He is voiced byKeith Ferguson inLegion of Super Heroes (2006) andDante Basco inJLA Adventures: Trapped in Time.
Karate Kid first appeared inAdventure Comics #346 (July 1966) and was created byJim Shooter.[2] The character appeared in Shooter's first published story, along with other new members of theLegion of Super-Heroes:Princess Projectra,Ferro Lad, andNemesis Kid.[3]
The pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths Karate Kid was featured in a 15-issue ongoing series, cover dated March/April 1976 through July/August 1978. It was written primarily byBarry Jameson andBob Rozakis, with pencils byRic Estrada and Juan Ortiz.[4] In the series, Karate Kid attempts to prove to King Voxv ofOrando that he is worthy of marrying Princess Projectra. While in the past, he befriends schoolteacher Iris Jacobs and encounters teen heroesSuperboy andRobin. He battles numerous villains, including Nemesis Kid,Major Disaster, and theLord of Time. Eventually, he returns to the 30th century to assist the Legion during "Earthwar".[5] Val made one final trip to the 20th century in 1982, to say good bye to the friends he had made there and to inform Iris Jacobs, the closest thing he had to a 20th-century girl friend, that he was going to marry Princess Projectra. She did not take the news well. Nemesis Kid,who joined the Legion at the same time Val did and was revealed as a traitor, became Val's archenemy.
Val Armorr is the son of Japanese crime lord Kirau Nezumi, also known as Black Dragon. When he was born, his mother, American secret agent Valentina Armorr, tried to hide him from his father, but she failed and was killed for her effort. Japan's greatest hero, Sensei (White Crane), killed Black Dragon for his crimes and adopted the infant Val. He raised Val as if he were his own son, and trained him in all manner of the martial arts. Val became the youngest warrior ever to earn the titleSamurai, and he went to work for his local shogun. However, after trying his best and failing to please his supervisor, he quit and searched the galaxy for new forms of battle to master.
When Val returns to Earth, he learns that the Legion of Super-Heroes are searching for new recruits to battle theKhund. Despite lacking powers, he is accepted into the Legion after challengingSuperboy to single combat and impressing him with his skill. As Karate Kid, Val becomes the leader of the Legion for one term.[a]
Val falls in love withPrincess Projectra and spends one year in the 20th century to prove that he is worthy to marry her.[6] He returns to the 31st century to find that Projectra's father has died, with her cousin Pharoxx becoming king ofOrando. After Projectra defeats Pharoxx, Val becomes her consort and resigns from the Legion.
Val and Projectra return from their honeymoon and learn that Orando has been taken over by theLegion of Super-Villains. Nemesis Kid mortally wounds Val, who prevents the Legion of Super-Villains from transporting Orando to another dimension before dying.[7] Following his death, Val is succeeded as Karate Kid byMyg, a judge from the planet Lythyl.[8][9]
During the "Five Years Later" storyline following the Magic Wars, Earth falls under the control of theDominators and leaves theUnited Planets. A few years later, the members of the Dominators' classified "Batch SW6" - temporal clones of the Legionnaires - escape captivity. The SW6 incarnation of Karate Kid is killed in battle with the Dominators.[10]
In 1994, the Legion of Super-Heroes was rebooted following theZero Hour: Crisis in Time! event, resurrecting the original Karate Kid in the process. Karate Kid joined Leland McCauley'sWorkforce to have the opportunity to travel to different planets and learn new disciplines, despite knowing that McCauley's values were far different from his own. He was able to live with those differences until McCauley attempted to profit from an anomaly in space which, to Val, represented something purely beautiful, like divine creation. Unable to reconcile his employment with his conscience any longer, he destroyed McCauley's anomaly-tapping machine and fled, and McCauley's men chased him, almost killing him. He asked for the Legion's protection, and they provided it, and, in a deal they worked out with McCauley, McCauley renounced any claim against Val, and Karate Kid became a Legionnaire.
In 2005, Legion history was rebooted for a second time, with this third continuity being referred to as the "Threeboot".[11] This version of Karate Kid is a combat instructor for the Legion. Although initially drawn toShadow Lass, who possesses a similar warrior spirit, after he and Shadow Lass broke up, he harbored a one-sided infatuation withPhantom Girl.
In "The Lightning Saga" event, the villainTrident is revealed to be Val Armorr from the pre-Crisis Legion. In issue #8, he battlesBlack Lightning andBatman in theBatcave. As Batman interrogates him, Karate Kid identifies himself as "Wes Holloway, a member of the Trident Guild".[12] When the other Legionnaires return to their own time, Val remains in the 21st century.[13]
InCountdown to Final Crisis, Karate Kid andLuornu Durgo, now known as "Una", visitBarbara Gordon, where it revealed that Val is dying. They are sent to seeElias Orr, who declares that he has the answers they seek.[14]Brother Eye scans Val, informing him that he is infected with theMorticoccus virus, and directs the group toBlüdhaven. Brother Eye later assimilates Una, who mortally wounds Karate Kid.[15] AsDubbilex examines Karate Kid's corpse, theMorticoccus is released and spreads into the air.[16]
Karate Kid is resurrected in the 2010Legion of Super-Heroes series. He is seen with his wife Princess Projectra on their way to help the Legion against theFatal Five.[17]
Due to an intense regime and training from a young age, Val is a virtual master of either most or all forms of martial arts and hand-to-hand combat in the galaxy by the 31st Century, making him a "living weapon" and specializes in a self-made style dubbed "Super Karate".[18][19]He can sense the weakest spot in an object and damage durable materials such as metal and stone with a single blow. His discipline gives him resistance to mind control and prevents him from feeling pain.
As a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes, Karate Kid is provided a Legion Flight Ring, which allows him to fly and protects him from the vacuum of space and other dangerous environments. He has an extensive collection of weapons, but seldom uses them in combat.
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