Karate Kid (Val Armorr) is a

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

appearing in the

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

universe, primarily as a member of the

Legion of Super-Heroes The Legion of Super-Heroes is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino, the Legion is a group of superpowered beings living in the 30th and 31st centuries of t ...

. He is a master of every form of

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...

to have been developed by the 31st century. 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 against

Superboy Superboy is an identity used by several fictional superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. These characters have been featured in several eponymous comic series, in addition to ''Adventure Comics'' and other series ...

through what he called "Super Karate". Karate Kid has made limited appearances in other media, primarily in association with the Legion. He is voiced by Keith Ferguson in '' Legion of Super Heroes'' (2006) and Dante Basco in '' JLA Adventures: Trapped in Time''.

Publication history

Karate Kid first appeared in ''Adventure Comics'' #346 (July 1966) and was created by

Jim Shooter James Shooter (born September 27, 1951) is an American writer, editor, and publisher in the comics industry. Beginning his career writing for DC Comics at the age of 14, he had a successful but controversial run as editor-in-chief at Marvel Comic ...

. The character appeared in Shooter's first published story, along with other new members of the

Princess Projectra Princess Projectra (later Sensor Girl) is a fictional character, a Superhero#Female superheroes, superheroine in the DC Comics DC Universe, universe. Typically portrayed as a haughty member of an alien royal family, she is from the 30th and 31st ...

, Ferro Lad, and

Nemesis Kid Nemesis Kid (Hart Druiter) is a supervillain in the DC Comics universe. He originates from the planet Myar in the 31st century and is an enemy of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Publication history Nemesis Kid was created by Jim Shooter, and first ...

Fictional character biography

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 Toshiaki (White Crane) kills Black Dragon for his crimes, adopts Val, and trains him in martial arts. Following an unsuccessful attempt to impress Toshiaki, Val leaves him and searches the galaxy for new forms of battle to master.

Legion of Super-Heroes

When Val returns to Earth, he applies to join the Legion of Super-Heroes, who are searching for recruits to battle the Khunds. Despite lacking powers, he joins the Legion after defeating Superboy in one-on-one combat. He later becomes the Legion's leader for one term and falls in love with

. Karate Kid is later killed in battle with

and succeeded by Myg. Furthermore, a temporal clone of Karate Kid from "Batch SW6" is introduced in the "Five Years Later" arc.

1994 reboot

Karate Kid is resurrected following '' Zero Hour: Crisis in Time!'', which reboots the Legion's continuity. He joins Leland McCauley's

Workforce In macroeconomics, the workforce or labour force is the sum of people either working (i.e., the employed) or looking for work (i.e., the unemployed): \text = \text + \text Those neither working in the marketplace nor looking for work are out ...

before leaving them and joining the Legion. After the Legion's universe is destroyed, Karate Kid is among the Legionnaires who travel the

multiverse The multiverse is the hypothetical set of all universes. Together, these universes are presumed to comprise everything that exists: the entirety of space, time, matter, energy, information, and the physical laws and constants that describ ...

to find survivors from other universes. In the "

Threeboot The Legion of Super-Heroes is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino, the Legion is a group of superpowered beings living in the 30th and 31st centuries of t ...

", Karate Kid is a combat trainer for other Legion members.

One Year Later and Countdown

In ''

One Year Later "One Year Later" is a 2006 comic book storyline running through the books published by DC Comics. As the title suggests, it involves a narrative jump exactly one year into the future of the DC Universe following the events of the "Infinite Crisi ...

'' and ''

Countdown to Final Crisis ''Countdown'', also known as ''Countdown to Final Crisis'' for its last 24 issues based on the cover, was a comic book Limited series (comics), limited series published by DC Comics. It debuted on May 9, 2007, directly following the conclusion of ...

'', the pre-''Zero Hour'' Karate Kid resurfaces and is brainwashed into believing that he is the villain

Trident A trident (), () is a three- pronged spear. It is used for spear fishing and historically as a polearm. As compared to an ordinary spear, the three tines increase the chance that a fish will be struck and decrease the chance that a fish will b ...

.''Justice League of America'' vol. 2, #10 (August 2007) After being freed from mind control, Karate Kid stays in the 21st century with Una before being killed by the ''Morticoccus'' virus. Karate Kid is later resurrected and rejoins the Legion.

Solo series

The pre-''

Crisis on Infinite Earths ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' is a 1985 to 1986 American comic book fictional crossover, crossover series published by DC Comics. Written by Marv Wolfman and penciller, pencilled by George Pérez, it was first released as a 12-issue limited ser ...

'' Karate Kid was featured in a 15-issue ongoing series, cover dated March/April 1976 through July/August 1978. It was written primarily by Barry Jameson and

Bob Rozakis Robert "Bob" Rozakis (; born April 4, 1951) is an American comic book writer and editor known mainly for his work in the 1970s and 1980s at DC Comics, as the writer of '' 'Mazing Man'' and in his capacity as DC's "Answer Man". Career Bob Rozakis ...

, with pencils by

Ric Estrada Ric Estrada (February 26, 1928 – May 1, 2009) was a Cuban Americans, Cuban-American comics artist who worked for companies including the major American publisher DC Comics. He also worked in comic strips, political cartoons, advertising, story ...

and Juan Ortiz. In the series, Karate Kid attempts to prove to King Voxv of Orando that he is worthy of marrying Princess Projectra. While in the past, he befriends schoolteacher Iris Jacobs and encounters teen heroes

and Robin. He battles numerous villains, including Nemesis Kid, Major Disaster, and the Lord of Time. Eventually, he returns to the 30th century to assist the Legion during "

Earthwar "Earthwar" is a comic book story arc that was published by American company DC Comics, presented in ''Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes'' #241-245 (July–November 1978). It was written by Paul Levitz, pencilled by James Sherman and Joe St ...

Powers and abilities

Karate Kid is a master in every documented form of martial arts. He can sense the weakest spot in an object and damage durable materials such as metal and stone with a single blow. Furthermore, Karate Kid's 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.

In other media

* For the unrelated 1984 film ''

The Karate Kid ''The Karate Kid'' is a 1984 American martial arts drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by Robert Mark Kamen. It is the first film in ''The Karate Kid'' franchise. The film stars Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue, an ...

'' the filmmakers received special permission from DC Comics to use the title for the film (and its subsequent sequels). * Karate Kid appears in '' Legion of Super Heroes'', voiced by Keith Ferguson. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. * Karate Kid appears in '' JLA Adventures: Trapped in Time'', voiced by Dante Basco. This version possesses ki-based attacks. * Karate Kid appears as a character summon in '' Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure''.

Notes

References

External links

A Hero History of Karate Kid

Karate Kid vs... Gallery
{{Superman characters 1976 comics debuts Characters created by Jim Shooter Comics characters introduced in 1966 DC Comics martial artists DC Comics titles Fictional Japanese people Fictional karateka Fictional samurai Legion of Super-Heroes members Superheroes who are adopted