Comics character
Kung, the Assassin of a Thousand Claws
is a fictional character appearing in
DC Comics
publications and related media, commonly as a recurring foil of the superhero
Wonder Woman
.
[1]
A Japanese-American mercenary with the magical ability to transform into animals, he first appeared in 1977's
Wonder Woman
#237,
[2]
written by
Gerry Conway
and illustrated by
Jose Delbo
. He would reappear several years later in both
All-Star Squadron
and
Who's Who in the DC Universe
, as well as in
Crisis on Infinite Earths
, the 1985 company-wide publication event that rebooted DC Comics' continuity. After the
Crisis on Infinite Earths
, Wonder Woman and her supporting characters and foes were re-imagined. Though originally absent from this revised mythos, Kung was reintroduced for the
Modern Age
in 1998's
Guns of the Dragon
, a four-issue DC Comics limited series by
Tim Truman
. An updated version of the character, a shape-shifting martial arts master, would emerge to once again confront Wonder Woman in 2007's
Wonder Woman
(vol. 3) Annual #1, written by
Allan Heinberg
and illustrated by
Terry Dodson
and
Rachel Dodson
.
Fictional character biography
[
edit
]
Thomas Morita
[
edit
]
The early life of Thomas Morita was fraught with difficulty. His parents immigrated to the
United States
from
Japan
before the
Great Depression
. During the Depression, his father was unable to find work and eventually died. His mother died soon afterward, leaving only Thomas and his sister, Nancy. Morita traveled to his parents' homeland to train as a
samurai
and learning of the
Japanese-American internment
only further fueled his hatred of America. At some point during his training, he underwent some unexplained mystical process that imbued him with the power to transform into
animals
.
Kung undertook his first assignment on December 30, 1941, to kill
Prime Minister
Winston Churchill
on his way to
Washington, D.C.
, but is stopped by the hero
Steel
.
[3]
On March 4, 1942, Kung is hired by the mysterious Prince Daka to team up with
Tsunami
and Sumo the Samurai, to infiltrate the
All-Star Squadron's
headquarters and steal
Starman's
gravity rod. This theft is thwarted by the
Guardian
and Kung escapes with Prince Daka.
[4]
In 1943, Kung is assigned to kill
General
Douglas MacArthur
in Washington, D.C. Wonder Woman foils the assassination attempt, but Kung escapes to his sister's home in
New York
's
Chinatown
. Kung tries again to assassinate MacArthur at the
Brooklyn Navy Yard
, but is himself apparently killed while saving his sister from the weight of a teetering
battleship
whose
drydock
supports had been washed away.
[5]
Sometime prior to his death, Kung is brought aboard the
Monitor
's satellite by
Harbinger
as part of a combined effort to save the remaining
Earths
from the
Anti-Monitor
.
[6]
He is later recruited by
Brainiac
as part of his massive
supervillain
army to conquer those remaining Earths.
[7]
After the effects of
Crisis on Infinite Earths
, Kung's history was incorporated into the combined Earth that was formed, with some details having changed. Chief among those changes were that the
Wonder Woman
that Kung fought during World War II was now a time-tossed
Hippolyta
and not Diana.
It is assumed that he survived his supposed death while saving his sister, because his true death was revealed in
Justice Society of America
#27 and 28 (July and August 2009). It was revealed that he had made a deal with the U.S. Army in 1945 to convince
Hirohito
, Emperor of Japan, to surrender. However, the deadline for the surrender ran out and Hiroshima was bombed. Kung was onsite and died in the explosion. His spirit returned to plague the modern day
Justice Society of America
in these issues.
A chronologically younger Kung is seen in DC's
Guns of the Dragon
miniseries, taking place in 1927.
Kung II
[
edit
]
A second unidentified Kung (be it a descendant or an unrelated person) debuted in
Wonder Woman
(vol. 3) Annual #1 (2007) as a previously unrevealed foe of Wonder Woman.
Powers and abilities
[
edit
]
Kung had the ability to transform himself into animal forms through concentration. Among the animals he transformed into were a man-sized
insect
, a
tiger
, and a
rhinoceros
. Kung was able to retain his human intelligence when transformed but reverted to his human form if he somehow lost his concentration. As a samurai, he was also a master of several Japanese
martial arts
.
See also
[
edit
]
Bibliography
[
edit
]
- Wonder Woman
#237-238 (November?December 1977)
- All-Star Squadron
#8 (April 1982), #42-43 (February?March 1985)
- Crisis on Infinite Earths
#5 (August 1985), #9 (December 1985)
- Who's Who
#13 (March 1986)
- Wonder Woman
(vol. 3) Annual #1 (2007)
- Justice Society of America
(vol. 2) #27-28 (July?August 2009)
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Jimenez, Phil; Wells, John (2010).
The Essential Wonder Woman Encyclopedia
. Del Rey. p. 234.
ISBN
978-0345501073
.
- ^
Rovin, Jeff (1987).
The Encyclopedia of Supervillains
. New York: Facts on File. p. 183.
ISBN
0-8160-1356-X
.
- ^
All-Star Squadron
#8 (April 1982)
- ^
All-Star Squadron
#42-43 (February?March 1985)
- ^
Wonder Woman
#237-238 (November?December 1977)
- ^
Crisis on Infinite Earths
#5 (August 1985)
- ^
Crisis on Infinite Earths
#9 (December 1985)
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