Kung, the Assassin of a Thousand Claws is a fictional character appearing in

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. ( doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with the ...

publications and related media, commonly as a recurring foil of the superhero

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byrne, are credited as bein ...

. A Japanese-American mercenary with the magical ability to transform into animals, he first appeared in 1977's ''

'' #237, written by

Gerry Conway Gerard Francis ConwayThomas, Roy. "Roy's Rostrum" ("Bullpen Bulletins") in '' Marvel Super-Heroes'' #43 and other Marvel Comics cover-dated May 1974. (born September 10, 1952) is an American comic book writer, comic book editor, screenwriter, te ...

and illustrated by José Delbo. He would reappear several years later in both ''

All-Star Squadron The All-Star Squadron is a DC Comics superhero team that debuted in ''Justice League of America'' #193 (August 1981) and was created by Roy Thomas, Rich Buckler and Jerry Ordway. Although the team was introduced in the 1980s, its self-titled serie ...

'' and ''

Who's Who in the DC Universe ''Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe'' (1985–87), usually referred to simply as ''Who's Who'', is the umbrella title for a number of comic book series which DC Comics published to catalogue the wide variety of fictional cha ...

'', as well as in ''

Crisis on Infinite Earths "Crisis on Infinite Earths" is a 1985 American comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics. The series, written by Marv Wolfman and pencilled by George Pérez, was first serialized as a 12-issue limited series from April 1985 to Mar ...

'', 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 The term modern period or modern era (sometimes also called modern history or modern times) is the period of history that succeeds the Middle Ages (which ended approximately 1500 AD). This terminology is a historical periodization that is appli ...

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 Terry Dodson is an American comic book artist and penciller. He is best known for his work on titles such as ''Harley Quinn'', ''Trouble, Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil that Men Do'', '' Marvel Knights: Spider-Man'', ''Wonder Woman'' and ''Uncann ...

and

Rachel Dodson Rachel Dodson is an American comic book inker, who often works with her husband, Terry Dodson. Her work includes '' Marvel Knights: Spider-Man'', '' Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil that Men Do'' and ''Avenging Spider-Man'' for Marvel Comics and ''W ...

Fictional character biography

Thomas Morita

The early life of Thomas Morita was fraught with difficulty. His parents immigrated to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

from

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

before the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. 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 were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They ...

and learning of the

Japanese-American internment are Americans of Japanese ancestry. Japanese Americans were among the three largest Asian American ethnic communities during the 20th century; but, according to the 2000 census, they have declined in number to constitute the sixth largest Asi ...

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

animal Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, are able to move, can reproduce sexually, and go through an ontogenetic stage ...

s. Kung undertook his first assignment on December 30, 1941, to kill

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...

on his way to Washington, D.C. but is stopped by the hero

Steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistan ...

. On March 4, 1942, Kung is hired by the mysterious Prince Daka to team up with

Tsunami A tsunami ( ; from ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater exp ...

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 Guardian usually refers to: * Legal guardian, a person with the authority and duty to care for the interests of another * ''The Guardian'', a British daily newspaper (The) Guardian(s) may also refer to: Places * Guardian, West Virginia, Unit ...

and Kung escapes with Prince Daka. In 1943, Kung is assigned to kill

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

Douglas MacArthur Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American military leader who served as General of the Army for the United States, as well as a field marshal to the Philippine Army. He had served with distinction in World War I, was ...

in Washington, D.C. Wonder Woman foils the assassination attempt, but Kung escapes to his sister's home in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Chinatown A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Aust ...

. Kung tries again to assassinate MacArthur at the

Brooklyn Navy Yard The Brooklyn Navy Yard (originally known as the New York Navy Yard) is a shipyard and industrial complex located in northwest Brooklyn in New York City, New York. The Navy Yard is located on the East River in Wallabout Bay, a semicircular bend ...

, but is himself apparently killed while saving his sister from the weight of a teetering

battleship A battleship is a large armour, armored warship with a main artillery battery, battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term ''battleship'' came into use in the late 1 ...

whose drydock supports had been washed away. Sometime prior to his death, Kung is brought aboard the

Monitor Monitor or monitor may refer to: Places * Monitor, Alberta * Monitor, Indiana, town in the United States * Monitor, Kentucky * Monitor, Oregon, unincorporated community in the United States * Monitor, Washington * Monitor, Logan County, West ...

's satellite by

Harbinger A harbinger is a forerunner or forewarning, but may also refer to: Companies * Harbinger Corp., an Internet-oriented business * Harbinger Capital, a hedge fund * Harbinger Knowledge Products, an eLearning products and content services compan ...

as part of a combined effort to save the remaining Earths from the

Anti-Monitor The Anti-Monitor is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He served as the main antagonist of the 1985 DC Comics miniseries ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' and later appears as an enemy to the Green Lantern Corps ...

. He is later recruited by Brainiac as part of his massive

supervillain A supervillain or supercriminal is a variant of the villainous stock character that is commonly found in American comic books, usually possessing superhuman abilities. A supervillain is the antithesis of a superhero. Supervillains are of ...

army to conquer those remaining Earths.''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' #9 (December 1985) After the effects of ''

'', Kung's history was incorporated into the combined Earth that was formed, with some details having changed. Chief among those changes were that the

that Kung fought during World War II was now a time-tossed

Hippolyta In Classical Greek mythology, Hippolyta, or Hippolyte (; grc-gre, Ἱππολύτη ''Hippolytē'') was a daughter of Ares and Otrera, queen of the Amazons, and a sister of Antiope and Melanippe. She wore her father Ares' ''zoster'', the Gre ...

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 , commonly known in English-speaking countries by his personal name , was the 124th emperor of Japan, ruling from 25 December 1926 until his death in 1989. Hirohito and his wife, Empress Kōjun, had two sons and five daughters; he was ...

, 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 The Justice Society of America (JSA, or Justice Society (JS)) is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team was conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox during the Golden Age of Comic Boo ...

in these issues. A chronologically younger Kung is seen in DC's ''Guns of the Dragon'' miniseries, taking place in 1927.

Kung II

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

Powers and abilities

Kung had the ability to transform himself into animal forms through concentration. Among the animals he transformed into were a man-sized

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three pa ...

, a

tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living Felidae, cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily pr ...

, and a

rhinoceros A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct specie ...

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

Bibliography

* ''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