Kong Kenan
Kong Kenan is a superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Known as the Super-Man of China, the character first appeared in New Super-Man # 1. He was created by Gene Luen Yang and Viktor Bogdanovic.
Publication history
A comic book series featuring a Chinese Superman who gains a portion of Superman's power debuted in July 2016 for DC Rebirth. The title was previously announced as The Super-Man but was changed to New Super-Man once Yang came on board and pointed out that there is no Chinese word for "the". The title initially shipped monthly. It became New Super-Man & the Justice League of China for issues #20-24.Kong was given a new design and was featured as a supporting character of the Superman family in Action Comics #1051 in January 2023, which is the debut of a new format for the title and part of the Dawn of DC event.
Fictional character biography
Kong Kenan is a 17-year old high school student from Shanghai whose estranged relationship with his father Kong Zhongdan after his mother Kuang Maitai died in a plane accident when Kenan was young turns him into a self-centered bully. Despite his arrogance, Kenan stands up to a local supervillain, which is captured on social media and turns him into a celebrity. Because of his heroic actions and recent stardom, Kenan is chosen by Doctor Omen of the Ministry of Self-Reliance to be the new Super-Man of China. Kenan is taken to the Ministry's headquarters at the Oriental Pearl Tower, where he is given superpowers by an unusual form of kryptonite infused with Superman's qi, which was imbued with the life force of the recently deceased New 52 Superman.First adventures
When Kenan's Kryptonian powers make him even more arrogant, despite his difficulty controlling them, Omen lectures him on his role as a superhero and has him join the Ministry's new Justice League of China, which consists of him, the Wonder-Woman of China, Peng Deilan and the Bat-Man of China, Wang Baixi. In an interview as Super-Man following the success of the JLC's first mission, Kenan foolishly attempts to impress reporter Laney Lan by revealing his secret identity and the Justice League of China's existence to the whole world, much to the shock and fury of his teammates and Omen.On their next mission, the JLC encounters the mysterious Freedom Fighters of China and defeat them but are unable to capture their leader Flying Dragon General. Kenan realizes his mistake of exposing his secret identity and goes home to check on his father, who reveals himself to be Flying Dragon General.
Zhongdan explains that the Freedom Fighters of China are a pro-democracy group he formed with Maitai, his younger brother Zhonglun and their activist friends after they were inspired by the American Justice League to take up costumed identities to fight against the Chinese Communist Party. Believing Maitai's death was orchestrated by the Ministry, Zhongdan convinces Kenan to join Freedom Fighters. Meanwhile, the incarcerated Freedom Fighters stage a planned mass breakout and steal a Genetically Modified Starro - genetic material collected from Starro created by the Ministry as a mind controlling device. When Zhonglun, the Human Firecracker, uses the GMS to put Bat-Man and Wonder-Woman under mind control, he announces his plans to use the GMS on China's bureaucrats, but is rebuked by Zhongdan and Kenan. Human Firecracker declares them traitors and sets the Freedom Fighters, leaving them for dead but the two are rescued by Omen and her assistant Mingming. When the Ministry is alerted that the Freedom Fighters have hijacked a flight to Zhongnanhai, Kenan and Zhongdan leave to stop them. The two are able to board the plane mid flight and Kenan frees Bat-Man and Wonder-Woman. The JLC are able to defeat the Freedom Fighters and save all the passengers but Zhongdan is mortally wounded from protecting Kenan when Human Firecracker blows himself up with one of his explosives. After his father's funeral, Kenan tells Baixi and Deilan his father's findings about the Ministry, and both vow to help him bring his mother's murderers to justice as Doctor Omen secretly has Zhongdan's body preserved in a tank in her laboratory.
The truth about his parents
As his powers come from Superman's qi, Kenan approaches I-Ching to help control his qi and to fully unlock his powers. Under I-Ching's tutelage, Kenan learns that each of his powers are based around the Bagua, eight trigrams used in Taoism that represent the fundamental principles of reality, which gives him a better understanding of how his powers work. Kenan is hired by Lex Luthor to find a stop the speedster Avery Ho from stealing ancient Chinese artifacts in his possession at LexCorp and has I-Ching accompany him to Metropolis. At LexCorp, Luthor reveals that artifacts are the Ox Horse Door Rings, which can be used to open a portal to dimensional plane containing the energies needed to awaken Kenan's remaining superpowers. Before Kenan can open the portal, Avery arrives and warns that the portal leads to Diyu. Avery's former allies, the China White triad arrive to steal the artifacts from Luthor, starting a massive brawl which brings Superman to Lexcorp. During the fight, Luthor and I-Ching get trapped within Diyu, where Lex reveals that his true motive was to acquire the remains of the New 52 Superman containing his remaining powers. Kenan rescues Luthor and I-Ching with Superman's and Avery's help. Luthor angrily dismisses Kenan from his service when he rejects Luthor's further offers for unlocking his powers. Kenan confides with Superman about the nature of his powers and his uncertainty with unlocking them, but Superman congratulates him on his progress and encourages him to train more to help him with a future conflict. Meanwhile, the China White triad meet with their employer, Ching Lung, who sheds his disguise, revealing himself to be a splitting image of I-Ching.Returning to China, Kenan invites Avery to the Justice League of China and she joins as their Flash. The JLC fights Super-Man Zero, a powerful but unstable genetically modified superhuman and the first attempt to create the Super-Man of China, who was unleashed from imprisonment by Ching Lung. Following the battle with Super-Man Zero, Bat-Man's robot sidekick Robinbot uncovers footage of Zhongdan's body being housed in Omen's laboratory. Just as Kenan confronts Dr. Omen, Super-Man Zero attacks the Pearl Oriental Tower after being granted additional powers and armor by Ching Lung and declaring himself "Emperor Super-Man". During the destruction, Omen reveals that she is Kenan's mother, Maitai.
Despite Kenan's efforts, he is too late to stop Emperor Super-Man from kidnapping Matai as the White China Triad takes a revived Zhongdan from his healing tank and Ching Lung imprisons I-Ching in the realm of ghosts. Emperor Super-Man releases the Freedom Fighters and takes over the Shanghai Tower, announcing his plans to reconquer China. Kenan rallies the JLC to stop Emperor Super-Man and together with the Great Ten, they defeat him, the White China Triad, Freedom Fighters and Suicide Squad, who were sent by Amanda Waller to eliminate both Super-Men as potential threats to the United States. Dr. Omen reveals to Kenan and Zhongdan that she specifically chose Kenan to be the Super-Man of China to due him being her son and that she had been working with the Ministry long before she met Zhongdan, having been ordered by them to infiltrate his activist group. Omen faked her death to deter Zhongdan and his allies from their activities, but to her dismay her death instead further radicalized them. Ching Lung uses his abilities to transform Emperor Super-Man into a Doomsday-like monster and Kenan puts an end to the tyrant's rampage at the cost of his own life. Instead of dying, Kenan finds himself transported to an American Chinatown in 1937 with Ching Lung. In the vision, Ching Lung recounts the atrocities Westerners committed against the Chinese, including showing Slam Bradley's racist attacks against Chinese Americans and the theft of a mystical amulet called the Red Jade Dragon during the Boxer Rebellion. Ching Lung reveals to Kenan his true identity: All-Yang, the embodiment of yang and the twin brother of I-Ching, the embodiment of yin. All-Yang tells Kenan to seek out the Red Jade Dragon in America, so that Kenan can use its powers to complete his training and activate his remaining powers, and that All-Yang will make him the new Emperor of China to destroy its enemies; in exchange, All-Yang will release I-Ching. Kenan awakens from his coma and over his parents' objections, leads the JLC to America to find the Red Jade Dragon.