Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes Karate Kid III???

What ever happened to that character from Lythyl who was going to be a potential replacement for Myg? He was a bald character introduced at the beginning of the current LSH incarnation, but for some reason he rejected the invitation to either join the Legion Academy or the team. I don't think anything more was mentioned about him. I think the character, like anyone from the hostile world of Lythyl, had the potential to be very interesting and controversial.

i think he was something paul planed to come later and then flash point came along and well now its anyone's guess.

I suspect he's hanging out with Mekt's twin.

Who are the villainous pair known as Lightning Strike?

Karate Kid I (Val) beat him up and made him stay away from Jeckie.

Now that Kid Quantum 2 has made it crystal clear that 'Kid' is a unisex title, Karate Kid 4 needs to be a woman.

And Karate? Boring.

Krav Maga Kid takes no prisoners, and looks like Ziva David.

High kicking sword-swinging Savate Kid?

Crane-styling Kung Fu Kid?

Stick-fighting Escrima Kid?

Acrobatic dancing Capoeira Kid?

Eh, cut right to the chase. It's 1000 years in the future, and there are at least dozens of other inhabited worlds out there. Let's have [Martial Arts] Kid be an alien, and practice a style that nobody on Earth has ever heard of. At the tail end of the Threeboot, there was a file on a viewscreen in the background that mentioned that Turtle, of Doopa, was a master martial artist, and suggested that he might be second only to Karate Kid (and has a super-power of nigh-invulnerability, to boot!). Someone like Turtle, a powered alien who is *also* insanely good at hand to hand combat, being the next 'Karate Kid' could be funky.

(Although, arguably, some of the already awesome martial artists in the Legion, such as Dream Girl, Timber Wolf and maybe Shrinking Violet and Shadow Lass, already fit that bill...)

If [Martial Arts] kid has mastered so many different fighting styles, why not have him or her use a different style per day? Just for the challenge. So one day s/he's smashing heads with Krav Maga, the next s/he's gracefully fighting using escrima sticks, and the next is using a style we've never heard of from, say, Ventura or Venegar. Awesome

I don't know if I'd want to be working beside the guy who has decided to tackle the Fatal Five with Venturian Eyebrow combat, just becuase he's bored or wants the challenge.

They wouldn't let [Martial Arts] Kid into the Legion if s/he didn't know what s/he was doing. S/he could easily use a variety of styles on lower level thugs and save the heavy-duty techniques for the real tough bad guys.

Yeah, but I'd want him to use what was most effective, not what was on his schedule to use for the day

It's like standing next to Superboy feeling really confident, only to find out it's Super-ventriloquism day.

My idea is, Martial Arts Kid can showcase a different style for every fight against low-level opponents. Of course, when they're up against the really tough bad guys, then s/he uses whatever style IS most effective.

In any case, I thought it could be used as a writing tool to add more "flavor" to the Legion's universe. Of course, it's not practical in a "real life" situation.

I'm pretty sure that no Karate Kid will be allowed to live so long as Keith Giffen still walks among us...

Before his sudden death-by-Giffen it would be better to see him, or her, have to adapt their fighting style against a range of opponents. Show the differences in environment, planetary conditions as well as circumstances and opponents. But naturally is far better than by martial arts by checklist.

If the character changes every time against low level opposition, then it's practically taunting the opposition. Is shows that there's no real threat there, and reduces reader empathy.

If Val had lived, and eventually been accepted as more than just 'The Queen's Boyfriend' or 'Royal Consort,' would he have changed his name to Karate King?

'Cause people with 'King' or 'Queen' (or Lord, or Empress) in their super-code-name tend to be bad guys...

(With the obvious exceptions of Chemical King, Insect Queen and Quantum Queen!)

He could have indulged in a bit of neck snapping of his own and got away with it!

Everyone knows the aristocracy are not to be trusted:)

Was he Karate King already? Adult Legion or somewhere?

Well thothkins, I'm sure the others would rather not keep reading us going back and forth on this topic so let's agree to disagree yeah?

I'm just going to summarize my point and then drop this line of discussion altogether.

I'm reminded of a scene in v3 where Polar Boy is mopping up a large thug. Said thug has brek in his very large hands. Polar Boy decides not to freeze the thug as "you're not even worth icing up." He then uses hand-to-hand combat to beat the thug.

There's another scene in v3 as well, where Element Lad takes his time mopping up one of Starfinger's henchmen. When some of the others call him out on it, he responds, "Don't deny a man a chance to practice his power."

I don't know about you, but I empathized MORE with those characters as a result. I want my heroes to have fun WHEN THE SITUATION ALLOWS FOR IT. When the threat is real, of course, there's no time for mucking around. But heroes are going to go up against low-level opposition often, so why not let them have a little fun with it?

And that' sums up my point, and with that I think we can close off this unproductive line of discussion .

was it "back and forth"? There was me going for "to and fro"

Your original point was "If [Martial Arts] kid has mastered so many different fighting styles, why not have him or her use a different style per day? Just for the challenge." A systematic use of powers per day, not reliant on threat, but just because it's a different day.

That was what I responded to and the discussion had already moved on from that point, into showcasing fighting styles against environments and to the fun "why people with royal names are evil." So, I'm not entirely sure why you feel it had escalated anywhere.

I'm sure the "others" can jump in at any point to let us know what they would rather read or not. Four posts either way is what I'd have called a light hearted discussion.

So going back to where the thread was possibly going anyway... which aristocratic title is the most evil? Off the top of my head, I'm thinking Viscount...partly due to the alliteration with Vermin, but possibly due to recent biscuit consumption.

To be honest, I did think you were still responding to my original point as your last post included, "But naturally is far better than by martial arts by checklist. If the character changes every time against low level opposition, then it's practically taunting the opposition. Is shows that there's no real threat there, and reduces reader empathy."

The above looks to me like a solid rebuttal again of my original idea of having Martial Arts Kid use different styles.

Thanks for clarifying that it was not the case,, and apologies if I misinterpreted it as so.

On the case of royal titles, I always felt that "Emperor" and "Empress" were more sinister-sounding than "King" or "Queen". "Duke" also has sinister connotations in my mind, probably because of the villain called the Duke of Deception. "Count" and "Countess" too for their links to Count Dracula.

and Count Vertigo of co....actually not really. There was a spell of interest in Ostrander's Suicide Squad but that was about it.

They are all bad.. adding Baron & Marquess to the list. Tyranny has such a poor reputation.

There's a "Karate King" version of him in LSH 300.

The battle v the Fatal Five. Where he reveals that he could have brought the flu to Orando. One of the quieter ones in the issue, if you can say that about taking on the Fatal Five. But there was a thoughtfulness to it's message. (Just peeked for a look)

Issue 300 was one of my favourites.

I liked issue 300 too! One thing that always puzzled me though, was the Mordru story where Jeckie, Mysa and Nura cast a spell to destroy all magic. Only Cos, Gim and Dirk are shown protecting them. Where were Thom and Val? And in the very last panel, Val is shown as one of the survivors...

I like Count Vertigo. For only having the one power (usually, sometimes he can fly for no apparent reason, as well...), he does pretty well for himself, because it's a good power (one he shares with Marvel mutates Equilibrius and Vertigo). 'Debuffing' powers, like inducing vertigo, or creating a blinding flash (fellow Marvel mutate, Whiteout) don't get as much play as they should, particularly among heroes who should specialize in non-lethal options, and not just fling lightning or (especially!) flame blasts at people!

The Count got some good play in the Young Justice cartoon. I'm less thrilled with his drug-peddler non-powered (non-Count) interpretation in the Arrow TV show.

Flight as a power is usually parceled out to almost any character, really. Even those whose other powers don't "go together" with flight.

I liked Count Vertigo too. He had a pretty sympathetic backstory as well.

<----- Loves Count Vertigo.

Do NOT get me started on his off-panel death in Final Crisis.