If you’re a fan of ’80s movies, there’s a good chance you’ve seen The Karate Kid at some point. The film had an impact on pop culture that continues to this day with the spinoff series Cobra-Kai and the soon-to-be-released Karate Kid: Legends. If you’re one of the few fans to watch the original film all the way through the credits, you may have noticed a weird acknowledgment at the end, “The title The Karate Kid has been used with the consent of DC Comics, Inc.” If you’re like us you probably wondered what possible connection there could be between Superman and Daniel LaRusso. Is the Karate Kid secretly a superhero? Yes and no.
The Strange Connection Between Karate Kid & DC
It turns out that there is a Karate Kid inhabiting the same universe as Batman and Green Lantern – but it’s not Daniel-san. So why, then, is DC mentioned in the credits of the martial arts movie classic? The creators of The Karate Kid were deadset on using that title and nothing else for the movie – to the point where they asked DC personally for permission to use the name “Karate Kid.” The publisher granted them the right to use the title for the original 1984 film and its sequels, in exchange for a credit at the end of the film, which the filmmakers were more than happy to do.
The result was a surprise hit Rocky clone that went on to spawn two direct sequels, a requel starring Hilary Swank, a reboot with Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan, a cartoon, a notoriously hard NES game, the above-mentioned Cobra Kai TV series spinoff, the upcoming legacy sequel, Karate Kid: Legends, and much much more. Needless to say, DC probably had no idea that The Karate Kid movie would completely eclipse their Karate Kid character.
Who Is DC’s Karate Kid?
So what is the deal with DC’s Karate Kid? Is he anything like his ’80s namesake? In a word: no. With all respect to Daniel LaRusso, the other Karate Kid kicks a hundred times more butt.
Val Armorr is a superhero from the 31st century who has mastered every form of martial arts in existence. This includes several methods of combat that don’t even exist in DC’s present timeline. The character made his debut in Adventure Comics #346 (July 1966) as part of legendary comic book creator Jim Shooter’s first published story.
While not possessing any powers per se, Karate Kid is a comic book character and thus capable of feats far beyond your normal blackbelt. Val’s mastery of every martial art imaginable grants him the ability to find the weakest point of any object or material, allowing him to severely damage something like a steel door with a single punch. He’s such a proficient combatant that in his first appearance, he was able to best Superboy in one-on-one combat through sheer skill. In addition to his extraordinary physical abilities, Karate Kid has a highly disciplined mind, allowing him to resist most forms of mind control and hypnosis.
And while the crane-kicking, wax-on-wax-off-ing Karate Kid is undoubtedly the more famous of the two, Val Armorr has still done okay for himself. Along with several reboots and revisions of the Legion of Super-Heroes comic book, Armorr was part of the 2006 Legion of Super-Heroes animated series from season 2 onward. Karate Kid was also a main character in the animated film JLA Adventures: Trapped in Time, where he and fellow legionnaire Dawnstar accidentally revived a frozen Lex Luthor in the 31st century.
DC’s Karate Kid has even gotten his own action figure once or twice, although, unsurprisingly, there have been at least twice as many action figures made of the other Karate Kid. Still, it goes to show that despite being the lesser-known Karate Kid, Val Armorr does have his fans. Sadly, with the last Legion of Super-Heroes title wrapping up in 2021, Val Armorr isn’t currently an active part of DC’s comic book universe. When and where the Karate Kid will show up again is anybody’s guess, but there have been rumblings about the Legion returning to active duty sometime soon, giving fans of the obscure martial arts whiz a sliver of hope.
Meanwhile, the other Karate Kid will be returning to the big screen soon when Karate Kid: Legends hits theaters on May 30. Until then, fans can get their “Miyagi-verse” fix by rewatching Cobra Kai. All six seasons are currently streaming on Netflix.
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