Kung (comics)

Kung
Kung as depicted in Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #13 (March 1986). Art by Denys Cowan (penciler) and Dick Giordano (inker).
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceWonder Woman #237 (November 1977)
Created byGerry Conway
José Delbo
In-story information
Alter egoThomas Morita
Notable aliasesAssassin of a Thousand Claws
AbilitiesAbility to transform into animals

Kung, 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. A Japanese-American mercenary with the magical ability to transform into animals, he first appeared in 1977's Wonder Woman #237, written by Gerry Conway and illustrated by José 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.