The Karate Kid DC Comic Connection To The 80s Movie Explained

The Karate Kid DC Comic: Connection To The ’80s Movie Explained

The first character to bear the name “Karate Kid” wasn’t Daniel LaRusso, but actually DC Comics’ Val Armorr: a 31st Century master martial artist.

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The Karate Kid DC Comic Connection To The 80s Movie Explained

The Karate Kid seared itself into the culture as an 80s icon and classic underdog story, but the moniker was in use as early as 1966 by a DC Comics superhero of the same name. Before Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), before Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita), there was Val Armorr; a martial arts master from the 31st century who joined the Legion of Superheroes on the strength of his fighting skills alone. The two could not be more dissimilar – the super from the future and the kid from Jersey – and yet, they share a unique connection.

In July of 1966, Adventure Comics #346 introduced Val Armorr – main alias: Karate Kid. An orphan who mastered different forms of battle on his journey across the galaxy before joining the Legion of Superheroes. After challenging Superboy to single combat, he so impressed the Boy of Steel that he was granted entry into the Legion, and The Kid continued to appear in subsequent issues for decades to come.

Then in the 1980s, Columbia Pictures began developing The Karate Kid, an entirely separate story and an entirely different IP. The producers were determined to use the name but had to reach out to DC Comics for the rights. They eventually received permission to use the name for the film and all subsequent sequels, while DC is thanked in the credits for their cooperation. Though both characters lived on in the culture long after their debuts, the “Karate Kid” name will forever be associated with the John G. Avildsen directed film and not the DC Comic.

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Remarkably enough, although each character has their own independent origin, they share another connection in common, as The Karate Kid is semi-autobiographical. Screenwriter Robert Mark Kamen was beaten up by a gang of bullies at age 17, so he sought a martial arts teacher to help him learn self-defense. He was unhappy with his first cutthroat instructor, so he moved on to study Okinawan karate with a Japanese practitioner who didn’t speak English. Combining this life experience with a similar news story Columbia had then-recently optioned yielded the iconic final product. Kamen was beaten up in 1964, while Armorr debuted a mere two years later in 1966.

Even if Kamen’s is the story that endures in the culture, DC’s Karate Kid has enjoyed a healthy longevity of his own. He also turned up in movies and TV series like JLA Adventures: Trapped in Time, and continued to appear in comics into the 21st century. His cultural accouterments, while perhaps well-intentioned, don’t play as well in a modern media setting however and read as stereotypical. With this in mind, maybe it’s best The Karate Kid goes down as the definitive title-bearer.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/karate-kid-dc-comics-80s-movie-history-background/

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