Kid Amazo
Encyclopedia
Kid Amazo is a fictional cyborg
from DC Comics
, built to be the "son" of Amazo
. Originally meant to star in a 2004 hardcover called JLA: Kid Amazo, he made his debut three years later, in the pages of JLA Classified; as a result, he was "predated" by the similar Marvel Comics
character Victor Mancha
, the son of Ultron
. His civilian identity is Frank Halloran.
" before him, was built by mad scientist Professor Ivo
, who was still pursuing his dream of vengeance against the Justice League of America
. As Amazo, merely an advanced robot
, failed, the next approach would be to cross bio-mechanical
material from Amazo's body with human ova
and DNA
, in order to obtain a cyborg
being who would exhibit the best traits of both human and artificial life. To advance his plans and complete Kid Amazo's instruction and programming, Professor Ivo sends him away to live with humanity. The young cyborg is given the human identity
of Frank Halloran, a 21 year old college student, student of existentialism
and follower of Nietzsche
's Übermensch
concept. Frank forms a close relationship with Sara Shapiro, who, unbeknownst to him, is his "mother" (or at least the donor of the human ova needed for his creation). Sara is the daughter of Professor Ivo, who assigned her to be the young cyborg's handler. As Frank is ignorant of his true past, he merely sees Sara as a confidant and believes he cannot pursue a relationship with her because her Jewish
parents would disapprove of Frank's atheism
.
Upon witnessing a battle between Amazo and the Leaguers, young Frank Halloran is forced to reconsider his assumptions when Amazo saves Sara's life. He becomes increasingly fascinated by superheroes and their ideals, where Sara responds only with cold detachment. Frank, still shaken up, is later confronted by Amazo itself. Amazo reveals to Frank the truth about his nature, and Frank convinces himself to join Amazo, whereupon he assumes the alias "Kid Amazo."
Eventually, Kid Amazo has a change of heart and decides to fight on the side of the angels, leaving Professor Ivo to wonder which will be stronger — Frank's human upbringing or his mechanical origins
. Frank's every attempt to be a hero backfires horribly, and when Amazo unleashes a Big One
in Berkeley, the "Kid" is forced to stop him. However, his attempts to help are misunderstood and when the authorities pursue him, he is forced to wound a policeman to escape.
Alone, Frank tries to hone his newfound abilities. The Martian Manhunter
performs a psychological evaluation
on Frank and judges the boy to be on the brink of insanity. The Justice League decides to closely monitor Frank's further attempts to better himself by exploring both sides of his heritage. He fights minor villainy as "The Kid," but winds up the target of Amazo, the League, and Sara herself. This, added to his inability to cope with his isolation and loneliness, leads him to explore his villainous side, which again brings him to the attention of the Justice League.
His life in shambles and his sanity shattered by the revelations about his past, Kid Amazo embraces his full power. Able to mimic both powers and minds, he truly becomes a one-man Justice League. However, his power becomes his downfall, as Batman
and the rest of the Leaguers decide to voluntarily bicker and quarrel among themselves, destabilizing both their team and Kid Amazo's mind. The stress of a single mind mimicking a shattered team is enough to make Kid Amazo explode. In the end, Sara is left to mourn her son/lover, and the League is left to deal with the real rancor unearthed by their phony quarrel.
and x-ray vision
, and an accelerated healing factor. His main and most advanced power is being able to mimic the mind and personality of the core members of the Justice League, gaining an intimate knowledge of the relationship between the Leaguers and being able to predict the outcome of their teamwork. He possesses the absorption cells of his predecessor
Cyborg
A cyborg is a being with both biological and artificial parts. The term was coined in 1960 when Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline used it in an article about the advantages of self-regulating human-machine systems in outer space. D. S...
from DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
, built to be the "son" of Amazo
Amazo
Amazo is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appears in The Brave and the Bold #30 and was created by Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson. An android, Amazo's special ability is to replicate the special abilities of various superheroes and...
. Originally meant to star in a 2004 hardcover called JLA: Kid Amazo, he made his debut three years later, in the pages of JLA Classified; as a result, he was "predated" by the similar Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
character Victor Mancha
Victor Mancha
Victor Mancha is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics award-winning series, Runaways. He was created by author Brian K. Vaughan and artist Adrian Alphona, and debuted in Runaways vol. 2 #1 . Like the original runaways, Victor has a supervillain for a parent; his father is the robot Ultron...
, the son of Ultron
Ultron
Ultron is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Avengers #54 , and was created by writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema...
. His civilian identity is Frank Halloran.
Fictional character biography
Kid Amazo, as his "fatherAmazo
Amazo is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appears in The Brave and the Bold #30 and was created by Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson. An android, Amazo's special ability is to replicate the special abilities of various superheroes and...
" before him, was built by mad scientist Professor Ivo
Professor Ivo
Professor Anthony Ivo is a fictional character, a mad scientist in the DC universe and is the creator of the androids Amazo, Kid Amazo, Tomorrow Woman and Composite Superman in his retconned origin.-Fictional character biography:...
, who was still pursuing his dream of vengeance against the Justice League of America
Justice League
The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....
. As Amazo, merely an advanced robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
, failed, the next approach would be to cross bio-mechanical
Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally, nanotechnology deals with developing materials, devices, or other structures possessing at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometres...
material from Amazo's body with human ova
Ovum
An ovum is a haploid female reproductive cell or gamete. Both animals and embryophytes have ova. The term ovule is used for the young ovum of an animal, as well as the plant structure that carries the female gametophyte and egg cell and develops into a seed after fertilization...
and DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
, in order to obtain a cyborg
Cyborg
A cyborg is a being with both biological and artificial parts. The term was coined in 1960 when Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline used it in an article about the advantages of self-regulating human-machine systems in outer space. D. S...
being who would exhibit the best traits of both human and artificial life. To advance his plans and complete Kid Amazo's instruction and programming, Professor Ivo sends him away to live with humanity. The young cyborg is given the human identity
Secret identity
A secret identity is an element of fiction wherein a character develops a separate persona , while keeping their true identity hidden. The character also may wear a disguise...
of Frank Halloran, a 21 year old college student, student of existentialism
Existentialism
Existentialism is a term applied to a school of 19th- and 20th-century philosophers who, despite profound doctrinal differences, shared the belief that philosophical thinking begins with the human subject—not merely the thinking subject, but the acting, feeling, living human individual...
and follower of Nietzsche
Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche was a 19th-century German philosopher, poet, composer and classical philologist...
's Übermensch
Übermensch
The Übermensch is a concept in the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche. Nietzsche posited the Übermensch as a goal for humanity to set for itself in his 1883 book Thus Spoke Zarathustra ....
concept. Frank forms a close relationship with Sara Shapiro, who, unbeknownst to him, is his "mother" (or at least the donor of the human ova needed for his creation). Sara is the daughter of Professor Ivo, who assigned her to be the young cyborg's handler. As Frank is ignorant of his true past, he merely sees Sara as a confidant and believes he cannot pursue a relationship with her because her Jewish
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
parents would disapprove of Frank's atheism
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
.
Upon witnessing a battle between Amazo and the Leaguers, young Frank Halloran is forced to reconsider his assumptions when Amazo saves Sara's life. He becomes increasingly fascinated by superheroes and their ideals, where Sara responds only with cold detachment. Frank, still shaken up, is later confronted by Amazo itself. Amazo reveals to Frank the truth about his nature, and Frank convinces himself to join Amazo, whereupon he assumes the alias "Kid Amazo."
Eventually, Kid Amazo has a change of heart and decides to fight on the side of the angels, leaving Professor Ivo to wonder which will be stronger — Frank's human upbringing or his mechanical origins
Nature versus nurture
The nature versus nurture debate concerns the relative importance of an individual's innate qualities versus personal experiences The nature versus nurture debate concerns the relative importance of an individual's innate qualities ("nature," i.e. nativism, or innatism) versus personal experiences...
. Frank's every attempt to be a hero backfires horribly, and when Amazo unleashes a Big One
Megathrust earthquake
Megathrust earthquakes occur at subduction zones at destructive plate boundaries , where one tectonic plate is forced under another. Due to the shallow dip of the plate boundary, which causes large sections to get stuck, these earthquakes are among the world's largest, with moment magnitudes ...
in Berkeley, the "Kid" is forced to stop him. However, his attempts to help are misunderstood and when the authorities pursue him, he is forced to wound a policeman to escape.
Alone, Frank tries to hone his newfound abilities. The Martian Manhunter
Martian Manhunter
The Martian Manhunter is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in publications published by DC Comics. Created by writer Joseph Samachson and artist Joe Certa, the character first appeared in Detective Comics #225...
performs a psychological evaluation
Psychological evaluation
A psychological evaluation or mental examination is an examination into a person's mental health by a mental health professional such as a psychologist. A psychological evaluation may result in a diagnosis of a mental illness...
on Frank and judges the boy to be on the brink of insanity. The Justice League decides to closely monitor Frank's further attempts to better himself by exploring both sides of his heritage. He fights minor villainy as "The Kid," but winds up the target of Amazo, the League, and Sara herself. This, added to his inability to cope with his isolation and loneliness, leads him to explore his villainous side, which again brings him to the attention of the Justice League.
His life in shambles and his sanity shattered by the revelations about his past, Kid Amazo embraces his full power. Able to mimic both powers and minds, he truly becomes a one-man Justice League. However, his power becomes his downfall, as Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
and the rest of the Leaguers decide to voluntarily bicker and quarrel among themselves, destabilizing both their team and Kid Amazo's mind. The stress of a single mind mimicking a shattered team is enough to make Kid Amazo explode. In the end, Sara is left to mourn her son/lover, and the League is left to deal with the real rancor unearthed by their phony quarrel.
Powers and abilities
Due to his Amazo "heritage", Kid Amazo has the abilities of the first League core members, but has only displayed super strength, speed, invulnerability, flight, heatHeat vision
Heat vision may refer to:*Thermography, image production using infrared radiation*Infrared vision, a capability of detecting infrared radiation*Heat vision, a fictional superpower...
and x-ray vision
X-Ray Vision
In science fiction stories or superhero comics, X-ray vision is the ability to see through physical objects at the discretion of the holder of this superpower. The most famous possessor of this ability is DC Comics' iconic superhero character, Superman....
, and an accelerated healing factor. His main and most advanced power is being able to mimic the mind and personality of the core members of the Justice League, gaining an intimate knowledge of the relationship between the Leaguers and being able to predict the outcome of their teamwork. He possesses the absorption cells of his predecessor