Kamandi (Prime Earth)

Kamandi is the Last Boy on Earth. Born in a doomed future, Kamandi works with the Tiger race and with other animals to survive in whatever's left of his homeworld. In adulthood, he travels backward in time and becomes King, the leader of Checkmate.

History

The Kamandi Challenge

Born after a Great Disaster which resulted in the destruction of humanity and the rise of warring factions of anthropomorphic animals, the boy who came to be known as "Kamandi" was raised isolated in a small town, unaware that it was in fact a bunker with every other person within being an android. Eventually, rat soldiers discovered this safe haven and invaded. His android "grandmother" knew that this day would come and revealed a portal device, forcing him through it and telling him that finding his parents was key to saving the planet. As the force of the portal rendered him unconscious, he heard someone tell him to remember "Command D".^[1]

Once through, the boy was captured by subjects of Tiger City, who mistook his delirious muttering of Command D ("Kamandi") as his name. In his escape, Kamandi encountered the Mobius Chair and accidentally activated it, teleporting himself and his captors, Doctor Canus and the tiger Prince Tuftan, to the outskirts of a "wild human reserve". Manhunters approached them and incapacitated Kamandi's captors, leaving just enough time for Kamandi to flee.^[2] He was rescued by a faction of animals who believed him to be a prophet they have been waiting for, due to a photograph of him and his parents having once fallen from the sky. They gifted him a plant-humanoid creation named Vila as food, but Kamandi refused to eat her and treated her as a friend instead. After their hosts were attacked by a bat community, Kamandi and Vila fled.^[3]

The cover of "The Kamandi Challenge" issue 3. Depicts Kamandi and the plant-girl Vila on alert in a jungle, with a statue of a panther behind them. — Kamandi and Vila.

Eventually, Kamandi encountered an alien who sought to capture Kamandi and claimed that his father was alive as his captive.^[4] After learning this was false, a rat commander told Kamandi that he knew things would end this way because of a stack of comic books. Using a magic artifact, the commander transported Kamandi into a strange realm where he met his "father", Jack Kirby, who offered three wishes^[5]. Using them, Kamandi learned that his parents had been deceased for years and brought together the animal tribe leaders to find a solution that benefits them all as united Earthlings. For his final wish, Kirby transported Kamandi into the "Command D" bunker and back into a normal life, leading him to wonder if what happened to him was a dream.^[5]

At some point, Kamandi ventured back out of the bunker into the wild world. He once encountered Rose Forrest when she stole Superman's suit, now a precious artifact, from a primate village in response to rumors that wearing it would give a person the famed hero's abilities. Wishing they could get along so he could speak to another human, he attempted to reason with her to no avail.^[6] He also eventually reunited with Doctor Canus and Prince Tuftan.^[7]

Justice/Doom War

The cover for Justice League Volume 4 #32. Depicts Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman on a raft being paddled by Kamandi. Behind them is the toppled, dilapidated Statue of Liberty. — Kamandi meets the Justice League.

When Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman travel to the future in order to find the means to stop Perpetua, they were introduced to Kamandi. The time-displaced Justice League were the first humans he had seen in years, and they were in turn heartbroken but impressed to find that he had been fighting bravely as a lone human for so long. For two weeks, his world had been under Brainiac's control (a ripple effect from the crisis in their time) and he accompanied the League members when they departed on an old ship to a different future in search of the totality.^[8]

After they freed the Justice Legion from their enslavement, they fought Brainiac One Million together.^[9] When it became apparent that the odds were against them, Kamandi commandeered the ship alone to multiple futures, gathering and transporting enough heroes to help fight against Brainiac.^[10]^[11] After the battle, Kamandi stayed with the Prime Earth's Justice League as they returned their original time. Kamandi joined heroes from across time and space as they made a final stand, defending the Hall of Justice as the League's core members faced off against Perpetua and her forces.^[12]^[13]

Return to the Past

Kamandi Prime Earth 002 — Leading the new Checkmate.

In adulthood, Kamandi resolved to return to the Justice League's era and rebuild Checkmate as King to avert something horrific he had witnessed during his own time.^[14] Reluctant to reveal himself as a time-traveler, he took up the false identity of "Kingsley Jacobs", telling only fellow Checkmate member Steve Trevor and the Toyman^[15] the truth.

In order to investigate and dismantle the growing threat of Leviathan, led by ex-Checkmate operative Mark Shaw, King recruited Green Arrow, Lois Lane, Manhunter, Mister Bones, The Question, and Talia al Ghul into the organization.^[16] Although he took pains to keep his identity hidden, he was found out by Amanda Waller.

Powers and Abilities

Abilities

Hand-to-Hand Combat (Basic)
Firearms
Multilingualism: He speaks at least English and Panther.^[11]

Paraphernalia

Weapons

Knife
Revolver

Notes

Kamandi was created by Jack Kirby, first appearing in Kamandi #1. However, in the Prime Earth continuity, Kamandi first appeared as part of the New 52 DC Universe in The Kamandi Challenge #1 by Dan Abnett and Dale Eaglesham.

Trivia

Kamandi has an unusual accent, which he tries to suppress in adulthood. It was perplexing enough for Lois Lane to think he was not human,^[16] and is likely from speaking a form of English evolved through centuries of being spoken near-exclusively by anthropomorphic animals.
Cameron may be his birth name, having apparently gone by it during his childhood in the bunker; however, he admits he is not sure of this.^[5]
During his childhood, Kamandi kept posters of Superman and Batman in his bedroom.^[1]