Kevin Kho (Prime Earth)

I've been called OMAC, but my name is Kevin Kho. I was transformed, without my knowledge and against my will into this monstrous form. And I have no way to change back.

— OMAC ^src

History

Kevin Kho is OMAC, a One-Machine Attack Construct designed as an unstoppable warrior using bio-technology. The sentient satellite Brother Eye created him using New Genesis science as a weapon he could control against Project Cadmus. In his civilian identity he is a Cambodian-American scientist working at Cadmus in genetic research.

Origins

Born in Cambodia, his parents and sisters were killed when he was six for speaking out against the rule of rebel warlords. Raised by other family members, he relentlessly pursued education as a way to give his life order and meaning.^[1] He would go on to work at Project Cadmus underneath Martin Welman, where he met and proposed to his fiancee Jody Robbins.^[2]

Omactivate!

Main article: OMAC: Omactivate!

Kho is activated as the OMAC by Brother Eye for the first time during an otherwise normal work day at Project Cadmus. Eye has him nearly level the building to steal their mainframe from the underground facilities, fighting through Dubbilex's telepathic attacks and Mokkari's Build-a-Friend monsters to get there. His girlfriend Jody Robbins is present for the destruction, but she does not realize his dual identity. In the aftermath, Brother Eye reveals himself to have been controlling him and explains their relationship.^[2] Eye had been previously imprisoned by Checkmate's leader Maxwell Lord, and is assembling a personal army to end anything that could be considered a threat to his freedom. OMAC's next mission is to recruit Amazing Man by defeating him in combat so he can be assimilated.^[3]

OMAC Kevin Kho 0015 — OMAC vs. Frankenstein

They are challenged by the telepathic Psi-Fi Man, although Eye overrides his control and the evil scientist is thwarted. Lord sends a strike team led by Sarge Steel including Maribel and Little Knipper to take OMAC down, although they are unsuccessful.^[4] This failure leads Lord to send Mokkari instead, who unsuccessfully attacks while Kho is underground and cannot access his powers through satellite connection. Kevin is not allowed to share the secret with his girlfriend, and she angrily threatens to leave him for lying.^[5]

S.H.A.D.E. is called in to take OMAC down, and Father Time sends his top operative Frankenstein. They have an epic battle in the streets of Metropolis and OMAC is nearly executed with the Sword of Michael, but Brother Eye teleports him away before he gets beheaded.^[6]^[7]

During a double-date with his fiancee and obnoxious co-worker Tony Jay, they are attacked by Sweet Leilani of the Female Furies.^[8] Superman begins to take interest in OMAC and beats him in a fight, but Brother Eye teleports him away. Eye sends him to infiltrate Command B's underground Evil Factory run by Simyan.

OMAC Kevin Kho 0024 — Kevin is stuck in the OMAC body and leaves his fiancee.

He joins several of Simyan's experiments, a race of humanoid animals, in rebelling against their tormentor. Their leader Prince Tuftan is forced to kill his father, but they defeat Simyan and Eye has OMAC destroy the factory as an abomination.^[9] In their final confrontation with Checkmate, OMAC is hunted down by Mokkari's monsters and Steel's strike team while he tries to tell his fiancee the truth. Maxwell Lord outsmarts Brother Eye and destroys him. Eye's final act is to give Kevin his personality back, at the expense of trapping him in the OMAC body forever. Jody begs him to stay, but he declares that Kevin Kho is dead and he is only OMAC.^[1]

Justice League International

Main article: Justice League International: Breakdown

OMAC later appears with the newly formed Justice League International. He does battle with the team, more powerful than any of them, and strikes down their most heavy hitters. Screaming in his OMAC voice, he demands to see a doctor.^[10] After a grueling battle, Kevin is confronted by Batman, Booster Gold and Batwing in the sewer and instantly calms down. He explains that he discovered Batman had a hand in creating the nanomachines that changed him and came seeking any information the Dark Knight could give him that could lead to him being able to change back. He is unsure why he attacked the JLI and apologizes. Not fully trusting OMAC, but at the same time unwilling to leave him in case he loses control again, the JLI takes him with them to investigate an attack in Paris. It is August General in Iron who makes the first move to reconciliation, as he is all too familiar with being trapped in a body not his own and unable to change back. ^[11]

Powers and Abilities

Powers

Omactivate!: At any place and at any time, Brother Eye can transform Kevin Kho into the powerful OMAC. Using alien bio-technology, Kevin uncontrollable changes with destructive results.
- Superhuman Strength
- Superhuman Durability

Abilities

Genetics

Notes

Kevin Kho's alliterative name is an obvious reference to the character Buddy Blank, the original OMAC. Buddy Blank was created by Jack Kirby as protagonist in the original OMAC volume, also a corporate nobody who receives incredible powers from Brother Eye. He had been called the One-Man Army Corps.^[12]

Trivia

Kevin Kho has obsessive-compulsive disorder.^[2]

External Links

Footnotes

[OMAC8-1] 1.0 ^1.1 OMAC (Volume 4) #8

[OMAC1-2] 2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 OMAC (Volume 4) #1

[3] OMAC (Volume 4) #2

[4] OMAC (Volume 4) #3

[5] OMAC (Volume 4) #4

[6] OMAC (Volume 4) #5

[7] Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #5

[8] OMAC (Volume 4) #6

[9] OMAC (Volume 4) #7

[10] Justice League International (Volume 3) #8

[11] Justice League International (Volume 3) #9

[12] OMAC (Volume 1) #1

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