First adventures
When Kenan's Kryptonian powers make him even more arrogant, despite his difficulty controlling them, Omen lectures him on his role as a superhero and has him join the Ministry's new Justice League of China, which consists of him, the Wonder-Woman of China, Peng Deilan (the human identity of the mythical Green Snake) and the Bat-Man of China, Wang Baixi (the top pupil of China's Academy of the Bat). In an interview as Super-Man following the success of the JLC's first mission, Kenan foolishly attempts to impress reporter Laney Lan by revealing his secret identity and the Justice League of China's existence to the whole world, much to the shock and fury of his teammates and Omen.
On their next mission, the JLC encounters the mysterious Freedom Fighters of China and defeat them but are unable to capture their leader Flying Dragon General. Kenan realizes his mistake of exposing his secret identity and goes home to check on his father, who reveals himself to be Flying Dragon General.[4]
Zhongdan explains that the Freedom Fighters of China are a pro-democracy group he formed with Maitai, his younger brother Zhonglun and their activist friends after they were inspired by the American Justice League to take up costumed identities to fight against the Chinese Communist Party. Believing Maitai's death was orchestrated by the Ministry, Zhongdan convinces Kenan to join Freedom Fighters. Meanwhile, the incarcerated Freedom Fighters stage a planned mass breakout and steal a Genetically Modified Starro - genetic material collected from Starro created by the Ministry as a mind controlling device. When Zhonglun, the Human Firecracker, uses the GMS to put Bat-Man and Wonder-Woman under mind control, he announces his plans to use the GMS on China's bureaucrats, but is rebuked by Zhongdan and Kenan. Human Firecracker declares them traitors and sets the Freedom Fighters, leaving them for dead but the two are rescued by Omen and her assistant Mingming. When the Ministry is alerted that the Freedom Fighters have hijacked a flight to Zhongnanhai, Kenan and Zhongdan leave to stop them. The two are able to board the plane mid flight and Kenan frees Bat-Man and Wonder-Woman. The JLC are able to defeat the Freedom Fighters and save all the passengers but Zhongdan is mortally wounded from protecting Kenan when Human Firecracker blows himself up with one of his explosives. After his father's funeral, Kenan tells Baixi and Deilan his father's findings about the Ministry, and both vow to help him bring his mother's murderers to justice as Doctor Omen secretly has Zhongdan's body preserved in a tank in her laboratory.
The truth about his parents
As his powers come from Superman's qi, Kenan approaches I-Ching to help control his qi and to fully unlock his powers. Under I-Ching's tutelage, Kenan learns that each of his powers are based around the Bagua, eight trigrams used in Taoism that represent the fundamental principles of reality, which gives him a better understanding of how his powers work.[5] Kenan is hired by Lex Luthor to find a stop the speedster Avery Ho from stealing ancient Chinese artifacts in his possession at LexCorp and has I-Ching accompany him to Metropolis. At LexCorp, Luthor reveals that artifacts are the Ox Horse Door Rings, which can be used to open a portal to dimensional plane containing the energies needed to awaken Kenan's remaining superpowers. Before Kenan can open the portal, Avery arrives and warns that the portal leads to Diyu. Avery's former allies, the China White triad arrive to steal the artifacts from Luthor, starting a massive brawl which brings Superman to Lexcorp.[6] During the fight, Luthor and I-Ching get trapped within Diyu, where Lex reveals that his true motive was to acquire the remains of the New 52 Superman containing his remaining powers. Kenan rescues Luthor (who fails to obtain the corpse) and I-Ching with Superman's and Avery's help. Luthor angrily dismisses Kenan from his service when he rejects Luthor's further offers for unlocking his powers.
Acquiring the Red Jade Dragon
The Justice League of China meet the American Justice League (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Aquaman, and the Green Lanterns Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz) in Metropolis and the two Leagues use their powers and resources to locate the amulet, which Kenan and Superman follow to Lex Luthor's private estate. Kenan finds the Red Jade Dragon in Luthor's treasure collection and orders the magically summoned All-Yang to release I-Ching. All-Yang reneges on the deal, as I-Ching cannot be released from the realm of ghosts and when Kenan rejects his offer to be Emperor, he uses the Red Jade Dragon to open a portal to the realm of the demi-gods, unleashing several asuras in Metropolis.[12] While the Justice Leagues fight the asuras (who are resistant to their attacks), Kenan communicates with I-Ching's spirit. I-Ching recounts his and All-Yang's pasts and their training as the embodiments of yin and yang. When the monks as their monastery implored each brother to accept a bit of the other one's nature to maintain perfect balance, All-Yang was insulted by suggestion to accept yin, which he viewed as inferior, and abandoned his training, forcing I-Ching to embody both yin and yang. I-Ching passes the mantle of yin and yang onto Kenan, changing the "S" on Kenan's chest to a yin and yang symbol. With his powers fully awakened by the Red Jade Dragon and I-Ching, Kenan closes the portal, weakening the asuras enough to be defeated by the Justice Leagues and absorbs All-Yang into his body.
Leader of the Justice League of China
As the leader of the Justice League of China, Kenan relocates the team to Northeastern China while seeking the advice of I-Ching's spirit and resisting All-Yang's influence to deal with being the living embodiment of yin and yang. The League repeatedly clashes with the Lantern Corps of China, the Ministry of Self-Reliance's new superhero team, who have branded the League fugitives for their defection.[13] The League intervenes at the China–North Korea border to rescue Ahn Kwang-Jo, a young North Korean defector with hydrokinetic abilities who can summon and communicate with mythical sea creatures, from North Korean forces, nearly sparking an international incident between the two nations. While under the JLC's care, Kwang-Jo is visited by the spirit of his "true father" King Munmu, who bestows his power onto his "son" by turning Kwang-Jo into an armor-clad dragon-human hybrid called the "Dragonson" and orders him to destroy North Korea.[14] Kenan and the JLC are able to help the Dragonson fight off Munmu's influence and prevent the Korean peninsula from being flooded.[15] Afterwards, Kenan recruits the Dragonson to the Justice League of China as its Aqua-Man while a water construct of Kwang-Jo is sent to prison in his place to trick the North Korean authorities.[16]
Other adventures
In Action Comics Issue 983, Kenan assisted Superman, Supergirl, Lex Luthor, and Superwoman fight off General Zod, Cyborg Superman, Eradicator, and Mongul. Kenan made a cameo appearance during Doomsday Clock helping Superman fight off Black Adam's forces. Kenan later helps Superman deal with a villain called Prophecy and assists Supergirl in dealing with the Fatal Five. When Kenan returns to America to pose for pictures he crosses paths with Deathstroke and successfully takes him down in order to bring him to China.
While Superman is away from Metropolis, Kenan protects the city when a mechanical dragon from LexCorp goes haywire. Kenan receives help from Connor Hawke but when Connor's jar of kimchi is destroyed, Kenan retrieves pao cai from China to replace the dish and has dinner with Connor's Korean family.[18]
Dawn of DC
Kenan becomes a member of the Superman family and helps the group thwart a terrorist attack by the anti-alien extremist Blue Earth group and attends the opening of the Steelworks Tower built by John Henry and Natasha Irons when it is attacked by Metallo.[19] During House of Brainiac, Kong Kenan was captured by Brainiac in order to be killed by Brainiac Queen for her to be more powerful. [20] He is freed by Conner Kent, and helps Superman hold off Brainiac's forces before being transported back to Earth. [21]
