Warning! Contains spoilers for Monkey Prince #9!It looks like one of the newest heroes in the DC Universe actually has a Superman connection that goes far back into the Man of Steel's history. Monkey Prince #9 reveals that the titular hero is the legacy of one of Clark Kent's first nemeses.
The DC Universe is the home of literally hundreds of classic heroes, and the world has recently gotten a little bit bigger with the debut of Monkey Prince. Born Marcus Sun, the hero is a teenager who is the adoptive son of two henchmen who find work with supervillains such as Black Manta or Lex Luthor. Marcus' true father is Sun Wukong, aka the Monkey King from Chinese folklore. By uttering a magic word, Marcus can transform into Monkey Prince and access all the divine powers shared by his birth father. As Monkey Prince becomes more familiar with his powers, he's quickly gotten to know several of DC's biggest heroes.
Now it seems that Marcus may actually have a connection to one of the greatest heroes of them all by way of Superman's very first enemy. In Monkey Prince #9 by Gene Luen Yang and Bernard Chang, Marcus’ mother is injured working for Lex Luthor after his offices are invaded by King Fire Bull and his demon allies. Marcus is taken by his father to help get his wife proper treatment, which results in them going to see Marcus’ grandfather, Gerard. As Marcus’ mother is tended to, the young man notices Supergirl is in the area. Gerard sees the Kryptonian for himself and decides to handle the situation. He attaches himself to a device to transfer his consciousness into a new body, revealing that Monkey Prince's grandfather is actually the Ultra-Humanite.
Monkey Prince Is A Superman Villain Legacy
The Ultra-Humanite is the very first supervillain Superman faced off against, first appearing back in Action Comics #13. Essentially serving as a prototype Lex Luthor, Ultra-Humanite is a criminal genius who uses his vast intellect to fight the Last Son of Krypton. However, unlike Lex, Ultra-Humanite is known for his ability to transfer his mind into other bodies, making him functionally immortal. Much of the Ultra-Humanite's backstory was unexplored, but it seems that that's changing now that DC's latest hero is kin to him.
It seemed that Monkey Prince was a completely new addition to the DC Universe, with his only connection being to the real-life myth of the Monkey King. However, this reveal gives the Monkey Prince an important link to Superman’s history. Granted, Marcus and Ultra-Humanite don’t share blood, but they do currently share values. Marcus isn’t the biggest fan of superheroes, owing to a terrible experience with Batman in childhood. Monkey Prince is also intent on keeping his henchmen parents safe, though that loyalty may be tested soon now that Marcus has discovered he’s related to a legit supervillain. Readers curious to see what this link to Superman may mean for Monkey Prince can up a copy of Monkey Prince #9, on sale now.
