Kid Karnevil

Kid Karnevil is a young sadistic killer who has alleged that he was kicked out of Hell for being too extreme (even for them). He is human and a sociopath of the worst order. No other details are known about his origins.

After the passing of Nabu, the last of the Lords of Order, a new Tenth Age of Magic began. (Day of Vengeance: Infinite Crisis Special) In this age, "wild magic" ruled and new champions and practitioners sprang up. Jeremy Karne aka Kid Karnevil allied with a group of mystical villains calling themselves the Pentacle. Led by Strega, they conjured a blood red dome around the town of Riverrock, Wyoming. This spell was intended to bestow the Pentacle members with immortality. The Phantom Stranger summoned the heroic mystics of the Shadowpact, who managed to cross Strega's barrier with the aid of the Phantom Stranger. From outside the barrier, a year passed and the Stranger employed various mystics to stand guard. (Shadowpact #1)

Mister Terrific corners the traitor revealed: Kid Karnevil. From Justice Society of America vol. 3 #33 (2010); art by Matt Sturges.

Inside, Karnevil captured the Shadowpact's Detective Chimp but failed to best the beast. (#2) The Pentacle were betrayed by one of their own, White Rabbit, which enabled the Shadowpact to destroy the barrier. When it fell, time was distorted and everyone inside was age one year. Their leader escaped but Kid Karnevil and the others were imprisoned in the Nightshade dimension, in its Black Tower. (#3) Kid Karnevil escaped before long when a shipment arrived at the Tower from Earth. He killed all guards to escape and returned to Gotham City. (#13)

Karnevil was among the villains who were imprisoned on a "hell planet" by Amanda Waller. Not surprisingly, when the rogues separated into camps, Kid Karnevil chose the Joker's. (Salvation Run #1-7)

Karne struck out on his own and the next time he appeared, he was in the service of the secret new Fourth Reich (led by Captain Nazi). They sent him undercover to become a member of the Justice Society, where Karne invented the persona of "Billy Armstrong, the All-American Kid." His story was that his great-uncle was the original Mister America and that for a short time during that hero's undercover mission in Germany, Tex Thompson had a partner—the original All-American Kid. Karnevil also called the original Kid his uncle, William. He began training himself when he learned the JSA had opened their ranks to legacy heroes. NOTE: There has never been a World War II-era All-American Kid, in the Golden Age or any other period.

Karne's roommate was the fellow JSA recruit, King Chimera. When the JSA were summoned to take on of a group of super-villains, the two of them were ordered to remain at headquarters. While King meditated, All-American Kid acted as if he'd been possessed and stabbed Mr. Terrific in the back. (Justice Society of America #29) Naturally the security footage implicated the All-American Kid and he was interrogated. But Karnevil successfully threw the suspicion onto King Chimera, arguing that King used his illusion powers to mislead everyone. Meanwhile, Mr. Terrific was pronounced dead. (#31) The magic of Doctor Fate kept Terrific's body in stasis (#32) and it brought him back to life just in time. In the chaos, the "All-American Kid" revealed his true self to King Chimera. Karnevil slipped away from him to complete his true mission—to acquire the dormant "Obsidian egg" (the JSA's Obsidian, reduced to a dense state. He gave the egg over to the Fourth Reich's Shadow of War, but Karnevil's himself was captured when Mr. Terrific emerged from Fate's spell whole and used his T-spheres to disable the traitor. (#33)

Karnevil remained in the custody of the JSA for a time (#34) until he was freed by Captain Nazi and his new Fourth Reich. (#36) In their attack, the Reich seized the Obsidian egg. Their machinations resulted in the death of many heroes and removed the powers of those who remained. Karnevil was installed as their new Führer and his American Reich lasted for twenty years. Karne kept his arch foe, Mister Terrific, alive for years. Holt could have killed him many times, but chose instead to organize a resistance. (#38) His plan involved sending a message back in time, to himself, to hatch the Obsidian egg and free the hero inside. Doing so averted the Reich's plan and the reign of Karnevil, who was again taken into custody. (#40)

NOTES: Kid Karnevil's real name was revealed in Shadowpact #13 (2007). In his first appearances he was called simply "Karnevil." In Shadowpact #13 it became Kid Karnevil. He has appeared only in books penned by his creator, Bill Willingham.

All-American Boy

The second "All-American Boy," Josh Walker. From Superman/Batman #48 (2007); art by Shane Davis.

There was no Golden Age character called All-American Boy, but there was a second person who went by that name. Josh Walker, a farm boy from Kansas was unwittingly altered by Amanda Waller. His DNA was bonded to that of the Kryptonian monster, Doomsday. Waller called Walker her "All-American Boy," his body had spikes made of kryptonite. Superman and Batman discovered his existence in their search to eradicate all kryptonite. They saved the Boy by bringing him back to reality. (Superman/Batman #47-48)

Powers

Kid Karnevil is a human with a penchant for gruesome serial murder. He is capable of any atrocity to that end.