Monkey Khan

Monkey Khan, real name Ken Khan, is a monkey from Leung West who was forcibly turned into a cyborg by Dr. Ivo Robotnik. Khan's enhancements were made by Robotnik as a means of building an army of cyborgs to overthrow Mobotropolis once the Overlanders were defeated in the Great War. However, Monkey Khan proved uncontrollable and was sealed away for ten years. He was accidentally liberated by Sally Acorn after the death of Dr. Robotnik in 3235, and went off to start his own life. He eventually returned to his home village, only for it to be destroyed later by Dr. Eggman, with all of its inhabitants captured and roboticized. He has since sworn revenge against Eggman and has fought against his Sub-Bosses in the Dragon Kingdom; the Iron King and Iron Queen. He appeared to have allied himself with the Dragon Kingdom Freedom Fighters and fought against the Iron Dominion, but Kahn was brought under the control of the Iron Queen once again and was forced to destroy his comrades. Some time after this, he journeyed to New Mobotropolis and informed the leaders there of the threat of the Iron Dominion.

Change to Monkey Khan
Near the end of the Great War, Robotnik (still then called Julian Kintobor) invaded the neutral city of Leung West, looking for test subjects for his cyborg project. There, he kidnapped all of the villagers, among them Ken Khan, son of village elder Lau Khan. Unfortunately, Ken Khan was the only villager that was able to survive being rebuilt as a cyborg, due to his athletic capabilities and roughhousing habits. While initially finding the idea of a single "chimp with a stick" a laughable excuse for an army, Robotnik tested Ken Khan out anyway. Ken Khan, now simply called Monkey Khan, singlehandedly routed a small army of Overlanders. However, Khan then rebelled, feeling hatred for the apparent deaths of his people. He was subsequently locked away by Dr. Robotnik, considered a failed test subject. (StH: #86)

Liberation
Over ten years later, following the death of Robotnik, a band of Eggbots under the control of the incarcerated Snively were sent forth to track down the rogue wizard Ixis Naugus. Unknown to the Eggbots, or Snively, the power drill they were using contained a storage crypt that Monkey Khan was imprisoned in. When Sonic the Hedgehog, Princess Sally Acorn, and Antoine D'Coolette investigated the Eggbots' mission, NICOLE picked up another energy signal, leading Sally to discover what appeared to be a crypt. Forcing it open, she found, to her surprise, a person within. Freed, Monkey Khan soon saw the Eggbots unearth a large Power Ring, which they had mistaken for Naugus's energy signature, and summoned it to him. Khan made the ring a new headband, enhancing his abilities. Almost immediately, Khan then obliterated the whole squadron of Eggbots. When Sonic learned from Sally that Robotnik was behind the creation of the cyborg, he immediately fought Khan, which only caused Khan to take better notice of Sally. He kidnapped her, declaring that he needed a companion after being alone for so long. However, Sally told him that despite his arrogance, he was obviously very powerful, and that he could use that power to become a true hero. Liking this idea, Khan returned to help Sonic and Antoine finish off the Eggbots, striking them with lightning. He then departed to resume his life after his long imprisonment. (StH: #55)

Folk Hero
While travelling the planet on his flying cloud, Monkey Khan was detected by the Iron Queen when he was approaching Stormtop Village. Due to the rage and anguish he felt within, Monkey Khan was easily susceptible to the Iron Queen's magic spell, and was thus brought under her control. The Iron Queen then had Monkey Khan fight Sonic and Tails, who were trying to put out the blaze which consumed Mount Stormtop for over a hundred days. After Tails broke the Iron Queen's staff, Monkey Khan regained his free well. The three then attacked the Iron Fortress together to defeat both the Iron King and Iron Queen and to find a way to stop the fire. While Khan battled with the Iron King, Sonic and Tails retrieved the Fan of Fen Xing. They used the fan to dispose of the Iron King, as well as put out the fire consuming Mt. Stormtop. The Iron Queen then retreated, swearing revenge. Returning to the village, Li Yuen explained that a prophecy existed about the coming of an "Monkey King", possible referring to Monkey Khan himself - much to Khan's surprise. (StH: #60)

While in the village of Leung Kar, Monkey Khan chased off members from the Yagyu Ninja who were trying to steal from the village's Temple of the Golden Lotus. Following this, Khan went with two of the villagers, Liu Fang and Liu Chi Mei, to track down the escaping theives. Managing to break into their headquarters, Monkey Khan and the others found themselves falling into a pit, though once inside the pit they discovered all of the treasure the Yagyu had stolen over the past fifty years. Although the Yagyu's giant robotic dragon soon attacked them, Khan managed to use his staff's powers to destroy the robot's tracking device and set it after its former masters, forcing the Yagyu to flee. Fang then asked if Monkey Khan would returned to Leung Kar with them and celebrate the recovery of their town's treasures, but instead Monkey Khan went off on his own quest. (SSS: #8)


 * It is most likely that at some point during this time Monkey Khan earned the title the "King of the Free People."

After this Monkey Khan briefly returned to Stormtop Village. While Sonic was running across Mobius with the Super Emerald to restore Knothole to the proper time frame and get rid of a "mysterious energy beam" hitting the planet, Monkey Khan, Li Moon and Li Yuen witnessed Sonic run past the village. (StH: #71)

Fighting the Eggman Empire
Immigrating to Kar Leung in the Dragon Kingdom, Monkey Khan lived there in peace for some time. However, after Robo-Robotnik came to Mobius Prime, he located the village. Monkey Khan was drugged and rendered unconscious by the forces of Robo-Robotnik (now calling himself Dr. Eggman). While Khan was unconscious, Eggman's forces completely obliterated the village and captured all of its people and roboticized them. After Monkey Khan awoke, Eggman had a roboticized General Hunn attempt to install microscopic transmitters in order to override Khan's free will. However, due to his Power Ring headband, Khan maintained his free will, instead receiving a power boost from the procedure. He then broke free and destroyed Eggman's entire factory. However, Eggman informed him the village had been destroyed while he was unconscious and the entire population roboticized, and flew away on a ship with the town's Robians, leaving Khan with a hollow victory. (StH: #87)

Monkey Khan then spent the next two weeks walking on foot towards the re-captured Robotropolis to confront Dr. Eggman. Arriving outside of the city while Sonic was speaking to the recently-returned Overlanders, Monkey Khan lashed out and attacked them. Sonic attempted to defend the innocent Overlanders from Khan. During this time, Dr. Eggman deceived the Overlanders into believing the Mobians were savages (with Sonic and Khan's fight proving an immediate example) and lured them into the "safety" of Robotropolis. Before Sonic could stop them, the city's dome shield was activated and both Sonic and Monkey Khan were trapped outside. Khan then flew away on his flying cloud, saying he would soon have his revenge against Eggman. Despite this, Monkey Khan did not return; he was next seen fighting alongside the rest of Mobius' inhabitants to combat the Xorda. (StH: #92, #125)

Fight Against the Iron Dominion
As the war against the Eggman Empire carried on, Monkey Khan fought against the Iron Dominion in the Dragon Kingdom, with the help of a group of local Freedom Fighters. But the Iron Queen, used her powers of Magitek to gain control over Monkey Khan's cybernetic body and had him destroy his comrades. Having served his purpose, the Iron Queen released Khan to gloat over how she turned him into her "divine weapon." Khan tried to continue fighting back on his own, but his efforts were for naught. Eventually he learned of the Queen's plan to usurp the heart of the empire and flew off to the main continent to get help.(StH: #204)

Monkey Khan later made a violent entrance in New Mobotropolis's Coliseum, interrupting the performance of Mina Mongoose's band, the Forget Me Knots. Khan berated everyone present for their celebration, calling them "self-congratulatory jerks" and disapproving their behavior when, as he claimed, the rest of the planet still had problems. Sonic, eager for action, jumped in to confront Khan, but Sally quickly put a stop to any fighting. Khan revealed that while Eggman may have been defeated, the Iron Queen had taken over the Eggman Empire, explaining that she had neutralized the Freedom Fighters of the Dragon Kingdom and taken control of the region's four ninja clans. He and Sonic then took off to do a reconnaissance mission New Megaopolis, though both were overly-eager to confront the newly-empowered Iron Dominion. (StH: #201)

Upon arriving in the ruined city the two were ambushed by the Dark Legion and then set on by the Yagyu Clan. Espio the Chameleon, Lightning Lynx, and the Iron King also joined in the battle, the involvement of the former coming as a surprise to Sonic. Outnumbered and outmatched, Sonic and Monkey Khan hastily pulled out after the Iron King wanted them to swear allegiance to the Iron Dominion, to which both declined. While Sonic reported their findings to King Elias, Sally and Knuckles the Echidna, Khan walked miserably off, asking himself what kind of "king" he had become.(StH: #202)

The following day, Khan was subjected to rock throwing from Sasha, Rory, and Snaggle for ruining Mina's concert until Sonic stepped in to reprimand them. Surprisingly, Khan actually apologized to them for his behavior and said he had already done the same to Mina and her band. When Sonic asked about his change, Khan explained he was trying to better control his temper, but flew into a rage when Sonic brought up the "Monkey King" prophecy as it only reminded him of how he failed everyone in the Dragon Kingdom. Shortly afterwards, the Iron Queen and Snively arrived in New Mobotropolis. When Regina took control of Bunnie D'Coolette's roboticized parts with Magitek and used her arm cannon to attack her friends, Monkey Khan got the three orphans out of harm's way. The three urged him to help defend the city and save Bunnie, but Khan was reluctant, due both to his previous failures against the Iron Queen and knowing she could take control of him through her Magitek powers. Khan eventually built up his courage, however, and intervened to save Bunnie's life. However, while distracted conversing with the Iron Queen, Snively snuck up and removed his Power Ring crown, thus making him vulnerable to Regina's Magitek. Despite his efforts to resist, Khan once again came under the control of the Iron Queen's powers. He proved too powerful for the Freedom Fighters, but in the end Sonic used a Power Ring from the Lake of Rings to break the Iron Queen's hold and restore Khan back to his former self. After Sonic restored back to his former self, Khan told Sonic and the gang how he destroyed the Dragon Kingdom by letting Regina take control of him. With low self esteem Monkey Khan was going to give up the fight against the Iron Dominion till Rosie's children convinced him to fight. (StH: #203, #204)

He was later seen in the Tommy Turtle Memorial Hospital, giving flowers to an on-the-mend Bunnie, much to the dismay of Dr. Quack whose orders of staying in bed were ignored. When Sonic recived news of something within the Great Forest, Khan set out to go help but was stopped by Dr. Quack. Later, he left the hospital in hopes of talking to Sally Acorn but they were intercepted by Tails dragging in a knocked-out Dr. Eggman. Khan was all for killing the weakened Doctor but Sally convinced him he was more helpful alive. Khan then took the Doctor to the prison. He then helped Bunnie get to the edge of the city, where they taunted the Iron Queen and Iron King for a failed attempt of attacking New Mobotropolis from them. After Sonic had a little exchange with Dr. Eggman, Khan asked Sonic why he had compassion for Eggman when he nearly destoryed everything he's cared for time and again. Sonic's reply was that he just lived in the now and does what's right at the time. Khan reply to that was, "You're either a Zen Master or a fool but you're impressive either way." Sonic then thanked Khan for bringing Bunnie out to taunt and Khan said, "It was the least I could do." (StH: #205, #206)

During a heart to heart lunch with princess Sally, Nicole interrupted revealing to them that the Iron King was attacking the Mes Braves Battalion at Fort Acorn. After a quick explanation on Robotropolis' radioactive remains he set off on his cloud, arriving betwen the bull and hedgehog. A verbal fight in which Khan referred to the Iron King by name and not title, a brutal two versus one battle where the Iron King remained stalwart erupted. No matter how much they threw at him he got back up, Sonic told Khan to keep the king busy. Slamming his charged bat into the armored bull`s helmet, being forced down by his massive nemesis for what would have been a crippeling blow. Sonic interrupted and tricked the bull into smashing an empty shell of the power generator. Once home again the heroic duo traded good hearted insults before Khan was dragged away by Sally to talk. (StH: #207)

Later on, the Iron Dominion would return to New Mobotropolis, this time with a devastating new battleplan; taking control of NICOLE and by extension the very nanites that composed New Mobotropolis itself. Sally directed Khan to rescue her brother and the other members of the Acorn Council from the castle, but the castle had already been locked down, preventing him from gaining access. He then proceeded to engage members of the Dark Egg Legion and Yagyu clan until the Iron King showed up. Khan then fought the bull to allow Sonic, Sally, and Tails to escape to the airfield. He became distracted when he realized that the trio would be unable to get out of the city with a huge metal dome covering it. Just as the Iron King was about to strike while Khan was vulnerable, Amy Rose intervened, saving Khan. Amy then took over fighting the Iron King, sending Khan to help the other three. Once he regrouped with them, he used his Atom Bat to blast a hole in the dome covering the city and accompanied the three as they made their escape to Freedom HQ. (StH: #208)

Personality
Despite usually meaning well, Monkey Khan is arrogant, aggressive, vengeful and quick to judge. He enjoys fighting and thinks highly of himself in general. While his behavior is often rash, he can be talked down and humbled on occasion. He is ultimately willing to protect others and doesn't take failure well, desiring revenge against Robotnik for those whose lives he's ruined. Under the influence of Magitek he becomes utterly devoted to the Iron Queen and even more egotistical, his declaration being that he is the "divine weapon of the Iron Dominion." Realizing his lack of self-control made him more vulnerable to the Iron Queen's power, he has made a greater attempt to keep his anger and arrogance in check.

Abilities
Monkey Khan has incredible strength and durability as a cyborg. He possesses a flying cloud, which allows him to travel the globe at high speeds, and also has some limited control over lightning strikes, possibly through his cloud, magic ring crown, Atom-Bat staff or a combination of the three. He is a proficient fighter.

Romance
Shortly after his liberation by Princess Sally, Monkey Khan kidnapped her as he had felt lonely after being kept in a crypt for ten years and took her away, and even commented that he thought Sally radiantly beautiful and wished to bask in the "heavenly glow of [her] loveliness". Sally however quickly convinced Monkey Khan to act more heroically instead of being so egotistical, and he returned with her to save Sonic and Antoine. When Khan arrived in New Mobotropolis two years later, Sonic had mentioned that he and Sally were no longer together, which earned a reaction of pleasant surprise from Khan, indicating a continued interest in Sally. He also told her to call him by his real name of Ken after she tried to comfort him after his failed mission against the Iron Dominion. She also seemed concerned over him when Sonic was forced to fight Monkey Khan while under the Iron Queen's control and later comforted him and hugged him afterwards. She later has lunch with him and discusses something private with him. (StH: #55, #86, #201, #202, #203, #204, #207)

Background Information

 * Sonic the Hedgehog #92 begins depicting Monkey Khan walking towards Robotropolis. It is unknown why he simply did not use his flying cloud to get there, as at the end of the first story he flew away on it. Though his pride might be a factor to take in consideration.
 * Canceled storyline for post #134 issues of the main series included Monkey Khan taking Knuckles on as an apprentice in martial arts, the two of them training in a dojo built atop the hiding place of a powerful jewel called the Master Geode. The two would then have fallen under the control of Robotnik and the Iron Queen and been pitted against each other over the ownership of the jewel.
 * Monkey Khan draws inspiration from Journey to the West's main character Sun Wukong.
 * When he was controlled by Iron Queen first, he was wearing his power ring headband. But in Issue 203, Snively removed his headband to make him susceptible to the Iron Queen's control once again. It is possible in past, he was full of hatred and anger, so he was vulnerable to her control despite wearing a headband. But in present, he became more humble so he can resist her control with his mind and use of power ring.
 * The flying cloud Monkey Khan uses is reminiscent of the Nimbus cloud used by Goku and his son Gohan in the DragonBall manga and anime series.

Appearance
Khan has brown fur and blue eyes. Designed by writer/artist Frank Strom using inspiration from Journey to the West, Khan wields a large staff and is often depicted flying about on a magic cloud. While a cyborg, all of his robotics are internal and are thus not visible. Khan’s original attire consists of a red-and-green vest with golden plates on the shoulders; it is adorned with taijitu symbols. He wore a crown made from a Power Ring; it featured a red gem in a slightly ornate setting. While briefly under mind control, his eyes glowed gold and blank.

Later on, his vest was changed; the lower segment became much longer with a slight split in the back and its colour shifted to more blue than green. His crown was replaced by a regular Power Ring worn as a circlet or headband. Under mind control again, his appearance temporarily changed to include red eyes on black, white hair at his temples and green glowing symbols all over his body; his magical cloud likewise became dark and stormy. An unused redesign by artist Jeff Axer featured much more elaborate attire for Khan, including a robe tied at the waist, detached sleeves, a sword with a roped sheath, and a braided rope headband decorated with more taijitu symbols.