Kenny McFarlane

Kong
Kong Art by Mark Bagley
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Ultimate Spider-Man #1 (October 2000)
Created by	Brian Michael Bendis Mark Bagley
In-story information
Full name	Kenny McFarlane
Supporting character of	Ultimate Spider-Man

Kenny McFarlane, (a.k.a. King Kong, or Kong), is a fictional character in comic books published by Marvel Comics', in Marvel's Ultimate Universe. Created by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley, he appears in the pages of Ultimate Spider-Man. Kenny is one of the few characters not based on a counterpart from Marvel's main continuity, being an original Ultimate Marvel invention to the comics.

Fictional character biography

Obese, yet strong, Kenny is the best friend of Flash Thompson. He is also a good friend of Liz Allan and Mary Jane Watson.

Kenny attends Midtown High School where he plays basketball for the school team. There, he can regularly be found cooperating with Flash bullying Peter Parker. However, without Flash in the vicinity, he shows a more likeable side and is often shown being friendly and open to Peter, even letting Peter stay at his house after Peter had a fight with his Uncle Ben. Peter is quick to point this out in issue #65, Detention, where he states that Flash hangs out with him solely to be in charge and treats him badly.

Whether or not Kenny takes Peter's words to heart, he later has a particularly violent confrontation with Flash after the latter begins ridiculing new student Kitty Pryde for being a mutant; Kenny slams Flash into a locker and furiously forces him to apologize, claiming he is "sick of [Flash's] racist crap". Frightened, Flash leaves the scene and Peter and MJ introduce Kitty to Kenny, and the pair walk away in conversation. He is later seen at Kitty's house, and Kitty later tells Peter that she is thinking of dating him.

When Kitty Pride was singled out by federal troops for being a mutant, Kenny was one of the few classmates to stick up for her, physically assaulting an agent to buy her time to escape. Kitty phased herself and Kenny through the floor and into the sewers, and they resume their relationship.

Kenny and Spider-Man

When Peter Parker is bitten by the genetically enhanced spider that gave him his powers, Kenny crushes the spider under his sneakers, killing it. Later, noticing changes in Peter's physical strength and abilities, and recalling the spider bite, he deduces that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. Flash and Liz refuse to believe him and demand he prove it by kicking Peter from behind. Peter's spider sense warns him that the kick is coming, and he willingly takes the abuse (even to the point of forcing tears) rather than reveal his abilities, which appears to dissuade Kenny. This confrontation is observed by new-student Gwen Stacy, who sticks up for Peter by pulling a knife on Kong.

Kenny still has a fascination with Spider-Man, even to the point of hero worship. Upon hearing about the upcoming Spider-Man movie, Kenny enters a casting call for extras. His only line was "Look in the sky, it's Spider-Man!" With the film's success, he achieved some fame in his school.

It is later revealed that even though Flash and his friends believed Peter's ruse that he's just an ordinary teenager, Kenny remain convinced that Peter is Spider-Man. However, Kenny respects Peter, and understand his desire to keep his dual identities a secret as he never attempts to reveal his knowledge to others again and ceased bullying the young hero, or pretend to do so when Flash and his friends are around to aid Peter of guarding his secrets without his knowledge. His knowledge and Peter's heroism as Spider-Man apparently inspire him to be a better person. He wishes that Peter would confide him of his double life as he did with Mary Jane Watson. Kenny knew Peter, as Spider-Man, previously dated Kitty Pryde, a former X-Man and now fellow classmate, and currently wonders if their relationship was intimate, as it evidently bothers him. He recently revealed to Peter of his knowledge after one of their classmates, Liz Allan, manifested her mutant powers when they were on a beach, and urged him to go help her.

Character's name

Writer Brian Michael Bendis did not name Kenny consistently during his run on Ultimate Spider-Man. In the first scenes, he is called by his nickname of King Kong (lately it's just been "Kong", or his real name). In the first issue, his last name was hinted to be Harlan, and in issue #15, his mother called him Clifford, while in Ultimate Marvel Team-Up around the same time, in a story also written by Brian Michael Bendis, a teacher calls him Kenny. As a result of this information, in the "Official Handbook of the Ultimate Marvel Universe", he was referred to as "Kong Harlan, aka Clifford Kenneth Harlan." However in issue Ultimate Spider-Man #82, his name was finally revealed to be Kenny McFarlane. He now refers to himself as Kenny McFarlane, and in an interview with Bendis ^[1], it is confirmed that this is his real name.

In other media

Television

• Kenny appears in The Spectacular Spider-Man voiced by Andrew Kishino.^[2] Unlike his comic counterpart, Kenny is more fat than muscular. Also, his ethnic background is changed to Asian, with "Kong" being his actual last name. He is on the Midtown football team with Flash Thompson and Randy Robertson. He dated Glory Grant until she broke up with him for being too childish. She later forgives him and they get back together.

Video games

• Kenny has a cameo in the Ultimate Spider-Man video game. His character can be seen in the models section of the special features.

References

1. ^ Page Title
2. ^ Comics Continuum by Rob Allstetter: Monday, October 8, 2007