So Karate Kid was the Legionnaire with no powers, or the power of "Super Karate" despite the fact that he was trained in multiple martial arts. Take your pick. He was a long time Legionnaire that at one point received a solo series, but eventually was moved to Reserve status with Projectra, who joined with him and eventually became his lover.
Initially, the problem with Val as he really doesn't have any super powers, which was a requirement for membership. He just really likes martial arts and is probably quite fit. This is much in the same way that Braniac 5 doesn't have any special powers, he's just a little smarter or something than his average people. Now, the idea that he has martial arts prowess is not a deal breaker with the Legion. Many times, they do fight grunt enemies, but he does face a slight disadvantage in that he does not have any range to his abilities. He rarely uses any type of weapon, much less a range weapon like a throwing blade or chain weapons. For a master of martial arts, he much prefers to beat on robots or side kick a meteor coming straight at him.
Honestly, not sure how he doesn't sustain serious injuries as a result. Threeboot KK did actually take a beating and was willing to break his own arm to defeat an enemy. I guess writers tried to make KK seem a big threat with his martial arts, but I always felt that giving some of the weaker female Legionnaires martial arts skills kinda takes away from Val being on the team. It was his niche. Maybe some would disagree with me on this aspect.
Then we have the "ability" to sense the weakest spot in an object. *sigh* This "ability" was obviously lifted from Karnak from the Inhumans. It's not quite clear how Val obtained this ability but Karnak obtained his from meditation and intensive training. Do modern comic readers even accept that as plausible anymore? I know, it's a comic book, but you usually need to take a special serum that give your photographic reflexes or get doused in toxic chemicals and give you radar sense to have something set you apart from other martial artists.
Maybe it's no wonder Val has been killed twice in various continuities, that some writers just don't see this type of character existing 1000 years into the future. Even so, his origin is wrought with several problems:
Val Armorr was the son of one of Japan's greatest crime lords, Kirau Nezumi, also known as Black Dragon. When he was born, his mother, the American secret agent Valentina Armorr, tried to hide him from his father, but she failed and was killed for her effort. Japan's greatest hero Sensei Toshiaki (the White Crane) eventually killed Black Dragon for his crimes and adopted the infant Val.
That origin might work in the 1960's but really doesn't strike me we plausible 1000 years in the future as Earth is generally perceived to have one unifying government there would really not be a thing as an American secret agent.
But before I digress too much, let's not forget Val's new power: reincarnation. In the Retroboot, Levitz brought Val back through some unexplained circumstances. The plot was barely touched and left many readers scratching their head as to why it was done in the first place.
No, I feel that if Val is going to be in the Legion, a lot needs fixing with him. First of all, he needs to be half-Japanese and look the part. Second of all, he really needs a power. There are one of two ways to do it: 1. give him a power that complements his martial arts, like a healing factor or a true flaw detection power. 2. give him a totally unrelated power like Target Lock Disruption that means he can keep automated weapons from locking on to him, or give him a power like voice mimicry.
Also, bringing back Val would probably need to happen with a new continuity. I think most readers feel Val should have stayed dead as his death was so heroic and too important and key in the development of Projectra.
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