Who Is Mongrel? Origin, Powers and Key Facts

Mongrel is a DC Comics comic book character, the alter ego of Josh Xan, with over 18 comic issue appearances. Josh Xan, mixed-blood Vietnamese and African-American, discovered he could create powerful Shadowforce blasts from his hands. He turned into Mongrel and joined the Blood Pack.

Who is Mongrel?

Quarrelsome and arrogant, teenager Josh Xan received his superpowers when alien parasites invaded Earth during the Bloodlines crisis and attacked him, activating his latent metagene. In the past his half Vietnamese heritage had made Josh a target for bigots and caused him mental pain. Now, the negative mental thoughts he had kept bottled up for years saw expression as a unique form of energy which he could project with shattering force. Under the codename Mongrel, he used his darkforce powers to assist Hawkman and other heroes ending the bloodlines crisis. Mongrel was not the only young hero who earned superpowers during the alien invasion. The aliens, who drank human spinal fluid, triggered a a related outbreak of metahuman powers among a small group of inexperienced youths. Collectively called the "New Bloods", this group of untested champions joined together as the Blood Pack at the behest of the shadowy U.S. government agency the Quorum, which hoped to use Blood Packs's members to advance its own villainoous agenda.

Key facts

Mongrel is of mutant origin and first appeared in "Bad Blood". The character is published by DC Comics. With 18 recorded issue appearances, Mongrel ranks among the most featured characters in comics.