Kang the Conqueror has arrived to dominate the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the release of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum Mania . The villainous character of Jonathan Majors is about to shake up the MCU as the big evil of the Multiverse saga, creating an Avengers-level threat much bigger than Thanos.
Now that the Conqueror is ready to go to war with the MCU, here’s everything viewers need to know about Kang and his long history in Marvel comics.
He has powers like Iron Man
Although Kang is a superpowered being, technically he doesn’t have any superpowers. His strength comes from his intelligence, which allowed him to create advanced armor from a rare 40th century material.
Like Iron Man, this suit gives him super strength, he can shoot energy beams, create force fields, anti-gravity fields and floating pillows. The suit even allows Kang to travel through time and transfer his consciousness into another body.
His pedigree
Born in the 31st century as Nathaniel Richards, Kang is said to be descended from the time-traveling father of Reed Richards, also named Nathaniel, who brought peace to Kang’s war-torn reality. However, the comics also suggest that he is a descendant of the Fantastic Four’s nemesis, Doctor Doom.
Whatever his origins, Kang has proven to have extraordinary intelligence, rivaling that of Mister Fantastic and Doctor Doom. His relationship with both geniuses could also influence Marvel Studios’ upcoming Fantastic Four movie.
He is the Connecting Being
According to Marvel lore, Nexus Beings are beings that can influence probability and change the future and reality itself, making them essential to the flow of time. There is one Nexus Being in each universe, and each serves as a focal point for the mystical energies of their own realities.
Kang shares this title with several notable figures in the multiverse, some notable examples being Scarlet Witch, Odin, Vision, and Jean Grey. In multiverse lore, some real-life figures are also nexus beings, including Queen Elizabeth I, Napoleon Bonaparte, Abraham Lincoln, and John F. Kennedy.
He used to be an iron guy
Marvel Comics
In the comics, Kang travels back in time to save his younger self from a group of bullies and reveals the boy’s future as a supervillain. Horrified by the actions of his future self, young Nathaniel steals time travel technology from Kang and escapes into the past, choosing a more righteous path and becoming a superhero.
He dons high-tech armor modeled after Iron Man, forms a new team of heroes called the Young Avengers, and even dates teammate Cassie Lang. Unfortunately, this heroic streak is short-lived, as he eventually fulfills his destiny by becoming a villain like his older counterpart.
Once he was a pharaoh
Marvel Comics
Kang met Marvel Comics when he ruled ancient Egypt under the guise of Pharaoh Rama-Tut. He decided to travel to this era and become this false god king after he got bored with his origin time due to the lack of war.
However, his reign ends when the Fantastic Four travel back in time and start a rebellion against him.
Scarlet Centurion
After his reign as Rama-Tut ends, Kang accidentally travels back to the present day on Earth-616, where he meets Doctor Doom. Since Doom is possibly Kang’s ancestor, the latter is inspired to create a personality similar to his, becoming the Scarlet Centurion.
He attempts to take over the modern era by stripping the Avengers of their free will. Although he succeeds and creates another timeline where he is in control, the Scarlet Centurion is defeated by Earth-616’s Avengers, which causes him to give up his new identity.
Birth of Kang
Although Kang was already a time-traveling tyrant when he debuted, he only officially became known as Kang after he lost his rank as Scarlet Centurion. After a crushing defeat at the hands of the Avengers, he flees the present and accidentally travels to the 40th century.
As this future Earth has been devastated by war, he assumes the identity of Kang the Conqueror and easily seizes control of the planet before taking over the entire galaxy.
He conquers the earth
In the “Kang Dynasty” comic book storyline, Kang and his army succeeded in conquering Earth in the mainstream Marvel Universe. His invasion includes the destruction of the United Nations and the destruction of Washington D.C. and its inhabitants, forcing the planet to surrender to him.
While it may seem pale in comparison to how Thanos destroyed half the universe, the fact that he forced the entire Earth into submission to him of his own free will is especially horrific. As a result, viewers can see this global invasion come to fruition in The Avengers: The Kahn Dynasty .
