Introduction
Kang the Conqueror (Nathaniel Richards) is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is most frequently depicted as an opponent of the Avengers and the Fantastic Four. A time-traveling entity and descendant of the scientist of the same name, several alternate versions of Kang have appeared throughout Marvel Comics titles over the years, including his respective future and past heroic selves, Pharaoh Rama-Tut, Immortus, and Iron Lad.
Kang the Conqueror has been described as one of Marvel’s most notable and powerful villains.
Publication
The character who would become best known as Kang first appeared in Fantastic Four #19 (October 1963), by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. This issue introduced the pharaoh Rama-Tut, a criminal from the year 3000 who had travelled back in time and conquered ancient Egypt, and who was implied to be a descendant (or possibly future incarnation) of Fantastic Four villain Doctor Doom.
After a second appearance the following year in Fantastic Four Annual #2 (September 1964), the character appeared again in The Avengers #8 (published the same month), also by Lee and Kirby, which revealed that Rama-Tut had gone on to travel to the year 4000, where he had adopted the identity of Kang. A decade later, the character of Immortus, previously introduced in Avengers #10 (November 1964), was retroactively established to be a future identity of Kang’s in Giant-Size Avengers #3 (February 1975).
Biography
Kang is a time-traveling warlord from the future who seeks to conquer the present and the past. He is a genius level intellect, a master of technology, and a skilled warrior. He is also a descendant of the Fantastic Four’s Reed Richards.
Kang’s real name is Nathaniel Richards, and he comes from the 30th century in an alternate timeline, where he is a brilliant historian, inventor and tyrant who has conquered many worlds. He uses his time-traveling technology to travel to different eras, seeking to expand his empire.
Kang’s abilities include genius-level intellect, mastery of technology, and advanced combat skills. He also has access to a wide range of advanced technology, including time-traveling devices, energy weapons, and robotic constructs.
Throughout his comic book history, Kang has been depicted as a recurring villain for the Avengers, Fantastic Four and other Marvel heroes. He is known for his ambition and desire for power, as well as his ability to manipulate time and history to suit his own ends.
Film & Reception
Kang’s character is depicted as being a highly intelligent and technologically advanced individual, but also as a power-hungry and ruthless dictator. He is often portrayed as a complex and multi-faceted villain, with a tragic backstory and a desire to reshape the world in his image.
In recent years, Kang has been depicted as a key figure in Marvel’s time-travel storylines, and has been involved in several major events and crossover storylines.
Kang has made media appearances in animated television and video games. He is set to make his feature film debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023), portrayed by Jonathan Majors, who will reprise the role in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (2025) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2026). Additionally, an alternate version of Kang known as “He Who Remains”, also portrayed by Majors, appeared in the Loki episode “For All Time. Always.” (2021).
Over the years he has received many accolades:
- In 2009, IGN ranked Kang the Conqueror 65th in their “Top 100 Comic Book Vilains” list.
- In 2019, CBR.com ranked Kang the Conqueror 4th in their “10 Fantastic Four Villains We Want To See In The MCU” list.
- In 2019, IGN ranked Kang the Conqueror 16th in their “Top 25 Marvel Villains” list.
- In 2021, Screen Rant included Kang the Conqueror in their “Marvel: The Avengers Main Comic Book Villains, Ranked From Most Laughable To Coolest” list and his Kangaroo the Conqueror persona in their “10 Best Spider-Ham Villains” list.
- In 2022, Collider ranked Kang the Conqueror 20th in their “20 Most Powerful Marvel Characters” list.
- In 2022, Newsarama ranked Kang the Conqueror 2nd in their “Best Avengers villains of all time” list.
- In 2022, Screen Rant included Kang the Conqueror in their “10 Most Powerful Avengers Villains In Marvel Comics” list and his Scarlet Centurion persona in their “15 Most Powerful Black Panther Villains” list.
- In 2022, CBR.com ranked Kang the Conqueror 2nd in their “Black Knight’s 10 Strongest Villains” list,[61] 3rd in their “10 Most Violent Marvel Villains” list, 7th in their “13 Most Important Marvel Villains” list,[1] 8th in their “10 Greatest Iron Man Enemies” list, and 10th in their “Ms. Marvel’s 10 Best Villains” list.
20 Kang Facts
For Fanboys and Fangirls who want to know all they can about Kang. We’ve put together a list of 20 facts fans probably don’t know about this awesome character.
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References: Wikipedia
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