The Marvel Cinematic Universe had had a reputation for portraying its comic-book heroes almost perfectly, but falling short when it came to the villains. But in recent years, characters like Erik Killmonger from Black Panther, Hela from Thor: Ragnarok, and of course Thanos, the nemesis of the Avengers, have helped to restore some of the equilibrium. Additionally, the MCU may be ready to introduce its biggest villain yet in Kang the Conqueror.
Kang, who is portrayed by Jonathan Majors of Lovecraft Country, is prepared to enter Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania before advancing to the larger Marvel cosmos. The superhero collaboration Avengers: The Kang Dynasty is likely to be the result of these efforts in 2025.
Majors has already made an appearance as He Who Remains in Loki, although it's unclear how that (apparently wholly different) character connects to his perilous double.
We've compiled all the information you need to know about Kang the Conqueror in this explainer, from his comic book roots to how he might fit into the larger MCU. Since this is Marvel, it is difficult to find specific information regarding his involvement in the films and TV episodes. But the hints are undoubtedly present when you're looking at a figure with nearly six decades of history.
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Jonathan Majors has familiarity with the MCU thanks to his role as He Who Remains in Loki. Marvel Studios 2021 is the source of the image. Toutes droits réservés.)
Why is Kang such a huge deal and who is he?
Although Kang the Conqueror may not yet be well-known, we may anticipate that soon his recognition will soar, just as #Thanos did after his brief debut during The Avengers' end credits.
Kang is set to overtake Loki as the MCU's Biggest Bad as Phase 5 progresses, giving Earth's Mightiest Heroes plenty of headaches that span the multiverse. However, he will first make his formal big-screen debut in the movie Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania in February 2023.
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Kang the Conqueror as he appeared in comic books. (Image sourced from Marvel Comics)
What is Kang's comic book background?
Since the early 1960s, when Marvel Comics began producing legendary superheroes and supervillains at an astounding rate, Kang the Conqueror has been a devoted fan of the publisher. Kang was created by the writer/artist dream team of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, just like the Fantastic Four, the Incredible Hulk, the X-Men, and Thor, and he made his debut in 1964's The Avengers #8.
Nathaniel Richards, a brilliant scientist born in the 30th century of Earth-6311, sometimes known as "Other-Earth," was the original Nathaniel Kang. The Dark Ages essentially never transpired in this alternate universe, which was more developed than Earth-616 in the main MCU history but also more prone to violence. But when another Nathaniel Richards, a time-traveler from Earth-616 who just so happened to be the father of Fantastic Four creator Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic and who may possibly have been an ancestor of his Earth-6311 counterpart, arrived, a cease-fire was negotiated.
Richards-6311 wasn't a fan of peacetime, either, so he chose to go back in time after learning about the technology created by Victor von Doom, a recurring Fantastic Four foe and another possible progenitor. Then, as his name implies, he used his understanding of the future and command of cutting-edge technology to conquer multiple worlds.
Originally, Richards intended to travel to ancient Egypt, where he served as Pharaoh Rama-Tut. Marvel's Rama-Tut actually made his debut in the Fantastic Four #19 from 1963 before being changed to become an early version of Kang. The character has also gone by the aliases Iron Lad, Scarlet Centurion, Victor Timely, and Immortus while engaging in time-traveling mishaps.
Rama-Tut ultimately made the decision to travel back in time to the 30th century, but a time storm interrupted his plan and instead transported him to a 40th century Earth that had been devastated by war. Richards saw a chance to gain power since the inhabitants of the planet were now unsure of how to use the outdated technology that was still widely available on their planet. He then rose to power on Earth under the alias Kang the Conqueror and began making inroads into the rest of the galaxy, which regularly pitted him against the Avengers.
There are several Kang "variants" in the comics, as is appropriate for a character that has a history of travelling between universes. Two of the most brutal other selves of the original "Prime Kang" even helped him form a Council of Kangs, and together they set out to destroy every other "lesser" Kang in the cosmos. The deposed Kangs were then replaced with robot copies, allowing Prime Kang to administer their domains from a distance.
Other famous Kang variations include a female Kang from Marvel's alternate Ultimate universe and Kangaroo the Conqueror from Peter Porker: The Spectacular Spider-Ham.
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Kang may not be He Who Remains, but the two share a lot of similarities. Marvel Studios 2021 is the source of the image. Toutes droits réservés.)
What superpowers possesses Kang?
Beyond his genius-level intellect, Kang has no superhuman abilities, unlike Batman or Iron Man. The ultimate source of his power is his propensity for time travel, and he travels through space-time in a time machine that can switch between an infinite number of universes and time periods.
Kang also has access to the most potent weaponry imaginable and wears extremely sophisticated battle armour. In other words, there's a good chance he could eat breakfast with a Thanos empowered by an Infinity Stone.
Has Kang already appeared in the MCU?
No and yes. Jonathan Majors, the Lovecraft Country/The Harder They Fall actor who had long been contracted to play Kang in the MCU, did make an appearance in Loki's season finale, but he was more or less portraying a completely different character.
Majors appeared in Loki as He Who Remains, the creator of the Time Variance Authority (TVA), a government agency tasked with maintaining the space-time continuum. Loki and Sylvie, a version of the trickster god from another timeline, confront him about the TVA's continuous efforts to stifle free will where he lives, the so-called Citadel at the End of Time.
He Who Remains discloses that a previous iteration of himself was a scientist on Earth in the 31st century in a protracted and extremely verbose explanation session. The same versions in other realities came to the same Earth-616-shattering realisation that there were numerous parallel worlds "stacked" on top of his own. After that, they made contact with one another and exchanged information that would help each of their worlds, but the peace wasn't sustained. Multiversal conflict soon broke out as each variation sought to protect their own universe.
Alioth, a huge being that eats time and space, was used by He Who Remains to isolate a single "Sacred Timeline" and put a stop to the fight. He subsequently developed the TVA to control time's progression and make sure it adhered to a predetermined game plan.
However, He Who Remains is worn out after all many lifetimes of living alone at the end of time and is looking for someone to take his place in the Citadel. He considers Loki and Sylvie to be the perfect choices, but they are uninterested in the job to the point where Sylvie kills He Who Remains and throws the timeline(s) into disarray.
He Who Remains had forewarned that his passing would reveal the Sacred Timeline and enable the return of numerous other versions of himself, many of whom he claims are far more deadly than he. This forecast appears to have come true towards the conclusion of the Loki episode, when Loki lands in a subtly altered version of the TVA with a massive statue of He Who Remains as its focal point.
It is unknown if the new TVA management is Kang or a different form, but it appears likely that Sylvie's murder of He Who Remains set Kang free.
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Did He Who Remains' protracted speech reveal anything new about Kang's MCU history? All rights reserved. (Image credit: Marvel Studios 2021.)
When will we be able to see the real Kang?
Kang's presence as a villain in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the first film to be produced under the MCU's Phase 5 plan, has long been announced (due in theatres February 17, 2023). While director Peyton Reed told the large crowd in attendance that the film will "explore the Quantum Realm, which is not always what you think it is," Majors teased that "there will be conquering" on stage at this year's San Diego Comic-Con. Although it hasn't yet been made available to the general public, footage seen at SDCC strongly suggested that Ant-Man, the Wasp, and Kang will eventually cross paths in this sub-microscopic universe, which is famous for making time travel possible in Avengers: Endgame.
The first movie poster suggested that Majors' portrayal of Kang will appear very similar to that of his comic book counterpart:
However, Kang's influence in the MCU won't be confined to his one-off villainous responsibilities in Quantumania. Kang (or another iteration of He Who Remains) is likely to appear in Loki season 2 given that a statue depicting him was prominently displayed in the first season finale and given that previous TVA chief Ravonna Renslayer (played by Gugu Mbatha-Raw) was romantically associated with Kang in the comics.
Meanwhile, the fact that Kang is mentioned in the title of the upcoming fifth Avengers film, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (due in 2025; directed by Shang-Chi and Destin Daniel Cretton of The Legend of the Ten Rings), strongly suggests that he will be Phase 6's multiverse-threating counterpart to Thanos. In fact, the word "dynasty" suggests that multiple Kangs may be involved. The culmination of the current MCU plot cycle, Avengers: Secret Wars, is where we would anticipate Kang's evil influence to continue.
Because the villain's original comic book persona, Nathaniel Richards, is closely connected to the Fantastic Four's Reed Richards, don't be shocked if he shows up in the next MCU adaptation of the Fantastic Four (expected in November 2024). Could Kang's campaign for multiverse dominance be being set up by Marvel's first family?
Naturally, there is no telling where Kang, He Who Remains, and their variants might appear now that Loki, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness have expanded the Marvel Cinematic Multiverse's boundaries beyond the well-established Earth-616.
