Kaitlyn Murphy
It’s no secret that Kang the Conqueror is one of the biggest and baddest villains in Marvel Comics. He’s appeared in multiple Avengers and Fantastic Four issues, and always poses a considerable threat to Earth’s mightiest heroes. Kang has been around for quite some time in the comicverse, but was just introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2021 with the release of the Disney+ series Loki.
Played by Jonathan Majors, this version of Kang (also known as He Who Remains) was not the Conqueror from the comics, but rather the human man who would one day become Kang. Phase 4 of the MCU was very multiverse-driven, so it makes sense that the first glimpse audiences got of Kang isn’t quite the entire picture. There’s a million variants of him out there, but it seems that Marvel comics enthusiasts don’t have to wait much longer for the real deal Kang.
The full trailer for Marvel’s upcoming release Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania displays Kang in his comic form– blue face, purple helmet, green cape– for two quick seconds. The Conqueror is coming to the MCU, so let’s clear up some things about him before he arrives.
1. Kang is called “The Conqueror” because he tried to start a multiversal war
This is arguably the most important fact to know about Kang before going into Quantumania, since it is how he was introduced into the MCU in the first place. In the Loki finale, it is revealed that the Kang variant, He Who Remains, tried to stop variants of himself from conquering all worlds by creating the Time Variance Authority and the Sacred Timeline (where the MCU events take place).
It’s a little confusing (okay, a LOT confusing), but the gist of it is that Kang is called “the Conqueror” in the Marvel Universe because of his hunger for power and desire to control every strand of the multiverse. The MCU did not show the Multiversal War onscreen, just the aftermath where the Timekeepers and TVA in Loki try to keep everything under control.
The peace was broken at the end of the series when Sylvie (a Loki variant) killed He Who Remains, and an evil Kang took over the timeline in his place. He is potentially the same Kang we are seeing in Quantumania.
2. His First Appearance in the Comics was in 1963
While Kang’s MCU debut was in Loki, his first comic appearance was in Fantastic Four #19 as Rama-Tut, all the way back in 1963. In the issue, his time traveling abilities and multiple identities were established. His first appearance as Kang came a year later, in Avengers #8.
Kang’s human form, Nathaniel Richards, is a scholar of the 31st century. He becomes obsessed with the research of Victor von Doom (the infamous Marvel villain Doctor Doom), and ends up traveling back in time to the 20th century to meet him.
He eventually designs armor and becomes his evil all-powerful self that can only be defeated by the Avengers.
3. His Powers Are Virtually Unmatched
Kang is surprisingly not a superhuman, inhuman, or any other special MCU being. But since he mastered the ability to travel through time and space, Kang has extensive military knowledge and strategy. He also has a massive weapons ship called Damocles Base that he uses to launch attacks across timelines.
It was also proven in Loki that variants of Kang share his ability to essentially predict the future, and have awareness of everything that goes on in his timeline. This alone gives him a huge upper hand in fights.
Since he is from the future, his technology is also far more advanced than anything the MCU has to offer. While Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne are both scientific geniuses, it looks like Kang will push their skills to the breaking point in Quantumania.
4. He actually was in love at one point
Surprisingly, Kang actually had a love interest in the comics. Her name was Ravonna Renslayer, and she ruled as the princess of one of the many kingdoms Kang tried to conquer. She refused him because of his status as a commoner, which gave him motivation to eventually win her hand.
Their relationship was extremely complicated due to the multiple Earths and timelines in the Marvel comics, but Ravonna ended up being killed by one of Kang’s generals.
So, will we see this in the MCU at all? Well, actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw plays the TVA loyalist Judge Renslayer in Loki, who could possibly be the same Ravonna Renslayer as the comics, or at least a variant.
5. He is going to cause some serious damage in the MCU
There is no doubt that Kang is going to shake up the MCU and open doors for new projects like the Fantastic Four, X-Men, Doctor Doom, and a new Avengers team. It’s already been confirmed that a Fantastic Four project is in the works, and with Avengers: The Kang Dynasty announced for 2025, we know that Quantumania won’t be the last we see of Kang.
Sylvie killing He Who Remains caused the timeline and multiverse to spin so far out of control that it’s impossible to predict what havoc will come out of his battle with Ant-Man. Every version of Kang controls time and space in some way, so even if the film takes place mostly in the Quantum Realm, the outside world will likely be impacted as well.
No matter what ends up happening, Kang is certainly a force to be reckoned with, and Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania marks the beginning of his reign.
