After his initial appearance in the first season of the series Loki as the variant known as He Who Remains, Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) officially stepped into the spotlight of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) in the blockbuster Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. Drawing on comic book lore as well as the ongoing events in the Marvel universe, it is likely that Kang will play a significant role in the upcoming phases of the MCU, possibly becoming the “main villain” of the Multiverse Saga, which includes phases 4, 5, and 6 of this cinematic universe.
Like many other superheroes and supervillains from Marvel, Kang was created by the legendary duo Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, making his first appearance in the comic book Fantastic Four in 1964. Since then, numerous variants of Kang have contributed to Marvel Comics with various roles, from a significant adversary of the Avengers to a founding member of the Young Avengers.
Nathaniel Richards
Nathaniel Richards is one of the most significant adversaries in the Avengers’ history, even though he may not be as prominent as Thanos or other variations. The core concept of Kang lies in his time travel abilities, connecting the past with the future of the Marvel universe.
Nathaniel Richards is a 31st-century scholar with extensive knowledge across various fields. It has been widely speculated that Nathaniel is a descendant of Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic) and Doctor Doom—two iconic characters in Marvel’s mythos. In the future, Nathaniel discovered time travel technology from Doom and used it to explore the past, with the earliest destination being ancient Egypt. From that point, he began to interact with different time periods, creating various alternate versions of himself within the Marvel universe.
Victor Timely
Kang traveled back to the year 1901 in “Present-Day Wisconsin, USA.” There, he took on the name Victor Timely and created a corporation called Timely to run operations, through which he could secretly manipulate time. In some way, he could also be seen as the creator of the android Human Torch by continuously intervening in past events.
To avoid being recognized by others, Kang created a robot duplicate of Victor Timely to take his place whenever he vanished. This robot could age over time, easily blending in with others. Additionally, hidden deep within Timely’s corporation was a portal connecting to the time city Chronopolis.
Kang the Conquering Robot
Before officially appearing in the MCU, Kang had already contributed to several animated series from Marvel. One of the most notable versions is Kang the Conquering Robot in Avengers: United They Stand. This version bore a more futuristic and scientific nature, also forcing the superheroes to fight against enhanced threats. It showcased Kang’s creativity, which could be daunting and hard to measure, as it previously displayed various abilities that could go beyond traditional superhero limits.
Mr. Gryphon
Mr. Gryphon is a variant of Kang who emerged in the 21st century. He established Qeng Enterprises, a powerful conglomerate, and sought to acquire Stark Tower, the headquarters of the Avengers. Additionally, he is known to be an ally of Warbringer, an alien from the Chitauri race. From that point, he continuously connected with other variants to secretly expand his power base before being confronted by the Avengers in a potential time loop.
Rama-Tut
While time traveling back to ancient Egypt, one version of Nathaniel Richards became a Pharaoh known as Rama-Tut, who first clashed with the Fantastic Four in a storyline published in 1963. At that time, he also encountered En Sabah Nur—Apocalypse, the first mutant in Marvel’s history. Although Rama-Tut was set in the future, he frequently used time travel to create obstacles for the Avengers in various dedicated story arcs.
The Scarlet Centurion
The Scarlet Centurion is one of the many early variants of Kang, resulting from his time travel exploits in the past. Based on Doctor Doom’s technology, this time traveler “notorious” for his actions created advanced armor for himself, allowing him to increase his combat capabilities while simultaneously manipulating the timeline. He even created a unique device to time travel without creating new realities. Marcus, his son, also briefly took on the role of Scarlet Centurion before Kang eliminated him.
Kang and the Universal Church of Immortus
This version of Kang exists in the Earth X universe, also referred to as Earth-9997, which later became known as Universe X. In this reality, all humans possess superpowers, leading to the heroes having to “lose their way” and find ways to survive, with some even stepping into the realm of the dead. However, with his malicious intent, Kang quickly changed his identity to Immortus, becoming the High Priest of the Church of Immortus and attracting many “lost souls,” including Spider-Man.
Kid Immortus
When Nate Richards returned to his timeline to confront his destiny as Kang the Conqueror, he inadvertently became Kid Immortus, appearing alongside Ravonna, Kang’s love interest. Shortly thereafter, he connected with Doctor Doom to challenge the Fantastic Four, potentially altering the variants of himself. However, these versions failed to prevent Kang’s emergence.
Kid Immortus continuously sought ways to avoid becoming his own destined self, Kang the Conqueror. Nevertheless, the power of his counterpart and the Annihilus variant led Doctor Doom to secretly manipulate events to create a new reality that would allow access to the existence of the Marvel universe: Doom the Annihilating Conqueror. It is crucial to note that the connection of the two Fantastic Four timelines might be what allows this malevolent entity to exist, enabling Kid Immortus to reclaim his own timeline.
Iron Lad
In a bid to avoid the dark path of his future self, a teenage version of Kang traveled back in time to establish a new team of heroes known as the Young Avengers, himself becoming Iron Lad. This iteration of Kang brought a fresh wind into the Marvel universe and could potentially be introduced into the MCU, as this cinematic universe has recently hinted at the Young Avengers through several upcoming projects. However, upon realizing that his true self was causing chaos in reality, Iron Lad decided to suppress Kang’s influence and return to the future, creating a time paradox in the Marvel universe.
Cross-Time Kang
Kang the Conqueror emerged when one of his variants was bound to the 40th century. There, he created an entirely new armor from futuristic materials, allowing him to conquer Earth, becoming a notable character that Marvel’s protagonists have grown to recognize over the years. Without hesitation, Kang continuously traveled back to the past to wage war against the Avengers. This action inadvertently created many other variants of himself—later leading to the formation of the iconic Cross-Time Kang.
