Who is Kang the Conqueror? In the final episode of Loki on Disney Plus, we met a mysterious variant of Kang the Conqueror, and we met another in Ant-Man 3. The same but different, they warned of an enigmatic threat to the fabric of the universe.
Played by Jonathan Majors in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there’s a lot to know about Kang. He’s one of the best Marvel villains, and he’s only going to get more important the closer we get to the Avengers 5 release date.
Kang has a long history in the comics, dating back almost 50 years. During that period, he’s faced off against many of the best and brightest heroes in the Marvel canon and some of the best MCU characters already. There’s lots to know about Kang the Conqueror, so we’ve broken down everything you need to know.
Who is Kang the Conqueror in the comics?
Kang is a brilliant scientist created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby who, through the technology of the far-flung future, starts conquering time and space.
In the 31st century, Nathaniel Richards used time travel to start exploring human history. On a return trip, he finds himself in a 32nd century that’s ravaged by war. He sees his opportunity for power and takes it. But, believing that job is too easy, he starts jumping through timelines to conquer them, too.
During his earlier years, in the ’60s and ’70s, Kang was a single character going on various misadventures, battling the likes of the Hulk or the Fantastic Four. At one point, he even sends Hulk back to 1917.
As time went on, however, Kang became a bigger and bigger threat, eventually requiring the combined might of the Avengers to stop.
What are Kang’s powers?
Kang’s iconic spacesuit gives him enhanced strength, hologram and force-field projection, and life support systems, which allow him to survive even the most grievous of injuries.
Kang has no natural superhuman abilities, but he’s still an exceptionally dangerous foe, capable of battling multiple Avengers at once.
He also owns a special time vessel that gives him access to any timeline he wants, which means he can appear with whatever weapons or gadgets he can find and anything he needs to win.
Who is Kang the Conqueror in the MCU?
The MCU’s version of Kang is quite different from his comic book counterpart, but essentially, there are several Kang variants, each of whom has appeared in a different Marvel movie or TV series.
The Kang we meet in Loki doesn’t seem all too interested in conquering the multiverse, more just trying to keep its power from landing in the wrong hands. As He Who Remains, it is his job to try and stop the multiverse from breaking and unleashing the fury of the other Kang variants.
Sadly, he fails, as Loki and Sylvie can’t help but take him down at the end of the Marvel series. This Kang had established the Time Variance Authority to maintain one timeline (the one we know from the MCU movies) and prune the rest.
With He Who Remains gone, new variations of Kang started to appear across various timelines, including the one we know as Kang the Conqueror. This is the movie villain whom Scott Lang and the rest of the Ant-Man cast met during the events of Ant-Man 3, who was living in the Quantum Realm alongside MODOK after being banished from the Council of Kangs for doing too much conquering (I mean, he was only doing what he was born to do).
This version of Kang rules the Quantum Realm with an iron fist and seeks to escape to Earth-616. He was defeated and seemingly killed by Scott and his friends during the Ant-Man 3 ending.
In that Marvel film, we saw how this alarmed the Kang variants across the multiverse, resulting in the Council of Kangs convening to discuss the death of one of their own. Essentially, the three leaders of the council, Immortus, Rama-Tut, and Scarlet Centurion, believe the Avengers are now too dangerous and have too much knowledge of the multiverse and need to be stopped.
Meanwhile, Loki and Mœbius track down another Kang variant going by the name Victor Timely. This version looks set to be the main antagonist when the Loki season 2 release date comes around, but it remains to be seen whether he will cause problems for the Avengers, too.
When is Kang’s next MCU appearance?
Kang is set to be the main villain in Loki season 2 and after that, we’ll see him in the Avengers 5, aka The Kang Dynasty.
His presence in the new season will, we imagine, be impacted by the ongoing legal case against Majors, so it’s possible his actual on-screen time will be minimized. There are more important things than the MCU, after all.
So we know that Kang (or at least one of his variants) will eventually make his way to the main MCU timeline and battle the Avengers. So, sorry, Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), you just weren’t tough enough to take down the big dog.
If you love the MCU and need to know more about the future of the world’s biggest franchise, check out our Ant-Man 3 review. We’ve also got a guide to Marvel’s Phase 5, which breaks down upcoming new movies. Check out our guides on The Marvels release date and the Thunderbolts release date as well.