Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige recently shocked countless fans at San Diego Comic-Con with a truly unexpected reveal — the titles of the next two Avengers movies, currently slated to release in 2025 as part of Phase Six of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And as many fans predicted, the Avengers’ long-awaited return to the big screen will feature them going up against Kang the Conqueror.
The final film of Phase Six is titled Avengers: Secret Wars, after an iconic comic storyline that’s been the subject of much fan speculation ever since Endgame. However, its predecessor — set to be helmed by Shang-Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton — is named after a less famous story arc, The Kang Dynasty. So even though it’s still a long wait until the film’s May 2025 release date, there’s no better time than now to dive into the history behind the comic book Kang and his greatest comic storyline ever.
Time-Traveling Terror
The villain known as Kang the Conqueror was first introduced in 1964’s The Avengers #8 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Traveling back in time from the 31st Century, Kang declares himself ruler of 20th Century Earth, and proves to be a worthy foe for the original Avengers using his futuristic weaponry. However, in that same issue, Kang reveals that this isn’t the first time he’s clashed with present-day superheroes. In reality, Kang’s true first appearance was in the guise of Rama-Tut, the villain of 1963’s Fantastic Four #19. While on a trip to ancient Egypt, the FF run afoul of a fellow time traveler, who’s used his technology to take over the land as pharaoh.
In that issue, the man soon to be known as Kang regales the Fantastic Four with his backstory. Born in a “century of peace and progress”, he longed for battle and adventure like in the age of superheroes, yet found none in an era without conflict. But after discovering a time machine built by one of his ancestors, implied to be none other than Doctor Doom, he decided to become a great conqueror in humanity’s distant past. After his first encounter with the FF, Rama-Tut has a chance encounter with Doctor Doom in 1964’s Fantastic Four Annual #2. Rama-Tut reveals his theory that Doom is his ancestor, only for Doom to come up with an even more outlandish theory that Rama-Tut is actually his future self. This convoluted plot point is promptly dropped as soon as Rama-Tut assumes the more colorful guise of Kang the Conqueror to do battle with the Avengers.
It wasn’t until 1984’s Fantastic Four #273 by John Byrne that Kang’s true ancestry would be revealed. In truth, his time machine was built not by Doctor Doom, but by Nathaniel Richards, father of Reed Richards, making Kang a distant relative of Mr. Fantastic. 1986’s Avengers #269 by Roger Stern and John Buscema brings even more revelations. While using the Avengers as pawns in a scheme to eliminate his many multiversal variants, Kang learns that fellow Avengers foe Immortus — the time-controlling villain who served as an influence for He Who Remains in Loki — was another one of his variants all along. In 1992’s What If…? #39 by Roy Thomas and Gavin Curtis, it’s even revealed that Kang’s birth name is Nathaniel Richards, named for the ancestor who built his time machine.
Kang Conquers the World
Kang has clashed with the Avengers many times over the decades, but their greatest battle is without a doubt the 2001 storyline “Kang Dynasty” written by Kurt Busiek, which ran from Avengers vol. 3 #41-55. Kang enacts his boldest plan yet, offering to save Earth from the various dystopian futures that await it by becoming its ruler, guiding humanity towards galactic supremacy. When the United Nations refuse to bend the knee, Kang declares that he will take control by force, and that anyone who conquers territory in his name will be rewarded in his new order. For the first half of the arc, the Avengers aren’t even dealing with Kang himself, merely other villains emboldened by his declaration of war.
At the halfway point of the arc, Kang enters the fray personally. He turns his flagship’s firepower onto Washington DC, killing millions in an instant. Terrified by this show of force, the UN surrenders to Kang, officially making him ruler of Earth — for a short time, at least. Notably, the only other villain in mainstream Marvel continuity to successfully take over the world is Doctor Doom in the Emperor Doom graphic novel. But even then, Doom’s world domination was only achieved via Kilgrave’s mind control powers, a victory that even Doom himself considered unearned. True to his name, Kang the Conqueror remains the only villain to conquer Earth-616 through military might alone.
Of course, Kang’s rule is inevitably toppled by the Avengers. They bring down his flagship, and he’s ultimately beaten in a one-on-one duel with Captain America. Yet even in defeat, Kang is content — he’s already proven himself as humanity’s greatest conqueror. He will go down in history as a legend who died a noble death after achieving his ultimate victory. However, Kang is rescued by his son Marcus, whose meddling earns his father’s wrath. Kang would rather see “a glorious end to [his] legend” than live to fight another day.
“Kang Dynasty” is a fan favorite storyline not just because of its epic scope and thrilling action, but because of how Busiek characterizes Kang. He differs from other would-be world conquerors like Doctor Doom and Apocalypse because he’s driven not by any ideology, but by his hunger for battle. His main goal is not to rule, but simply to wage war. He’s a cunning strategist with a code of honor, who seeks to challenge himself against worthy opponents. In the end, it’s not control that he seeks, but glory. Even when his plans are foiled, Kang sees it as a victory as long as he’s left his mark on history.
Kang in the MCU
As for what the MCU’s Kang Dynasty will look like, it’s too soon to say for sure. Despite his appearance being set up in Loki, we have yet to meet Kang himself — merely one of his variants, He Who Remains, who is a much more well-intentioned tyrant than the warmongering Kang. The multiversal conqueror is set to be the main antagonist of next February’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and will no doubt make more appearances before his self-titled Avengers film. After being described in Loki as a force of strife and calamity throughout the multiverse, it’s likely that Kang’s MCU characterization will reflect that of the bloodthirsty warrior portrayed in Busiek’s “Kang Dynasty”.
As for the plot of Avengers: Kang Dynasty, it’s very probable that both the Fantastic Four and Doctor Doom will make an appearance due to their history with Kang in the comics — not to mention their major roles in the Secret Wars comics. The film will surely be very different from its comic namesake, simply as a result of how far removed the current landscape of the MCU is compared to early 2000s Marvel Comics. But in terms of Kang stories to take inspiration from for his big-screen counterpart, “Kang Dynasty” is easily at the top of the list.