Who Is Kang the Conqueror? Villain's Origins, Powers and Variants Explained
New Marvel villain Kang the Conqueror's reign is about to begin, following the terror that Thanos (Josh Brolin) unleashed on the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) in its first three phases.
Played by Jonathan Majors, the character will wreak havoc in a big way across the franchise now the MCU is entering Phase 5, and his villainy is expected to culminate in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty in 2025 and Avengers: Secret Wars in 2026.
An iteration of the character first appeared in Loki Season 1, named He Who Remains, and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania introduces Kang the Conqueror as an adversary to Paul Rudd's Scott Lang. Here is everything you need to know about the character.
Warning: This article contains some spoilers for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Kang the Conqueror's Origins and Powers
Kang the Conqueror first appeared in the Fantastic Four comics in October 1963 as Pharaoh Rama-Tut, but he later changed his name to his famous moniker in his appearance in The Avengers comic in September 1964.
The character's real name is Nathaniel Richards, and he is a descendant of a time-traveling scientist of the same name in the comics. He then began traveling through time in order to rule over all time and space, altering any timeline including his own to do so.
In the comics, Kang doesn't have superhuman powers as one might expect, but he has the ability to time travel and has a genius level intellect.
In Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania it's shown that he's able to erase people from time itself when he's in his full armor. He's also able to create a forcefield around himself and can unleash large blasts.
Which Kang the Conqueror Variants Appear in 'Ant-Man 3'?
Marvel fans will be surprised to learn that there isn't just one Kang in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, there are several.
The version of Kang that appears as the antagonist is Prime Kang, who was born in the alternate timeline of Earth-6311. But other variants of the character feature in the film's first post-credit scene.
In that scene, three variants are seen deciding to make their move against the Marvel heroes who are trying to beat them, these are Immortus, Pharaoh Rama-Tut and Scarlet Centurion.
Immortus tells the others that he has called together "everyone" to help them make their decision about what to do next, and that's when the Council of Kangs is revealed.
In Marvel comics, Rama-Tut is the past version of Kang the Conqueror, while Immortus is a future iteration, and Scarlet Centurion is a name the character took after he was overthrown while using the name Rama-Tut.
The Council of Kangs, meanwhile, was created by Kang the Conqueror in order to destroy any versions of himself deemed to be a threat.
The second post-credit scene features Victor Timely, who is putting on a show while Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and Mobius (Owen Wilson) watch. Loki warns that the variant is dangerous after Mobius comments on how Victor doesn't seem like he would be.
In the comics, Victor Timely is responsible for founding the town Timely, Wisconsin, in 1901 and he is an industrialist and inventor.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is out in theaters now.
