With the launching of Marvel series on Disney+, Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is now officially underway. This particular phase is set to be different than the ones before. Magic, the potential for alternate universes and timelines, and all new villains will come into play. With the looming threat of Thanos officially in the past, fans are eagerly anticipating just who the next big villain in the MCU will turn out to be.
Marvel has a track record that speaks to disposable villains. It’s rare for villains to return repeatedly in the movies like they do in the comics. Instead, a villain meets their end by the time the credits role. That looks to be changing a bit as Phase 4 already features the return of the villain Baron Zemo for The Falcon And The Winter Soldier. Villains returning, or perhaps, not always being the villain, like Loki, will allow audiences to get to know them better beyond their desire for revenge or power. That’s why there’s one comic book villain who would be very well suited to taking on the role of the villain who keeps coming back for more in Phase 4: Kang the Conqueror
Kang the Conqueror made his Marvel Comics debut in 1964. He battled the Avengers in that instance, but actually appeared in comics a year earlier with a different name. That’s because the character has many different incarnations thanks to his vast experience with time travel.
His original comic book name is Rama-Tut as he appeared as a Pharaoh in Egypt and battled the Fantastic Four. Even that’s not his real name. His real name is Nathaniel Richards and he’s from the 31st century. Thanks to his genius intellect and his penchant for time travel, he pops up all throughout history to fight – or ally with – different heroes. He also uses a lot of different disguises for his ship when he travels. Sometimes, his time-traveling ship looks like a large rock, while other times it looks like a Sphinx. That allows him to blend in until he moves on.
The name Kang the Conqueror actually comes from a very specific version of Nathaniel Richards. When Richards travels to the future, he finds a world at war with people ready for a new leader. He steps into the power vacuum, conquers the planet, renames himself, and rules.
Official confirmations on anything coming up in the MCU are few and far between. Marvel Studios loves to keep their creative decisions secret as long as possible. One of the few pieces of information available about the upcoming slate of films actually concerns Kang the Conqueror.
The third film in Ant-Man’s roster, titled Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania, will feature Kang. Marvel cast Jonathan Majors in the role. Just how close, if at all, the movie will stick to Kang’s comic book backstory is unclear right now. The title implies the Quantum Realm will play a large role. That means more time travel is likely in store.
Time travel is quickly becoming an MCU mainstay as TV properties Agents of SHIELD and Runaways used it even before Avengers: Endgame did. Given the expansion of the multiverse and alternate timelines, Kang might pop into the movie from a possible future or an alternate one.
That time travel factor is actually a big plus in Kang the Conqueror’s favor. It means Kang – or Nathaniel – could appear in many different Marvel projects before or after his turn in Ant-Man 3. That allows for a lot of possibilities to flesh out the character, making him more three dimensional than the usual one-and-done villains. Thanks to his many appearances in the comics across time and realities, there are plenty of versions of the character for writers all over the MCU to choose from.
In addition to Rama-Tut, Nathaniel, and Kang the Conqueror, there is a literal council of Kangs. One version of Kang brings together alternate versions of himself from across time so that they can team up. It doesn’t exactly go the way he plans. He discovers the entire thing is orchestrated by yet another version of Kang who finds a way to get rid of his biggest competition for power – the other versions of himself. Some of those versions of Kang aren’t even truly villains. After all, one version goes back in time to become Rama-Tut all over again and leads Egypt into an age of prosperity and peace.
With so many different versions who could be heroes or villains, the MCU would be allowed to have the kind of character in which the audience truly doesn’t know what side of the line he’s playing. Kang would also allow for several upcoming MCU properties to connect through him. Though he’ll make his big villainous debut against Ant-Man on screen, he most often faces off against the Fantastic Four in the comics. A descendant of Reed Richards, he actually believes himself related to Victor Von Doom at one point. Maintaining that connection could help pave way for the Fantastic Four as well as another group.
In addition to his frequent time as an antagonist for the Fantastic Four (who are joining the MCU), Kang has a connection to another group of heroes. When one version of Kang the Conqueror travels into his own past to speak with a younger Nathaniel Richards, it sets off a chain reaction that leads to Nathaniel attempting to avoid his future. Nathaniel becomes Iron Lad.
Iron Lad takes up a spot on the roster of the Young Avengers – teenagers with special abilities who become heroes. He even starts the group when he recruits members to help him battle his future self. Many comic book fans suspect, despite no official word, that the MCU is building to a Young Avengers team-up. There are plenty of teenage heroes on the way.
The Ant-Man trilogy includes a teenage Cassie Lang, who becomes the hero Stature in the comics. Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel is on her way to Disney+ along with the Kate Bishop version of Hawkeye. America Chavez aka Miss America will appear in Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness. Even Wanda Maximoff’s twin boys have been Young Avengers in the comics. With so many teens on the way, it’s easy to speculate that the appearance of Kang the Conqueror could also mean the appearance of Iron Lad.
Whether Kang the Conqueror becomes a mainstay in Phase 4 or not, Marvel fans will undoubtedly be excited for a comic book character with so much history to join the MCU.
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