As the overarching antagonist of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) Phases Five and Six (for now at least), Kang the Conqueror is a character many people are dying to learn more about.
With this in mind, here’s a handy round-up of the best Kang-centric Marvel Comics stories to read if you want to get fully up to speed on the time-traveling baddie before he makes his next MCU appearance.
The Council of Kangs
“The Council of Kangs” is the unofficial title for the storyline in Avengers (Vol.1) #267-269 that – as its moniker suggests – introduces a malevolent force comprised entirely of Kang variants.
Not only is the concept of the Kang the Conquerors of different realities uniting (and fighting) now a major part of Marvel Universe lore but it’s since been added to MCU canon by the likes of Loki and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The same goes for Kang’s falling out with Ravonna Renslayer, which is a prominent sub-plot in Loki Season 2.
This three-part tale by Roger Stern and John Buscema is also notable for a shocking scene in which Kang wipes out the Avengers of another universe. It’s a brutal moment that foreshadows Kang’s future status as a top-tier threat, so it’s unsurprising that Marvel Studios included references to Kang killing off the Avengers of other worlds in Quantumania.
Related: Who Is Victor Timely, Loki Season 2’s Villain?
Timeless
2021 one-shot Timeless is a great entry point for Kang newbies, as it’s basically a checklist of everything that makes the supervillain great packaged up in a (mostly) self-contained story. Kang’s fixation on time-travel hijinks? Check. His indomitable will and unwavering drive to master all of existence? And his supreme arrogance and god complex? You guessed it: check.
But what truly makes Timeless one of the best Kang comics to read is that creators Jed MacKay, Kev Walker, Greg Land, and Mark Bagley don’t just do justice to Kang’s existing characterization – they also add previously unrevealed dimensions to it. This is especially true of the one-shot’s ambiguous finale, which hints that there’s still a sliver of humanity lurking beneath the baddie’s ruthless, amoral exterior.
Kang Dynasty
“Kang Dynasty” is the swansong story arc of writer Kurt Busiek’s seminal late 90s/early 2000s Avengers run and, working in tandem with artist Alan Davis, he goes out with a bang. Indeed, it’s easy to see why Marvel Studios has lifted the arc’s title for its next Avengers movie, as its basic premise – Kang engineers global mayhem, leaving Earth ripe for conquering – could easily drive a box office-breaking blockbuster.
Yet even if Marvel Studios is only interested in appropriating the “Kang Dynasty” name and nothing else, there’s still a decent chance Busiek and Davis’ original epic will inspire some of what’s to come. If nothing else, Kang’s gigantic, sword-shaped orbital headquarters, Damocles Base, is so gloriously OTT that it practically demands to be realized in live-action.
Sidekicks
What would you do if you knew it was your destiny to become one of the greatest tyrants in history? That’s the dilemma Nate Richards/Iron Lad wrestles with throughout Young Avenger‘s first-ever story arc, “Sidekicks,” as the rookie superhero desperately tries to rewrite his fate and avoid transforming into Kang. It’s some powerful storytelling by writer-artist team Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung that recasts Kang’s origin in a more tragic light, while also giving us one of Marvel’s best new characters in Iron Lad.
These are both valid reasons to pick up “Sidekicks,” however, those interested primarily in Kang comics with obvious ties to the MCU shouldn’t disregard this storyline, either. Sure, the freshman Young Avengers arc doesn’t have any direct parallels with big screen canon right now, but with the MCU version of the Young Avengers seemingly poised to unite in Phase Five or Six, it’s best not to sleep on “Sidekicks.”
Related: Who Is Ravonna Renslayer in Marvel’s Loki?
Avengers Forever
Widely regarded as the definitive Kang comics story, Avengers Forever cemented the would-be conqueror as a top-tier Avengers antagonist when it hit stands back in 1998-99. It’s not hard to see why, either. A 12-part limited series by Kurt Busiek and Carlos Pacheco, Avengers Forever unites Kang and an Avengers line-up recruited from multiple timelines in a quest to stop one of Kang’s variants, Immortus, from enacting a plan to meddle with humanity’s future.
What follows is a time-hopping saga that salutes (and, where necessary, streamlines) decades’ worth of Marvel canon – to an almost overwhelming extent, it must be said. Even so, Busiek and Pacheco do an admirable job of keeping Avengers Forever‘s narrative as digestible as possible, and the limited series makes room for genuine emotion amid all the spectacle and bombast.
There’s plenty for MCU soothsayers to pick over here, too. Notably, Avengers Forever‘s use of alternate Avengers and low-key emphasis on continuity clean-up both seem likely to crop up in the sixth Avengers flick, Secret Wars, which is already confirmed to feature Kang.
