Who Is Kang, And What Is His Dynasty?
Image Source: Avengers (1998) Issue 42
The MCU can’t exist for too long without some world-threatening being intervening. This time around, the universe is dealing with a comic classic, Kang the Conqueror. A variant of the character has already appeared in Loki as the one pulling the strings with the TVA, known as “He Who Remains.” There is also some sort of overarching movie in the future titled, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. Who exactly is Kang, though, and what kind of threat does he pose?
In the comics, Kang was known as Nathaniel Richards from Earth-6311, among other identities over time. This universe ended up being brought to peace by another universe’s Nathaniel Richards, proving to this Earth that interdimensional travel is real. No matter what efforts he took to prevent the fall to the other persona, Richards couldn’t stop it. After several reinventions, he finally settled on Kang the Conqueror and proceeded to follow his namesake.
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Frequently, Kang would travel through time and space to conquer and await the emergence of a powerful force. What he didn’t know was that each travel produced another alternate Kang, who would rule and scheme in his own respective corner. One version of Kang called himself the Prime Kang, despite having no realistic way to fully prove he was. Each variant went along their own path, causing chaos, following through on plots, and all sorts of activities, with the Prime version taking an interest in the Avengers.
Image Source: Avengers (1998) Issue 41
The Kang Dynasty’s name likely comes from a 16-part comic series from the 90s. Another name for this run is the Kang War, and war there certainly was. In this storyline, the being has horrid visions of a dark fate for the planet, and along with his son Marcus, he goes to the UN to present what they know. At first, humanity believed Kang was going to help, but that thought was quickly snuffed out.
As his namesake would imply, Kang the Conqueror wanted to conquer Earth to save it. He was truly strategic with his invasion, promising anyone who claimed land in his name a place in his new world. Kang’s influence was effective; resident groups started attacking in his name, effectively fracturing the planet’s efforts to fight back. The Avengers made consistent, valiant efforts to overcome this foe, utilizing heavy support from Carol Danvers and the Wasp. They eventually succeed, but not without heavy costs to the planet.
Image Source: Loki (2021)
With the introduction of the multiverse and the discovery of Kang and his variants, the possibilities are extremely open for silver screen adaptations. An exact comic adaptation wouldn’t be possible, but taking inspiration from these classic storylines is something the MCU regularly does. There’s inspirational evidence already, considering Kang was controlling the timeline in Loki to avoid everything burning down. If the comic motivation is maintained, considering that Kang Dynasty is coming before Secret Wars, there might be a valid Thanos comparison in the character.
The roster of heroes who will come together to face this new threat is something to anticipate. Captain America famously fought the villain, so a return for Sam Wilson is hopeful, if not expected. New heroes have been introduced as of late, like She-Hulk and Ms. Marvel, and Marvel has been subtly pushing mutants quite a bit. Any of the established or newer characters in this universe could be called up to bat. Nothing is guaranteed, of course, but there are plenty of possibilities.
There you have it: the MCU’s next major antagonist. There are a few ways from here for him to further fit into the MCU, but fans will just have to wait and see. Thankfully, that wait isn’t too long; the next Ant-Man film will see the character return and let us learn more.
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Source(s): Marvel Database, Crossover Wiki