Kang the Conqueror
Kang the Conqueror is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. In 2009, Kang was ranked as IGN's 65th Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.
Publication history
Kang first appears in Avengers #8 (Sep. 1964), and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby.
Fictional character biography
Nathaniel Richards, a scholar born in the 30th century, becomes fascinated with history and discovers the time travel technology created by Victor von Doom. Richards then travels back in time to ancient Egypt c. 2950 B.C., aboard a Sphinx-shaped timeship, to become the Pharaoh Rama-Tut, with intentions of claiming En Sabah Nur—the mutant destined to become Apocalypse—as his heir. Though briefly blinded in a crash, a radioactive herb restores his sight after frightening the Egyptians by firing his ray-gun. Richards' rule lasts for a time, until his defeat by time-displaced heroes from the 20th century, the Fantastic Four, who had traveled back in time (with some help from a time-traveling Doctor Strange and Khonshu). The Fantastic Four are placed under mind-control by Rama Tut's Ultra-Diode Ray; he makes Susan Storm his Queen, puts Ben Grimm to work on the ship, plants Reed Richards as a lookout for his armies, and makes Johnny Storm his court jester. The four of them escape in the Sphinx, while Tut flees back into time, and an explosive device destroys the Sphinx. He eventually returns to rule in ancient Egypt, and encounters the time-traveling West Coast Avengers.
