Spoiler Warning for Disney+'s Loki
Loki introduced "He Who Remains" in the season finale, which many fans have inferred is none other than Kang The Conqueror, one of the greatest Avengers supervillains from Marvel Comics. Kang The Conqueror is unique in that he doesn't have any superpowers of his own, but achieves his ruthless aims with advanced technology and fierce determination.
Since his debut in Avengers #8 in 1963, Kang has menaced the Marvel Universe in several incarnations, some of which have different abilities and attributes. Whether it's Kang himself, Rama Tut, or Iron Lad from the Young Avengers, Kang has a broad array of powers to use against his enemies and sometimes, himself.
10 Time Travel
Comic fans know that Kang The Conqueror is one of the Marvel Universe's biggest time travelers. Time travel is one of his greatest powers, an achievement that his alter ego Nathaniel Richards was able to realize in the 31st century.
Richards actually builds off of the time travel technology of Doctor Doom, who invented the Time Platform in the present day of Marvel Comics. Richards then used that technology to travel forward and backward in time, developing even greater technologies as he went.
9 Longer Lifespan
Another power Kang has is his increased lifespan. He initially seems to be middle-aged in his first appearances, but he would reveal he's actually over seventy years old. By the 31st century, the human lifespan has grown considerably and he ages very slowly compared to modern people.
He has used this to his advantage against his enemies in the present day, becoming a persistent threat across decades and even centuries. It's compounded by the fact he has so many variants, some of which are older or younger than the prime Kang.
8 Intellect
Kang The Conqueror's greatest power might be his advanced intellect. Nathaniel Richards was a genius who harnessed the power of time travel. He continued to accumulate knowledge through time, including from the 40th century where comic fans know he met Ravonna Renslayer.
He has demonstrated working knowledge of history and technology from numerous timelines and realities. He also has shown that he can manipulate the Cosmic Cube, a staggering feat given that the device is beyond the understanding of all but a few individuals in the comics.
7 Technological Prowess
Throughout the best Kang The Conqueror story arcs, he has invented many technologies. One of these is his time ship, which one variant of himself, Rama Tut, rendered as the ancient Egyptian Sphinx. He also created robotic foot soldiers like the Scarabs who populate his massive armies.
He invented anti-gravity floating chairs first seen in his debut appearance in the comics and other unique weapons, including the Damocles Base, his giant sword-shaped spaceship that he launches his conquests from.
6 Enhanced Strength
Kang has no superpowers of his own but effectively gains them through his use of his Battle Armor. The armor gives him super strength, making him one of the most powerful villains in Marvel Comics.
Kang's enhanced strength comes courtesy of the 40th century, where he adopted a highly advanced synthetic alloy to produce his suit. With his armor, Kang has been able to go toe to toe with many Avengers in battle, which, unlike some villains, he actually prefers to do.
5 Enhanced Endurance
Kang's Battle Armor also gives him enormous endurance and stamina. He is highly resistant to most physical attacks, though Captain America has been able to damage versions of the armor with his shield. Kang can take a major beating, though, especially since he can project a force field from the armor.
This field can extend out to varying lengths depending on the variant of Kang the Avengers are dealing with. The field is impervious to most conventional attacks, and can even absorb the energy of a nuclear blast.
4 Energy Blasts (Iron Lad)
There are numerous variants of Kang The Conqueror in Marvel Comics. One of the most powerful is Iron Lad, the leader and founder of the Young Avengers. He has a suit of armor as well, but an advanced one that can fire powerful energy blasts. These blasts are far more destructive than the concussive blasts Kang's Battle Armor produces.
Like Kang's armor, Iron Lad also derives super-strength from the suit. Iron Lad will likely appear in the MCU at some point given that the Young Avengers are a team that the MCU seems to be building towards with the introduction of Kid Loki and other characters.
3 Weapon Summoning
Kang's ability to time travel not only gives him knowledge of tech from across space and time, but access to it. One of his greatest powers is the ability to summon weapons from any period of time. These are typically highly advanced weapons that there is no defense for in the present day.
One example is a neutrino-ray warhead missile launcher, a weapon of mass destruction that Kang miniaturized into a handgun. Another is the Growing Man, an android Kang acquired from one of his conquered worlds in the future and routinely leveraged in the past.
2 Flight (Iron Lad)
The Iron Lad variant of Kang had one power the others mostly don't have. He could fly, thanks to his unique set of armor. The neuro-kinetic nano-metal of the armor allowed Iron Lad to fly at impressive speeds.
Despite the fact that he was on a team that included one of the best Loki variants, Kid Loki, this made Iron Lad one of the most powerful Young Avengers. The armor also could change shape and function according to Iron Lad's thoughts, and even operate independently of him, like some versions of the Iron Man armor.
1 Ultra-Diode Gun (Rama Tut)
The first major variant of Kang The Conqueror that comic fans met was Rama Tut. He possessed the Ultra-Diode gun, a highly advanced weapon that could drain people of their superpowers. In some cases, it could also drain a person's free will, basically making them the servants of Rama Tut.
He used this weapon against the Fantastic Four in his first appearance in issue #19 of the series in 1963. Ironically, the issue appeared in September of 1963, the same month as Avengers #8, Kang's debut. It would be many years before the two were connected in continuity.
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July 18, 2021 at 12:00AM
