Ant-Man 3: 10 Things You Need To Know About Kang The Conqueror

How is Marvel's diminutive superhero expected to hold his own against the master of time?

By James Egan /

Being one of the deadliest adversaries in the Marvel pantheon, we always knew Kang the Conqueror would play a role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Because of his ability to manipulate time, many fans assumed he would serve as the MCU's next Big Bad after Thanos.

This is why it was so surprising to hear the time warrior will be the central antagonist of Ant-Man 3. Although viewers have a habit of underestimating the shrinking superhero, Kang seems a little out of Ant-Man's league since he has turned the space-time continuum into his very own plaything in the comics.

When you think of the worst of the worst, you probably think of Thanos, Galactus, or Apocalypse. But guess what? Kang is on that level. He is as evil and as dangerous as supervillains get. This time-traveller has held his own against The Avengers on countless occasions and has even conquered entire timelines.

But who is he exactly? What are his powers? What does he want? And most importantly - is he one of those time-travelling characters that creates tons of time paradoxes so the stories don't make any sense? (Spoilers - He is.)

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10. He's From The Future

Kang was born as Nathaniel Richards in the 31st century. When he stumbled upon a time machine, he travelled back to Ancient Egypt, knowing the humans of that generation would perceive him as a god due to his advanced tech. His plan was a success and it wasn't long before the Ancient Egyptians were worshipping Richards, now calling himself Rama-Tut, as a deity.

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When Nathaniel tried to return home, a mechanical failure in the time machine caused him to land in the 41st century, where the world had become a desolate wasteland. Because his experience as Rama-Tut had given him an insatiable thirst for power, he decided to conquer this timeline just like he conquered Ancient Egypt.

Sadly, Nathaniel believed it was pointless to rule a dead world and thus set his ambitions on something bigger.

Rebranding himself as Kang the Conqueror, he travelled to the 20th-21st century, believing this was the best timeline to alter to his advantage. Because his time-manipulation can erase people and entire events from history, his constant interference with the space-time continuum has caused him to become one of the most dangerous villains the world has ever known.

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