The 7 Best Kang Storylines in Marvel Comics, Ranked by Impact

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Kang the Conqueror is a long-standing and incredibly powerful villain in Marvel Comics. He uses advanced future technology and time travel to create chaos throughout history. What makes him unique is that his time-traveling adventures have resulted in multiple versions of himself existing simultaneously – like Immortus, Rama-Tut, and Iron Lad. These different Kangs often clash with each other, and this complex history has allowed Marvel to create some truly original and compelling stories featuring this iconic Avengers foe.

Here is a look at the seven best Kang the Conqueror storylines in Marvel Comics, ranked by impact.

7) The Celestial Madonna

A particularly memorable early storyline featuring Kang the Conqueror in Marvel Comics was “The Celestial Madonna.” It introduced early versions of Mantis, who later joined the Guardians of the Galaxy, and the Cotati, a plant-based race that recently caused trouble for Earth’s mutants. The story unfolded across issues #129-134 of The Avengers, as well as a special Giant-Size Avengers issue.

The story revolved around Kang’s attempt to take Mantis, believing she was the Celestial Madonna – a perfect human destined to give birth to a messiah who would bring peace to the universe. This plotline also marked an early instance of Kang battling different versions of himself – Rama-Tut and Immortus – all vying for Mantis. The Swordsman, a character previously seen in Daredevil: Born Again, made a heroic sacrifice to save her. This story was particularly significant because the revelation of Immortus’s identity later became important in the Avengers Forever storyline.

6) The Council Of Kangs

The Council of Kangs story began in Avengers #267 back in 1986, after both Kang and Immortus were thought to be gone. But one version of Kang survived and joined forces with two other Kang variants who shared his ambition: to eliminate all other Kangs. Their goal was to guarantee their own success by removing the threat of anyone, like Immortus, interfering with their plans again.

As you’d expect from Kang, his ultimate plan involved eliminating the other versions of himself who were supposedly assisting him – even though they all shared the same objectives. It was eventually revealed that Immortus had orchestrated everything all along. This twist deeply affected this particular Kang, driving him to create the Council of Cross-Time Kangs, first appearing in Avengers #292, and transforming him into a threat across multiple universes. Originally, the Council of Kangs was intended to be a major storyline in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but plans shifted, and Doctor Doom was chosen as the primary villain instead.

5) Only Myself Left To Conquer

In a 2021 storyline, Marvel villain Kang the Conqueror was the focus of a five-issue comic series. Written by Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing with artwork by Carlos Magno, the series explored the origins of Nathaniel Richards, revealing how he learned he was destined to become the villainous Kang. Determined to change his fate, the young Nathaniel began battling his future, more evil selves.

The series heavily features time travel and loops, beginning with a young Nathaniel encountering his future self, Rama-Tut, in Ancient Egypt. This sets him on a path of endlessly repeating conquest and reinvention. The catch is that no matter how hard he tries to alter events, he’s destined to fail because of decisions made by his other versions across time. This is the most complete origin story for Kang yet, and it neatly resolves several previously unresolved plot threads.

4) The Terminatrix Objective

The 1993 miniseries, Avengers: The Terminatrix Objective, concluded the storyline for Kang and his love interest, Ravonna. It notably introduced ‘Citizen Kang,’ and for the first time in Marvel comics, showed Kang traveling to the past and living as a normal man named Victor Timely—a concept later explored in the Disney+ series Loki.

The comics featured extra stories that explained Kang’s past. This wasn’t just a good plotline; it later influenced the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The TV series Loki (and the upcoming Deadpool and Wolverine) borrowed the concept of the creature Alioth from these comics. Plus, the What If… ? comic series (issues #35-39) introduced characters like Immortus and the Time Variance Authority.

3) Timeless

In 2022, writer Jed MacKay and artists Salvador Larroca, Greg Land, and Patch Zircher collaborated on a special, extra-long comic book issue called “Timeless.” The story centers around Kang, a time traveler who is being pursued by a mysterious figure named Myrddin and the Twilight Court. The core of the plot revolves around the “Missing Moment”—a unique point in time that Kang believes holds the key to achieving everything he wants.

As a Kang fan, this story is really special to me. It explains how he eventually became Immortus, and it kicked off a massive storyline that ran through all the Avengers comics for years! What I loved most was seeing a side of Kang we rarely get to see – he wasn’t just focused on taking over everything, and it showed how vulnerable he actually could be. It’s a really rare and insightful look at the character.

2) Avengers Forever

The 12-issue comic series Avengers Forever is considered one of the best Avengers stories from the 1990s. Created by Kurt Busiek, Roger Stern, Carlos Pacheco, and Jesus Merino, the story features Kang the Conqueror surprisingly teaming up with the Avengers. Driven by his desire to avoid becoming Immortus, Kang prompts Rick Jones to assemble a new team comprised of different versions of the Avengers from across the multiverse.

The story featured all generations of Avengers, including iconic heroes like Captain America, Hank Pym, Wasp, and Hawkeye. It was a significant reveal that while Kang was the public enemy, Immortus had secretly been pulling the strings for the Time Keepers. Many fans consider this to be one of the greatest Avengers stories ever told, a tribute to the team and the complicated dynamic between them and Kang.

1) The Kang Dynasty

Originally, Marvel Studios planned to release Avengers: The Kang Dynasty in 2026. However, due to problems during production, they’ve switched gears and will now focus on a Doctor Doom film followed by Avengers: Doomsday. This is a bit of a letdown for fans, as “The Kang Dynasty” is considered a classic and highly regarded storyline from Marvel Comics, originally appearing in Avengers (Vol. 3) issues #41-45.

Okay, so Kang’s victory is genuinely chilling. He didn’t mess around – he just showed up and basically gave Earth an ultimatum: submit and rule the galaxy with him, or be conquered. And when the UN called his bluff? He responded by wiping out millions. What really struck me is that he didn’t rely on some crazy superweapon or mystical power; he straight-up conquered Earth with a military assault. It’s a rare thing in Marvel, seeing the villains actually win like that, and it really drives home how devastating things could be if the bad guys ever truly succeed.

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2026-04-16 02:11