Marvel Studios fumbled Kang The Conqueror’s introduction to the MCU.
The allegations made against actor Jonathan Majors certainly exacerbated the issue, but I’d argue that Kang’s days were numbered way before that particular complication arose.
You see, Kang lacked any sense of intrigue or mystery.
The Infinity Saga’s villain, Thanos, was teased across the best part of a decade.
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By the time he fully entered the fray in Avengers: Infinity War, the hype surrounding the character was immense.
But Kang, on the other hand, arrived in The Multiverse Saga with too much visibility too soon.
Ant-Man dispatched of one variant in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, just as Loki dispatched of another, Victor Timely, in the Loki series.
Yes, neither of these were the ultimate forms or variants of Kang, but the fact that they were dealt with so easily made plenty of us lose interest in the character.
Marvel executives are seemingly aware of that fact, ridding the MCU of Kang and replacing the character with Doctor Doom, soon to be brought to life by Robert Downey Jr.
If you do find yourself yearning for what could’ve been though, then you may want to hop on over to the world of comic books and catch up on the Avengers series, as Kang has just been reintroduced as a key player - teaming up with a beloved Spider-Man anti-hero.
ICYMI: Take a look at the trailer for Captain America: Brave New World, scheduled to be released on 14 February.
Or should I say anti-villain? Avengers #22 sees Kang The Conqueror make an unlikely alliance with Black Cat.
I’ll let you debate whether Felicia falls into the anti-hero or anti-villain category, although teaming up with Kang certainly isn’t doing her any favours.
From writer Jed MacKay, artist Farid Karami, and colourist Federico Blee, Avengers #22 brings Kang and Black Cat together to pull off a heist.
Captain Marvel, Iron Man, and Captain America find themselves attempting to steal the Missing Moment data archive, something that previously belonged to Kang, with Storm and Scarlet Witch tasked with providing a distraction.
The group unfortunately finds the Grandmaster’s vault empty though. Who could be responsible?
Well, Iron Man’s able to rapidly scan the crowd landing on the face of none other than Nathaniel Richards, this iteration of Kang the Conqueror.
Kang isn’t only backed up by Black Cat though. He’s also supported by her father, Walter Hardy, which is odd because he should be dead in this timeline.
Was that death a ruse? Has Kang manipulated the timestream?
Well, you can seek out answers for yourself as Avengers #22 is out now, with the story continuing in February when Avengers #23 lands.