Kang The Conqueror

KANG THE CONQUEROR [Nathaniel Richards]

a.k.a Pharaoh Rama-Tut, Immortus, Scarlet Centurion, Iron Lad

First Appearance: 

(As Rama-Tut) Fantastic Four V1 #19 (1963); 

(as Kang) Avengers V1 #8 (Sep 1964)

First Avengers Appearance: Avengers V1 #8 (Sep 1964)

Nathaniel Richards was born in the year 3000 of Earth-6311. He discovered his ancestor's time travel technology and travelled to Egypt circa 2950 BC where he became Pharaoh Rama-Tut, and ruled the natives. During this time he encountered the Fantastic Four, Dr. Strange and the Avengers all on their own respective time travel adventures.

Forced to flee that time period Rama-tut passes through a time storm leading to a meeting with Dr. Doom. Inspired by Doom’s armour and weaponry Richards adopts the armored identity of the Scarlet Centurion. He travels to Earth-689 and fools the Avengers of that reality into apprehending all other contemporary heroes of that world. The Centurion’s scheme to then use the Earth 616 Avengers to neutralize the Avengers of his adopted reality fails and Richards is escapes into the time-stream

Attempting to return to his native time and reality Richards overshoots and is hurled into the 40th century of Earth 6311. Refining his armour and weaponry Richards becomes Kang and conquers the entire world. Bored, Kang seeks to challenge himself by conquering the more demanding 20th century world of his ancestor and this brings him into regular conflict with The Avengers.

When Kang attempts to kidnap the Celestial Madonna he is thwarted by The Avengers and yet another future version of himself as Rama-tut. As the pair battled they were drawn to Limbo by Immortus who was later revealed as another potential version of Richards / Kang / Rama-Tut.

Kang has repeatedly attempted to engineer an heir worthy of replacing him. Each christened Marcus, at least one of these individuals has also adopted the Scarlet Centurion identity.

Kang also once visited his younger teenage pre-Kang self. Repulsed at the idea of becoming a tyrant this young Richards travelled to the past and invoked an Avengers failsafe program leading to him becoming Iron Lad and the formation of a group that the press and the world called the Young Avengers.

Kang is proficient in armed and unarmed combat, is a master strategist, highly capable with technology and has access to time travel technology, weapons from any age, including humanoid constructs known as stimuloids or Growing Men. He employs an offensively and defensively well equipped suit of armour and is often supported by armies of soldiers or a band of warriors from various times known as the Anachronauts.