Warning! Spoilers for Kang The Conqueror #1 below
During his time as a villain in the Marvel Universe, Kang the Conqueror has always worn face markings as part of his mask, and now readers know the tragic reason why. In Kang The Conqueror #1, the time-traveling supervillain’s origin is showcased – revealing when Kang began training his past self, he fell in love with a young woman who gave him the markings. Unfortunately, however, his future self sabotaged the relationship.
Kang the Conqueror has taken many forms across space and time, but the main version has always worn a purple ensemble with a boxy mask and markings on his face. Kang’s battle armor is from the 40th century and is the primary source of his powers. In a new comic, Marvel revealed the heartbreaking reason behind the markings on his mask, as it’s connected with the younger version of the villain and his toxic view on love.
In Kang the Conqueror #1 by Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, Carlos Magno, Espen Grundetjern, and VC’s Joe Caramagna, Kang takes the younger version of himself, Nathaniel Richards, and offers him the promise to explain how to navigate throughout history as a time-traveler. After arriving in the prehistoric ages, Kang trains Nathaniel and takes him through key moments across time – including his ultimate failure: the death of his beloved Ravonna Renslayer. After witnessing the shocking moment, Kang makes his younger self promise never to love anyone. However, when he’s training in the jungle, Nathaniel runs into a young woman named Adi, with whom he falls in love. After being marked by a disapproving elder for saving her life, Richards tells Kang of falling in love. He doesn’t react kindly.
Kang the Conqueror proceeds to go to the village where Adi and the Elder live and destroys it, murdering them. Nathaniel can only watch as his future self ends the life of his newfound love. Making matters more tragic, Kang knew they were going to die anyway when the deadly asteroid destroys the prehistoric age, but still made sure to kill them in front of Nathaniel. The moment leads Nathaniel to steal Kang’s suit right before an asteroid wipes out the dinosaurs, seemingly killing his future self as he teleports back to the time of Rama-Tut’s empire.
The revelation Kang’s markings on his mask were from his fallen love is a shocking twist of fate about a seemingly non-important part of Kang’s ensemble. But, the markings represented the first time he found and lost love. Among Marvel villains’ tragic origins, Nathaniel Richards turning the markings into a part of his future costume is as sad as it gets. Kang the Conqueror #1 is in comic book stores now.
