Is Kang Human in the MCU? What About Comics?
We’ve seen what Kang the Conqueror could do in his appearance in the MCU’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, as it was clear that he was incredibly powerful and a lot stronger than anyone in that movie. In fact, he was strong enough to wipe out multiple timelines and universes and defeat countless Avengers due to his unfathomable power. So, if Kang is so strong, what is he? Is Kang human in the MCU?
Born Nathaniel Richards, Kang the Conqueror was a human born in the 31st century but discovered the existence of the multiverse. As such, he is an ordinary human being with future tech. Using his advanced technology, he traveled from one universe to another to conquer as many worlds as possible.
The fact that Kang the Conqueror is actually human is surprising, considering that he is such a powerful opponent in the Quantumania movie. He was so powerful that the Ant-Family barely defeated him and couldn’t have done so without the help of basically everyone else in the Quantum Realm. So, with that said, let’s talk about whether or not Kang is human and why he is so powerful.
Is Kang Human In The MCU?
We already know that Kang is set to become the next big threat to the MCU. After all, we found out about him back in the Loki series and when Marvel Studios announced that the next Avengers movie would be entitled Kang Dynasty. That means that Kang is set to become one of the most important characters in the MCU, and we got to see more of him during the events of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania when he got trapped in the Quantum Realm.
During the movie, Kang is incredibly powerful and can take over the entire Quantum Realm singlehandedly when he can use his suit once more after he and Janet Van Dyne fix his ship’s power core. Kang was so strong that he easily defeated the Ant-Family and the freedom fighters and boasted about killing so many Avengers in multiple timelines and universes. Considering that he is so strong, is Kang even human at all?
Kang is actually human. We learned in the events of season 1 of Loki that Kang was never a god or a cosmic being but a scientist from the 31st century. He was born Nathaniel Richards and was able to discover the multiverse and a way for him to travel from his universe to another using his advanced technology.
It was also clear in the flashback scenes involving Kang and Janet that he was just a normal human being without his suit. He didn’t showcase any special powers or superhuman capabilities during the time that he didn’t have access to his suit, which was in his ship. And that means that Kang is just a regular human being with technology that far surpasses whatever tech the MCU characters have.
Is Kang Human In The Comics?
While we did establish that Kang is just a normal human being in the MCU, what about the comics? Well, considering that the MCU was inspired by the comics, that would mean that Kang is also human in the comics.
In the comics, Kang was also born as a regular human being named Nathaniel Richards. He was born in the 30th century and was said to be related to Reed Richards as a descendant of Mister Fantastic. However, the connection between them remains unclear.
In the comics, the Earth-616 Nathaniel Richards (Reed Richards’ father) time-traveled to the future and brought peace to Kang’s land. The fact that Nathaniel traveled to the future was most likely the reason why there is a bloodline connection between Kang and Reed. However, Kang discovered a time machine that paved the way to his transformation into Kang the Conqueror.
So, with that said, Kang is actually just a regular human being in both the MCU and the comics. Though their origin stories may differ, they were all born as regular humans who discovered time travel and used futuristic technology to conquer different timelines and universes.
Why Is Kang So Powerful?
Despite the fact that Kang is just a regular human being, the fact is that he has always been so powerful in both the MCU and the comics. In fact, in the MCU, he is slated to become the next big threat to our favorite heroes and was able to take on the combined forces of the Ant-Family and the freedom fighters without any trouble until Hank’s gigantic ants came to change the game. So, if Kang is just a regular human being, why is he so powerful?
As Janet established during the time she was telling her history with Kang, this man possessed technology that was centuries ahead of their own and was unlike anything she had ever seen. In fact, when he gained access to his suit after he and Janet fixed his ship’s power core, he became so powerful that he was able to shake the ground with his suit’s weapons. After that, he quickly established himself as the tyrant of the Quantum Realm, as no one in that world could defeat him despite Jentorra and her freedom fighters being pretty strong.
Of course, he is so strong because he has access to futuristic tech that no one in the current MCU timeline can replicate. He is a time-traveling conqueror that gained knowledge and power from the different worlds and timelines that he visited, and that means that he has all of the resources and knowledge to create a suit that can overpower almost anyone, including some of the strongest members of the Avengers in the different universes that he conquered.
In the comics, Kang’s suit is made from an alloy from the 40th century, which means that his armor is 2,000 years more advanced than any suit that Tony Stark or the Wakandans could create in the current timeline. And this armor allowed Kang to have the physical enhancements he needed to defeat the likes of Thor and the Hulk in the different universes he visited.
Kang’s MCU version can also release powerful blasts of energy that are strong enough to kill freedom fighters in one hit. Such attacks were also strong enough to push back Ant-Man in his gigantic form. And he could also use his suit’s capabilities to telekinetically control a person’s body, such as when he pushed MODOK against a wall and when he tortured Cassie in front of Scott.
Overall, Kang may be human, but he has access to technology that allows him to go beyond superhuman. In fact, as he hinted in the movie, he was strong enough to defeat Thor, who we know is one of the strongest characters in the MCU. That says a lot about how powerful Kang’s technology is and how accomplished he is despite the fact that he is as human as Tony Stark and some of the other notable Avengers that don’t have superpowers.
