Kang, Scarlet Witch, and 13 Other Marvel Nexus Beings Explained
Marvel Comics has introduced us to countless powerful beings over the years, but few are as significant as the Nexus Beings. These entities are said to exist at the very center of the Marvel Multiverse, with the ability to influence and shape reality on a fundamental level. They are rare and mysterious and have been the subject of much fan speculation and debate.
In this article, we will explore the concept of Nexus Beings in the Marvel Universe and take a closer look at 15 characters who have been identified as such both in the comics and in the MCU. From Kang the Conqueror to Scarlet Witch and beyond, we’ll examine their powers, origins, and significance in the larger Marvel mythology.
What are Nexus Beings in Marvel Universe?
For most of us, the first time we heard about Nexus Beings was in the context of Scarlet Witch. We know that she is an incredibly powerful individual on her own, having access to incredible sorcery, especially Chaos Magic, but what really brings Wanda to the spotlight is the fact that she can affect probability. This is due to her being a Nexus Being which grants her powers on an unimaginable scale.
Nexus Beings are extremely rare beings (or other entities) who act as a focal point for reality (and other mystical energies) of the specific Universe inside the Multiverse. Nexus beings can affect probability, reality, and time-stream. They can alter the way in which the time stream will act with their choices. This means that every choice they make can affect reality and the events that will come to pass in the future.
Nexus beings are generally here to ensure the stability of reality and to tie all loose ends of the time stream together. Still, they often can act in an unpredictable manner, especially if they are gifted with incredible abilities. For that purpose, TVA (Time Variance Authority) and Time-Keepers watch over them diligently to ensure that none of their actions go against the established time stream.
Even though Nexus beings are incredibly useful and a cosmic constant, due to their illusive and rare nature, they can be highly unpredictable. In theory, each Universe inside the Multiverse can have only one Nexus Being that acts as the focal point at a time, but this proved not to be true in practice as Scarlet Witch existed inside the same Universe as other Nexus Beings such as Lore, and Kang the Conqueror.
A higher form of Nexus Being, the so-called Ultimate Nexus, might also exist. Ultimate Nexus is a Nexus Being of the highest order that has influence over all possible realities, universes, and time streams and can affect probability across all of them.
How many Nexus beings are there in Marvel Comics?
So far, 15 Nexus Beings have been identified in Marvel Comics. However, this is only a small fraction of all possible Nexus Beings, as every Universe inside the Multiverse can have one. Nexus Beings can be any being, any creature, and any entity. This is why it’s hard to identify them properly. Even though all Nexus Beings have the same effect on the time stream and probability, their skill sets and powers can widely differ.
Not all Nexus Beings are as skilled in Chaos Magic as Scarlet Witch, and not all have access to unimaginable technology as Kang. Out of all 15 Nexus Beings in the Marvel Universe, some were more important than others. In the rest of this post, we’re bringing you the list of the most important Nexus Beings.
1. Wanda Maximoff, aka Scarlet Witch – Earth-616
Scarlet Witch is a powerful sorceress, among many things, but she is also Nexus Being. Her most distinguished power is the ability to affect probability. This resulted in Wanda having quite advanced reality-warping powers, among other things. Immortus, who meddled in Wanda’s life on numerous occasions because of the fact, also attempted to turn her into the aforementioned Ultimate Nexus.
2. Kang the Conqueror – Earth-6311
We’re not talking about Kang the Conqueror from Earth-616 reality. Of course, the Nexus Being version of Kang the Conqueror is Prime Kang, the one version from which all others have diverged. It’s not surprising that Kang is Nexus Being, considering the fact that throughout the whole history of existence, he has a singular purpose of affecting the time stream, and his greatest asset is time traveling in general.
3 Lore – Universe unknown
Lore was a variant of Scarlet Witch from one of the alternative universes who happened to be Nexus Being, just like Wanda was for Earth-616 reality. Lore, however, had grotesque plans to murder every other Nexus Being. She died when she tried to wield the Nexus powers against Wanda.
4. Eleyn – Earth-TRN956
Eleyn was one of the Nexus Beings targeted by evil Lore. She was a skilled witch, just like Wanda. She got drained of her powers and eventually lost her life due to Lore’s actions.
5. Leonard Tippit – Universe Unknown
Leonard Tippit clashed with the Avengers in the past due to the threatening Nuclear holocaust. What Avengers didn’t know at the time was that the Tippit was himself a danger due to his powers. Time Watcher promptly identified his danger and manipulated Avengers into trapping him and neutralizing the threat.
6. Sise-Neg – Earth-74113
Sise-Neg has a somewhat similar story to Kang the Conqueror, as both of them developed time-traveling techniques in order to amass more power. Sise-Neg traveled through the time stream to absorb magical energies that were finite in nature in his time.
7. Merlyn – Otherworld Nexus Being
Merlin is not only a powerful sorcerer and Nexus Being. He was at one time the Sorcerer Supreme as well. Merlyn is part of a gestalt that links himself with all of his alternate selves in the various realities in the Omniverse.
8. Franklin Richards- Earth-772
Franklin Richards was among the most powerful characters on Earth-616 at one point. In Earth-772 reality, he was likewise Ultimate Nexus. Time-Keepers predicted this and tried to protect him from the Time-Twisters.
9. Vision – Earth-90110
This version of Vision served as Nexus Being and a benevolent leader for all humanity in his reality. He ruled rationally and logically until he was eliminated for being a Nexus Being by the Time-Twisters.
10. Jean Grey – Earth-9250
Jean Grey of Earth-9250 reality has more in common with her Earth-616 counterpart than just merely the fact that both are Nexus Beings. She was responsible for unleashing Phoenix Force in order to subdue Goblin Queen and Dormammu.
The other Nexus Beings, less significant ones, from Marvel Universe, are Odin Borson (Earth-9260), Queen Elizabeth I (Earth-78912), Napoléon Bonaparte (Earth-9008), Abraham Lincoln (Earth-9002), John F. Kennedy (Earth-9007). But as we’ve mentioned before, there are numerous Nexus Beings, as each Universe should, in theory, have one. The ones we’ve mentioned in this post are simply “named” Nexus Beings that appeared either in the comics or other Marvel-related media.
How many Nexus Beings are there in the MCU?
So far, only two Nexus Beings have been identified in the MCU, Wanda Maximoff and Kang the Conqueror. We’ve witnessed Wanda’s destructive and multiversal powers during WandaVision and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and now she’s going to be joined by Kang the Conqueror, that was introduced to the MCU with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Jonathan Majors, the actor behind Kang the Conqueror, commented on the character’s status as the Nexus Being.
“Who is Kang? I think that is a question that we will all be answering for a very long time,” Majors said. “I think the quick answer to that is Kang is a time-traveling supervillain who is also a Nexus being, which leads to this idea of variants. There are multiple versions of Kang. ‘Versions’ being ‘variants.’ They occupy different universes and multiverses, and they have different intentions. They are all different beings. And yet something that we’re still—and I’m still—working on, and continue to refine and refine and refine, is something that’s a through line between them. And that, to me, is the Kang gene in a nutshell.”
Who is the strongest Nexus in the Marvel Universe?
We can’t be really sure who is the strongest Nexus Being in the Marvel Universe, but Scarlet Witch and Kang the Conqueror just might be at the top of the hierarchy in terms of power. Wanda and Kang, besides being Nexus Beings, have other deadly powers and abilities that would make them quite dangerous even without their powers to affect the time stream and probability. For now, the question of the strongest Nexus Being in the Marvel Universe remains unsolved, but Scarlet Witch might have a slight advantage due to almost becoming Ultimate Nexus.
