Kang the Conqueror Comics: Reading Order
For those who have been keeping up with the latest happenings in the MCU, you would know that the hottest villain right now is Kang the Conqueror, who made his official debut as a villain in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and is set to become an even more important bad guy in the upcoming Avengers: Kang Dynasty storyline. Of course, we already know that Kang is a dangerous villain because he can travel from one universe to another, giving birth to numerous character variants.
The problem with Kang is that he has so many variants that many comic books tell different stories about the same character. As such, for you to understand who Kang is before you get to see him in action in the MCU, here is the complete reading order of Kang the Conqueror, according to Comic Book Herald.
Kang the Conqueror reading order (at a Glance)
- Fantastic Four Epic Collection: The Master Plan Of Doctor Doom
- Essential Avengers Vol. 1
- Avengers: Kang – Time And Time Again
- Marvel Team-Up Masterworks Vol. 1
- Avengers: The Complete Celestial Madonna Saga
- Avengers: The Serpent Crown
- Secret Wars
- Avengers: The Once And Future Kang
- Avengers: West Coast Avengers – Lost In Space And Time
- X-Men: Inferno Crossovers
- Infinity War Omnibus
- Avengers: Citizen Kang & Avengers: The Terminatrix Objective
- X-Men: The Rise Of The Apocalypse
- Avengers Forever
- Avengers: The Kang Dynasty
- Young Avengers: The Complete Collection
- Avengers: The Heroic Age
- Avengers: The Children’s Crusade
- Uncanny Avengers Vol. 2: The Apocalypse Twins
- Uncanny Avengers Vol. 3: Ragnarok Now
- Uncanny Avengers Volume 4: Avenge the Earth
- Siege: Battleworld
- All-New, All-Different Avengers Vol. 1: The Magnificent Seven
- Avengers: Unleashed Vol. 1: Kang War One
- Avengers: Back To Basics
- Infinity Wars By Gerry Duggan: The Complete Collection
- Thanos: The Infinity Saga Omnibus
- Avengers Mech Strike
- Kang The Conqueror
Kang the Conqueror reading order (fully explained)
1. Fantastic Four Epic Collection: The Master Plan Of Doctor Doom
Included in the collection: Fantastic Four #19-32 (1963), Annual #1-2 (1963)
Chronologically speaking, this is the first time Kang appeared in the comics. However, he appeared as a variant called Rama-Tut, who traveled from the future and returned to the past to explore it due to his boredom. Rama-Tut clashes with the Fantastic Four but gets defeated before escaping and meeting up with Doctor Doom.
2. Essential Avengers Vol. 1
Included in the collection: Avengers #1-24 (1963)
If you’re talking about Kang the Conqueror, this is the part where he was introduced as he appeared in Avengers #8. In this storyline, Kang encounters the Avengers multiple times and attacks them with a robot version of Spider-Man. This is also the first that Immortus, another Kang variant, appears for the first well.
3. Avengers: Kang – Time And Time Again
Included in the collection: Avengers #69-71 (1963), Avengers #267-269, Thor #140 (1966), and Incredible Hulk #135 (1971).
In this storyline, Kang uses his time-traveling ability to pull the Avengers into the future, where they end up in the 40th century. As such, they are now forced to fight the Squadron Sinister under the command of the Grandmaster. The story ends with him trying to use the Hulk for own purposes, but such a plan fails.
4. Marvel Team-Up Masterworks Vol. 1
Included in the collection: Marvel Team-Up #1-11 (1972)
Although Kang was a prominent figure during the 60s, he wasn’t as prominent in the 70s as he didn’t appear in many 70s storylines. Nevertheless, he still ended up becoming a villain to Spider-Man, Iron Man, and the Human Torch as they teamed up together to fight Kang and another ally from the future (Zarrko). In this storyline, Kang is about to become a better person, especially because he loves Ravonna. But he quickly went back to being a prick.
5. Avengers: The Complete Celestial Madonna Saga
Included in the collection: Avengers #124-125, #129-135, Captain Marvel #33 (1968), Giant-Sized Avengers #2-4, Avengers Celestial Quest #1-8
The Celestial Madonna had a prophecy about being the mother of a powerful child, and that was when Kang entered the picture. He wanted to be the father of this child, and that was the reason why this comic book allows us to learn more about the different Kang variants, as they are all connected to Kang and the child. The storyline lasts for 30 years.
6. Avengers: The Serpent Crown
Included in the collection: Avengers #141-144, #147-149
While we’ve seen Kang getting beaten a lot of times in the past, this was the first time that he was actually killed. In this storyline, Immortus transported Thor and Moondragon to the era of the Wild West as they found out that a Kang variant went missing. In that regard, Kang actually died in that era as he was wiped off the Marvel storyline for a while before his eventual return in the 1980s.
7. Secret Wars
Included in the collection: Marvel’s Secret Wars #1-12 (1984-85)
The Secret Wars is one of the most popular crossover events in history as it was the one that allowed us to see the power of the Beyonder, who ranks as the second-most powerful Marvel character of all time. In this storyline, the Beyonder creates the Battleworld to transport selected heroes and villains so that they can fight to the death.
Kang was one of the characters selected by this incredibly powerful out-of-universe being, as that was when Kang and Doom became closer. Of course, Kang betrayed Doom, who ended up killing him. But we know that Kang never truly dies permanently.
8. Avengers: The Once And Future Kang
Included in the collection: Avengers #262-269, Avengers Annual #15 (1985), Avengers West Coast Annual #1 (1986)
At this point in Marvel’s history, there were now a lot of different versions of Kang, and that was when they decided to form the Council of Kangs. But the main Kang was still the Conqueror, who went on to try to kill all of the other Kangs. In that regard, his relationship with Immortus comes into play in this storyline as we get to understand more about their dynamic.
9. Avengers: West Coast Avengers – Lost In Space And Time
Included in the collection: West Coast Avengers #17-24, Fantastic Four #19, Doctor Strange Vol. 2 #53
In this storyline, Doctor Strange and the members of the West Coast Avengers travel back to Ancient Egypt, where they see Rama-Tut ruling as Pharaoh. This was one of the storylines that allowed us to see how Rama-Tut was also involved in the mess involving the Celestial Madonna, as this is an important storyline to follow if you’re so interested in continuity.
10. X-Men: Inferno Crossovers
Included in the collection: Avengers #298-300, Fantastic Four #322-324, Amazing Spider-Man #311-313, Spectacular Spider-Man #146-148, Web Of Spider-Man #47-48, Daredevil #262-265
While the X-Men and Kang don’t always cross paths, the Inferno Crossover event allowed us to see two variants of Kang battling the combined forces of the X-Men and the Avengers. This is due to the fact that one of the Kangs wants to capture Mantis, who is under the protection of the Fantastic Four. It’s an entertaining experience that will allow you to learn how different one Kang variant is from another.
11. Infinity War Omnibus
Included in collection: Infinity War #1-6; Fantastic Four #366-370, Spider-Man #24, Deathlok #16, Daredevil #310, Warlock And The Infinity Watch #7-10, Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #42-47, Silver Surfer #67-69, Wonder Man #13-15, Alpha Flight #110-112, Silver Sable & The Wild Pack #4-5, Guardians Of The Galaxy #27-29, Quasar #37-40, New Warriors #27, Marc Spector: Moon Knight #41-44, Nomad #7, Sleepwalker #18, Material From Captain America #408, Alpha Flight #109, Marvel Comics Presents #108-112
This is one of the largest events involving Kang, as the Infinity War storyline ranks as one of the most important in the history of Marvel Comics. However, not all issues include Kang. Still, it is best to read the entire storyline due to how important he is in this crossover, especially when it comes to his relationship with Doctor Doom.
12. Avengers: Citizen Kang & Avengers: The Terminatrix Objective
Included in the collection: Captain America Annual #11, Thor Annual #17, Fantastic Four Annual #25, Avengers Annual #2, Avengers: The Terminatrix Objective #1-4
One of the things that you need to know here is that these are two storylines that were combined into one larger event. It involves Ravonna, who is now Terminatrix, as she has to go up against two variants of Kang and a future version of herself. On the other hand, Kang keeps in touch with what’s happening on Earth by staying in a city called Chronopolis.
13. X-Men: The Rise Of The Apocalypse
Included in the collection: Rise Of Apocalypse #1-4, Further Adventures Of Cyclops & Phoenix #1-4, X-Men: Apocalypse/Dracula #1-4, Black Knight: Exodus, Fantastic Four #19
Even though this is an X-Men storyline, Kang is still included in it as it takes us to an event involving Apocalypse, who we know is an Ancient Egyptian mutant. Of course, Rama-Tut had something to do with the rise of Apocalypse, as it was clear that Kang seemingly had his fingerprints on every event that happened in Marvel.
14. Avengers Forever
Included in the collection: Avengers Forever #1-12
In this storyline, Kang is on the protagonist’s side as he convinces all of the other variants of himself to wage war on Immortus. As such, we were able to see how not even Kang could coexist with himself and agree on the same matters. It’s a great way for the readers to see the differences between Kang and Immortus.
15. Avengers: The Kang Dynasty
Included in the collection: Avengers #45-54 (2001)
This is the title of the next Avengers movie. Of course, while the MCU film will be different, this storyline involves Kang and his son, Marcus, who became the Scarlet Centurion. They now go to Earth to conquer the planet and defeat the Avengers. And this was the first time that he actually defeated Earth’s mightiest heroes.
16. Young Avengers: The Complete Collection
Included in the collection: Young Avengers #1-12, Young Avengers Special
The Young Avengers storyline focuses on a better version of Kang as he takes on the role of Iron Lad, a younger variant of Kang. This younger Kang comes back from the future to stop his older self as he seeks to find a way to prevent himself from turning into the evil Kang the Conqueror.
17. Avengers: The Heroic Age
Included in the collection: Avengers #1-6, Avengers Prime #1-5, New Avengers #1-6
In the Heroic Age storyline, we see several versions of our favorite heroes coming from different timelines as they get caught up in a fight between Kang and Ultron. Of course, while we know that Ultron is incredibly powerful, the storyline also allows us to see just how strong Kang can be.
18. Avengers: The Children’s Crusade
Included in the collection: Avengers: The Children’s Crusade #1-9, Avengers: The Children’s Crusade– Young Avengers #1
The Children’s Crusade takes us back to Iron Lad as he travels back in time to try to defeat Kang. This is another wholesome storyline involving a Kang variant that wants to be better than what others think of him.
19. Uncanny Avengers Vol. 2: The Apocalypse Twins
Included in the collection: Uncanny Avengers #6-11
In the Uncanny Avengers, Kang takes on a different approach as he impersonates the God of Mischief himself so that he can kidnap twin babies from two Horsemen of the Apocalypse. He eventually raises these kids in a different reality. But, of course, things don’t work out for him because they rarely do.
20. Uncanny Avengers Vol. 3: Ragnarok Now
Included in the collection: Uncanny Avengers #12-17
We get to continue the storyline of the kidnapped twins as they destroy his future after rebelling against the man that kidnapped them. However, Kang forms the Chronos Corps, which is a group of different individuals that he saved from different worlds, timelines, and dimensions.
21. Uncanny Avengers Volume 4: Avenge the Earth
Included in the collection: Uncanny Avengers #18-22
This storyline continues the Uncanny Avengers narrative where the Chronos Corps now work to save the planet, all while Kang is trying to absorb the power of a dead Celestial. Of course, Kang fails in his attempt to become stronger.
22. Siege: Battleworld
Included in the collection: Siege #1-4, Uncanny X-Men #9-10
While Kang was incredibly important during the earlier part of the Marvel Comics timeline, he seems himself getting involved in a few more storylines in the 2010s. In this storyline, he is serving as the second-in-command of Abigail Brand, who is responsible for leading an evil version of SHIELD on Battleworld.
23. All-New, All-Different Avengers Vol. 1: The Magnificent Seven
Included in the collection: All-New, All-Different Avengers #1-6, Avengers 0
All-New, All-Different tends to be very different as Kang is now taking on the alias of Mr. Gryphon as he launches Qeng Enterprises after he got stuck in the 21st century due to a glitch. In that regard, he now tries to end the Avengers by working alongside Warbringer, a powerful Chitauri warrior.
24. Avengers: Unleashed Vol. 1: Kang War One
Included in the collection: Avengers #1-6 (2017)
In his attempt to stop Kang from messing up with the timeline, Vision travels back in time so that he can kidnap the baby version of Kang. But this caused a massive change in the timestream because of how it allowed multiple new Kang variants to emerge from different timelines. As such, the Avengers are now forced to form different teams to try to defeat this massive army of Kangs.
25. Avengers: Back To Basics
In the collection: Avengers: Back to Basics #1-6
Going back to Mr. Gryphon, who we know is one of the aliases that Kang too, we see how he sends Kamala Khan back in time to an era when the Avengers are in the middle of a fight against Kang the Conqueror. This all happened during the 1960s when Kang first appeared as Kamala is now in the middle of a timeline that she isn’t familiar with due to her young age.
26. Infinity Wars By Gerry Duggan: The Complete Collection
Included in the collection: Infinity Countdown Prime #1, Infinity Countdown #1-5, Infinity Countdown: Adam Warlock #1, Free Comic Book Day Amazing Spider-Man/Guardians of the Galaxy (2018) (Guardians of the Galaxy Saga), Infinity Wars Prime #1, Infinity Wars #1-6, Infinity Wars: Fallen Guardian #1, Infinity Wars: Infinity #1, Thanos Legacy #1 (B story)
This is another large Infinity Wars story that primarily involves Thanos but still includes Kang as a major player. In this storyline, Kang is one of the good guys but gets murdered and then resurrected. He ended up joining the Cosmic Avengers in a fight against Requiem, who is a mysterious yet incredibly powerful warrior.
27. Thanos: The Infinity Saga Omnibus
Included in the collection: Thanos Annual #1 (2014), Thanos: The Infinity Revelation, Thanos Vs. Hulk #1-4 (2014), Thanos: The Infinity Relativity, Infinity Entity #1-4 (2016), Thanos: The Infinity Finale (2016), Guardians Of The Galaxy: Mother Entropy #1-5 (2017), Thanos: The Infinity Siblings (2018), Thanos: The Infinity Conflict (2018), Thanos: The Infinity Ending (2019)
Again, this is another storyline that focuses more on the Mad Titan instead of the Conqueror. However, Kang plays a role in this story because he is one of the many people that Thanos encounters while trying to become more powerful. As such, the two battle it out, as Kang is forced to work together with Adam Warlock in a war against Thanos.
28. Avengers Mech Strike
Included in the collection: Avengers Mech Strike #1-5 (2021)
This is probably one of the storylines where Kang was able to achieve power beyond measure. That’s because he became the master of time itself and is now ready to wreak havoc on the timeline. However, an ally known as Anno Kang joins the Avengers to try to defeat the incredibly powerful master of time.
29. Kang The Conqueror
Included in the collection: Kang the Conqueror #1-5 (2021)
This is the first-ever comic book that actually focuses on Kang the Conqueror, as he is the titular character. It took him only nearly 60 years to get his own title, as this was a great storyline that follows Kang and how he got caught up in an endless cycle of creation and destruction.
And it all started when the Conqueror sent a younger version of himself back in time to lead a dark path full of destruction. Trust us when we say this is the best Kang storyline Marvel Comics has ever published.
