Spoilers ahead for both Fantastic Four #35 and Kang the Conqueror #2!
Over the course of almost 60 years, Kang the Conqueror has had many aliases, but one variant, in particular, causes Kang great embarrassment. In Fantastic Four #35, Kang and his various aliases come together to topple the Fantastic Four, leading to the revelation that Kang is ashamed of one of his former aliases. The super-sized anniversary issue is on sale now in print and digital.
Kang the Conqueror first appeared in Avengers #8…sort of. Kang has used many aliases during the course of his long life, and one of them, the pharaoh Rama-Tut appeared several months earlier in Fantastic Four #19. Born Nathaniel Richards in the 31st century, he has jumped across eons, going by not only Kang or Rama-Tut, but also Immortus, Iron Lad, and the Scarlet Centurion. Most of these incarnations, with the exception of Iron Lad, have been villains, menacing the Fantastic Four and the Avengers on many occasions. A variant of Kang first appeared in Loki’s final episode, called “He Who Remains;” the real Kang the Conqueror is set to debut in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantummania, where he will be played by Jonathan Majors. As Kang stands ready to break through to the mainstream, his variants gather to bring down the Fantastic Four in Fantastic Four #35, written by Dan Slott, Jason Loo, and Mark Waid, with art by Loo, John Romita Jr, and Paul Renaud.
As the various incarnations of Kang gather to hatch their plan, the Scarlet Centurion boasts of his accomplishments. Kang silences him, telling the Centurion that he was ashamed he ever took the Scarlet Centurion identity. As a matter of fact, Kang was so embarrassed he changed his name.
Throughout the rest of the issue, Kang ribs the Scarlet Centurion. The interaction between the two makes for amusing moments, yet why is Kang so ashamed of this particular alias? The answer may lie in Kang the Conqueror #2, also on sale this week. As Iron Lad, Kang traveled back to ancient Egypt, where he met a young woman named Ravonna Renslayer, with who he fell in love. However, they ran afoul of Rama-Tut, who enslaved both Iron Lad and his lover. Rama-Tut forced Iron Lad to serve him, fashioning him a new identity as the Scarlet Centurion. Rama-Tut then forced the Centurion to fight for him, a move that showed the young man how truly unfair the world is. This revelation sheds new light on Kang’s comment in Fantastic Four #35: he is not ashamed of his time as the Scarlet Centurion because he found it goofy or corny. Instead, his time as the Scarlet Centurion was marked by violence and loss and set him down the path of conquest he still travels today.
The variants of Kang the Conqueror have come together, but he loathes one, the Scarlet Centurion, in particular. The Centurion represents Kang's loss of innocence, and he would rather forget it.