WARNING: Spoilers for Phoenix Song: Echo #1

As one of Marvel Comics’ most powerful entities, few enemies can take down the Phoenix – but Kang the Conqueror may well be one of them. Although the master of Time typically takes on the Avengers, he’s been known to challenge any opponent he deems worthy of conquest. And while the chronal criminal isn’t even referenced, Phoenix Song: Echo #1 by Rebecca Roanhorse and Luca Maresca cements the Conqueror’s danger to the Phoenix and other entities like it.

Since she’s been given the power of the Phoenix, the vigilante and former Avenger Echo has been struggling to come to grips with her new status quo. Although the Phoenix is typically associated with the X-Men, this time, its chosen host falls far from Jean Grey’s family tree. But unfortunately for her, Echo’s own family tree is being threatened by a mysterious new foe that sounds an awful lot like Kang.

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Phoenix Song: Echo #1 finds the titular Avenger struggling with her new status as a cosmic powerhouse. Looking for answers, Maya Lopez ventures to the Great Plains in search of an old mentor who can steer her down the right path. Instead, she finds his grandson, a man called River with the ability to read and share the genetic memories of Maya’s ancestors. Much to Maya’s surprise, he warns her that the mysterious force targeting the Phoenix isn’t simply looking to kill Echo – it’s hunting her ancestors before she’s even born,

Removing its host from the timeline before it can be born is an ingenious way to defeat the Phoenix before the battle even begins. Despite his calculating nature, even a tactician like Thanos would have trouble going toe-to-toe with a fully powered Phoenix, making a chronal assault the most effective way of disabling the entity’s hosts. And unlike a lot of Marvel villains, wiping out an enemy’s ancestors before they’re even born is well within Kang’s capabilities.

Thankfully for Echo and her fellow Avengers, that isn’t Kang’s typical plan of attack. The Conqueror’s pride and sense of honor are so strong an influence that he refuses to defeat his foes unless they’re at their absolute best. To Kang, killing Captain America’s grandmother before Steve Rogers is even born wouldn’t provide the same satisfaction as taking on the Sentinel of Liberty himself.

The Conqueror may not be the mysterious enemy that’s threatening Echo’s very existence, but the threat she faces is still very real. Anyone and anything with the power to take the Phoenix off the board before it can even become a threat could become one of Marvel Comics’ most dangerous forces. And a villain who can give Kang the Conqueror a run for his money is definitely a force to be reckoned with.

Next: Kang Deserves The 'Infinity War' Title More Than Thanos Ever Did