We recently got word of an official casting decision for the part of Kang The Conqueror in the MCU. Jonathan Majors has been cast in the role and will be the primary villain in Ant-Man 3. That is still a ways off, but we could be getting a build-up to the character sooner. The Loki series on Disney+ is going to introduce the Time Variance Authority, to which Kang has ties. The production company for Loki is called "Limbo", which in the comics was a sort of headquarters for Kang. Also, there are rumors of several different times and locations where the show will take place. One of which includes Egypt, where Kang ruled as Pharaoh Rama-Tut, first appearing in Fantastic Four.
Kang The Conqueror casting news and potential tie-ins
There is another potential Fantastic Four tie in. Kang The Conqueror's real name is Nathaniel Richards, and he is a distant descendant of Reed Richards. There is also a potential mutant tie in. As Pharaoh Rama-Tut he tried to make for himself an heir in En Sabah Nur, AKA Apocalypse. One more tie in, Iron Lad, who unites the Young Avengers to stop Kang, is later revealed to be a teenage version of Kang pulled from the time-stream.
Now, let's get into a few of the back issues you may want to consider investing in.
Avengers 8
Kang the Conqueror proper first appeared in Avengers #8 from September 1964. The 9.0 has recently been selling for over $2000. The 8.0 is about $1000 cheaper, but more recent sales of 7.5's well exceeding $1000 indicate that an 8.0 realistically is will be somewhere closer to $1500. 6.5's are around $600, but the 4.5 is at about $400. This is a classic Silver Age book, more desirable than Iron Man 55. If Kang makes an impression with audiences like Thanos, perhaps even a Very Good copy will exceed $1000 at some point.
Fantastic Four
A full year earlier in October 1963, Fantastic Four #19 marked the first appearance of Pharoah Rama-Tut,
a time traveler from the year 3000 who is later revealed to be Kang. The FMV for 9.0's is $1050, a .5 grade below that will save you $250, and 6.0/6.5 are around $400.
Avengers 10 & 23
Avengers #10 from November 1964 is the first appearance of Immortus who is later revealed
to be the future persona of Kang. This is the cheapest of the three earliest appearances. The difference in price for a 9.2, a 9.0, and an 8.5 is about $200 between each. 9.2's look to have an FMV of $725, while 8.5's are around $350.
Avengers #23 from December 1965 is an early appearance of Kang featuring a classic cover by Jack Kirby.
This cover was altered by John Romita after the Comics Code Authority had an off-day and determined that Kang's right hand was too high over Hawkeye and Quicksilver, giving it a frightening effect that would be inappropriate for children.
To pass the inspection, Romita drew the hand further down and more to the left as we have now. This is also Romita's first work at Marvel, though in this issue his primary job was as the inker to Jack Kirby's pencil work. (pg 39 in John Romita and All That Jazz)
One more for the road
There are many more issues to recommend, but that will be for another time. For now, I will end with a very cheap, newer book that may be of interest, Avengers #4 from April 2017. This book features beautiful cover art by the always-on-point Alex Ross and details the origin of Kang the Conqueror. This is a book that is hardly on anyone's radar but it may see some action in the near future. For a few dollars, you can't go wrong.
We are dealing with a time-traveling villain here, and things get a little convoluted. However, this complicated history in comics gives many possible inroads to tell stories and introduce new characters in Phase 4 & 5 of the MCU.
