“Kang” has become a bit of a buzzword when it comes to conversations about Marvel lately. The iconic villain is set to play a huge role in the MCU, starting with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania in February. He’s also the focus of his very own story in Marvel Comics, which just kicked off today in a big way.
“Timeless #1″ starts off what is sure to be a major story that will send ripples through the rest of the Marvel Universe. There’s no question Kang is one of the most heinous and sadistic villains in the history of Marvel Comics, but now readers will get to see things from his point of view as he readies himself for what hould be a huge adventure.
Kang “The Conqueror” is notorious throughout the multiverse. He is known both as a ruler and a killer, depending on who you ask. But what happens when there is nothing left for him to conquer? What happens when Kang’s passion is no longer there? What does he do next?
Kang now finds himself obsessed with an unobtainable prize. He claims dominion over all time but in order to achieve this new goal, he will have to reach a moment outside of time: the Missing Moment. Unfortunately for him, this moment is reserved for only heroes to access, which undoubtedly, Kang is not.
And to make things even worse for Kang, he has competition for this prize. A mysterious new being makes himself known and he is not alone. Not only does he vow to reach this prize first, but also to destroy Kang. However, it appears this character may have an even bigger secret to reveal.
The mystery element of this new story is one of the best Marvel has had in some time. The time travel of it all can make things a bit difficult to follow at times, but it adds the constant questions that will keep readers guessing until the very end. The motives of Kang are always in question, but the introduction of a new character make it unclear just who we should be rooting for and the thirst for answers only intensifies with each page.
As for that complicated time traveling, this first issue never crosses the line of becoming too complex. Luckily, Kang’s unwavering desire to always be the smartest person in the room also makes him a pretty great narrator as he is used to explain every hop, skip and jump through time. It does seem possible this story only becomes more complicated in the future, but I would trust writer Jed MacKay to walk that line.
The best part about this new story is, of course, Kang himself. The character has evolved over the years and recent stories have put us more inside the mind of the time-traveling madman than ever before. Seeing his motives and his desires actually make him a somewhat relatable character at times. And then he goes and does things that remind you why he is one of the most feared villains in the universe.
As any good first issue does, “Timeless #1″ leaves us with a big cliffhanger that will have us all itching for the second issue. In a stroy like this, answers are likely always going to create more questions, so we’ll likely be guessing until the very end, but that’s half the fun.
You can check out “Timeless #1″ now.