Kang the Conqueror has finally revealed the one Avenger he is truly afraid of, and the brutal truth might make them an even greater threat.
WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Savage Avengers #28, available now from Marvel.
The Savage Avengers have spent months battling the evil wizard Kulan Gath across the globe and through time. With the help of the likes of Doctor Doom and Kang the Conqueror, they have even managed to put an end to Gath’s reign of terror on Earth. Most surprisingly of all, Conan of Cimmeria and Kang took it upon themselves to ensure the threat of Kulan Gath would never rise again. Unfortunately for Conan, doing so has given Kang just the insight he needed to decide that the Hyborian Age hero is far too dangerous to be left alive.
After destroying Kulan Gath in the present with the help of Shuma Gorath, the Savage Avengers found themselves at something of an impasse. Conan, Kang, and Doom were all in agreement that the ancient wizard who had recovered from death time and time again was not a threat they could continue to oppose. Conan and Kang quickly made their way to the Hyborian Age for a confrontation with the boy who would become their greatest nemesis. Thankfully, the Cimmerian took on the task of training the young Kulan Gath in the ways of the blade rather than those of the Mystic Arts, averting the darkest of fates in the process. It is certainly one of the most astounding triumphs that any of the Savage Avengers have seen, let alone Conan. It is also all the proof Kang needs to decide to end the Cimmerian’s life right there on the spot.
As Kang the Conqueror explains in Savage Avengers #28 by Gerry Duggan, Patch Zircher, Java Tartaglia, and VC’s Travis Lanham, his biggest competition at the end of the world was none other than Conan. As such, the Cimmerian has become a threat to Kang’s rule whether he realizes it yet or not. Kang even tells Conan about the futures he has seen for the Hyborian Age hero, from becoming a cosmic Nova Corpsman to becoming an immortal warrior by sheer accident. The time-travelling despot might claim that he has merely “noticed” Conan rather than harboring any fear from him, a lie so thinly veiled that Kang immediately retreats once he has been disarmed.
The feats Conan has accomplished during his recent stay in the present of the Marvel Universe are nothing short of incredible. Of course, so are the heights he rose to back in the Hyborian Age as seen in the currently ongoing King Conan by Jason Aaron and Mahmud Asrar. The story of how Conan won and lost his crown itself is far from over, but the impact that even that reign left is still being felt by Kang thousands of years later. Deep in his stronghold, Kang keeps the swords, crown, and accoutrements of King Conan as trophies. As it turns out, having these items alone doesn’t mean their rivalry has been settled. Much like how Conan contacted Kang through the centuries when he was first called upon to help battle Kulan Gath, Conan has etched a warning for the time traveler to find.
With that, the call is answered and Kang returns Conan to the present as we know it. Kang obviously sees this as another chance to prove himself as something greater than his barbaric competition. In fact, he is far more likely to be setting up some version of the same futures he saw for Conan that shook him to his core. That sort of endless need to uphold his own ego has been Kang’s downfall plenty of times before, and the odds of that happening again are probably not in his favor.
Assuming Kang takes Conan’s advice and stays out of the Cimmerian’s way, he might not have all that much to worry about in those regards. Then again, Kang has never been one to give up on a chance to prove how great he is. Conan absolutely shares that same competitive spirit, although his hasn’t ever been the same sort of detriment comparatively speaking.
No matter what powers or technology he employs, Kang is never going to outmatch his latest greatest rival on his own. For both of their sakes, here’s hoping Kang doesn’t try and prove that assessment wrong anytime soon.
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