Kang the Conqueror has had many names throughout Marvel’s history. He’s been a pharaoh as Rama-Tut. His older self, Immortus, often comes to blows with his variants. Now he’s taken on a new form: Myrddin, the mysterious mystic who’s been haunting the Avengers ever since Jed MacKay took over scripting their adventures. But how exactly did Kang become Myrddin? More importantly, why did he do it?
Avengers #31 seeks to answer these questions, winding back time to reveal the genesis of Myrddin. It turns out that every time he’s ever been beaten, Kang retreats to drink and plan. Given his history, that’s a lot of booze, but it also reveals that he met William Shakespeare back when the Bard was penning The Tempest. Inspired by the story of Prospero, Kang decides to forge the identity of Mryddin and create his Twilight Court as a darker mirror to the Avengers.
I once again have to applaud MacKay for how he ties everything together. Not only does Avengers #31 revisit key moments from past issues – including the Timeless (2021) one-shot that set up this Avengers run – but it gives a deeper insight into Kang. When you’re someone who conquered time itself, you have all sorts of advantages, and he intends to use them. The fact that MacKay is also managed to craft such an epic Avengers tale while also scripting Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu and shaking up the X-Men’s world with Age of Revelation is nothing short of incredible. This man definitely deserves to be in the conversation when discussing Marvel’s top creators.
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MacKay is joined by Javier Pina, who takes the chance to reimagine different moments from past Avengers issues. You’ll see Kang’s losing battle against the Grandmaster and the Avengers, not to mention the Twilight Court, in a new light. Kang always remains at the center, and while Pina might draw him in different outfits depending on what time period the issue takes place, Kang’s facial features – including his determination to conquer all that he sees – remain a constant. So does the shining mask that Myrddin wears, hiding Kang’s true purpose from the world.
Pina does get to draw some big moments, particularly when Myrddin breaks past time itself to find the Missing Moment. He has to enter the same singularity the Avengers did, which remains just as grand and terrible under Pina’s pencils as it did in Avengers #30. Though his ship shudders and threatens to break, Kang remains steadfast. In a way, it defines his character: he might take on different identities throughout time, yet his desires remain the same.
Avengers #31 offers a deep character study on Kang the Conqueror, granting him another identity while also re-contextualizing key events from past issues. Circling back to The Tempest, there’s a moment where Prospero lays out his plans to use magic against his enemies, saying: “My high charms work, and these, mine enemies, are all knit up in their distractions. They now are in my power.” I can’t think of a better quote to describe Kang’s transformation, or his never ending battle against the Avengers.
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