When Lands The Conqueror!

In the brief history of the original Avengers lineup, surely one of the most memorable stories to this day remains the team's encounter with Kang the Conqueror, their persistent nemesis from the future who makes his first appearance in the book in September of 1964. Alone in a single ship, in an almost casual approach without regard for whatever measures might be taken to intercept him, Kang lands, disembarks, and announces that he has laid claim to our world and that the planet's governments had one day to surrender to him--a boast that the Under Secretary of Defense felt obliged to declare as foolhardy, for all the good it did him.

Apparently even the Deputy Secretary of Defense, much less the Secretary himself, couldn't be trifled with responding personally to an alien ship landing in Virginia which then turned an advancing tank brigade into so much scrap. Wouldn't you want someone on the scene empowered to make decisions as that kind of situation developed?

At any rate, it's not surprising who the defense department called in before the Under Secretary boarded his plane: the mighty Avengers, who, after arriving at Tony Stark's townhouse* and receiving a briefing on the situation, are witness to what Kang's heavily-armed vessel is capable of, as well as its sole, confident occupant.

*As evident from the Thunder God's words concerning "our" national security, how curious that writer Stan Lee gives Thor, an immortal who has no doubt seen the rise and fall of many Earth nations and governments, the posture of an American--perhaps due to the fact that, even though he's been to Asgard and acknowledges his heritage, Thor at this point in time still believes himself to be Donald Blake. Blake is still years off from the revelation that he was only a facade created by Odin, and whose existence began at the moment when he materialized as an adult on the campus of the State College of Medicine.

With the stage set for the Avengers' investigation of the threat, it seems the perfect time to unveil artist Jack Kirby's classic cover for this issue--no doubt a head-turner for anyone browsing the spinner rack, and one of Kirby's finest offerings that seemed made for those trademark selling captions which Marvel was known for. (But you be the judge: let's line it up with a captionless cover and see if just the story title is enough to sell it!)

No need to slouch so, Kang--you're the Conqueror, not the Cobra!

With the Fantastic Four not invited to the party, the Avengers--whose current members include Thor and Iron Man, heroes touted as powerful in their own right--are at present the world's only high-profile defense against Kang should the military prove ineffective against his threat (as the story has established so far, though they haven't yet fired a shot), with neither the Hulk (somewhere in New Mexico) nor the Sub-Mariner likely to be receptive to any outreach on the Pentagon's part. If Kang should bring down the Avengers, that would leave the X-Men to pick up where they left off; which is not to say that the Avengers are exactly pushovers, even against someone with the advanced resources of Kang, but we also have to believe that Kang wouldn't have so calmly announced his demand for Earth's surrender had he been worried about any forces this planet could throw at him.

And so, before the Under Secretary even arrives on the scene, it makes sense for Lee and Kirby's story to establish a tense mood almost immediately, with an initial confrontation which quickly demonstrates to our surprise that the Avengers' might appears to pose no challenge to this threat (as the issue's cover declares)--as well as satisfying our curiosity as to Kang's origin, which reveals an interesting connection with a Fantastic Four character who also travelled back in time to rule.

It's certainly a novel way for Lee to dispense with the run-its-course concept of Rama-Tut (who no longer has any reason to dress as a pharaoh) and recycle this opportunist from Earth's future into a totally new character. And as we've seen with Galactus, Odin, et al., Kirby definitely has a gift for designing eye-catching headgear.

But when Kang formally stakes his claim to Earth, the story takes an even more surprising turn when the Avengers move in force to put an end to his threat--and are not only swiftly dealt with, but taken captive, as well, despite their power and strength of numbers. If there are any cameras rolling on the scene, the team's grim fate can't help but have an unsettling and even shocking impact on those watching, while providing Kang with the means to destabilize whatever hopes and resolve might have been present in those around the world who put their trust in Earth's mightiest heroes.

It's then that the Under Secretary is made to realize that Kang means business, and pulls out to report back to his superiors. But two individuals who haven't fallen captive to Kang regroup--and each, in their own way, will prove pivotal to turning the tide against Kang.

With no small amount of help from Kang himself, who as a tactician nevertheless makes the mother of all blunders by not only falling for the oldest trick in the book but practically attaching a sign that says SABOTAGE ME on the hull of his ship.

You can bet all those army men are asking themselves, "Now why didn't we think of that??"

Meanwhile, the Wasp has her own thoughts on turning the tables on Kang:

As for the Teen Brigade, it turns out that Kang isn't as trusting as it seemed--but Rick and his friends devise a way to avoid his scrutiny in order to gain the time they need to locate the Avengers.

A nice touch for Kirby to factor in the two-edged sword of Tony Stark choosing to go into action as Iron Man, knowing the risk to his heart should his armor's power be inhibited for any reason. As we've seen in other instances, Iron Man is the only team member who can be taken out of action at any time, despite his power, should his armor be compromised. Eventually, he would understand the importance of upgrading his armor and its circuitry to provide more protection for himself; yet even though this particular armor is the result of such a decision, he clearly still has a ways to go in that regard.

It stands to reason, then, that Kirby has Iron Man remaining on the sidelines for a few moments while the other Avengers engage in the team's final attack against Kang. Things develop very quickly as each side struggles to gain the upper hand--and with the Wasp's return, the way is literally open to exploit a significant vulnerability in Kang's defenses.

Funny thing, though: For a battle suit that's been corroded, it's still pretty deadly.

But, wait a minute--it looks like Kang is peeking into the past for this tactic!

Fortunately, Thor is a little more quick-thinking this time around, and realizes that there's no need to call in an ant posse when his hammer can easily deal with a radiation threat. Though it's apparently slipped his mind that he's indeed the one Avenger who can follow Kang into the timestream.

Kang would make a less than illustrious return when next facing the Avengers--the second in a successive string of failures for a man who supposedly has time on his side.