Kang vs. Thanos: Who Would Win & Why?

One of the most common motifs in the fandom world is the “who would win” debates. It, therefore, makes sense that two of the Marvel Universe’s most recurring villains would be pitted against each other. One is Kang the Conqueror, a scientific genius from the future who has mastered the art of time travel and the other is Thanos, The Mad Titan whose main aim is to restore the balance of the universe by decimating half of its population. So, if these two ever met in a fight, who’d be victorious and why?

Thanos would win in a fight agaist Kang the Conqueror. This is because he trounces Kang in terms of physiology, strength, speed, intelligence, and invulnerability. However, Kang is no pushover and would fancy his chances thanks to his genius intellect and access to advanced technology.

This article will pit Kang against Thanos in a head-to-head battle across several categories to determine who would have the upper hand if they ever fought. If this is something you’d be interested in diving into, read on till the end to discover who among the two characters is the baddest and meanest in the park!

Physiology

There are numerous variants of Kang the Conqueror spread out over the multiverse and timelines but what is common among all of them is that they are human. Kang is originally a human named Nathaniel Richards from the 31^st century. Because he is human, Kang doesn’t possess any innate superpowers. Instead, what he has is an incredible intellect that allows him to make up for his lack of superpowers.

His physiology may be enhanced because he’s from the future, but if his battles are anything to go by, one could argue that he has an enhanced physiology, similar to that of Captain America. While there’s no history in the comics that he ever took the Super Soldier Serum, he has gone blow for blow with a super soldier and held his own.

All we can assume is that he traveled to a point in time where he could get his hands on the serum and took it.

When it comes to Thanos’ physiology, very few beings in the Marvel Universe can compare. For starters, Thanos is an Eternal from Titan and this grants him extreme powers that are godlike. As an Eternal, he has access to a limitless pool of cosmic energy. This makes him incredibly hard to defeat.

What’s more, Thanos has the Deviant gene in his DNA. This gene not only grants him his purple appearance, but also augments his powers of godlike strength, speed, stamina, and durability. Thanos has also enhanced his powers through bionic and mystical means over years to bring his abilities to an unparalleled level.

Thanos has a bulky frame and stands at just over 6.5 feet tall and has close to 1000 pounds of lean muscle. Therefore, it’s easy to see why Kang would find him intimidating to face.

So, Thanos wins this round easily.

Point: Kang (0:1) Thanos

Strength

Kang the Conqueror is merely a mortal and doesn’t possess superhuman powers. So, superhuman strength is one of the things we can cross from his list of abilities. However, this doesn’t mean he cannot augment his strength to greater levels so he can go toe-to-toe against his opponents.

Kang’s Battle Armor suit is made from a highly advanced synthetic alloy from the 40^th century. This armor grants Kang enhanced strength that allows him to lift close to 5 tons easily. This is usually enough to deal with his most common adversaries the Avengers and the Fantastic Four. But is it enough to deal with The Mad Titan?

Thanos possesses godlike strength thanks to his Eternal Titan physiology, with upper limits that hitherto remain unknown. It is said he is capable of lifting millions of tons effortlessly and we’ve seen in both the Marvel Comics and MCU his incredible feats of strength to back all this up.

These feats of strength include defeating Thor even when the latter had the Power Stone, subduing both Ronan the Accuser and Beta Ray Bill with ease, lifting the Galactus engine from the depths of Ego the Living Planet, and even destroying the Tesseract holding the Space Stone in Infinity War with little effort.

Thanos can also tap into his cosmic energies to further augment his strength but he rarely does this because his usual strength is normally enough. He is easily one of the strongest beings in the entire Marvel Universe and only a few would ever dare cross him in that department, including Kang.

Point: Kang (0:2) Thanos

Speed

Kang rarely ever comes up in conversations concerning speed. This is because he has nothing like the speed we’ve come to expect from speedsters like the Flash. What Kang has is enhanced speed thanks again to his Battle Armor suit.

This allows him to move at speeds a tad bit above those of an average human. It also grants him enhanced reflexes which come in handy during fights. What’s more, Kang has certain pieces of technology like the Light of Centuries which allows him to time travel and move at speeds exceeding that of light in space.

Thanos’ speed is rarely on display in his battles because he rarely relies on it. He possesses godlike speed thanks to his Eternal physiology which makes him one of the fastest beings in the universe. Thanos was able to further augment his speed through bionic, genetic, and mystical means thus elevating his speed to a whole other level.

While we don’t get to see him using his super speed, there are some instances where we were lucky to witness this power in the comics and MCU as well. For instance, he was able to defeat the Silver Surfer who is one of the fastest beings in the universe. In the movie Avengers: Infinity War, he was able to dodge and counter the Hulk’s blows effortlessly.

So, while Thanos isn’t as fast as some speedsters, he’s faster than Kang and, therefore, wins this round.

Point: Kang (0:3) Thanos

Intelligence

Kang the Conqueror is best known for his genius-level intellect. For starters, he practically invented time travel which is no mean feat. After harnessing this power of time travel, he was able to travel throughout time, gathering in-depth knowledge of history and technology from numerous timelines and realities.

Kang is also able to come up with numerous technologies that aid him in battle, showing just how much of an accomplished inventor he is. If there’s anyone who could devise a plan to defeat Thanos, it would certainly be Kang the Conqueror.

Thanos on the other hand has superhuman intelligence which we usually get to see in his convoluted and regularly successful plans of universal domination. There are no scientific and technological advancements he isn’t aware of and this makes him a hard opponent to outsmart.

What’s more, Thanos had the advantage of gazing into the Infinity Well for a long time and this granted him knowledge of the secrets of the galaxy. Apart from the Watchers, he’s arguably the most knowledgeable being in the Marvel Universe.

He’s more intelligent than some of Earth’s greatest minds, Reed Richards and Dr. Doom. He was smart enough to enhance his powers, create genetic duplicates of himself, and even merge these clones with beings like Galactus.

Without a doubt, Thanos is more intelligent than Kang so he wins this round.

Point: Kang (0:4) Thanos

Invulnerability

Kang’s Battle Armor grants him enhanced invulnerability. With the suit on, Kang can withstand most physical attacks. The suit can also project an incredibly powerful force field capable of repelling most conventional attacks like bullets, missiles, and even nuclear blasts.

However, without the suit on, Kang is merely a mortal, capable of being severely injured even by conventional weapons like guns.

By comparison, Thanos is easily one of the most indestructible forces of nature in the entire multiverse. Thanks to his Eternal and Titan heritage, Thanos has extreme levels of resilience and durability that make him nearly indestructible. He can withstand powerful bursts of energy that can destroy entire worlds. Even supremely powerful beings like Galactus, Black Bolt, and Odin would find it extremely hard to maim Thanos.  

Only a being of extreme invulnerability would be able to wield one Infinity Stone. Thanos showed us just how invulnerable he is by wielding all six of the Infinity Stones in both the comics and MCU. Additionally, Thanos’ power of invulnerability was augmented when Lady Death blessed him after his resurrection, bringing him to new heights.

Thanos wins this round easily.

Point: Kang (0:5) Thanos

Technology

One of the things that make Kang an extremely difficult opponent to beat is his access to technology. Since he hails from the future, Kang has access to futuristic technology that is highly advanced and unimaginable. Because he’s also a genius, he has designed various pieces of tech over the years that are the envy of many. These include the Time Stick, Tempad, and even a time ship.

Kang not only has access to technology from his timeline, but he can also acquire technology from the past and future, as well as from alien civilizations in both the past and future. If there’s anyone who could find a handy piece of tech capable of defeating Thanos in any reality or timeline, it’s Kang.

Thanos is no slouch when it comes to technology. First up is his Infinity Gauntlet which allows him to wield all six Infinity Stones. This is easily one of the most powerful pieces of technology in the multiverse. He also has a highly advanced warship, owned a time machine at one point, and a stasis rifle.

Kang wins this round.

Point: Kang (1:5) Thanos

Kang vs. Thanos: Who Wins?

Thanos wins. He outmatches Kang in almost every category. However, the fight wouldn’t be so plain and simple. Kang would never go into battle with Thanos unprepared. His intellect and access to limitless technology would surely grant him a fighting chance but in the end, the Mad Titan would triumph.

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