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Several Kang the Conqueror variants debuted in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, including Kang’s Egyptian Pharaoh variant, Rama-Tut. While Kang the Conqueror’s Marvel Comics story has more to do with time travel than with the multiverse, Kang was chosen as the MCU’s next Thanos for the Multiverse Saga. Marvel’s Phase 4 seemly combined alternate timelines and alternate universes into one concept, leading to Quantumania’s Council of Kang variants post-credits scene.
Loki season 1’s finale introduced the MCU’s first Kang variant, at least in order of appearance, He Who Remains. Quantumania followed a different Kang entirely, the actual “Kang the Conqueror,” as he tried to escape the Quantum Realm. Presumably, Kang the Conqueror was exiled by the Council of Kangs, of which Rama-Tut is a member. Here’s everything you need to know about Kang’s Rama-Tut variant.
Rama-Tut's Origin In The Comics: Where He Fits In Kang's Timeline Before Kang, there was Rama-Tut. Although Kang the Conqueror debuted in Avengers #8 (1964), the character’s actual introduction happened in Fantastic Four #19 (1963), as Rama-Tut. Marvel’s Kang lore would eventually become rather complex, but Kang's story began as just another Fantastic Four adventure. The Fantastic Four comics were perhaps the best combination of superheroes and sci-fi, and Fantastic Four #19: Prisoners of the Pharoah! presented readers with a time travel tale. After Reed Richards stumbled into a hieroglyph picturing a potential cure for blindness, the Fantastic Four went back in time to ancient Egypt to investigate the “Rama-Tut" Pharaoh.
Reed Richards’ suspicions were confirmed, and Rama-Tut was revealed as a time traveler who belonged to the year 3000. Rama-Tut detailed his story to the Fantastic Four, revealing that, as a fan of ancient Egypt, he decided to leave his boring life and go back in time to become a conqueror. With technology from the year 3000 at his disposal, this unnamed man became Rama-Tut, whose reign lasted for several years. The hieroglyph Reed was investigating was a trap set up by Rama-Tut, as the time-traveler Pharaoh wanted to meet and battle the Fantastic Four. Rama-Tut was eventually defeated, and his complete origin story was not revealed until much later.
At first, the Fantastic Four believed that Rama-Tut could be related to Doctor Doom, who at that point was considered the inventor of time travel. While Rama-Tut had a connection to Doctor Doom, this new time-traveler villain was not related to the Fantastic Four’s biggest nemesis. Around a year after Fantastic Four #19, Kang the Conqueror debuted in an Avengers comic, followed by the shocking twist that Kang and Rama-Tut were the same person. Nathaniel Richards, Kang’s real name in the comics, did not give up his conqueror dreams after his encounter with the Fantastic Four in ancient Egypt. Fantastic Four #19 retroactively became Kang’s first appearance.
How Powerful Is Rama-Tut Compared To Other Kang Variants? Kang does not have superhuman abilities like Thanos or Loki. However, Kang’s elevated intellect combined with his futuristic equipment makes him one of Marvel’s most formidable villains. That combination between Kang’s intellect and technology from the future was even more deadly in the hands of Rama-Tut, whose technology was just absurdly more advanced than anything on Earth at that point. Nathaniel Richards easily took over ancient Egypt, and Rama-Tut’s reign only ended because of the Fantastic Four. Rama-Tut’s main asset was his ship, which would later become a key part of Kang the Conqueror’s mythos.
Other Rama-Tut’s weapons included anti-gravity guns, anti-matter shields, and a gun that could shoot neutrino rays. Interestingly, Kang the Conqueror’s fighting style in his first comic book appearance was mostly similar to Rama-Tut’s. Both versions of Kang deployed their tech to neutralize the Avengers and the Fantastic Four. Perhaps the biggest difference between Rama-Tut and Kang the Conqueror is that the former is much less experienced than the latter. Rama-Tut’s goals were simpler compared to Kang’s, and his perception of how reality works were far more limited. It’s difficult to think of Kang’s life chronologically, but “The Conqueror” was the next step in Nathaniel Richards’ story after his time as Rama-Tut.
How The MCU Teased Rama-Tut Before Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania A small but meaningful detail in Moon Knight season 1 teased Rama-Tut way before the Council of Kangs appeared in Quantumania. When Marc Spector was fighting thugs in Moon Knight episode 3, one of them was wearing an interesting logo on the back of their jacket. Paused in a certain frame, the jacket’s logo reveals a Rama-Tut-like design. The Moon Knight Rama-Tut Easter egg was reportedly confirmed by members of the show’s production, although its full context was never revealed. Despite being part of the Multiverse Saga, Moon Knight was fairly self-contained. There were no direct links to the MCU’s overarching story for Phase 4, but the Rama-Tut nod was interesting nonetheless.
It can be quite tricky to distinguish alternate universes from alternate timelines in superhero comics, both in the Marvel and DC universes. That distinction is even more difficult in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which has been dealing with time travel and multiverse for a while now. Avengers: Endgame set up a few MCU time travel rules, most of which have already been broken. It seems that the MCU’s Kang story is tying the villain to the multiverse, establishing that each version of Kang is from a different universe. However, Moon Knight’s Rama-Tut Easter Egg strongly suggests that there was a Rama-Tut in the MCU’s Prime Timeline.
While the Rama-Tut nod in Moon Knight could be retconned at some point, it would be far more interesting if Kang did live as Rama-Tut on Earth-616 for a period. Having each Kang variant come from a different universe with no ties to the MCU’s main timeline would be a waste. The MCU has the opportunity to retcon key events of its timeline and tie them to Kang the Conqueror, adding more to the villain’s backstory and raising the stakes for Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. With a Fantastic Four movie on the way, Rama-Tut’s time in ancient Egypt could very well be Kang’s first known appearance, in-universe.
Rama-Tut's MCU Future: Avengers 5 And Fantastic Four? Given that Rama-Tut debuted in a Fantastic Four comic, a logical conclusion is that Kang’s Egyptian Pharaoh variant will return in Marvel’s Fantastic Four movie. Not only did Rama-Tut, and therefore Kang, debut as a Fantastic Four villain, but Kang is directly tied to Mr. Fantastic in the comics. While Marvel’s Kang timeline can be quite confusing, Nathaniel Richards is presumably a descendant of Reed Richards. Whether the MCU’s Kang is related to Reed Richards remains to be seen, as the name “Nathaniel Richards” has yet to be brought up in the Multiverse Saga. Kang’s MCU origin story is unknown. That could change if Rama-Tut appears in Fantastic Four.