Warlord Krang is a fictional character appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

s published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

. He was a high-ranking member of the Atlantean military.

Publication history

Warlord Krang first appeared in '' Fantastic Four Annual'' #1 (1963), and was created by

Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book author, writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Comics which later bec ...

and

Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (; born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comics artist, comic book artist, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He grew ...

Fictional character biography

Warlord Krang was born in Atlantis City,

Atlantis Atlantis () is a fictional island mentioned in Plato's works '' Timaeus'' and ''Critias'' as part of an allegory on the hubris of nations. In the story, Atlantis is described as a naval empire that ruled all Western parts of the known world ...

. He became a leader of the Atlantean military and

warlord Warlords are individuals who exercise military, Economy, economic, and Politics, political control over a region, often one State collapse, without a strong central or national government, typically through informal control over Militia, local ...

of Atlantis who rose to prominence during the time in which

Namor Namor McKenzie (), also known as the Sub-Mariner, is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-artist Bill Everett for comic book packager Funnies Inc., the character first appeared in '' Moti ...

, the Prince of Atlantis was missing. Upon Namor's return, Krang's bride-to-be, the Lady Dorma, deserted him for Namor, bringing a great hatred for Namor from Krang. Shortly thereafter, when Namor attempted to conquer

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, he made Krang his second in command. However, the Fantastic Four fought off the first attack and Namor stopped the invasion in order to save Sue Storm of the

Fantastic Four The Fantastic Four, often abbreviated as FF, is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in '' The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover-dated November 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism i ...

. Feeling that Namor had betrayed his own people to save an enemy, Krang was even more angered and after the Atlanteans left Atlantis he seized control and usurped the throne of Atlantis from Namor. Krang imprisoned Namor, and forced the Prince to prove himself on a quest to find

Neptune Neptune is the eighth and farthest known planet from the Sun. It is the List of Solar System objects by size, fourth-largest planet in the Solar System by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet. It is 17 t ...

's trident, made additionally difficult by traps set by Krang. Meanwhile, Krang plotted a conquest of the surface world, ruled Atlantis as a despot, and put down a revolt against his rule. When Namor returned, he defeated Krang in personal combat. Krang was dethroned and exiled. Krang, now a professional criminal, through the Puppet Master, set the Behemoth against Namor. While Namor was busy, Krang returned to Atlantis and tricked Lady Dorma into renewing their engagement and accompanying him to the surface world, as well as tricking Namor into believing that she had betrayed him and left willingly. Fleeing to the surface world with Dorma he would come into conflict with the armored avenger

Iron Man Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, the character first appearan ...

, and fomented a battle between Namor and Iron Man. In a battle with Krang, Namor was inflicted with temporary amnesia. Krang used Atlantean technology to create a tidal wave in Manhattan. However Namor finally recovered, capturing Krang and defeating him in personal combat. Namor imprisoned him, exiling him once more. When Namor's evil cousin

Byrrah Bagheera Bagheera is a black panther, based upon ''The Jungle Book'' character of the same name. Nakia Bahadir Nakia Bahadir is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is a Turkish girl and friend ...

seized the throne of Atlantis and invited Krang back to enjoy his former position, Krang formed an alliance with Byrrah and

Attuma Attuma () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is an Atlantean nomadic warlord who is usually depicted as an enemy of Namor the Sub-Mariner, and is the father of the superhero Andromeda. He believes ...

. This however was short-lived and soon Krang was forced to flee yet again when Byrrah's scheme failed. After this he would attempt to steal the Serpent Crown, a powerful object, which would make him nearly invincible. These efforts however were thwarted by Namor and

Captain America Captain America is a superhero created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in '' Captain America Comics'' #1, published on December 20, 1940, by Timely C ...

(who called himself

Nomad Nomads are communities without fixed habitation who regularly move to and from areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the population of nomadic pa ...

at the time). Krang was driven fully insane. When Namor spent much time on the surface world allied with

Doctor Doom Doctor Doom is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in '' The Fantastic Four'' #5 in April 1962, and has since endured as the arch ...

, Krang once more seized control of Atlantis. Stealing the Trumpet Horn of Namor, he summoned the great beast Gargantus, to defeat the returning Namor, but it was soundly defeated by the Prince, while his ally, Dr. Doom, beat Krang within an inch of his life with a neuro-shock blade. Somewhat after altering his physiology through the technological means of Wundagore Mountain, Krang has been recruited as a member of the

Defenders Defender(s) or The Defender(s) may refer to: * Defense (military) * Defense (sports) ** Defender (association football) Arts and entertainment Film, television, and theatre Film * ''The Defender'' (1989 film), a Canadian documentary * ''The D ...

. Warlord Krang later appears as one of the Atlanteans living on the X-Men's base

Utopia A utopia ( ) typically describes an imagined community or society that possesses highly desirable or near-perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia (book), Utopia'', which describes a fictiona ...

Powers and abilities

As an Atlantean, Krang possesses various adaptations that enable him to survive underwater, including gills, enhanced vision, and resistance to cold and pressure. He is initially unable to survive out of water without a special serum, but later modifies himself to possess the ability naturally. Additionally, Krang is a skilled combatant and strategist, and wields various Atlantean technology, including an electric sword and gauntlets.

Other versions

An alternate universe variant of Krang from Earth-58163 appears in ''Civil War:

House of M "House of M" is a 2005 comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics, consisting of an eight-issue comic book limited series with a number of crossover tie-in books written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Olivier Coipel. Its first i ...

'' #3.''Civil War: House of M'' #3

In other media

Television

* Warlord Krang appears in the "Sub-Mariner" segment of ''

The Marvel Super Heroes ''The Marvel Super Heroes'' is an American animated television series starring five comic book superheroes from Marvel Comics. The first TV series based on Marvel Comics, Marvel characters, it debuted in broadcast syndication, syndication on Amer ...

'', voiced by Paul Kligman. * Warlord Krang appears in the ''

'' episode "Now Comes the Sub-Mariner", voiced by

Neil Ross Neil David Ross is a British–born actor. Noted for his Trans-Atlantic accent, he has provided voices in many American cartoons, most notably ''G.I. Joe'', '' Spider-Man: The Animated Series'', '' My Life as a Teenage Robot'', '' Voltron'', a ...

Video games

Warlord Krang appears as a mini-boss in '' Marvel: Ultimate Alliance'', voiced by

Fred Tatasciore Fred Tatasciore ( , , born June 13, 1967) is an American voice actor who has provided voices in animated and live-action films, television shows, and video games. He is known for voicing the Hulk, Volstagg, and Beast in various Marvel media and ...

. This version is a member of

Masters of Evil The Masters of Evil is a supervillain team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first version of the team appeared in '' The Avengers'' #6 (July 1964), with the lineup continually changing over the years. Publication ...

and a cousin of Byrrah who took part in

's coup against Namor. If the player fails to create medicine for Namor, Krang will take over Atlantis and lead them in stealing nuclear weapons to wage war against the surface.

References

External links

Warlord Krang
at Marvel.com {{Jack Kirby Characters created by Jack Kirby Characters created by Stan Lee Comics characters introduced in 1963 Fictional dictators Fictional kings Fictional mass murderers Fictional military strategists Fictional swordfighters in comics Fictional warlords Marvel Comics Atlanteans (Homo mermanus) Marvel Comics characters with superhuman strength Marvel Comics military personnel Marvel Comics supervillains