Marvel Comics' latest 'big bad' achieves superiority over Kang in his mastery

Bowing to the newly anointed king of time manipulation in the Marvel universe, Kang the Conqueror has relinquished his throne. In the dominion of time-traveling supervillains, a fresh face ascends the hierarchy, dethroning Kang, who has long been acknowledged as the supreme temporal manipulator.

Kang, originally Nathaniel Richards, hails from the 31st century, an epoch recognized as the pinnacle of human technological advancement, much of which the supervillain himself conceived. Renowned for manipulating time and creating countless variants, Kang's existence has been predicated on exploiting the time stream for personal gain.

Notably, he has crafted advanced weaponry, high-tech devices, and temporal vehicles in cooperation with alternate versions of himself from different universes and temporal junctures.

With his mastery over time manifesting in many significant stories, it was only natural to regard Kang as the quintessential time travel savant. However, the emergence of a novel antagonist, Ogdu Fraize, also known as Psychopomp, has questioned this assumption.

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Kang, it's time to step aside: Undisputed dominance of Psychopomp in Marvel's time-travel

Marvel Universe is in awe as Psychopomp, the enigmatic time traveler, cements their position as the undisputed master, leaving Kang in the shadows (Image via Marvel Comics)

In Steve Skroce's Clobberin' Time #5, readers are introduced to Psychopomp, a character originating from a bleak future. Holding the superheroes of the contemporary era responsible for the calamities in his world, Ogdu pilfers universal knowledge from a Watcher named Tuvah Tu.

Leveraging this knowledge, Ogdu traverses a dimension between time and space, slipping into specific periods in the blink of an eye. He gathers powerful relics throughout history, employing the Watcher's intellect to locate these artifacts instantly.

As revealed in the issue, Ogdu nearly fulfilled his initial plan to remake the universe in his image, traveling back to the cosmos' dawn. Though Kang boasts a remarkable assortment of cosmic relics, his feats fall short of Ogdu's accomplishments in Clobberin' Time.

Indeed, Kang is a notorious figure, frequently thwarted by Marvel's heroes whenever he attempts to rewrite history. In contrast, Ogdu's subtle manipulation of the time stream while remaining incognito, has proved more effective.

The Thing, a character who has frequently contended with Kang and his time-traveling variants, singles out Psychopomp for having unparalleled access to time. Considering Psychopomp's technique of exploiting a void dimension to navigate through different periods effortlessly, The Thing's assessment seems indisputable.

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Doctor Doom: A potential challenger on the horizon

Doctor Doom poses a formidable threat to Kang's reign as he delves deep into Fraize's mastery of time manipulation; the balance of power may tilt in his favor (Image via Marvel Comics)

Despite Psychopomp's formidable performance in the series strengthening the claim of his superiority over Kang, the title of the ultimate time traveler could shift again.

Following Psychopomp's defeat, Doctor Doom, who had aided The Thing in vanquishing him, acquired Fraize's ship and his cache of artifacts. Given Doctor Doom's technological prowess, it's highly plausible that he might unravel all that Fraize mastered, thereby threatening to overtake Kang himself.

However, this scenario remains speculative at this point. Nonetheless, what stands undisputed is Ogdu Fraize's expertise and deftness in time travel, confirming Psychopomp as the reigning time travel prodigy in the Marvel universe. Kang, it's time to step aside.

Clobberin' Time #5 by Marvel Comics is available for readers now.