Victor Timely
Victor Timely is a fictional character in Marvel Comics, serving as a pseudonym and early 20th-century persona adopted by the time-traveling warlord Kang the Conqueror (real name Nathaniel Richards), who uses the identity to establish himself as an inventor, industrialist, and mayor in the town of Timely, Wisconsin.[1][2] In this guise, Timely founds Timely Industries, pioneers advancements in robotics and computing, and secretly builds Chronopolis, a hidden base spanning timelines to support Kang's conquests across history.[2] He employs robot duplicates and successors bearing his name (such as Victor Timely Jr. and III) to maintain his influence over decades, including mentoring the creator of the original Human Torch android in 1929 and orchestrating the "Kang Dynasty" plot to conquer Earth using Sentinel robots in the late 20th century.[1][2] In the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Victor Timely is reimagined as a distinct variant of He Who Remains (another Kang alias), introduced in the Disney+ series Loki season 2 (2023) and portrayed by Jonathan Majors.[3][4] This version originates in the 19th century, born around 1868 in Chicago, Illinois, where as a child he receives the Time Variance Authority Official Handbook from Ravonna Renslayer and her AI assistant Miss Minutes, inspiring his inventions in temporal mechanics.[4] As an adult inventor exhibiting at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, Timely demonstrates a primitive model of the Temporal Loom—a device central to the TVA's operations—before being recruited by Loki and Mobius to repair the failing Loom and stabilize the multiverse's branching timelines.[3][4] Unlike his comics counterpart, who is a future-born Kang infiltrating the past, the MCU Timely is a native 19th-century figure whose timeline is manipulated by He Who Remains, with his arc in Loki intended to connect to other Kang variants such as in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023). However, following Jonathan Majors' departure from Marvel in December 2023 due to legal issues, the broader Kang storyline was discontinued, and there have been no further appearances of Victor Timely or related variants as of 2025.[5][4][6] His arc culminates in a failed attempt to reach the TVA, where he perishes due to a temporal anomaly, underscoring themes of predestination and multiversal instability in the series.[3]Origins in comics
Publication history
Victor Timely debuted in Avengers Annual #21 (July 1992), created by writer Peter Sanderson and artist Rich Yanizeski.[7] This appearance formed part of the multi-title "Citizen Kang" crossover event, which spanned several 1992 Marvel annuals including Captain America Annual #11, Thor Annual #17, Fantastic Four Annual #25, and the concluding Avengers Annual #21. In the story "The Puzzle," Kang the Conqueror is depicted traveling back to January 1, 1901, where he assumes the identity of Victor Timely to establish a technological stronghold on Earth by founding the town of Timely, Wisconsin, and pioneering advancements in robotics and industry.[2] The character's role expanded in the 1998-1999 Avengers Forever limited series (issues #1-12), written by Kurt Busiek and illustrated by Carlos Pacheco, where Victor Timely is portrayed as a distinct variant of Nathaniel Richards, diverging from the primary Kang timeline. This storyline explores multiversal conflicts among Kang variants, positioning Timely as a key figure in the legacy of time-manipulating conquerors, influencing the broader narrative of the Council of Kangs and their efforts to control history.[8] Victor Timely's publication history reflects Marvel's evolving depiction of Kang variants, connecting early 20th-century industrial innovation to futuristic conquest. Key comic issues featuring the character include:- Avengers Annual #21 (1992): Debut and origin as Kang's alias in 1901.
- Avengers Forever #8-12 (1999): Multiversal variant role and ties to Immortus.