Iron Lad (Nathaniel “Nate” Richards)
- First Appearance: Young Avengers #1 (April 2005)
- Created By: Allan Heinberg & Jim Cheung
Iron Lad is a VERY interesting character that Marvel Studios has been laying the seeds to debut ever since Iron Man 3 took place several years ago. Some might see the name and assume some random kid takes the Iron Man mantle, but that is not the real story. His ancestor happens to be the father of Mr. Fantastic, Reed Richards. Yet his family tree extends much further than this. Nathaniel Richards is supposedly a young version of Kang the Conqueror, what many might call a “variant” of him. One day, Nate is about to be attacked by bullies when a time-traveling Kang saves him.
This knife attack on the young Richards actually helped to shape his future villain self, as he spent several years in a hospital from it. Kang decides to inspire his younger self by showing future battles and conquering that he’d one day do. This backfires, causing Nate to want to stop his future self. He starts the Young Avengers in an effort to prevent his future. Now, equipped with a bio-metal suit that responds to his mental commands, he and the youthful Avengers will stop future Kang. With the introduction of Kang and Young Avengers in the works, Iron Lad will become a very popular character in the MCU!