Warning: this article contains spoilers for Savage Avengers #28!
Marvel Comics’ iconic villain Kang the Conqueror earned his title through his superior intellect and indomitable willpower, so even though it's just been confirmed that he has the Infinity Gauntlet, the Avengers can take some comfort in the fact he's unlikely to ever use the cosmic artifact. Unlike Thanos, who craves unlimited power and will use any tool at his disposal to get it, Kang regards true power a little differently, which is why he is unable to regard the Infinity Gauntlet as anything more than a mere trophy.
In Savage Avengers #28 by Gerry Duggan and Patch Zircher, Kang travels back in time to witness Conan the Barbarian training a young Kulan Gath. Gath was an evil sorcerer who was on the verge of destroying the world in earlier issues of the series until the Savage Avengers found a way to stop him. Kang originally wanted to travel back in time and kill Kulan as a child, but Conan decided to take the boy under his wing instead. After Conan is successful in ensuring Kulan will not grow up to be a sorcerer, Kang attempts to kill Conan as the barbarian has the potential to evolve into a true threat.
During his trip through the timestream, fans get a chance to see the inside of Kang’s ship, which is filled with a number of his trophies he’s collected over the years. One of the artifacts collected on Kang’s ship is the Infinity Gauntlet. Instead of Kang using the unparalleled power of the Infinity Gems to conquer every known point in time simultaneously without even the need for his own technology, he uses it to hold a turkey leg from the celebratory feast held by the Savage Avengers. The blatant disrespect shown towards a cosmic artifact that can effectively make any wielder a universal god is obvious, and it is shown due to Kang’s complete disregard for obtaining that amount of power by such easy means.
Everything Kang the Conqueror has accomplished, he did so completely on his own without the added benefit of magic or cosmically-powered artifacts. Kang’s trips through the timestream are accomplished through technology he developed himself and every weapon he uses to complete whatever sinister goals he’s set are also of his own original design. The idea of someone simply picking up something that granted them unlimited power is offensive to Kang. As recently discussed in Timeless (from Jed Mackay, Kev Walker, Greg Land, Jay Leisten, Mark Bagley, and Andrew Hennessy), Kang is motivated by challenge and triumph as ends unto themselves, making the Infinity Gauntlet's promise of instant godhood at best pointless and at worst insulting to this time-hopping villain.
Kang’s unwillingness to use the Infinity Gauntlet and even blatant disrespect towards it are perhaps the biggest difference between him and Thanos. Thanos is the most famous entity in Marvel Comics to wield the Gauntlet, and the stark contrast between his time with it and Kang’s is striking. Thanos doesn’t believe he has to create his own means by which to conquer, but to use everything and everyone at his disposal to meet that end. Kang is much more particular about his methodology, so even though Kang the Conqueror has possession of the Infinity Gauntlet, he will never respect its power enough to use it.
