Iron Lad (Nathaniel "Nate" Richards) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character appears in particular in Young Avengers, a team of which Iron Lad is a member. He first appeared in Young Avengers #1 (April 2005), created by writer Allan Heinberg and illustrator Jim Cheung. He is an adolescent version of Kang the Conqueror, armed with a bio-metal suit that responds to mental commands. He is named after the father of Reed Richards.