How Kang The Conqueror In Ant-Man 3 Sets Up Fantastic Four

Kang the Conqueror’s role in Ant-Man 3 sets up the introduction of the Fantastic Four in the MCU. It was recently reported that Marvel has cast Lovecraft Country actor Jonathan Majors as the time-traveling Avengers villain from the comic books. Apparently, Kang the Conqueror is expected to have a “major role” in the story that Marvel has planned for Ant-Man 3.

Kang will be a huge step up from the kind of villains that Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) has faced so far in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In his first movie, he battled Darren Cross (Corey Stoll), the ambitious former protégé of Hank Pym (Michael Douglas). In the sequel, Scott teamed up with the Wasp (Evangeline Lilly) to take on Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), who was in league with Hank’s longtime colleague, Bill Foster (Lawrence Fishburne). Directed by Peyton Reed, who helmed the first two movies, Ant-Man 3 will send the movie’s titular hero embark on a new adventure, and if the recent news is true, Kang and the Quantum Realm may be at the center of it. Kang would easily be the most challenging foe Ant-Man and his allies have faced without the aid of the Avengers.

Based on deep connections between Kang and the Fantastic Four in Marvel Comics, a link to Marvel’s First Family in Ant-Man 3 feels unavoidable unless his origin story is significantly altered. Now that Marvel has the rights to the Fantastic Four and the X-Men back from Fox, Marvel and Disney can start building toward introducing Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, the Thing, and Doctor Doom into the MCU. There’s a good chance that Fantastic Four, which was briefly mentioned at SDCC 2019 by Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige, is on Marvel’s radar for Phase 5. Here’s how Kang’s presence in Ant-Man 3 is directly connected to the Fantastic Four, and what it could mean for the movie (and the future).

Kang's Origin Story & Fantastic Four Connections In Marvel Comics

Kang The Conqueror fights the Avengers in Marvel Comics.

Avengers #8 introduced Kang as a time-traveler born in the year 3000. After a finding a way to visit the past through time travel, Kang went to ancient Egypt and became the ruler of the land for a time. After becoming bored with his life as an Egyptian pharaoh, Kang accidentally went all the way to the 40^th century, where he encountered a dystopian world. The people there were savages, but the technology was advanced beyond anything Kang had ever seen. Apparently, the previous civilization fell and left behind all their technological advancements. Kang, being a person of a great scientific mind, took these devices for himself and used them to conquer the future.

Later stories in Marvel Comics added to Kang’s origin story and established that Kang was born as Nathaniel Richards, a name shared by the father of Mr. Fantastic aka Reed Richards. Supposedly, Kang is a distant descendant of Mr. Fantastic, who has a reputation as one of the greatest minds of the Marvel Universe. It was suggested in a 1970s comic that Kang is blood related in some way to Doctor Doom as well, but this relationship has never been proven.

Kang is the only Marvel Comics villain who can be counted as one of the greatest enemies of both the Avengers and the Fantastic Four. Kang has a legendary hatred for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes that has even caused him to go as far as giving up the woman he loved — but he also has an intense rivalry with Mr. Fantastic and the Fantastic Four. Kang (and his alternate timeline counterparts, Rama-Tut and Immortus) have battled the team on numerous occasions, with Kang’s intellect often going up against Mr. Fantastic’s.

How Ant-Man 3 Sets Up The MCU’s Fantastic Four

By using Kang in Ant-Man 3, Marvel won’t have to go out of its way to set up or tease the Fantastic Four. In fact, it could just drop his real name — Nathaniel Richards — and that alone would be a nod to Mr. Fantastic. Marvel could avoid this by completely changing the identity and backstory of the man behind the mask, but there’s no reason for that to be necessary. The Fantastic Four is sure to have a role in the MCU’s future at some point or another, and Kang provides Marvel with an easy opportunity to drop a fun reference to the fan-favorite team.

The movie can take it a step further by having Kang acknowledge his ancestor as a genius, or make a comment about his lineage. Reed could be referenced without being mentioned by name. It’s also possible some of the devices in his possessions were actually invented by Mr. Fantastic hundreds of years ago. Either way, a Fantastic Four tease through Kang the Conqueror can work well for the movie because a reference to Reed Richards doesn’t have to be restrictive, as it might be with other characters. There’s no need for Ant-Man 3 to give specific details about Mr. Fantastic’s past, his relationship with Invisible Woman, or anything else but his reputation as a scientist. This is such an important element of the character that it’s guaranteed to be present in whatever story Marvel decides to tell for the Fantastic Four.

A Kang-Fantastic Four Rivalry Could Happen In The MCU

Blood ties being established between Kang and Mr. Fantastic could have repercussions for the future, especially if Marvel’s intentions are to make Kang the next big MCU villain after Thanos (Josh Brolin). Since he’s too important to be limited to Ant-Man 3, he could return in Avengers 5 or a Fantastic Four movie. An encounter with the MCU’s Fantastic Four would allow for some interesting interactions between Reed and his descendant, who could be using Reed’s legacy for the purpose of evil. Since Kang is one of their biggest enemies, it could be he who they fight first, and not Doctor Doom, who Marvel may have bigger plans for.

When The Fantastic Four Could Join The MCU

Scott Lang’s third solo film can tease the Fantastic Four, but how much longer will it take for Marvel to officially introduce them? By the time Ant-Man 3 hits theaters, Fantastic Four may be one of the next movies in the pipeline — both could be Phase 5 movies. Ant-Man 3 doesn’t have a release date yet, but it could take one of the open slots for 2023. Other movies that may release in that year include Guardians of the Galaxy 3 and Blade. Marvel may not end up leaving room for Fantastic Four in 2023, but it could be released sometime in 2024 as the beginning of one of Marvel’s biggest new franchises.

More: MCU Theory: How Ant-Man 2 Set Up Kang The Conqueror