A recent report suggests that new Kang the Conqueror variants will be seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after appearing in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Jonathan Majors first brought the iconic villain to life in the MCU with Loki season 1, in which he appeared in the season finale as its ultimate big bad known as He Who Remains who created the Time Variance Authority in the hopes of preventing a multiversal war from breaking out by an evil variant of himself. He Who Remains would meet his end at the hands of Sylvie, leading to the destabilization of the Sacred Timeline and the establishment of the multiverse explored in Phase Four of the MCU.
Plot details for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania are currently unknown though Majors' Kang the Conqueror is expected to be the primary antagonist of the film. Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lily are returning to lead the cast as the titular heroes alongside Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer as well as the MCU debuts of Kathryn Newton as Cassie Lang and Bill Murray as an undisclosed villain. With the film being further in its production than fellow Phase Four title The Marvels, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania saw its release date bumped up to February 2023.
With future MCU plans slowly being revealed, a report from Daniel Richtman (via CBR) indicates that new Kang the Conqueror variants are set to appear after Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Richtman suggested this was the plan after one fan took to Twitter questioning why Jonathan Majors' multiversal villain would serve as the main antagonist for the Paul Rudd threequel. Richtman also surmised that Kang would be the big bad of the MCU's Secret Wars, an adaptation not yet formally announced by Marvel Studios.
Majors' MCU debut in Loki season 1 came as a surprise to many given he was first cast to be the main antagonist for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania while also having created excitement for the actor's future as the character after his celebrated performance in the episode. With Thanos having been wiped out in Avengers: Endgame after years of setting up the Mad Titan as a major villain, many quickly took to theorizing Kang would be the next big bad for the MCU moving forward given his ability to travel both the multiverse and through time. While some theorized of his involvement in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness given its title, he ultimately remained absent from the Benedict Cumberbatch-led sequel.
Though Richtman's report doesn't come with any sources, it does seem likely that new Kang the Conqueror variants could appear in the MCU after Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. With the franchise now fully into the multiverse thanks to Loki season 1, Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it could easily be explained that if the Kang seen in Rudd's threequel is defeated, another will spring up to fight the heroes of Earth-616. Only time will tell what the future may hold for the character when Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania hits theaters on February 17, 2023.
Source: Daniel Richtman (via CBR)
