Doctor Strange 2: Why Kang Isn't In Multiverse Of Madness

Spoilers ahead for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Loki writer Michael Waldron has explained why Kang the Conqueror didn't appear in the sequel to 2016's Doctor Strange. Jonathan Majors made his MCU debut in the season 1 finale of Loki as a Variant of the time-traveling villain Kang. The Doctor Strange sequel saw Benedict Cumberbatch reprise his role as the magic-using Avenger alongside Elizabeth Olsen, Xochitl Gomez, Benedict Wong, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Rachel McAdams.

In Loki's season 1 finale, "For all time. Always." Majors' He Who Remains was revealed to be the man who is behind the Time Variance Authority in his encounter with Tom Hiddleston's Loki and Sophia Di Martino's Sylvie. Revealing himself to be a Variant of a powerful, time-traveling dictator named Kang, He Who Remains stated his continued existence prevented other Variants from rising to power and causing a multiversal war. Despite his warnings, Sylvie stabbed him, leading to the sacred timeline splintering into new universes. While Waldron has teased Loki's further emotional journey, the writer has explained why the following multiversal adventure in the latest Doctor Strange sequel did not feature any reference to Major's villain.

While appearing on Deadline's Hero Nation podcast, Waldron revealed that he wanted to center Wanda Maximoff (Olsen), the Scarlet Witch, as the film's antagonist, rather than include nods to later villains like Kang. The writer explained that both he and director Sam Raimi wanted to keep Wanda as the antagonist as much as possible, not wanting to waste the opportunity to use the character in such a role. Furthermore, while he praised Major's work, Waldron feared tying Kang into Multiverse of Madness's narrative might lead to the film becoming overstuffed with characters in both major roles and with minor appearances. Check out Waldron's full comments below.

“To me it felt like we had the biggest, best bullet already, in Wanda. That when working with Sam, when it was like we should really make the decisions to make Wanda the antagonist of this film. It was exciting and part of that was the feeling of ‘geez, we can’t let another movie go have that fun.’ It because she is going to be so great.

And I think that if you had introduced Kang, as great as Jonathan Majors is, and as great as he is going to be playing that character, you would have risked the movie just getting maybe over-stuffed.”

Loki Episode 6 Jonathan Majors as He Who Remains

Despite his role's significance, Kang wasn't originally planned to debut in Loki in the form of the He Who Remains Variant and was in fact a later addition in the series' development. Waldron previously revealed in an interview that as he realized that the series would lean more heavily into the multiversal storytelling rather than time travel, the writer suggested that He Who Remains should be a Variant of Kang, knowing that the villain was set to make his full first appearance in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. After discussing the idea with Marvel Studios, Waldron received their full support in reworking Loki's story to feature the introduction of Kang.

As one of Marvel Comics' most powerful villains, Kang's full debut is a highly anticipated moment due to his story potentially having large ramifications for the MCU's ongoing narrative. However, between Wanda's quest, America Chavez (Gomez), multiple versions of Steven Strange (Cumberbatch), and the introduction of Marvel's Illuminati team, it is understandable to see how Waldron may have felt Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness may have developed an over-stuffed cast. As such, while Kang may not have made an appearance in the sequel, it amplifies the anticipation for where he could potentially appear next.

Next: Marvel's New Release Date Changes Are Huge For Kang The Conqueror

Source: Deadline