The implications of multiversal travel in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness show why Kang the Conqueror might be a more terrifying villain than Thanos. Kang is the presumed next big bad of the MCU. The Disney+ series Loki introduced a variant of Kang, known as "He Who Remains," who explains the dangers of multiversal war. In Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the exploration of incursion events shows why "He Who Remains" was so worried about the arrival of his evil counterpart.

Kang is next set to appear in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, but the MCU is already laying the foundation for the character. Kang is one of Marvel's oldest villains, both in the continuity of the story and with his first comic appearance being in 1964. He is also one of the more complex villains, with varied personas across several timelines. He is originally Nathaniel Richards, a distant relative of his namesake, born on an alternate Earth who takes on many names, including Immortus and Iron Lad. Unlike most of the huge threats in the Marvel universe, Kang does not possess supernatural powers but instead uses his superior intellect and knowledge of the multiverse.

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Kang might not be more powerful than Thanos from a strictly physiological standpoint, but his knowledge of how the multiverse works makes him a higher-level threat in the MCU. Thanos, empowered by the Infinity Stones, only affected the universe where he was present. In Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the alternate version of the Avengers on Earth-838, the Illuminati, had to deal with their own Thanos, which shows he was only a universal threat. The introduction of incursions, which are described as multiple universes collapsing on each other, proves that Kang is a multiversal threat.

Kang the Conqueror in Loki

Earth-838's Reed Richards explains that an incursion can happen when a traveler from another universe leaves a significant footprint on the universe they are traveling to, causing them to collide. A glimpse of the damage one of the MCU's multiversal incursions can do is evident in the universe of Sinister Dr. Strange, a variant corrupted by the Darkhold. He uses the book of the damned to dreamwalk into the multiverse, which leads to his own decaying universe. For Kang, incursions could seemingly be a trump card to bend universes to his will. His variant has already shown the wherewithal to control timelines under the guise of the Time Variance Authority (TVA), pruning alternate timelines. A more evil-intentioned Kang could destroy multiple universes on a whim.

Kang's multitude of lives across time and space has given him ample time to learn and cultivate the mysteries of the universe. An example of this is shown in his variant's weaponizing of Alioth. While the Mad Titan uses brute force and militant tactics to achieve his goals, Kang lurks in the shadows, often conquering empires without force. His ability to travel through time and space is terrifying for his enemies as he can alter the course of history without engaging in a battle. A past version of Thanos was able to cross into a different timeline, but only because of the interference of the Avengers. A version of Kang has been monitoring the timeline without anyone even knowing.

It is still unknown how Kang manages to traverse the multiverse. So far, only new MCU hero America Chavez in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has shown the ability to cross the multiverse of her own volition easily. During the finale of Loki season 1, "He Who Remains" illustrates himself walking through a door-like portal, similar to the one the TVA uses, when he describes meeting his variants. Unlike America, Kang must have created some sort of technology that allows him to travel. His appearance in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania might hint that the Quantum Realm holds the key to his mode of travel. Perhaps the villain has a more advanced version of the time machine used in Avengers: Endgame, which will help to prove him far more powerful and more terrifying than Thanos.

Next: Doctor Strange 2 Has Made Kang's Multiversal War Inevitable

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