Marvel’s plan for Phase 6 suggests that Kang the Conqueror will be the villain of Avengers: Secret Wars. If that’s true, Jonathan Majors’ MCU character may be the main antagonist of three MCU movies, not to mention what’s happening with Disney+’s Loki show.
When it was first revealed that the time-traveling Avengers villain would be going up against Scott and Hope in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, there were concerns that Marvel wasn’t going to utilize the character to his full potential. After all, Kang has a reputation as one of the Avengers’ greatest villains and is typically someone who they have to beat together. After San Diego Comic-Con 2022, it’s become clear that Marvel will indeed attempt to get the most out of the character. After fighting Ant-Man in Phase 5, he’ll be back to menace the next lineup of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in Avengers: Kang Dynasty.
Interestingly, Marvel will follow up Kang’s Avengers movie with Avengers: Secret Wars. And surprisingly, the two movies will be released just months apart, which is a sign that like just like the situation with Infinity War and Endgame, the two will be filmed back-to-back. Partially for that reason, it’s now being assumed that Kang the Conqueror will copy Thanos by fighting the Avengers in both movies. But for now, it remains to be seen if that’s really what the plan is for Majors’ MCU character.
Who Is Secret Wars’ Villain In Marvel Comics?
Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars was a 12-issue miniseries in which a mix of Avengers, X-Men, the Fantastic Four, and other heroes were summoned to battle a selection of their biggest villains. Among the many enemies they had to face in the miniseries were Kang the Conqueror, Doctor Doom, Doctor Octopus, Magneto, and Ultron. A cosmic entity known as the Beyonder was the character who engineered their predicament, but he wasn’t the story’s central antagonist. That role ultimately went to Doctor Doom, who took advantage of the situation he had been placed in and used it to steal the Beyonder’s power. Beating Doctor Doom was the final challenge for the heroes to overcome in the Secret Wars comic.
Will Kang Be The Villain In Avengers: Secret Wars?
Since Kang is being positioned as the main villain of the MCU’s Multiverse Saga, it would certainly make sense if he was the one the Avengers had to fight in the saga’s last installment. By going in that direction, Marvel can allow Avengers: Secret Wars to serve as the perfect culmination of events that have been unfolding since Loki season 1. But while this setup makes Kang the most obvious choice for Secret Wars’ villain, it wouldn’t be off-brand at all for Marvel to pull a twist and have someone else fulfill this role. Since Kang will have already been the villain in two big-screen movies, Marvel may let Doctor Doom take the spotlight instead. It could be that Kang will be defeated only for the MCU's Doctor Doom to rise up and battle them in his place.
Other Villains Who Could Be In Avengers: Secret Wars
Avengers: Secret Wars’ comic connection promises the biggest gathering of villains the MCU has ever seen. The movie could of course be its own story, but the fact that Avengers 6 shares its title with the comic event indicates that it’ll borrow from its core premise, which is the comic’s heroes vs. villains plot. If that’s true, Secret Wars can feature a massive assembly of existing MCU villains from both the past and the present.
Whether he’s the real antagonist or not, Doctor Doom has a good chance of appearing in Secret Wars, especially since Fantastic Four will precede the movie. Doctor Doom and Kang could be joined by other MCU villains as well, such as She-Hulk’s Titania, who was in the original comic. And if Spider-Man is involved, characters from his rogues’ gallery could also show up. If Secret Wars truly is a multiverse story, Marvel has few limitations on who it can pit the team against in the movie. Even villains from the past, like Ultron and Red Skull, could be on the table.
As for the Beyonder, it’s hard to say if Marvel will use him as the driving force of the story or replace him with a different character. Either way, though, changes to the comics seem inevitable. In the comic books, he exists as the personification of the Cosmic Cube (the Space Stone), but the Space Stone’s destruction in Endgame means that MCU Phase 6 would need to rewrite his origin in order for his character to work. If not, Marvel may skip the Beyonder altogether and craft an entirely new story for Avengers: Secret Wars.
