Sorry, Avengers: Kang Perfectly Combines Thanos, Ultron AND Loki

Jonathan Majors' Kang the Conqueror is the perfect mix of every major Avengers villain, including Loki, Thanos, and Ultron. Nathaniel Richards is special in that every one of his time-traveling variants has a distinct personality and unique motivations. The most villainous one, Kang the Conqueror, is known for his ambitious personality and his hatred for the Avengers, which makes him come into conflict with other variants of himself such as Iron Lad and Immortus. The latter was already adapted in the MCU in the form of Loki's He Who Remains, whose death paved the way for Kang's introduction in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

Just like in the Avengers' first-ever comic book appearance, Loki was the one who led Earth's Mightiest Heroes to assemble for the first time in the MCU during The Avengers. Then came Ultron, whose threat to end humanity with a robot uprising in Avengers: Age of Ultron was shot down much faster than his comic book counterpart's. Josh Brolin's Thanos managed to defeat the Avengers in Avengers: Infinity War, though he later met his end due to the heroes' use of time travel in Avengers: Endgame. Now, not only will Kang the Conqueror enter the Avengers' pantheon of MCU enemies, but he will also bring many of their best qualities with him.

It's likely that Kang the Conqueror's time-traveling nature will likely make him a recurring villain. Like Loki, Kang's many appearances can grant him a gradual transformation throughout various MCU installments, showing his heroic side along the way. This also allows Jonathan Majors' own charisma and acting skills to shine just like Tom Hiddleston's. Like Ultron, Kang the Conqueror was born due to a hero's misguided attempt to do the right thing. In Ultron's case, it was Tony Stark trying to protect the world; in Kang's, it was Sylvie Laufeydottir taking justice into her own hands. And like Thanos, Kang the Conqueror's personal vendetta will threaten not only the universe but the multiverse as a whole, forcing every MCU hero to work together in order to defeat him.

Kang the Conqueror Can Be The MCU’s Best Villain

Kang the Conqueror and the Avengers in the MCU

Previous MCU villains have demonstrated that they are as important to the franchise as the heroes themselves. Fortunately, Kang the Conqueror is set to be as conniving as Loki, as scary as Ultron, and as powerful as Thanos. Given that he will be the main villain of the MCU's next two Avengers movies, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars, these qualities certainly will come in handy.

These traits also set up potential improvements upon the Avengers' previous villains: Kang the Conqueror's multiversal variants, which allow him to cheat death, can refine Loki's tradition of returning from the dead with a more consistent strategy. Instead of magical illusions or sheer luck, Kang's deaths could be undone by actually being replaced with a new variant. Unlike Ultron, Kang's tragic birth as a villain can be explored with patience, and his grudge against the Avengers can be fleshed out properly throughout several movies. And as for the Mad Titan, there's little Kang can do to top Thanos' victory in Avengers: Infinity War, but perhaps his role in Avengers: Secret Wars could be bigger and more complex than Thanos' full-on villainous role in Avengers: Endgame.

There's no doubt that Kang the Conqueror is set up to be a force to reckon with. In fact, his role in the franchise is so big that he has been confirmed to be the big bad long before the Avengers lineup is established. Clearly, the foundations are set for Kang's takeover in the Multiverse Saga, and the parallels between Kang the Conqueror and previous Avengers villains only make the time-traveler's arrival more exciting.