How Loki's Villain Can Become The Avengers 5 Big Bad (& Why He's Perfect)

Warning: SPOILERS for Loki episode 6, "For All Time. Always."

Loki's secret villain could very well be the next big bad in Avengers 5. Marvel Studios' third Disney+ series concluded recently with the revelation of the mysterious being behind the Time Variance Authority/TVA. As it turns out, it's He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors) — a version of Kang the Conqueror.

With Thanos (Josh Brolin) defeated and the Infinity Saga wrapped up, Marvel Studios is currently in a transitional period, setting up the MCU's newest big narrative. At this point, it's still early to be certain what exactly be the next universal event will be with only a handful of projects released. However, the ending of the Loki show may have just paved a clear path towards the franchise's collective crisis after the Mad Titan collected all the Infinity Stones and wiped out half of life in the universe. And this time, things are much more complicated than that with the multiverse now unleashed.

So far, Kang the Conqueror is confirmed to appear in Ant-Man and the Wasp where he will properly debut as the story's main villain. The character is also expected to factor in Loki season 2 given that the show ended with the God of Mischief finding himself in a version of the TVA that's openly managed by him instead of using the Time-Keepers as decoys. Aside from that, it's still unclear where else he could pop up, but a recent interview with Loki writer Michael Waldron floats the idea that Kang the Conqueror will "probably going to be the next big cross-movie villain." Essentially, this means that whatever new overall narrative that Marvel Studios is building, chances are that the time-traveling character will be at the center of it. At the very least, he could be the next bad guy for the inevitable Avengers 5. Considering the Loki villain's explanation of his existence, this could very well be the case. Other variants can be involved in other MCU solo projects, and once the heroes realize that they're dealing with the same entity, it would give them the motivation to once again unite against a common enemy.

This has been Marvel Studios modus operandi when it comes to building towards a crossover film. In The Avengers, Earth's Mightiest Heroes assembled after they were presented with a shared antagonist in Loki (Tom Hiddleston). In Avengers: Infinity War, the Guardians of the Galaxy and all independently operating heroes banded together to stop Thanos knowing that his nefarious plans will negatively impact them all. The only difference with Kang the Conqueror is that Marvel Studios is now taking its time building up to his proper debut. They have the chance to do that without spoiling his official introduction by focusing on variants of himself. For example, He Who Remains will be different from the version of the character appearing in Ant-Man and the Wasp and Loki. But, since they technically have the same core identity, it's as if the heroes who encounter them separately will have an idea of what it's like fighting the villain.

Looking back, this is actually a clever way to build towards MCU's next big event. While Infinity War efficiently established Thanos to be a worthy villain, there was still an argument that it would've been better if his official introduction wasn't cramped in an already jam-packed film. Now Marvel Studios can slowly introduce Kang the Conqueror and utilize him in more creative ways through appearances in other shows before ultimately becoming the big bad of Avengers 5.

Loki will return for season 2 on Disney+.

More: Why Loki's Season 1 Finale Was Disappointing (But Still Worked)