Loki's Kang Variant Wasn't Always Part of MCU Show's Plan

Head writer of Disney+’s Loki, Michael Waldron, explains that the series’ variant of Kang the Conqueror wasn’t always part of its plan. As part of Phase 4, Loki explored further explored the idea of alternate timelines by following a variant of Tom Hiddleston’s titular character à la Avengers: Endgame. After being arrested by the Time Variance Authority (TVA), Loki was recruited by Agent Mobius (Owen Wilson) to catch another Goddess of Mischief, Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino). Once it is revealed that the Time-Keepers are fake, the trio committed to unveiling the man behind the TVA’s curtain.

Loki’s season 1 finale took Loki and Sylvie to Citadel at the End of Time, where they came face-to-face with He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors), who is based on the comic book villain Immortus— a variant of Nathaniel Richards and the more malicious Kang the Conqueror. Ever since it was announced Majors was cast to appear as Kang in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the idea that Kang was the mastermind behind the TVA was a popular fan theory. Now, Loki’s creator has revealed it wasn’t always part of the plan.

In a recent interview with The Playlist, Waldron talked about Loki establishing the MCU’s time travel rules while adhering to Endgame. During the creative process, Waldron and company realized that they weren’t making a 'time travel' show as much as they were making a 'multiverse' show. Therefore, it only made sense to include the multiversal baddie, Kang, who was “coming down the pipe.” Read Waldron's full quote below:

“The TVA shifted to like, 'O.K., these guys are actually guarding against a multiverse.' And so that's when He Who Remains is just kind of an old creepy guy in the comics. And I pushed and Marvel was very receptive to it, the idea, this should be a variant of Kang. Because I knew Kang was coming down the pipe as a villain in the MCU and it just felt too delicious to not have him intertwined in our time travel story somehow. And so then it was just been coming upon us to justify his role in this place, but Marvel was very supportive of all that."

He Who Remains in Loki and Kang the Conqueror in Marvel Comics

This admission is somewhat surprising given that He Who Remains feels like an organic catalyst for Kang as the MCU's prospective Big Bad. In Loki’s finale, He Who Remains gave two options: kill him, liberate the Sacred Timeline and unleash infinite devils, or take over his life’s work. Sylvie chose the former, resulting in a very different TVA ruled by Kang. In addition to Quantumania, Majors will presumably appear as his character in Loki season 2. However, he could easily pop up before that. Loki, Sylvie, and Mobius are all rumored to appear in the upcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which is also written by Waldron.

Following Loki, many concepts still need explaining. For example, the MCU has seemingly used the terms “alternate timeline” and “alternate universe” interchangeably – it’s unclear if the branching of the Scared Timeline represents the creation of new universes, or new timelines within the same universe. Multiverse of Madness can offer a variety of clarifications that lead into future projects. The sequel is rumored to feature a plethora of recognizable variants, including the Illuminati's Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, the ancestor of Nathaniel Richards and, in turn, Kang. While speaking on the interwoven nature of the MCU, Waldron said will indeed Multiverse of Madness will inform Loki season 2. Conversely, Sylvie's murder of He Who Remains could prove as detrimental to the fabric of reality as Doctor Strange or Scarlet Witch. While Loki season 2 is said to begin filming soon, Multiverse of Madness is set to hit theaters on May 5. Suffice to say, Kang may not always have been part of Loki’s plan, but he certainly is now.

More: Doctor Strange 2 Theory Explains Why Kang Is The Movie's Real Villain

Source: The Playlist