Kang the Conqueror joins the MCU for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania following He Who Remains’ introduction in Loki, and the changes made to how Kang’s costume works are great for the character’s future. One of the most important Avengers villains in the comics, Kang was bound to appear in live-action. With his introduction in Loki as a guardian of the sacred timeline and that variant now dead, Kang is set to be the MCU’s next Thanos-level threat.

While Jonathan Majors already showed a side of his upcoming Kang the Conqueror role in Loki, the Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania villain is expected to be different from He Who Remains. Sylvie killed the “good Kang” and opened the door for the actual Conqueror to appear in the MCU. Given that there are many Kang variants in the comics, Jonathan Majors’ character may also be a recurring presence in the MCU’s Multiverse Saga with several other variants causing mayhem throughout Phases 5 and 6.

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Kang Will Show His Face A Lot More In The MCU

Blended images of a masked and unmasked Kang walking around the Quantum Realm in Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania

While Kang the Conqueror uses a helmet with a retractable blue visor in the comics just like the one from Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, comic book Kang rarely removes the blue visor. In Quantumania, on the other hand, Kang is showing his face a lot, which is great news for the character. The MCU has found a perfect balance between comic-accurate suits and what can serve the story and the performances, something that is translated in the Kang the Conqueror costume. Ant-Man 3’s Kang suit is incredibly close to the comics, but with the difference that Kang is showing his face a lot more.

Most of the official Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania stills so far revealed show Jonathan Major’s Kang without the helmet, suggesting that the blue visor might only be used during action scenes or when Kang is using his powers. Such a change works perfectly for the MCU, which is inherently more “realistic” than the comics, there is no reason for Kang to keep his blue visor on all the time. More importantly, Kang not wearing his blue helmet all the time allows Jonathan Majors to display all the emotions the character expresses not only in Quantumania but also in the upcoming Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.

Thanos’ Face Performance Defined The Avengers Villain (But Were Still Limited)

Thanos looks at the Infinity Gauntlet in Infinity War

Nailing Thanos was crucial for Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame to work. The giant Titan was an entirely CG-created character molded after and played by Josh Brolin, who did the motion capture and the voice for Thanos. The Infinity War and Endgame villain is one of the best examples of a well-crafted CG character that managed to capture the actor’s performance on all levels. Seeing the emotions on Thanos’ face made the Avengers villain a compelling character in Infinity War, which was essential for the story that the film and its sequel, Endgame, were trying to tell.

That said, as well-made as Thanos was, a fully CG character is more limited in terms of emotions and performance compared to a real person. Going from Thanos to another CG character as the MCU’s next big bad for a villain like Galactus or the Silver Surfer would have been a mistake, as all the challenges and limitations Thanos had would return. By having Jonathan Majors playing a mostly practical version of Kang the Conqueror who is not always using a helmet, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania can introduce an even more human villain that will surely have a long career in the MCU.

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