MCU Phase 5 Has A Kang Problem To Overcome

Warning: This post contains spoilers for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania!Marvel Studios has one major problem to overcome when featuring Kang the Conqueror in the MCU Phase 5. After Thanos' defeat in Avengers: Endgame, concluding the MCU's Infinity Saga, Marvel Studios has started to lay the foundations for Kang the Conqueror and his variants to be the overarching villains of the Multiverse Saga. So far, Jonathan Majors has portrayed He Who Remains in Loki season 1 on Disney+, and Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, but the actor is expected to make many more appearances as the villain in upcoming MCU projects.

As the first film of the MCU's Phase 5, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania marks a huge step forward on the road to Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, introducing Kang the Conqueror and the Council of Kangs as the adversaries for Phase 6's Avengers crossover films. Kang the Conqueror is such a formidable villain thanks to his ability to time travel, an action that has created hundreds of new timelines, each with their own variant of Kang. Though only two variants have been featured in previous MCU projects, Kang is expected to become a very prominent presence in the MCU's Phase 5, which poses a significant problem for Marvel Studios.

Kang’s Variants Will Appear In Several Phase 5 Projects

The idea of Kang's variants appearing in multiple projects before Avengers: The Kang Dynasty means that he will be a fully fleshed-out entity by the time the Council of Kangs faces the Avengers, but it also suggests that Kang might see a lot of defeat before the epic crossover film. Kang the Conqueror is such a terrifying villain because of the sheer volume of his variants, so perhaps he'll seem more daunting if he's constantly defeated only to keep returning. However, this is a sure-fire way to diminish Kang as a threat, so Marvel Studios needs to be very careful about how they integrate Kang into MCU Phase 5 projects.

Loki season 2 has already been revealed to feature at least one variant of Kang the Conqueror, as Victor Timely debuted in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania's post-credits scene, though it's possible the series will delve deeper into Kang's history and explore many more variants. It's unclear where else Kang will appear, but his influence across the multiverse makes him the perfect fit for almost any upcoming project. The MCU's Phase 5 needs to work hard to make Kang the Conqueror and his variants an almost unbeatable threat for Earth's Mightiest Heroes.

Kang The Conqueror Needs To Be A Bigger Villain Than Thanos

josh brolin as thanos in avengers endgame

Despite being hinted at throughout the MCU's Infinity Saga, Thanos didn't get much screen-time until the climactic Avengers: Infinity War. Even so, his first major appearance in the MCU saw the Mad Titan beat the Hulk in a hand-to-hand battle, and kill both Heimdall and Loki in the dramatic opening of Infinity War, setting the tone for the rest of the film, while proving Thanos to be a formidable threat. Starting with such a powerful enemy means that Marvel Studios needs to make subsequent villains even stronger, which is where the problems with Kang the Conqueror lie.

So far, two of Kang's variants have had starring spots in the MCU, He Who Remains in Loki, and Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. However, both times, Kang has killed nobody, and has in fact been killed (or apparently so) in both instances, as Sylvie killed He Who Remains to set the Sacred Timeline free, and Scott Lang, a.k.a. Ant-Man, of all people, pushed Kang the Conqueror into his erupting Multiverse Power Core. It seems as though the MCU's Phase 5 needs to do some major damage control to build Kang up to be a more powerful villain than Thanos.

How Can Kang Redeem Himself As A Major Threat?

kang the conqueror using his powers in ant-man and the wasp quantumania quantum realm

There are two clear ways that Marvel Studios can redeem Kang and his variants as huge threats in the MCU. While Kang is expected to appear in several upcoming MCU Phase 5 projects, this plan could be practically abandoned so that Kang can be built up slower, similarly to Thanos. This would keep an air of mystery around the character before he returns in full force during Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. However, this might belittle the fact that there are hundreds of variants of Kang throughout the Multiverse wreaking havoc wherever they go, so the unfortunate second option would probably be preferred.

That would be to have Kang deliver some catastrophic attacks on the Avengers during the MCU's Phase 5, perhaps even leading to the deaths of some major characters before Phase 6 even kicks off. This would gloss over the fact that two variants of Kang have already been taken off the board, and would certainly make Kang more powerful than Thanos, who practically did nothing in the MCU until Avengers: Infinity War. If this comes to fruition, and Kang truly steps into his supervillain role, MCU Phase 5 could significantly change the shape of the franchise forever.

More: MCU Phase 5 Has Fixed Phase 4's Post-Credits Problem (But There's A Catch)