MCU Phase 5: How Kang The Conqueror Is Different To Thanos

Ant-Man 3’s Kang the Conqueror, who could be the MCU’s next big bad, is fundamentally different from Josh Brolin’s Thanos. For a while now, fans have inevitably speculated on who would take the Mad Titan’s place as the greatest threat to the heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. An answer to that question may have been found when it was reported that Lovecraft Country actor Jonathan Majors had been cast as Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man 3.

Introduced in the early 1960s – long before the debut of Thanos – Kang the Conqueror is a time traveler from the distant future and a long-time foe of both Marvel’s First Family and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. His deep history with the Avengers and the Fantastic Four has given him a reputation as one of the greatest villains in Marvel Comics. That’s partially the reason why he’s such an interesting choice for Ant-Man 3. As a villain who greatly outclasses all other foes of the MCU’s Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), he’ll easily be the most dangerous opponent Ant-Man and his friends have had to deal with without the help of the Avengers.

There’s a good chance that Marvel’s plans for Kang extend beyond Ant-Man 3, especially since one movie would feel like a waste of his potential. It could be that Marvel’s intention is to use Ant-Man 3 to set up a much larger presence for him in the MCU. His encounter with Scott Lang may set the stage for Kang to be the villain of Avengers 5, or perhaps a different team-up movie. Similar to how Thanos was the overarching villain of the Infinity Saga, Kang, and his time-travel shenanigans could shape Marvel’s plans for Phase 4 and Phase 5, and lead to something huge in the future. Considering how popular Thanos is, any Marvel character would be hard-pressed to fill his shoes. However, Kang could be the best choice to do that, based on how much he differs from Thanos and all the unique qualities he brings to the table.

Kang Is Human (And Has No "Real" Superpowers)

Kang The Conqueror fights the Avengers in Marvel Comics.

In the MCU, Thanos is an incredibly powerful alien from another planet, and like his comic book counterpart, he could be a member of the Eternals. Even without the help of the Infinity Stones, the Mad Titan is more than a match for Captain America (Chris Evans) Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.), and the others. This was made plain when Thanos effortlessly took down Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) at the beginning of Avengers: Infinity War. Thanos’ natural strength makes him a force to be reckoned with.

In Marvel Comics, Kang can be just as formidable, despite the fact that he’s a mortal human with no actual superpowers. Kang lacks the raw power of Thanos - but he’s never needed it because the villain gets by on his intellect and a number of high-tech weapons from the future. In his first appearance, the Avengers struggled to contend with his technologically advanced arsenal and even Thor’s might wasn’t enough to stand up against Kang. It took one of Hank Pym’s devices to give them the edge they needed to win. Other battles with Kang have been just as challenging: Crucially, Kang isn’t like the Mandarin, Red Skull, Green Goblin, or any other villain whose rivalry is just with one character; it generally takes an entire team of heroes to take him down. Kang being a non-superpowered human who can push the Avengers to their limits in the same way that Thanos can is a big part of what makes him so impressive. The fact that he does so with no enhanced abilities not linked to tech is even more impressive.

Thanos Had A (Misguided) Point, Kang Is A Megalomaniac

Kang the Conqueror Avengers 70 Marvel Comics

One thing that Marvel Studios won’t have to worry about when adapting Kang is making his goals too similar to the Mad Titan’s because in terms of what they want, Thanos and Kang couldn’t be more different. What Thanos envisioned was “a grateful universe” that would benefit from his plan to kill half of everyone in existence with the Infinity Gauntlet. Thanos, in his arrogance, felt that he was helping the world and remained convinced throughout Avengers: Infinity War that his actions were justified. But as misguided as he may been, he truly believed he was acting in the interests of the greater good.

Kang, on the other hand, has no delusions about the person he is or the plans he has for the world. Kang, who has ruled over civilizations in the past, has dreams of conquering modern-day Earth but never fools himself into thinking that he’s doing it for their benefit. By his own admission, Kang is only interested in establishing wealth and power for himself. He doesn’t care about the needs of those whom he calls his subjects. Due to his enormous ego, Kang believes that it’s his place to rule over others. In short, Kang is a megalomaniac who thinks that the “primitives” of the modern world are inferior beings.

Thanos Only Killed To A Point

Thanos’ beliefs were deeply flawed, and though he committed massive acts of genocide, they were all for a cause. Even when faced with Avengers seeking to kill him, he generally refrained from striking any mortal blows. His kill count was all in service of bringing balance to the universe. He wasn’t inherently evil, whereas Kang the Conqueror takes lives to satisfy his selfish goals. The classic Avenger known as Swordsman was just one casualty of his crusade. Kang also kills not just to secure his position as the Earth’s ruler, but to get revenge on his enemies, such as the Avengers and the Fantastic Four. On multiple occasions, Kang has expressed his great desire to kill the heroes.

Kang's Agenda Was Caused By The Avengers (Thanos' Wasn't)

Kang The Conqueror attacks the Avengers in Marvel Comics.

Kang feels a deep-seated hatred toward the Avengers that the MCU version of Thanos simply didn't share. Thanos fought the Avengers because they stood in his way and even seemed to respect them as worthy adversaries up to a certain point, but to him, they were always just obstacles. Even Tony Stark, the Avenger he seemingly deemed most worthy of his focus, was something of a plaything to be mocked. It was that way with Kang too, but only at first. Beyond that, killing the Avengers would become Kang’s ultimate goal.

Partly because Kang’s ego couldn’t handle defeat, he developed a great deal of animosity toward them in the 1960s. It all came to a head in Avengers #71, which is the comic that demonstrated to readers just how far Kang was willing to go to kill the Avengers. Following the death of the woman he loved, Princess Ravonna, Kang arranged a contest with the Grandmaster, with his prize for winning being the power over life or death. Once he had won and was able to make his choice between the two, his intention was to resurrect Ravonna, but after using the Avengers as pawns to win the game, he realized that he couldn’t go through with it. As much as he loved Ravonna, he hated the Avengers more. When he was finally given the opportunity to kill them or save Ravonna, Kang chose hate over love. His decision was filled with meaning, as it was the moment that erased any lingering humanity or capacity for affection in Kang’s heart.

More: MCU Theory: How Ant-Man 2 Set Up Kang The Conqueror