Ahead of his appearance in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, Marvel Studios needs to make some major changes to Kang the Conqueror. Played by Jonathan Majors, the character is poised to serve as the overarching antagonist of the Multiverse Saga. Interestingly, the threat presents the MCU will come in various forms, as Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’s post-credits scenes confirmed that the heroes will be up against multiple Kang variants.
Debuting in The Avengers #8, the classic time-traveling villain was often depicted as an opponent to the Avengers and the Fantastic Four. A criminal from the 31st century, Kang possesses technological advancements and a genius-level intellect that make him a formidable adversary to Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. His journeys through time also leave behind vastly differing versions of himself, though most are intent on conquering the Earth and destroying the Avengers, which also appears to be the ultimate goal of Kang the Conqueror in the MCU.
We Know Kang Is A Major Villain, But We Haven’t Seen It
Upon his introduction in the MCU’s Phase 4, Kang the Conqueror had some very big shoes to fill, taking over from Thanos as the MCU’s main antagonist. Thanos proved himself to be almost unbeatable – a powerful fighter with an incredibly strong will to carry out his mission. Even so, Kang was billed as an even more terrifying villain, due in large part to the sheer volume of Kang variants that threaten the stability of the entire multiverse. However, Majors’ two appearances as Kang in the MCU have neglected to prove how powerful the villain actually is, and have instead made him seem rather weak.
Kang is one of the most iconic and terrifying villains in Marvel Comics, and during his MCU appearances, Kang has shown no remorse at wiping out entire timelines or apparently slaughtering countless Avengers. However, this has all simply been big talk, as audiences have only been gifted brief glimpses of Kang’s destructive side. While a slow build up for the Multiverse Saga’s overarching villain is perhaps necessary (it took Thanos several years to make a full appearance in the MCU), audiences haven’t actually seen any evidence of Kang’s power, which needs to change if he’s going to be seen as a real threat for Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.
Kang Has Died Twice Already In His Two Appearances
When Jonathan Majors was confirmed to be featured alongside Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, many expected Ant-Man to meet his demise at the hands of the Multiverse Saga’s villain. However, Lang managed to outwit Kang and, with the help of the Wasp, managed to eliminate Kang by pushing him into his exploding power core. If Kang the Conqueror – supposedly the most brutal and violent Kang variant – can be beaten by Ant-Man of all people, then it’s difficult to imagine that some of the more powerful and enhanced Avengers would have any trouble dispatching the villain.
It’s actually the second time that a Kang variant has been killed in the MCU, meaning the franchise’s protagonists are two-for-two so far. In Loki’s season 1 finale, the eponymous God of Mischief and his variant Sylvie come face-to-face with He Who Remains, a variant of Kang who resided at the end of time, maintaining the Sacred Timeline. Previously, He Who Remains defeated all of his other variants, including Quantumania’s version, so his death essentially set the standard of it being all too easy to kill a Kang.
How Marvel Can Make Kang The Multiverse Saga’s True Villain
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania gave audiences their first real look at the extent of the danger posed by Kang the Conqueror and his many variants, particularly in moments when Kang boasted about having killed so many Avengers that he forgets who’s who. In order to make Kang seem like a greater threat, Marvel Studios could include flashback sequences in The Kang Dynasty that prove that the villain is actually capable of murdering Avengers. This would set him up to be a much more terrifying opponent for the MCU’s new Avengers team in Phase 6, and could help redeem him from his poor battles in Phases 4 and 5.
Marvel can improve upon his reputation through the futures it has planned for its variants.Aside from Victor Timely, who’ll be showing up in Loki season 2, the Council of Kangs will also be on hand, with Immortus, Rama-Tut, and the Scarlet Centurion serving as its leaders. These introductions emphasize the crux of why Kang is such a menacing villain – there are so many versions of him all intent on destruction. The fact that Kang can be killed and keep coming back is a scary thought, but Avengers: The Kang Dynasty needs to make Kang an actual danger to the MCU, or there will be no emotional impact whatsoever.
