Kang the Conquerer is Marvel’s next big bad set to stand center stage in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Imagine Thanos, but multiplied exponentially. Kang’s threat factor comes in the multitude of versions of him. They all seemingly have the same penchant for Universal conquest.
Johnathan Majors portrays Kang in the MCU, and although we saw the first version of him get killed in Loki Season 1, this was only a taste of what Kang really is. The first version of Kang might actually be the most peaceful one. This is something the character alluded to in the season finally of Loki.
If the comics are any indication, it’s going to take all of the Avengers across multiple Universes to defeat him, so how will Ant-Man survive through the credits of Quantumania? What can Scott Lang even do against Kang?
These are the very questions that Marvel Studios asked themselves when making this decision to include Kang in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. According to Marvel Studio president Kevin Feige:
“Phase four, as I said, was about introducing a lot of new characters and new heroes to the world,” Feige said this week at a press conference. “We want to go kick off Phase Five with a third film of characters that were already beloved, which [the Ant-Man] team certainly is, and utilize them.
We’ve talked about family. That goes along with vulnerability and relatability. And who better to face off against one of, if not the biggest, villains the MCU has ever faced than this family who you might think could not handle it?
And then we learn over the course of the movie that Janet has not only handled it, but has been dealing with it for decades.”
This means that there might be a bigger story here with Hope than the trailers lead to. That unfortunately leads to spoiler territory. Over the course of the film, viewers find out what happened to Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) during her extended stay in the Quantum Realm.
Phase 4 wrapped up with the bigger theme of family, and phase 5 looks to fully embrace that very idea. The Ant-Man family may not seem like they can handle a villain of this caliber, but (yes I’m going to say it) big things come in small packages.
Feige goes on to say:
“All of these characters and these amazing actors we thought would be a great audience surrogate to meet somebody as complex and scary and multiversal as Kang.”
The film stars Paul Rudd (Ant-Man), Evangeline Lilly (Hope), Michael Douglas (Hank Pym), and Kathryn Newton (Cassie Lang), and Johnathan Majors (Kang). Get your tickets now!
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania hits theaters this Friday, February 17, 2023.
