Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania introduced Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror, who only became the MCU’s next big bad because of the actor.
Following his debut in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Kang the Conqueror is set to become the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s new big bad, and it is all thanks to actor Jonathan Majors. The actor first appeared in the role of the Kang variant He Who Remains in the Disney+ series Loki. After the series set up the MCU’s multiverse storyline, Majors has now fully debuted as the fear-inducing Kang in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which set him up to take Thanos’ place as the MCU’s overarching villain. However, it appears that Kang was not always going to be the MCU’s next big bad.
Speaking to The Wrap, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania writer Jeff Loveness revealed that the Avengers Kang has killed were not what positioned the villain to be the MCU’s next big bad, but rather Majors’ performance in the movie. The actor delivered a nuanced and intimidating turn as the villain, which makes his MCU future all the more exciting. Check out the full quote below:
Kang the Conqueror was available, but there was no impetus to making him the next “Big Bad.” That came from the strength of Jonathan Majors’ performance [as Kang].
Why Kang Is A Very Different Villain Than Thanos
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania took a different approach from the first movie that fully featured Thanos — 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War. While Thanos’ big debut movie started with the villain showing up in the very first scene to beat the Hulk, humiliate Thor, and kill Loki, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania spent around one hour with the mystery of Kang’s MCU introduction, through indirect mentions of Kang by characters — setting up the dread for when the villain would fully appear.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania writer Loveness — who will be guiding Kang again in 2025’s Avengers: The Kang Dynasty — revealed that he wanted to “show the very human, broken side of Kang” in the Ant-Man movie. That idea separates Kang from Thanos, with the previous MCU big bad’s introduction going for the angle of presenting him as an unstoppable physical force, while Kang carries a bit more nuance in the sense that the character felt like he was betrayed by the first human connection he had made in a long time, Michelle Pfeiffer’s Janet van Dyne, who worked with Kang to fix his Time Chair after he was cast-off.
That notion is what makes Kang human — besides the fact that he is not an alien like Thanos — as he is a character that was broken by his personal connections. Another difference between the characters is that Kang the Conqueror has already beaten a number of Avengers — as revealed by the villain in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. While Thanos’ goal was to restore balance by killing half of all life in the universe, Kang — if this version of the villain comes back — will have a personal vendetta against Janet and Scott Lang for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania‘s events.
Marvel Studios broke their trilogy trend with the release of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the third adventure for Ant-Man and his Quantum team
Marvel Studios broke their trilogy pattern with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Peyton Reed’s third adventure in the Ant-Man franchise released on February 17, 2023, kicking off the MCU’s Phase 5 by introducing Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror, a variant of the mysterious He Who Remains from Loki season 1, to Scott Lang, a.k.a. Ant-Man, and his size-changing team, who find themselves trapped in the Quantum Realm. Trailers and promotional material for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania set the film up to feature many twists and turns, much like other MCU trilogy films, but audiences were given something very different.
As the first film in the MCU’s Phase 5, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania set up some huge storylines for upcoming projects, including introducing the MCU’s Council of Kangs and Victor Timely in the post-credits scenes. Quantumania also marks the first time that one of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes has come face-to-face with Kang the Conqueror, the Multiverse Saga’s major villain, and Thanos’ perfect MCU replacement. Reed’s newest Marvel entry differs from other trilogy films in the MCU, however, proving that viewers might not always know what to expect from Marvel Studios.
