Ant-Man 3 Has MCU Fans Convinced Kang's Power Isn't What Makes Him A Big Bad
Contains spoilers for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Kang is officially here! After a lengthy but necessary break from content, Marvel Studios is back on the big screen, kicking off Phase 5 with "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania." With it comes the introduction of the universe's next Avengers-level threat: Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors).
From the get-go, "Quantumania" sets the tone for the villain's MCU debut, revealing that he and Janet (Michelle Pfieffer) have a history together. The two develop a friendship while working together to repair Kang's multiverse-hopping ship. During their time together, Kang confides in Janet that a mysterious group exiled him to the Quantum Realm, stating he plans to fulfill his destiny to become a conqueror and get his revenge. After accidentally experiencing his memories, Janet destroys the ship, trapping both of them in the Quantum Realm.
Kang eventually reveals that, technically, he exiled himself into the microscopic universe, or at least some variants of himself did. In the movie's first post-credits scene, "Quantumania" introduces audiences to the Council of Kangs, with Rama-Tut, Immortus, and potentially Scarlet Centurion assembling all of the Kang variants from across the multiverse to deal with the growing threat of the MCU's Avengers. The showcase of strength from the Kangs gives audiences their first taste of what's to come in "Avengers: The Kang Dynasty," and many fans think the Council is what makes Kang the next Thanos-like villain.
Fans think Kang will have strength in numbers
It looks like Marvel Studios is taking a different approach to establishing its next Avengers-level threat. While Thanos worked in the shadows until his grand appearance in "Infinity War," Kang seems to be popping up all over the place. While powerful on his own, fans think the studio will use the villain's numbers to give him the edge over the Avengers.
On an "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" discussion thread on Reddit, u/szthesquid said, "I think they'll be pushing the infinite variants over pure power to differentiate him from Thanos as much as possible. The Council scene really made me feel that most of the variants will be relative pushovers, and there'll be a handful of big boss Kangs." U/AGeekNamedBob replied, suggesting that the studio should continue to pit their heroes against different Kangs with unique power sets and experiences, potentially even bringing in a team of Kangs.
While Kang's first official outing left some fans underwhelmed by the next MCU Big Bad, u/FerricNitrate pointed out that the Kang in "Quantumania" told audiences he doesn't match up to the power of the Council of Kangs. "To be fair, this is the Kang that was weak enough to be exiled," they said. "This variant talked himself up like he wanted to be He Who Remains but couldn't beat the council." If the "weaker" exiled Kang took on the entire "Ant-Man" team and barely lost, then there's no telling how much power is hiding amongst the Council of Kangs.