Kang, a warrior form of the scary principal villain, appears in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Jonathan Majors, who had previously appeared in the spinoff series Loki, was welcomed to the Marvel Cinematic Universe during the show’s finale. Though not expressly mentioned, Majors’ figure in the finale is a variation of Kang The Conquerer, and his warning of a tremendous threat to the multiverse emerging would soon be realized on-screen.
With Thanos defeated by The Avengers in Avengers: Endgame, it remains to be revealed who will be the MCU’s next recurrent core threat, however comic book readers and MCU fans are already thinking it will be Kang in some form. Despite Phase Four MCU additions such as Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness growing the world and lore of the MCU even further, it is still missing the solitary big evil behind the scenes who brought everything to an explosive finale in the franchise’s prior phases. With Kang comes one of Marvel’s most dreadful dangers from the comics, and possibly the solitary creature that will push all of the primary heroes back into joint action.
Conditioning and strength coach Jamie Sawyer (who worked with Majors throughout his Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania prep) spoke with Men’s Health Magazine about the type of figure this Kang version is. Kang in the film, according to the instructor, is a warrior. Majors also talked about how Kang differs from other MCU villains. Check out their responses below:
Majors: “Killmonger, Thanos, and Kang are not related, and that’s good for the MCU. It adds diversity.”
Sawyer: “He is the warrior version of Kang, so there was a focus on what that warrior would look like who’s been around through the ages and has developed every type of combat skill. It was about making him look like an imposing figure.”
Kang will be different from any other MCU villain due to the Multiverse.
This emphasis on performance training over aesthetics positions Kang to be a serious threat in his next appearance, presenting high stakes versus the heroes he’ll be battling. Kang had previously slain Avengers, according to Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania footage shown at conventions this summer. If that’s any indication, Scott Lang will face a difficult battle as he battles with Kang’s physical strength and combative prowess, as fans will quickly understand. It’s also worth noting that Majors mentions Kang’s lack of resemblance to past MCU villains, implying that he’ll be a wholly new enemy representing an entirely different challenge to what’s come before in the franchise. As the multiverse expands, so do the threats that will put its heroes to the test.
Kang represents an opportunity for the MCU to lift the ante in Phase Four by introducing that primary figure who forces the best out of the core group of fan favorite heroes. While Thanos was clearly a frightening on-screen antagonist for the Avengers, it might be argued that in his wake, the current heroes have faced relatively lower stakes than in the franchise’s past. This warrior variant of Kang, introduced in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, may be the unstoppable force that lends a genuine feeling of sacrifice and loss to the current roster of heroes. The MCU is clearly developing a villain that will not be easily displaced through Majors’ training and clues that this version of Kang has been involved in wars and warfare across many centuries and universes. Kang’s entrance will undoubtedly be both exhilarating and nerve-racking for any Marvel fan who has missed the genuine anxiety and concern about the survival of their favorite heroes.
Source: Men’s Health Magazine