TheMCU’sintroduction to Kang always faced on uphill battle, but it was the choice to have the character’s fate mirror that of another character in another film that makes Kang’s debut feel doomed before it even began.Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumaniawas the next installment of the series followingAnt-Man and the Wasp, and was the biggest adventure for the titular characters yet. In the end, the film didn’t land with critics andbarely broke even at the box-office, and essentially wasting the introduction of the MCU’s next big villain.
Kang was once promised to be the next big bad of the MCUin the same vein as Thanos, but that is all but gone. In fact, prior to everything happening with Kang, his role in the MCU might have been doomed before it even began. How the MCU tried to tell the story of Kang fell flat, and maybe there wasn’t enough to the character from the very beginning.
Kang’s Quantumania Ending Was Too Close To Ant-Man’s Fate In His Prior MCU Movie
A variant of Kang was introduced inLokiseason 1, but his role was extremely limited, and it wasn’t untilAnt-Man & the Wasp: Quantumaniathat Kang was officially positioned as the big bad of the Multiverse Saga making his grand debut. Introducing Kang in an Ant-Man film was already a questionable move by the MCU, butthe fate of the character by the end of the film too closely mirrored that ofAnt-Man and the Waspjust five years prior.
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During the end-credits ofAnt-Man and the Wasp,Scott Lang is stuck in the quantum realm after Thanos' snap with no way of getting out without sheer luck.Much like Scott’s fate in that film, Kang’s was quite similar. He was defeated by Ant-Man and an army of ants and his “death” was never explicitly stated. Instead, it makes sense that he would continue to be stuck inside the quantum realm much like how Scott was at the end of the previous film in the franchise.
The Ant-Man MCU Series Was Perfectly Set Up To Make Kang’s Fate Not Land Well
Prior toAnt-Man & the Wasp: Quantumaniacoming out, it was teased that something big was going to happen, most likely the death of one of the characters audiences had grown attached to throughout theAnt-Manfranchise. Of course,no major character death happened, and even Kang’s “death” in the film is up for debate if he actually did die or is just forever stuck in the quantum realm. With the stakes not nearly as high as anticipated, the movie fell flat, especially when it comes to Kang.
When the character’s variants turn into canon fodder, there is no threat he could actually pose.
Combine that with the way Kang was defeated, and the new big bad of the MCU felt incredibly lackluster and all that hype and danger dissipated. If Kang could be taken down so easily by Ant-Man who, despite being quite helpful in a fight, is one of the weaker Avengers, how would he ever stack up against characters like Thor or Hulk? The idea of essentially an infinite number of Kangs is his advantage is interesting, but when the character’s variants turn into canon fodder, there is no threat he could actually pose.
Doctor Doom’s MCU Introduction Can Avoid Kang’s Ending Mirroring Ant-Man & The Wasp Too Closely
With the MCU set to introduce Doctor Doom as a big bad, changingAvengers: The Kang DynastyintoAvengers: Doomsday, it’s most likely that Marvel Studios has no plans to ever reintroduce Kang into the narrative. By doing this,it’s easy to say that Kang actually did die at the end ofAnt-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania.With it set in stone that he did die, it can help distinguish itself from where Scott Lang ended up at the end ofAnt-Man and the Wasp.
It would make no sense for the MCU to confirm that Kang survived the events ofAnt-Man & the Wasp: Quantumanianow that Doctor Doom is in play. Adding Robert Downey Jr. into the mix as the character just shows up much they are going all-in for him to be the climactic big bad at the end of the Multiverse Saga. If Kang is actually dead, the biggest loose thread left for the characters is The Council of Kangs, but it’s most likely Marvel will ignore that plot point entirely.
The controversy surrounding Jonathan Majors would most likely lead to the MCU recasting Kang if they ever decide to bring him back.
For a brief moment in time, the hype for Kang was palpable and the Multiverse Saga was going to be special. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen and eventually the MCU abandoned Kang altogether. It’s possible that Kang was never going to work out the way Marvel intended, but his fate inAnt-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania,mirroring that of Scott Lang’s inAnt-Man and the Wasp, means that it might have been doomed before it even began.
Ant-Man and the Wasp
Cast
Ant-Man and the Wasp is a Marvel Cinematic Universe film released in 2018. Paul Rudd reprises his role as Scott Lang, who joins Hope van Dyne and Dr. Hank Pym on a perilous mission into the quantum realm. The film explores the challenges of balancing heroism with personal responsibilities.
Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania follows Scott Lang and Hope van Dyne, joined by Janet van Dyne, Hank Pym, and Cassie Lang, as they navigate the Quantum Realm. Their journey introduces them to peculiar creatures and challenges their understanding of reality, pushing their abilities to new extremes.
