Kang the Conqueror Is the “Infinite Thanos”, Says Jeff Loveness; Plus First ‘Avengers: The Kang Dynasty’ Teases
(L-R): Jonathan Majors as Kang The Conqueror in Marvel Studios’ ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2022 MARVEL.
The upcoming Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is no Avengers palate cleanser. That much is clear from crew interviews, but it hasn’t felt that way ever since it was first reported that Kang the Conqueror would be a major part of the plot.
Kang is set to be the main antagonist of the ongoing Multiverse Saga, and after audiences got a small taste of what Jonathan Majors can do in the role during the Loki season finale (where he portrayed a variant of the character named He Who Remains). However, Quantumania will finally be most audience members’ introduction to Kang as a big villain. In a new interview with SFX Magazine, writer Jeff Loveness explained his approach to the character when writing the film:
“To me it’s all about the humanity. Obviously, Thanos is a great, iconic villain, but he’s also a big purple CGI guy. He’s an alien from outer space. The thing I really wanted to lean into is that Kang is a human being.
Kang’s also a very lonely character. We’re going to be seeing a lot of him in a lot of different ways going forward, but I really wanted to introduce the humanity and even the vulnerability of this character before he gets to such apocalyptic, Avengers-scale heights.”
Jonathan Majors as Kang The Conqueror in Marvel Studios’ ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA. Photo by Jay Maidment. © 2022 MARVEL.
Marvel Studios must have plenty of faith on the job he did, as they rewarded him with writing the next Avengers movie, no less. And from the title alone, The Kang Dynasty, we know we should expect a heavy presence from the villain, perhaps similar to what Thanos had in Infinity War. In the interview, Loveness went on to tease what we can expect from The Kang Dynasty, saying it will “put the pedal to the gas again” after Phase 4 introduced a lot of new heroes in (so far) disconnected stories; he explained:
“Kang is a top-tier, A-list Avengers villain. What do you do when you feel you’re not enough against that? How do you step up to face the challenge of this generation, who is Thanos on an exponential level? He’s almost this infinite Thanos. I think we’re setting things up for a pretty dynamic story. As I’m building to Avengers I want it to feel like a generational struggle. Phase 4 felt like the birth of new characters. You’re giving everyone a little bit of a breath, you’re broadening out the universe, you have fun Disney Plus shows that are elevating characters. And now I think it’s time to put the pedal to the gas again, and really take all these new characters that we like and throw them into the fire.”
(L-R): Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man in Marvel Studios’ ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2022 MARVEL.
Majors is expected to play a significant role in both Phase 5 and 6 of the MCU as Kang and other variants of the character as well. As set up by the Loki season 1 finale, he will likely show up in the second season, but that will definitely not be the last time we see him before The Kang Dynasty. That movie will be the first of the two-part conclusion to the Multiverse Saga, with Avengers: Secret Wars being the second half.
Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) will direct The Kang Dynasty, which is currently aiming for a May 2, 2025, release date (though don’t be surprised if that is delayed, given recent fluctuations on the Marvel Studios release calendar). Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania hits theaters on February 17.
Miguel Fernández is a Spanish student that has movies as his second passion in life. His favorite movie of all time is The Lord of the Rings, but he is also a huge Star Wars fan. However, fantasy movies are not his only cup of tea, as authors like Scorsese, Fincher, Kubrick or Hitchcock have been an obsession for him since he started to understand the language of filmmaking. He is that guy who will watch a black and white movie, just because it is in black and white.
