At Comic-Con 2022, Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige made official what many fans had theorized for a while: Kang the Conqueroris the MCU's next Thanos-like villain. The character waskind ofintroduced in the Disney+ series "Loki" — we say "sort of" because that show's version of the character was actually a variant of Kang, but not Kang himself.
Either way, Jonathan Majors will step into the shoes of Josh Brolin and wreak all kinds of havoc on our favorite Marvel Cinematic Universe heroes, as evidenced by the title of “Avengers 5” – “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.” His first official appearance is in "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania."
But who is Kang, how does he fit into the MCU, and what exactly is the Kang Dynasty? All your questions will be answered below.
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What is Kang like?
The character Kang the Conqueror first appeared in Marvel Comics in 1963, in an issue of "Fantastic Four". That iteration wasn't quite Kang either, but a variant known as Rama-Tut, while "Kang" debuted in an issue of "The Avengers" in 1964.
He is a time-traveling being with many different past and future selves, which poses a problem for those trying to control him. In the comics, he's usually a villain for the Fantastic Four, so it's no wonder Marvel has a 'Fantastic Four' moviepublished in 2024.
In the character's biography in the comic, he begins as Nathaniel Richards – a descendant of Fantastic Four member Reed Richards – who explores the 31st century and travels back in time to ancient Egypt, where he becomes known as the Pharaoh Rama- Tut. After a battle with the Fantastic Four, he attempts to retreat to the 31st century, but instead ends up in the 41st century, claiming dominion over the planet and becoming known as Kang the Conqueror.
Although Kang has no significant superhuman abilities, he is a next-level genius (as seen in "Loki") and uses advanced technology to fend off oncoming enemies.
In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Kang is played by Jonathan Majors, known for "Lovecraft Country" and "Da 5 Bloods." Majors made his debut in the Season 1 finale of "Loki", where Tom Hiddleston's character came to the Citadel at the end of time and confronted a character named He Who Remains. A Kang variant, He Who Remains, explained that different versions of himself discovered alternate universes and confronted each other, resulting in a multiversal war. He put an end to it, created the TVA (Time Variance Authority) and introduced the "Sacred Timeline" which he has been watching for a long time.
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Because he can foresee the past, present and future, he can foresee what will happen and the outcome of every possible action, and he has become tired. So he offers Loki and Slyvie (Sophia Di Martino) a choice: they can kill him, end the sacred timeline and risk chaos and a new multiversal war unleashed by his variants; or they can take over from him and run the TVA and oversee the sacred timeline. Sylvie kills him and Loki ends up in an alternate timeline where Kang the Conqueror is in charge of TVA, all of which will likely be addressed in "Loki" season 2.
We finally meet Kang in "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania," which kicks off Marvel's Phase 5 and pits Kang against Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly's heroes. After that, all bets are off.
What is the "Kang Dynasty?"
“Kang Dynasty” — the title of the next “Avengers” film — is also the name of a 16-part “Avengers” storyline written by Kurt Busiek that ran from 2001-2002. In that story, Kang returned from the future and took over the entire planet Earth as the Avengers rallied to try to stop him.
As Thanos aimed to wipe out half the world's population, we could very well see Earth fall under Kang's control in the next big 'Avengers' movie.
Will Kang Join “Secret Wars”?
"Avengers 6" is called "Secret Wars" and is itself based on an iconic comic in which all of Marvel's heroes and villains were transported to a planet called "the battle world" where they are forced to fight to the death by a cosmic entity .
In the comics, the entity responsible is The Beyonder. But if 'The Kang Dynasty' and 'Secret Wars' are meant to work together as a two-part Avengers story like 'Infinity War' and 'Endgame', we can reasonably assume that Kang will be the one to bring all the heroes into "the battle world " - and oh yes, there will be blood.
Stay tuned, folks. Phase 4 is just the beginning of the next big story – “The Multiverse Saga” – in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
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In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Kang is played by Jonathan Majors of “Lovecraft Country” and “Da 5 Bloods” fame. Majors made his debut in the Season 1 finale of “Loki,” in which Tom Hiddleston's character made it to the Citadel at the End of Time and confronted a character named He Who Remains.
Summary. Marvel Studios still plans to include Kang the Conqueror in upcoming Avengers movies, but paired with another villain. Rumors of Jonathan Majors being replaced may mean a new actor will take on the role of Kang entirely.
Marvel Studios has not yet announced who will replace Jonathan Majors as Kang, but tellingly, it has officially renamed the upcoming movie Avengers: The Kang Dynasty to the generic Avengers 5. While Kang may be sticking around, it seems he will not be in quite the same role as he was previously planned for.
Kingpin is being set up as the new villain to replace Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with similarities in personality and influence. Kingpin's trajectory mirrors Thanos' build-up in the Infinity Saga, with smaller appearances slowly building his legacy before his proper villain debut.
Kang has made media appearances in animated television and video games. He made his feature film debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023), portrayed by Jonathan Majors, who also played alternate versions of the character in the Loki series.
Avengers 5 will no longer be called The Kang Dynasty as Marvel reportedly looks to "minimize or excise" Kang from the MCU. Kang Dynasty. leaving the page. In December 2023, Majors was found guilty of reckless assault in the third degree and harassment and was dropped by Marvel Studios.
According to insider Daniel Richtman, Marvel Studios reportedly plans on keeping the villainous Kang the Conqueror around as a big part of the overarching story moving forward, but with a catch.
Prior to his appearance in Quantumania, though, Majors made his MCU debut in the Season 1 finale of Loki, playing one (of many) variants of his villain Kang the Conqueror named He Who Remains.
The Time-Eater ranks atop the most powerful Kang variants thanks to his assuming Galactus' power. This variant killed Galactus and absorbed the Power Cosmic. He then went on to kill all other Galactus variants he could find, destroying their universes and unraveling the multiverse.
He saw the ultimate demise of the Multiverse due to the collisions of the universes and Incursions. Kang conquers timelines. Richards decided to take control, adopting the name of Kang the Conqueror, and sought to conquer as many timelines he possibly could, starting the Multiversal War between his Variants.
The Hollywood Reporter states that Marvel is now rewriting the projects that will prominently feature Kang to either minimize his involvement or completely remove him — including changing the title of the upcoming 2026 Avengers film The Kang Dynasty.
2 Doctor Doom is the Most Obvious Choice to Replace Kang
With the Fantastic Four ready to join the MCU, Doctor Doom is sure to join them. He has spent his entire life struggling against Mr. Fantastic. If Reed Richards is to enter the MCU, Doom must preempt him.
Portrayed by. Ebony Maw was a member of the Black Order and an adoptive son of Thanos. Gifted with powers of telekinesis, Maw was deeply loyal to Thanos and gave warnings of his power across the galaxy while assisting in the search for the Infinity Stones.
Kang is his own worst enemy, constantly trying to prevent the future or undo the past. By doing so, he inadvertently creates variants of himself who sometimes hinder his world-conquering goals. Such variants include Immortus, Rama-Tut, Iron Lad, Victor Timely, Baby Kang, and the Council of Kangs.
However, because the film is touted as an Avengers team-up, there will likely be appearances from Paul Rudd (Ant-Man), Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Strange), Anthony Mackie (Captain America), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye) and Mark Ruffalo (Hulk), among others.
At the end of Quantumania we see the Council of Kangs. There are, roughly, 19 million of them. The movie features three of these variants specifically, and each corresponds to the most famous of Kang's variants. First is Rama-Tut, who is actually the very first version of the character we ever saw in Marvel Comics.
The actor, who had played Kang the Conqueror in the MCU, had been dropped by Marvel Studios after he was found guilty of assaulting and harassing Jabbari by a jury in New York. He was convicted on two counts but acquitted of a different assault charge and of aggravated harassment.
Summary. Spider-Man's role in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty will be his most dangerous yet due to the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home. The Avengers will no longer be aware of Spider-Man's age or history as a teen superhero, impacting their interactions with him in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.
Avengers 5 release date: When can we expect Avengers 5? In June 2023, Avengers 5 was delayed by Marvel and will now hit cinemas on May 1, 2026. That's a move of one year from its initial release date of May 2, 2025 and has also led to Avengers: Secret Wars being moved from May 5, 2026 to May 7, 2027.
Shawn Levy is reportedly being contacted by Marvel to direct the upcoming ensemble superhero movie, as per a report on Collider. Known for his work on the Netflix hit Stranger Things and the Night at the Museum series, Levy is a director with experience managing successful franchises.
Introduction: My name is Dan Stracke, I am a homely, gleaming, glamorous, inquisitive, homely, gorgeous, light person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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