Kang the Conqueror's role as the central villain of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania promises to fortify the character's sinister presence in the MCU, but the film must avoid a silly trope to ensure Kang's legitimacy as a threat. Kang's second appearance in the MCU comes after the time-traveling figure, played by Jonathan Majors, debuted in the Disney+ series Loki in 2021. The MCU's third Ant-Man movie sees its main characters, Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), dragged into the Quantum Realm where Kang awaits.
Kang's emergence as a villainous force in the MCU is defined by his numerous variants and ability to travel the multiverse across time. His first appearance as the central villain interestingly clashes with the Ant-Man films' comedic nature, which has often seen villains look goofy while fighting the titular hero in his tiny form. To build up Kang as the MCU's next Thanos-level threat, Ant-Man 3 must treat him with seriousness.
Ant-Man's MCU Fighting History Doesn't Look Promising For Kang
In previous Ant-Man films, Scott turns small and makes his ordinary-sized opponent look silly. The size difference creates a situation in which the villain aimlessly swats around in an attempt to defeat Scott. On other occasions, both Scott and his opponent are tiny and fight while everything around them looks huge, as in 2015's Ant-Man during the battle between Scott and Darren Cross as Yellowjacket (Corey Stoll). In 2018's Avengers: Endgame when Scott ed the battle against Thanos' army.
Additionally, audiences expect Ant-Man movies to have a certain tone and texture. They are heavily laced with humor and largely devoid of memorable villains. Marvel's choice to cinematically debut Kang in Ant-Man 3 is odd, considering Kang's importance in the MCU's future and his role as the antagonist of Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. If director Peyton Reed is not careful, his film could transgress too heavily into comedy and reduce Kang to a joke as a result. Still, Ant-Man 3 has a chance to redefine Marvel's Ant-Man trilogy and establish Kang as the menace he's supposed to be in the Multiverse Saga.
Ant-Man Could Still Be The Perfect Kang Setup
If Ant-Man 3 manages to sidestep the trilogy's silly villain trope, it could make Kang even more menacing and set up his looming threat. Ant-Man 3's Quantum Realm in itself will hold an element of mystery and doom, so Kang's foreboding presence there coincides well with Ant-Man 3's suggested combat dynamic between heroes and its villain. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania's poster depicts a gigantic Kang with a tiny Ant-Man and Wasp perched on his fingertip. Even though the size difference factor is still at play, depicting Kang as significantly larger than the heroes could play into Kang's intimidation factor.
