Kang the Conqueror’s time travel shenanigans in Avengers: Endgame. In the movie, time travel was the key to Earth’s Mightiest Heroes acquiring the Infinity Stones and stopping Thanos. But for one hero in particular, time travel was a way for him to get the happy ending that had been denied to him over 70 years ago.
Time travel was the only way Steve Rogers could get what he truly wanted. After getting thawed out from the ice and realizing that he had missed out on a life with Peggy Carter, Steve made some attempts to move on in the Captain America sequels and Avengers movies. But as Endgame revealed, this just wasn’t something Steve was able to do. For that reason, Captain America used the Avengers’ new time travel technology to go back to 1945 and have that dance with Peggy Carter that was never possible in Captain America: The First Avenger. As a result, Phase 3 was able to deliver what truly felt like a perfect ending to the Sentinel of Liberty’s MCU story.
The battle with Thanos has reached an end, but Marvel isn’t done with time travel as a plot device. After exploring it a bit more deeply in Disney+’s Loki show, the MCU will make the concept the focus of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Scott, Hope, and Hank’s next big-screen adventure will see the characters go up against Kang the Conqueror, a prominent Avengers villain whose MCU debut was set up by Loki’s ending. Exactly what he’ll be planning remains to be seen, but it seems it’ll fall on Ant-Man and his allies to thwart Kang’s plan. Here’s why Kang’s MCU invasion can be how the MCU answers Endgame’s Captain America story.
The Avengers Broke The Rules Of Time In Endgame
Through Loki and Avengers: Endgame, the MCU established some ground rules for how time travel works. As it typically is with most stories that deal with the concept, the most important rule is that the past can’t be changed. Disturbing it can lead to all sorts of unintended consequences. On the advice of the Ancient One, the Avengers put the Infinity Stones back where they belonged after Thanos was defeated to avoid new branching timelines. Even so, their actions were still against the rules --- and for good reason. The 2012 version of Loki escaping from SHIELD custody is proof of why meddling with time is such a huge problem.
In Loki, the Time Variance Authority excused the Avengers’ time travel plan as something that was supposed to happen, but this discussion didn’t for what Steve Rogers did. Regardless of whether or not the Avengers’ decision to retrieve the Infinity Stones was a necessary act, there’s no denying that what Steve Rogers did was a glaring violation of the MCU’s time travel rules. Going back to 1945 most likely created a new branching timeline since it changed the fate of Peggy Carter and potentially the futures of countless other people that he would have interacted with in the past.
Kang's Appearance Follows The MCU's Obsessions With ability
A long-running theme in the MCU is the issue of ability. It was a factor in Hawkeye when his bloody history as Ronin came back to haunt him. It also mattered in Spider-Man: No Way Home, which saw Peter Parker get his own Uncle Ben moment when his decision-making cost Aunt May her life. In fact, Phase 4 movies and shows appear to be fixated with this theme. What’s interesting though, is that none of the Avengers were held able for interfering with the timeline in Endgame. However, a chance for that to be addressed could finally come in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, especially since Ant-Man is the hero who set their entire plan in motion. If so, Kang’s MCU story could have a direct correlation with Marvel’s ongoing obsession with ability.
Captain America Was Never Supposed To Have A Happy Ending
Captain America’s happy ending in Avengers: Endgame was considered a well-deserved reward for everything he had gone through in the MCU, including his role in the final battle with Thanos. But as noted above, this ending was never supposed to happen. Instead of dying as Iron Man did, Steve’s journey ended with him changing the past for his own personal benefit. The beauty of it all and the feeling that Steve had earned this ending made it easy to overlook the problem with what he had done, but it shouldn’t be forgotten that there are strict time travel rules for a reason. The feel-good aspect of it and the idea that Steve Rogers deserved to be happy shouldn’t make him an exception.
Captain America and most of the Avengers on his team may never face any real consequences for what they did, but Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania may be Marvel’s way of paying that off. The title of the movie itself is a clue that this could be at the heart of what Kang’s story is all about. The word “Quantumania” all but confirms that Kang’s method of time travel is essentially the same one employed by the Avengers in Endgame. What that means is that Kang’s arrival may have been set up by Endgame. Since he comes from the future, it’s certainly plausible that the technology used by the Avengers will be discovered by Kang centuries later. If that happens, Ant-Man may be forced to pay the price for all the rules broken by both him and his allies in Endgame.
Kang Will Copy Captain America To Make His Own "Happy Ending"
Kang’s plot in MCU Phase 4 could be the character’s attempt to pursue his own “happy ending”. As for what that could be, Marvel Comics provides two hints at what that might be. For years, Kang had an unrequited love for Princess Ravonna, a woman who lived in the future. Since Marvel is already using a loose interpretation of Ravonna in Loki, it could be that Marvel will instead draw inspiration from Kang’s other goal. In the source material, Kang was a power-hungry villain driven by ambition. Because of his intellect and advanced technology, Kang thinks it’s his right to rule over modern-day civilization. To him, this is the life he’s entitled to lead. Obviously, Kang’s idea of a happy ending is quite different from Captain America’s, but it’s based on the same premise. Inspired by Steve, the MCU’s Kang the Conqueror may use the Quantum Realm to get the future he’s always wanted but never been able to have in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
