After the fall of Thanos (Josh Brolin), Marvel’s next big villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe could be Kang the Conqueror. In the comics, Kang is a time-traveling scientist from the future with a long history of battling the Fantastic Four and the Avengers. Since Thanos and Ultron have already been used, Kang is the most important Avengers villain who hasn’t appeared in the MCU yet.
Throughout the Infinity Saga, the greatest threat to the heroes of the MCU was always Thanos (even though he lurked in the shadows for several years). It all started when he arranged for the Chitauri to invade Earth in 2012’s Avengers: Infinity War.
Avengers: Endgame completed the MCU’s Thanos story by having the heroes travel back in time to gather up the Infinity Stones from previous points in the timeline. When the Mad Titan was killed at the conclusion of the final battle, an important era came to an end. Though he’s currently one of Marvel’s most popular characters, Marvel may never revisit Thanos in the MCU. It’s more likely that Marvel will turn to a different character as it moves forward. Here’s why that character may be Kang the Conqueror, when he could be introduced, and what exactly Marvel can do with him.
Kang Is One of The Avengers' Greatest Villains In Marvel Comics
Kang the Conqueror, one of the Avengers’ most formidable enemies, has a rivalry with the team that goes all the way back to 1964 when he battled Hank Pym, Wasp, Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, and Rick Jones for the first time in Avengers #8. Kang encountered the heroes after traveling from the 31st century and arriving in the present day, where he demanded that the people of Earth surrender to him. Though Kang is a non-superpowered human, he was able to pose a significant challenge to the team by unleashing an arsenal of high-tech weapons from the future. However, the Avengers were able to work together and defeat him. Due to Kang’s enormous ego, his loss caused him to develop a deep-seated hatred for the Avengers. Since that day, Kang has come up with countless schemes to destroy them. His feelings of enmity toward them is so great that he once decided that killing the Avengers was more important to him than saving the woman he loved.
Kang has been the main antagonist of several major storylines in the comics, including Avengers Forever and the “Celestial Madonna” arc. Most of his appearances are connected in some way with time travel, as he has a tendency to use his knowledge of the future and the past to his advantage. Over the years, the Avengers and the Fantastic Four have encountered various different versions of Kang, which are conceived when Kang’s actions in the timestream create alternate timelines. Some of them are major characters in their own right, such as Immortus and Iron Lad, a member of the Young Avengers who seeks to avoid becoming his evil counterpart.
Why Kang Is The Perfect Successor To Thanos In The MCU
Marvel has no shortage of options when it comes to who could serve as the next overarching villain in the MCU. The strongest candidates for this role are Kang and Doctor Doom, but Kang — more so than Doom — fits into where Marvel is taking the MCU. Avengers: Endgame officially introduced the concept of time travel by incorporating Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, a movie that’s expected to encom several unexplored worlds and timelines. So with time travel and other dimensions being so important to Marvel’s future, it makes sense for a villain who embodies those concepts to be at the center of it all. Who better to fill that role than Kang the Conqueror?
Furthermore, Kang is inherently different to Thanos. He isn’t an all-powerful, god-like being who thinks he’s saving the universe. Kang is a human who relies on technology to get what he wants. He also has no illusions about the kind of person he is. He’s a man fueled by hate and ambition.
When Marvel Could Introduce Kang the Conqueror
If Marvel does plan on going in this direction with Kang, it should follow a formula that’s similar to how Thanos was brought into the picture. He should be introduced either in a cameo or in a post-credits scene that sets up his arc. There are rumors that Loki could feature Kang, but a better alternate is Doctor Strange 2. If Marvel wants to introduce a villain who will be integral to the next several years of Marvel movies, his debut needs to happen in a movie that’s sufficiently popular to give him the attention he needs. Doctor Strange 2 is being called one of Phase 4’s biggest movies — and that’s reason enough for it to be the film that introduces Kang. As someone who travels between timelines on a regular basis, Marvel shouldn’t have much difficulty working him into either the main story or a post-credits tease.
What Kang Would Mean For MCU Phase 4 & 5
If Marvel used Doctor Strange 2 to bring Kang into the MCU, he could return as the central antagonist in a future Marvel movie. He could also be revealed to be directly or indirectly involved in events that take place in movies like Marvel’s Kang the Conqueror story is likely to be lower than what was seen in Infinity War and Endgame, especially since Marvel isn’t interesting in topping the scale of either movie. Regardless, Marvel can still deliver a gripping time travel arc packed with twists and turns if it moves on from Thanos to Kang.
