The director of the upcoming Marvel film, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Peyton Reed has teased Kang the Conqueror as one of the most formidable antagonists the Marvel Cinematic Universe has seen. Reed revealed this at the Brazil Comic Con Experience 2022 panel that included Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, Jonathan Majors, Evangeline Lilly, and Paul Rudd. Lilly and Rudd play the Wasp and Ant-Man respectively while Majors will be portraying Marvel’s new big bad Kang.
Following the numerous films that Marvel has released in its ongoing Multiverse thread without a worthy threat, the studio is finally bringing out one of the most powerful villains in Marvel Comics: Kang the Conqueror.
Reed had previously stated in an interview that the villain will have a profound impact on the MCU. A variant of the same character was originally introduced in the Disney+ series, Loki, where he was referred to as He Who Remains, the man at the end of time and the only one powerful enough to prevent a multiversal war. Now, one of his variants will be playing a more central role in the forthcoming Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
According to Reed, this film will open the fifth phase of the MCU on a high note, especially as its antagonist, Kang, is more formidable than all the former villains in the franchise, even Thanos. He further said the Kang will appear in Ant-Man 3 is different from the one that we saw in Loki. In his words:
I think that He Who Remains in Loki is very different than Kang the Conqueror in our movie. They're Variants, but they're extremely different people. Kang is someone who has dominion over time, but he conserves his energy. He's a very, very scary character to deal with, as Ant-Man and Wasp will find out first hand.
Although Reed didn’t add more details to how Kang will surpass Thanos as a more villainy character, it is difficult to imagine a more badass villain than Thanos who wiped out half of all lives in the universe before the Avengers undid it. However, Kang is a complex character.
He's just as capable of a strategist and warrior as Thanos, but he's got access to arguably more advanced technology, including time-travel devices and a battle armor. On top of it all, Kang has an army of soldiers that can give the Black Order and the Chitauri a good run for their money. Maybe, just maybe, Kang will live up to expectations.
Meanwhile, Marvel boss Feige is filled with adoration for Majors. He describes Majors as the perfect actor to portray Kang. While speaking at the event, he also highlighted Majors’ work ethic as he strives to execute the role to perfection.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is an upcoming Marvel superhero film and the third installment in the Ant-Man series. The film will see the titular characters encounter Kang the Conqueror during an unexpected journey into the Quantum Realm. Kang has nefarious purposes for them and when they refuse, they put themselves in the crosshairs of the most fearsome villain since Thanos.
Apart from Rudd and Lilly, the film will also see Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer, David Dastmalchian, and Randall Park reprise their roles as Pym, Janet, Cassie, Kurt, and Jimmy Woo respectively. Other cast members are Kathryn Newton and Majors who play Cassie and Kang the Conqueror respectively.
By the way, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is not the only franchise where Majors is playing a villain. The Devotion actor is also starring as the antagonist in the forthcoming Warner Bros. flick Creed III, which is slated for release on March 23. He will also portray former NBA star Dennis Rodman in a Lionsgate biopic titled 48 Hours in Vegas.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is scheduled to release in theaters on February 17.
