Kang the Conqueror’s time travel technology means that the Multiverse Saga’s villain could be used to explain several moments from the MCU’s history.
Marvel Studios could retcon several moments from the MCU’s history to include Kang the Conqueror, the Multiverse Saga’s major villain. Jonathan Majors debuted as a variant of Kang the Conqueror, He Who Remains, in Loki season 1, before starring as the Conqueror himself in Phase 5’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Though not much is yet known about Kang’s backstory in the MCU, his ability to travel through time makes his story more complex than most. This also creates the opportunity for Marvel Studios to easily integrate Kang into the history of the established MCU, which could explain some major mysteries from the MCU’s past.
The concept of time travel was first introduced to the MCU during Avengers: Endgame, as the remaining Avengers embarked on the Time Heist to collect the Infinity Stones from various periods in the MCU’s history. These actions indirectly led to Kang the Conqueror and his numerous variants being unleashed on the cosmos, as the Sacred Timeline was destroyed in Loki season 1, and the multiverse was unraveled. Each variant of Kang, whose real name is Nathaniel Richards, helms from a different timeline and a different era of history, so several teases from the MCU’s past could be explained by having Kang the Conqueror be involved.
10Iron Man 3’s Harley Keener Could Be A Kang Variant
Since Ty Simpkins’ debut in Iron Man 3 as Harley Keener, there has been speculation that he could replace Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark as the MCU’s next Iron Man. While Dominique Thorne has taken over the role of Iron Man’s legacy hero, Riri Williams, a.k.a. Ironheart, Keener could still fill an important role in the MCU’s future. In Marvel Comics, a young variant of Kang becomes the armored hero known as Iron Lad and joins the Young Avengers in an attempt to avoid his villainous destiny. Harley Keener could be revealed to be this variant – particularly following his most recent MCU appearance at Stark’s funeral in Avengers: Endgame.
9Marvel Studios Could Confirm A Moon Knight Connection To Kang
Phase 4’s Moon Knight introduced Oscar Isaac to the MCU as Marc Spector, the avatar of the Egyptian god Khonshu. During Moon Knight episode 3, “The Friendly Type,” Marc found himself in Egypt fighting with a group of Ammit’s agents, one of whom sported a jacket with a green-and-purple design resembling Marvel Comics’ depiction of the Pharaoh Rama-Tut. Rama-Tut was one of the earliest variants of Kang, who had traveled back in time to rule over Ancient Egypt before being ousted by the Fantastic Four. Majors’ debuted as Rama-Tut in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, so Marvel Studios could explain Moon Knight’s Kang the Conqueror connection in his future appearances.
8Kang’s Quantum Realm City Might Have Been Glimpsed In Ant-Man & The Wasp
During Ant-Man and the Wasp, Peyton Reed’s 2018 Ant-Man sequel, Michael Douglas’ Hank Pym journeys into the Quantum Realm to rescue his wife, Michelle Pfeiffer’s Janet van Dyne, who’d been trapped there for 30 years. Eagle-eyed viewers caught a glimpse of a domed Quantum Realm city, which stirred the rumor mill, with many suspecting it could have been the home of the MCU’s Fantastic Four. Speaking to Inverse, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania producer Stephen Broussard confirmed that this city was a tease at what was to come in the third Ant-Man film, as Kang the Conqueror was shown to have built a grand empire in the Quantum Realm.
7Mr. Gryphon Might Have Bought Avengers Tower In Spider-Man: Homecoming
Tony Stark sold Avengers Tower during Spider-Man: Homecoming, though Marvel Studios is yet to reveal who the mysterious new owner could be. One popular theory suggests the Fantastic Four bought the tower, transforming it into the Baxter Building, but Loki season 1, episode 5, “Journey Into Mystery,” might have revealed that a variant of Kang the Conqueror purchased the building. In Marvel Comics, Mr. Gryphon, a businessman variant of Kang, buys Avengers Tower and sets up Qeng Enterprises there, and this version of the building was glimpsed in Loki’s Void, having been pruned by the TVA. Perhaps Kang has been scheming in the former Avengers Tower since 2016’s Spider-Man: Homecoming.
6Victor Timely Can Pay Off A Captain America: The First Avenger Tease
After portraying the Council of Kangs in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’s mid-credits scene, Majors also played Victor Timely in the film’s post-credits scene, a tease for Loki season 2. In Marvel Comics, Victor Timely established the town of Timely, Wisconsin in the early 20th Century and set up factories to aid in technological advancements. Timely employed a young protégé, Phineas Horton, who went on to create the Human Torch Android, one of Marvel’s original heroes who was featured as an exhibit at the Stark Expo back in Captain America: The First Avenger – so perhaps Kang has been pulling strings for longer than anyone thought.
5Kang Can Explain Shang-Chi’s Ten Rings Beacon Mystery
One of the biggest unanswered mysteries of the MCU’s Phase 4 came during Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Simu Liu’s MCU debut expanded on the story of the Ten Rings, which started back in 2008’s Iron Man, revealing that the criminal organization had been named after the eponymous bracelets, though Shang-Chi’s post-credits scene revealed that the relics had been sending a beacon to an unknown recipient. One theory suggests that Kang created the Ten Rings, and the beacon had been sending a message to their creator. With Shang-Chi 2 in the works at Marvel Studios, it’s possible that Kang could play a huge role in the upcoming film.
4The Scarlet Witch & Kang Could Be Connected
While Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness confirmed that it was the as-yet-unseen Chthon who engraved his dark magic on the walls of Mount Wundagore, it’s unknown who transcribed these into the physical Darkhold, the MCU’s Book of the Damned. It’s possible that one of Kang the Conqueror’s variants authored the book, gifting him an intense knowledge of the spells within. This would also create an intrinsic connection between Kang and Wanda Maximoff, a.k.a. the Scarlet Witch, as the Darkhold prophecizes that she is destined to destroy the world. With both Wanda and Kang being Nexus beings in the MCU, this could be a very dangerous combination.
3MCU’s SWORD Could Be The Work Of A Kang Variant
Though SHIELD had been featured as the MCU’s primary covert agency in the Infinity Saga, Phase 4’s WandaVision introduced SWORD to the MCU, the Sentient Weapon Observation and Response Division. SWORD is expected to make more appearances, particularly in The Marvels, which will debut the SABER Space Station – where Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury has been working. In Marvel Comics, Kang the Conqueror journeys to Earth during 2001’s Kang Dynasty storyline in a ship shaped like a sword, the Damocles, that is later taken into the possession of SWORD. This connection would be great to explore in The Marvels, as SWORD hasn’t seen much development yet in the MCU.
2Iron Man Might Have Met Kang The Conqueror Before His Death
Despite there being no mention of Kang the Conqueror during Avengers: Endgame, the Phase 3 epic did see Tony Stark inventing a device that would allow the Avengers to travel through time – which is Kang’s forte. There have been several hints that Kang the Conqueror and Iron Man somehow met before the latter’s sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame (or Kang perhaps met an alternate variant), and this could have easily happened while Stark was discovering time travel. During Endgame, Stark mentions that when “you mess with time, it tends to mess back,” suggesting he may already have some experience with a certain time-traveling villain.
1Earth-838’s Missing Illuminati Member Could Be Kang
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness saw Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange and MCU newcomer Xochitl Gomez’ America Chavez journey to Earth-838, coming face-to-face with an alternate reality’s superhero team: the Illuminati. When Strange is brought to the Illuminati’s chamber, he is greeted by six team members, but there is curiously an empty chair in the lineup. While this has led to endless speculation about who the seventh member could be, one popular theory suggests that this empty chair was reserved for Kang the Conqueror, with one of his variants perhaps setting himself up as a member of the Illuminati to get easy access to valuable information.
