For those looking for new information about Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, an intriguing plot point has been revealed.
When it was first announced that Kang would be going up against Paul Rudd’s hero, it was clear Ant-Man would be in over his head—seeing as the iconic villain gives the Avengers a run for his money.
This makes sense, seeing as the movie is likely going to set the stage for Avengers: The Kang Dynasty more than any other MCU project so far.
While there will be many Variants of the villain introduced over the next few years, what exactly is this “Warrior” Variant doing in the Quantum Realm?
New Kang Plot Point Revealed
In a new issue of Empire magazine, a major new plot point for Kang's role in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was revealed.
It turns out Jonathan Majors' Kang is actually stuck in the Quantum Realm when the movie begins, not just residing there. As for how, that part remains a mystery.
But why choose to feature Kang in the threequel? Well, director Peyton Reed is well aware that Ant-Man doesn't have many classic rogues, even though he's been around since the '60s.
Reed told Empire that “It felt like [he] wanted to pit Ant-Man against an all-timer antagonist.”
He then went on to talk about how he finally "wanted to explore the Quantum Realm," seeing as, in the last two movies, the story only visited the mysterious realm briefly:
“We wanted to explore the Quantum Realm... It’s a massive, massive world-building undertaking... It owes in equal part to electron microscope photography, ’70s and ’80s Heavy Metal magazine stuff, a lot of my favourite science-fiction-book cover artists, and there’s a little [of the artist] Moebius in there. Fantastical realism is the vibe.”
Who Stole From Kang, and Why?
If Kang is stuck in the Quantum Realm, that gives some interesting context to the previously shown footage at D23.
In it, Majors’ villain blackmails Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang into helping him retrieve something stolen from him. Of course, Ant-Man says no at first, but it’s probably safe to assume that it won’t be much of a choice.
But what might they be stealing back? It’s not clear, but it’s likely something that would help get him out—so a time-travel device of some sort is a strong possibility.
As for who would have stolen from Kang, there are two clear options. It could be MODOK, who will be making his debut, or Bill Murray’s mysterious character Krylar.
As for why anyone would risk stealing from Kang, that remains unknown—for now. But clearly, Scott and the rest of the Ant-Family really have got themselves into a sticky situation as they become entangled with the conqueror.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania hits theaters on February 17, 2023.
