A brief appearance in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania by a certain Kang variant may explain a Tony Stark connection from the Loki Disney+ series.
If it hasn't become immediately apparent, the variety of different Kangs within the MCU multiverse will be an emphasis moving forward toward Avengers: Kang Dynasty.
Forget Jonathan Majors's first appearance as He Who Remains, or even lead antagonist Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man 3. Think about the three Kangs prominently featured during Marvel's latest mid-credits scene (Rama-Tut, Immortus, and (maybe) Scarlet Centurion).
The point is, Kang isn't a singular character (even though Majors appears to be playing all of the Variants) and the villainous variety is what makes him such a unique adversary.
Amongst a crowd of (seemingly) endless versions, one Kang stood out as a direct tie-in to Loki season 1.
Mister Gryphon Enters the MCU
During a split-second moment of Ant-Man 3's first post-credits scene, as hundreds of Kang Variants are teleporting into the Council of Kangs arena, Mr. Gryphon makes a quick appearance.
This connects directly with the dismantled Avengers Tower from Loki Episode 5, Journey into Mystery, with the name "Qeng" displayed prominently.
At the time, this was the beginning of an Easter egg that soon may become more fleshed out. In the comics, Mr. Gryphon (a Kang Variant trapped in the 21st century that becomes a businessman) buys Avengers Tower from Tony Stark in an attempt to create a "New Qeng Dynasty".
This physical appearance by Gryphon seemingly confirms that this version of Kang bought Avengers Tower from a version of Tony Stark whose timeline was eventually pruned. Hence, why the skyscraper was seen as dilapidated within the Void.
Having the Sacred Timeline no long being defended with timelines branching out and possible incursions bound to happen, Mr. Gryphon could make future appearances within the MCU.
Who Bought Earth 616's Avengers Tower?
Despite the current appearances of both the Qeng Tower and Mr. Gryphon being completely multiversal, what if this character is having a more direct impact?
In 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming, Tony Stark officially sold Avengers Tower, but the new owner has never been properly revealed. During 2021's Hawkeye series, Clint Barton confirmed to Kate Bishop, “Tony [Stark] sold that a few years ago.”
There are plenty of theories on who bought Marvel's most iconic building, but it's remained a mystery in-universe.
Tom Holland and Zendaya seemed to have an idea while promoting Spider-Man: No Way Home, but their lips remained sealed.
So what if Mr. Gryphon (or a version of him) has been on Earth-616 this whole time? This could be a neat way for Kang to infiltrate this timeline and build from the ground up.
At this point, this is one of Marvel's greatest unknowns that have yet to be revealed. While owners like Reed Richards, SWORD, or Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Val could be compelling, Phase 5 & 6 focusing much of their attention on Kang could make for an epic Avengers showdown in Kang Dynasty.
Check out this lightning-fast cameo in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, currently playing in theaters worldwide.