With Avengers: The Kang Dynasty set to bring Earth's Mightiest Heroes back together, head writer Jeff Loveness teased that death might be on the way in the MCU's big team-up outing.
After seeing Tony Stark and Natasha Romanoff meet their end in Avengers: Endgame, more major deaths appear to be an absolute certainty for Avengers 5. As Kang the Conqueror builds up to his status as the next Avengers-level antagonist, many expect him to show his true power with a killing spree.
For the time being, only three MCU characters have been specifically rumored for roles in Avengers 5, although that number is sure to grow during Phase 5 and Phase 6.
And with concern that Kang hasn’t exerted himself to his full potential yet, Avengers 5’s head writer isn’t worried in the slightest.
Death on the Way in Avengers 5
Speaking with ComicBook.com, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty head writer Jeff Loveness touched on the idea of big characters meeting their end in the MCU's next Avengers outing.
He mentioned the MCU's most "bloodthirsty fans," prepping for them to feel a good amount of heat when Avengers 5 arrives:
"I think for these bloodthirsty fans, there’s a little movie called 'Avengers: Kang Dynasty,' I think he’ll bring the heat."
Loveness compared this kind of movie to working out a giant puzzle when putting together a narrative with "so many characters in the ensemble:"
"I mean, certainly in these Marvel rooms and all that, you certainly game out all these stories and you pitch them out, you write them out, and you’re trying to land the best puzzle piece because there’s so many characters in the ensemble."
Loveness also discussed the idea with The Hollywood Reporter when asked if there were some "seismic deaths" on the table in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, which Loveness also wrote.
He explained that the team didn't want to necessarily "[copy] the Thanos approach" where he immediately lays waste to a ton of MCU heroes, noting how Quantumania was first and foremost an Ant-Man story:
"They were. We certainly gamed out a ton of scenarios, but it just felt a little obvious. It’s up for debate, but it just felt like we’d be copying the Thanos approach where he comes in pretty heavy and wipes the floor with everybody. I certainly see the critiques and all that, but this is a multi-step story that we’re telling. It’s also an Ant-Man movie."
For those thinking that Paul Rudd's Ant-Man would die in the Ant-Man threequel, he explained that people may not want to come back for more movies if the main hero does, comparing it to The Wizard of Oz and Jurassic Park:
"I think people say they want that, but do you really want to see Paul Rudd get murdered in his third movie? It was all debated, all discussed and all gamed out, but in 'The Wizard of Oz,' you don’t want to see Dorothy die and never go home. It’s supposed to be one of these classic adventure movies. If everyone gets eaten in 'Jurassic Park,' I don’t know if you’ll want to see the next 'Jurassic Park.'"
But Loveness also made it clear that viewers shouldn't be too concerned about Kang's death toll, which is going to increase before too long:
"But I wouldn’t worry too much about Kang’s kill count. He’s going to rack up some kills as he goes along."
Who Will Die in Avengers 5?
Of course, with more than two years until Avengers 5 hits theaters, there is no way to nail down who will meet their demise in this story.
Rumors about the earliest plot details have only just begun to surface, with Kang on a path to taking down the entire Multiverse as the first wave of Avengers hunts him down, even teaming up with He Who Remains from Loki in the process.
After Ant-Man 3 debuted in theaters, there are already rumors pointing to somebody from Team Ant-Man meeting their end in Avengers 5, especially considering they were the first to interact with Kang on the big screen.
Jonathan Majors also hinted that he wants a shot at facing Chris Hemsworth's Thor, which is leading many to believe the God of Thunder may finally end his MCU story after more than a decade of movies.
Thus far, all four Avengers movies have featured some kind of major death - a trend that is sure to continue now with Kang being such a massive threat to all of existence.
But with the plot details still being worked out and nearly two full Phases of stories to tell before the fifth team-up saga debuts, only time will tell who ends up in the line of fire.
Avengers: The Kang Dynasty is currently set for release on May 2, 2025.
