With Kang the Conqueror lurking and looming throughout the MCU's Multiverse Saga, fans can't help but wonder what it will take to defeat this big bad in Avengers 5 and Avengers 6.
Rumored plot details for 2025's Avengers: The Kang Dynasty indicate that it will take a number of heroes for the Avengers to even stand a chance against Kang, who made his MCU debut in the season finale of Loki in 2021 as He Who Remains.
However, new information from Marvel Studios' president Kevin Feige, ahead of the aforementioned Kang Dynasty and the 2026 film Avengers: Secret Wars suggests that the Avengers might not even be the biggest threat to the villain.
Who Could Defeat Kang in Avengers 5?
In an article from the latest issue of Empire Magazine, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige teased who might be the biggest threat to Kang as the Multiverse Saga of the MCU unfolds: Kang himself.
One of the first things fans learned about the character during his introduction in Loki was that Kang has many Variants. This is a concept familiar to comics fans, who know Kang under many pseudonyms, including Iron Lad of the Young Avengers.
As such, it is not much of a shock that Feige revealed Kang would not only be "warring with our heroes," but also "warring amongst themselves:"
"He is the obvious choice as you’re dealing with the Multiverse. Kang allowed us to do a new kind of Big Bad. He’s a different type of villain, warring amongst themselves as much as he’s warring with our heroes."
This is not the first time the idea of multiple Kangs in one project has surfaced, but hearing it come from Feige himself is exciting for fans.
Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania and Avengers: The Kang Dynasty writer Jeff Loveness also discussed the villain in the latest issue of SFX.
He began by comparing Kang to historical "bad guys with a crusade, a purpose," specifying examples like Julius Caesar and Genghis Khan:
"Julius Caesar, William the Conqueror, Genghis Khan, those Spanish conquistadors who came to the New World…They’re bad guys, historically, but they’re bad guys with a crusade, a purpose. You’ve got to have a pretty strong conviction if you’re going to come to a world that isn’t yours and impose your will."
Loveness also indicated a potential to see "a lot of [Kang] in a lot of different ways" in future films, reading similarly to Feige's teases about the character.
"Kang’s also a very lonely character. We’re going to be seeing a lot of him in a lot of different ways going forward, but I really wanted to introduce the humanity and even the vulnerability of this character before he gets to such apocalyptic, Avengers-scale heights."
Loveness finally "[welcomed] the Kang vs Thanos debate," explaining the interesting new storytelling methods being used with Kang that differ from the Infinity Saga's big bad.
"I thought we had a really good opportunity to almost show Napoleon in exile, or Stalin trapped in Siberia, or Julius Caesar on the outskirts of Gaul, deciding whether he wants to cross the Rubicon or not. To catch the supervillain before everything kicks into gear and have that almost The Lion In Winter quality to it. Obviously he’s terrifying as well, and very imposing, but you get to have just a bit more character time with him than I think you would in a more standard Avengers movie where he’s supposed to be firing on all cylinders. I welcome the Kang vs Thanos debate because I think we’re going to get to know Kang a lot better as we go forward."
Kang vs. Kang vs. Kang vs. Kang...
At this point, it wouldn't be surprising if movies like Avengers 5 and Avengers 6 contained dozens or more Kang variants, allowing for interesting potential plots for those films.
Perhaps the Avengers will need to team up with a rogue "good" Kang variant in order to defeat the bad ones. Again, Kang has been a Young Avenger, and with the MCU seeming to set up their own version of the fan-favorite team, an Iron Lad Kang — or something of the sort — could be in the MCU's future.
Or, maybe Feige is referring to an internal struggle for Kang - perhaps the villain's own flaws and personal setbacks will be his downfall. If that's the case, it doesn't eliminate the possibility of more Kang variants, and in fact, opens the door to a fascinating physical manifestation of an internal conflict in the character.
Whatever the case may be, fans will certainly be seeing at least one Kang in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which hits theaters on Friday, February 17.
Gillian Blum has been a writer at The Direct since 2022, reporting primarily from New York City. Though she covers news from across the entertainment industry, Gillian has a particular focus on Marvel and DC, including comics, movies, and television shows. She also commonly reports on Percy Jackson, Invincible, and other similar franchises.
