MCU star Jonathan Majors teased the powers that his Kang the Conqueror possesses during his next appearance in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania.
Marvel Studios is about to introduce the next grand villain in the MCU storyline with Majors' performance as Kang, which he'll revisit in Ant-Man 3 after bringing the antagonist's first Variant, He Who Remains, to life in 2021's Loki. And while he looks to live up to being the most powerful villain in MCU history, even above Josh Brolin's Thanos, this take on the character will be much different from his comic counterpart in terms of powers and abilities.
Looking at Kang in the comics, he doesn't actually have any true superpowers, instead using futuristic technology in his suit of armor. That suit allows him to produce concussive blasts out of his hands, although there are sure to be other powers that haven't been showcased on screen yet.
But now, Majors took the chance to dive deeper into his villain's powers, letting fans know what they should expect to see from the Multiverse Saga's ultimate antagonist.
What Are Kang's Superpowers In the MCU?
During a group interview with the cast of Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, hosted by Fandango, Kang star Jonathan Majors teased the kind of superpowers that fans will see from his MCU villain.
When asked where his power comes from, Majors explained how his "internal power is really the drive" behind his character, teasing that "his pain...suffering...and discomfort" are part of what makes the villain so great:
"Where’s that power come from… Well, I mean, here’s the thing with villains… or with any character, but particularly with villains that, yes, there is the manifestation of the power, but the internal power is really the drive. And I think with Kang, something I’ve found so interesting is that his pain, and suffering, and, discomfort and, frustration with society, and the world, that is so great in him that that friction has allowed him to make himself into the supervillain that you see."
The "internal friction" is what makes Kang so powerful, with Majors hyping him up by saying he "lives up to that title" of being the MCU's biggest villain ever:
"It is that internal friction that gives him that power. Now, how it manifests, stay tuned. But yeah, his heartache is great and I think is so massive, he does live up to that title of being the biggest, baddest MCU villain that we’ve had."
Coming from the official press release for Ant-Man 3, director Peyton Reed also spoke about how Kang has the ability "to experience past, present, and future" all at once, making him one of the MCU's most calculated villains ever in terms of decision-making:
"We had a lot of conversations early on about how this character would move and speak. Kang is able to experience past, present, and future at the same time. What does that look like? He conserves his energy. There’s not a wasted gesture or word, and if Kang says something, he means it."
Majors also spoke about Ant-Man 3 focusing on the "relationship to time as human beings" for each character, mentioning that the three main themes in the story are "love, friendship, [and] legacy:"
"i think the film is ultimately about our relationship to time as human beings and how time plays within our relationships. Love, friendship, legacy: that’s what the story is about and every character from Hank to Janet to Scott—all of us are touched by that and deal with the threat or promise of time in a different way."
Kang's Internal Power Driving Villainous Story
While fans have only gotten a small taste of Kang's power, more of which was shown in the trailer that exclusively premiered at the D23 Fan Expo, his real power seems to come from within.
This continues a poignant theme for MCU big bads, especially after Thanos revealed his own twisted motivations for wiping out half the universe. However, Kang's own struggles have the potential to be much more dangerous than anything the MCU has ever seen.
Part of this will be due to the fact that Kang will be divided into a seemingly unlimited number of Variants existing across time and space, part of what allows him to thrive simultaneously in the past, present, and future. This kind of power is also sure to drive him ballistic in some form or another as he sets out on his mission for Multiversal conquest, with the pain he's experienced being part of what makes him so focused on achieving his goals.
His first step in moving forward on his quest will come in Ant-Man 3, as Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige revealed that he'll use Scott Lang to get his Time Chair working again. This will allow him to travel anywhere across space and time that he wants, giving him the chance to interact with his Variants and further formulate his plan to truly bend the Multiverse to his will as he sees fit.
After that, with Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars on the way, only time will tell how his internal drive manifests into pure chaos and terror.
Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania will debut in theaters on February 17.
