Disney+'s Loki Season 3 could offer the perfect avenue for Marvel Studios to solve its Kang the Conqueror problem after losing villain actor Jonathan Majors.
After framing the whole Multiverse Saga around Kang the Conqueror, largely due to the talent of Majors, Marvel Studios now faces its toughest problem yet after firing the Avengers 5 star due to his assault conviction.
Rumored solutions have ranged from recasting Kang and all his Variants to pivoting to another Marvel villain such as Doctor Doom.
The MCU's Unresolved Kang Storylines Explained
Between Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania and Loki Season 2, Marvel Studios has left plenty of open plot threads surrounding Jonathan Majors' Kang the Conqueror that were set to lay the groundwork for Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.
The Council of Kangs
Perhaps the greatest showcase of Kang's threat came in Ant-Man 3's post-credits scene as the Council of Kangs was revealed. This teased a place where Kang Variants gather, all of which will now seemingly be going after Earth's Mightiest Heroes after they killed "the exiled one" and began exploring the Multiverse.
The scene placed particular focus on the Immortus, Centurion, and Rama-Tut Variants, but hundreds of Kangs were shown off, setting them up to antagonize the Multiverse in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.
The Council of Kangs also marks arguably Marvel Studios' biggest problem as it indicated that, unlike characters such as Spider-Man, every Variant bears the face of Jonathan Majors. The studio has therefore made it far tougher to simply bring in another Variant who could be played by another Hollywood star.
The TVA Hunting Kangs
While these Council of Kangs are plotting in secret, the Time Variance Authority (TVA) has dedicated itself to hunting down He Who Remains' Variants in the aftermath of Loki Season 2, which would make a strong focus for Season 3.
Owen Wilson's Mobius even delivered a reference to Ant-Man 3's Kang the Conqueror during the scene, noting that "one of 'em caused a little bit of a ruckus on a 616-adjacent realm."
Exactly how the Kang-hunting mission is going won't be clear for some time, but perhaps that could tie into Deadpool & Wolverine, which will see Wade Wilson recruited by the TVA for a Multiverse-saving mission.
Ravonna Renslayer and the Void
After being pruned into the Void, Ravonna Renslayer was left face-to-face with a familiar purple glow, that of Alioth. The all-powerful entity was once used by He Who Remains to end the Multiversal war among his Variants.
With Renslayer in the Void alongside Alioth, the path may be clear for history to repeat itself as she looks to end the second Multiversal war. This could even pave the way for her to work with Loki, the TVA, and the Avengers to stop the Kangs.
Ant-Man's Fear of Kang
Quantumania climaxed with one Kang the Conqueror Variant's defeat at the hands of the shrinking Avengers. But it still left Scott Lang with an overwhelming fear of what he may have unleashed due to Kang's warning of a greater threat looming that would result in disaster if he wasn't free.
The dramatic moment was clearly crafted to leave audiences with an aura of fear for Kang's future villainy while also laying the groundwork for Ant-Man to one day reassemble Earth's Mightiest Heroes in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.
Is Avengers 5 Really Dropping Kang?
Marvel Studios may not have officially dropped its build toward Kang the Conqueror taking on the Avengers yet, but there are plenty of signs the studio is heading in that direction after firing villain actor Jonathan Majors.
The author of the MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios book, Joanna Robinson, previously spoke on The Ringer's The Big Picture podcast and revealed the plan was not always to build the post-Avengers: Endgame saga around Kang.
She claimed the decision came after seeing Majors' performance in Loki and Ant-Man 3 and decided to "set up around this guy Kang and this performer that so many people are reacting to."
Having now lost Majors, who was seemingly the reason behind the MCU's Kang-focused future, Disney has even dropped The Kang Dynasty from the Avengers 5 title while keeping Secret Wars as the subtitle of Avengers 6.
Clearly, the MCU is still moving forward with a Multiversal climax for this saga but will do so with a new title for Avengers 5 that doesn't incorporate the conquering villain after the mixed reactions and poor box office of Quantumania.
While there are reports Marvel Studios will still recast Kang, with Colman Domingo being rumored as one contender, it no longer appears the villain will be at the center of Avengers 5 after being dropped from the title.
That seems to suggest the studio still intends to conclude the Kang storyline with a proper resolution, but that may not come through antagonizing Earth's Mightiest Heroes across two Avengers movies as was once planned.
Loki Season 3 Could Still Happen
If Marvel Studios is looking to conclude Kang the Conqueror's storyline properly but not as the focus of the next Avengers blockbusters, one avenue could be to return to where it all started with Loki Season 3.
Loki originally wasn't expected to return for Season 3, with producer Kevin Wright labeling the first two outings as "two chapters of the same book." But he did leave the door open to start a fresh book going forward in teasing "there are other stories to be told there" in the Loki world.
Wright later explained the team doesn't "want to rush into a Season 3" if the storyline isn't right. He added how there may be potential for some form of spin-off akin to Better Call Saul to Breaking Bad that would further explore the TVA.
As Loki has proven to be the MCU's most successful Disney+ series in terms of both viewership and critical reception, it wouldn't be shocking if Marvel Studios did look to pursue more stories in that world with Season 3.
Loki Season 3's Potential Kang Climax
Arguably, Loki has done the most exploration of the Kang storyline, with Quantumania opening a few further doors such as the Council of Kangs. Perhaps the smoothest avenue to explore the villain further without taking over the next Avengers movies would come with a third season.
Loki Season 3, or perhaps a TVA-centric spin-off led by Owen Wilson's Mobius, could see the Multiversal police chasing down Kang Variants and gradually uncovering the mystery behind the Council of Kangs.
Perhaps Loki, now in his new role as the God of Stories, could be taken from his place holding the Multiverse together by the Council of Kangs. This could send Sylvie and the TVA gang on a rescue mission to rescue their Loki, possibly assembling their own Council of Lokis to counter them.
This may not be the immense Avengers-level conflict Marvel Studios had in mind for Kang the Conqueror, but it would offer a path to conclude the villainous saga while clearing the path for another villain to take over the leading reins.
One rumor claimed Kang will continue to appear in the next Avengers movies but be paired with another villain such as Doctor Doom. Perhaps Victor von Doom could find himself allied with a Kang Variant or maybe even being the one to wipe out the Council of Kangs, establishing himself as a great threat.
The first two seasons of Loki are streaming now, exclusively on Disney+. Avengers 5 is currently scheduled for theatrical release on May 1, 2026.
