With numerous Variants of Kang the Conqueror on the way into the MCU after Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, there's one that will specifically have Tom Hiddleston's Loki spooked ahead of Loki Season 2.
Jonathan Majors finally delivered the proper debut of Kang in Ant-Man 3, following up on his performance as the He Who Remains Variant in Season 1 of Loki. These two projects are only the first steps in his journey as the MCU's next huge antagonist after Josh Brolin's Thanos, with starring appearances already confirmed for 2025's Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars.
Loki Season 2 is also set to revisit the Kang storyline after He Who Remains' death sent the Multiverse into chaos, with promotional footage already teasing how the Time Variance Authority will endure without him.
And now, after the second of Ant-Man 3's post-credits scenes, the God of Mischief will have an even clearer picture of the dangers that lie in front of him.
Ant-Man 3 Post-Credits Explained: Who is Marvel’s Victor Timely?
Warning - the rest of this article contains spoilers for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
The second post-credits scene for Marvel Studios' Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania introduces the fifth new Kang Variant in the MCU, this one known as Victor Timely.
The story goes to a year that appears to be in the 1800s, as Jonathan Majors is seen on stage giving a presentation about time, with a big placard reading "Victor Timely and his Astounding Temporal Marvels." Timely then goes into his presentation by going into the following short monologue:
"Time is everything. It shapes our lives, but perhaps, we can shape it!."
The camera then cuts to Tom Hiddleston's Loki and Owen Wilson's Mobius in the audience, with the God of Mischief's face showing a look of pure terror as he recognizes the same face he saw when he met He Who Remains. Although Mobius doesn't see this new Variant as much of a threat, Loki makes it clear that Timely is nothing to take lightly:
Loki: "It's him..."
Mobius: "You made him sound like this terrifying figure..."
Loki: "He is..."
This is likely Loki's first interaction with another Kang Variant after watching Sylvie kill He Who Remains in the final episode of Loki Season 1 - a moment that ended with the Multiverse and the "Sacred Timeline" going into chaos.
Victor Timely’s True Loki Season 2 Role
In the comics, Victor Timely is a Variant of Kang that went back in time to the year 1901 and founded a town called Timely, Wisconsin, establishing it as a haven of technology with his knowledge from the future and all across time. It's also where he built his capital city of Chronopolis, which was reenvisioned to be the city he built within the Quantum Realm in Ant-Man 3.
His choice of name not only ties back to his place as a Multiversal time traveler, but it's also a nod to the real world's Timely Comics, which was what Marvel Comics was called before it eventually changed in 1961.
In this post-credits scene, Victor appears to be presenting some kind of time travel device as part of his expo, which could be what leads Loki and Mobius to him at that moment in time. After all, they'll be searching for anything tying back to Kang once they find out more information on He Who Remains, with multiple Kang Variants confirmed to play a role in Season 2 of Loki already.
Loki is going to be hellbent on figuring out everything he can about Kang after the first Variant from Season 1 threw the Time Variance Authority for a loop, with the organization looking to set the Multiverse on the right course in Season 2.
How Jonathan Majors’ New Variant Connects to Quantumania’s Kangs
This new Variant is one of the countless versions of Kang that will make their presence felt throughout the rest of the Multiverse Saga, a few of which already came through in Ant-Man 3.
Along with the Warrior Kang Variant that served as the main villain, the mid-credits scene brought the Council of Kangs to life for the first time within the MCU. At the head of this group were Immortus, Rama-Tut, and Scarlet Centurion, although there are now thousands of Kang Variants outside of that trio that are all in the same place interacting with each other.
Victor Timely will likely be the main Variant used in Season 2 of Loki, although there's a good chance that more will make their way into the plot as Loki uncovers more secrets about the Multiversal big bad. This could mean that any of the three previously mentioned Variants may be in line for a quick cameo by the time the season ends, but even if that doesn't happen, it won't be long before these Variants come into contact with one another.
The Multiverse could be explored more deeply in solo projects like Deadpool 3 and Fantastic Four, the prior of which is rumored to truly break the Multiverse open for the first time. And after that, Majors' villains will be the core focus of 2025's Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and 2026's Avengers: Secret Wars, taking the spotlight as Earth's Mightiest Heroes try to take every version of Kang down.
As for Victor Timely himself, this Variant could be in line for appearances in any of those movies given the potential he has to inspire so much of human history. He may be what pushes future scientists like Howard Stark and Hank Pym towards huge discoveries over the next century once he truly asserts himself as a force in the early 1900s.
For Season 2 specifically, this could be the first time that Loki sees tangible evidence of how terrifying Kang can be with Victor Timely's technological expertise finally coming to life in this presentation. The time travel device could open the door for even more chaos in the Multiverse, putting Loki and Mobius behind the eight ball in terms of catching Victor and figuring out his endgame.
But on the other hand, this Variant could simply be another pawn in the game for Loki, especially with him likely appearing quite early in Season 2. He Who Remains didn't fully arrive until the final episode of Season 1, which could mean that Victor Timely is just the first of many more dangerous versions of Kang that will make their presence felt next season.
Regardless of when, how, or which Variant makes its mark, Kang is confirmed to be a powerhouse for the foreseeable future, with Variants becoming an increasingly important concept for the MCU as a whole.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumaina is now playing in theaters worldwide.
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