The surprise announcement of Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and its follow-up Avengers: Secret Wars shook the ground at San Diego Comic-Con. While many had speculated Jonathan Majors's Kang the Conqueror would play a major (no pun intended) role in upcoming films, his name is now attached to one of the capstone movies of the newly dubbed Multiverse Saga.
From just slight glimpses of an alternate Kang in the form of He Who Remains in Loki, Majors has proven he's up to the task of portraying one of Marvel's most notorious and powerful villains. Marvel Studios is already setting the stage for the coming Conqueror with official art released of him for the first time. The first real look at the next big bad of the MCU is on its way in 2023 with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and that's really only the beginning of the exciting things to come.
Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige, along with Majors himself, have shared some thoughts on the character in the wake of the recent announcements that give a glimpse at what fans can expect.
Kang Carries the Multiverse (Saga) On His Shoulders
Brandon Davis from ComicBook interviewed Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige at SDCC and addressed the topic of Kang's incredible presence throughout the Multiverse. Feige firmly put his faith in actor Jonathan Majors to portray the Conqueror, saying that there was "nobody’s shoulders I’d rather be putting the Multiverse Saga on than his."
Feige also hinted at "different incarnations" or "Variants" of Kang appearing throughout the Saga:
"It’s really impressive what Jonathan Majors is able to do. And all the different incarnations, Variants, if you will, of Kang that we will see him do. It’s really pretty cool.”
Majors himself also had some thoughts about his character(s) and answered questions from Variety on Twitter. When asked what he wanted fans to know about Kang, Majors said “I just want people to be curious about him… Come with your curiosity… I think he’s worth it.”
On the topic of joining the MCU, Majors called his fellow actors "odd, beautiful, artists" who are "very human, very open, very unique." Considering the recent announcements, he added that "to join the fold officially, and in such a capacity, feels like coming home. It feels comforting in a way.”
Majors was also sure to share how "surreal" it was to see himself on the screen as Kang::
“Yeah, it was surreal. It was so surreal that actually as I was backstage watching the clip, I was listening to the voice and the words, and I went, ‘I know that… but where’s that coming [from]?’ And then I went, ‘Oh that’s him! That’s him. That’s Kang.’ You know, that’s how surreal it’s been. And then, I was just over there when my friend and publicist showed me the Kang Dynasty beat and that was wild. So I’m still… I apologize because I’m just so afloaty.”
All Roads Lead to Kang
It's really a great time to be an MCU fan. Not only are there a TON of new projects to look forward to, they're all set to build up to a saga shaped by an incredible character portrayed by an incredible actor. Majors was phenomenal in the short screentime he had in Loki, and it's incredibly exciting to imagine what he'll do across three Phases of films and shows.
While Thanos didn't play much of a role in the Infinity Saga until his dramatic appearance in Avengers: Infinity War, it's pretty safe to say that Kang will have a much greater presence across the Multiverse Saga. There was one Thanos, but there are a great many Kangs, all of whom have their own unique personalities, goals, and methods of claiming power. Every confrontation has the chance to be a completely different affair, and that will ensure that both fans and heroes alike are constantly on their toes right up until the Saga's conclusion.
Marvel Studios also has a chance to do something a bit different with this Saga than they could with the last. Having seen what worked and what didn't in the first three Phases, they can adapt their strategy to build their big bad up across years of movies and shows to truly hammer home the threat the Multiverse faces from the Conqueror and his Variants. While Thanos appeared only in short scenes and post-credits segments, the Kangs will make their presence known first hand (and indeed, they already have).
Gone are the days of intermediaries like Loki and Ronan the Accuser engaged in fetch quests for a master on a throne. The era of Kang has begun, and the heroes of the MCU will have to face down the most dangerous man in the Multiverse many times over if they hope to preserve the worlds they love.
For all those not lucky enough to view the footage live at SDCC, the wait for Kang's next showing in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will be a difficult one. The film, and the Conqueror along with it, reaches our universe on February 17, 2023.
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