Summary
- Kang the Conqueror may need to be somewhat disappointing in order to set up future storylines in the MCU’s Multiverse Saga.
- The high stakes and possibilities introduced by the multiverse concept in the MCU may make it difficult to amp up the tension and stakes after the threat of Kang.
- It would make sense to downscale Kang and his variants in order to maintain building tensions and avoid potential anticlimactic moments in future storylines.
For the sake of the MCU’s future after Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, Kang the Conqueror may need to be somewhat disappointing. Primed to be a predominant villain in the MCU’s current Multiverse Saga, it’s not wrong to assume that Kang will be as dangerous as Thanos was in the preceding Infinity Saga. However, this may not be the case for the sake of what will come after the fifth Avengers movie.
Having been teased in Marvel’s Loki series, Kang the Conqueror made his official debut in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania along with many of his variants in the MCU’s multiverse. At the same time, concepts of the multiverse itself and heroes from other dimensions have been gradually introduced since the beginning of Marvel’s Phase 4. Set to culminate with Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and subsequently Avengers: Secret Wars, it’s expected that the Multiverse Saga will threaten all realities and dimensions along with the MCU’s primary universe Earth-616. As a result, this may mean that Kang and/or his variants will be more underpowered than expected.
The MCU Can’t Keep Amping Up After The Multiverse Saga
While Thanos the Mad Titan threatened the entire universe in the preceding Infinity Saga, Kang the Conqueror is now being set up to threaten the entire multiverse in this new saga. However, it’s unclear where the MCU will be taking audiences next after such massively high stakes and all the possibilities that come from the multiverse concept itself. It will certainly make it hard to amp things up and build stakes going forward after the threat of Kang in Avengers 5.
Keeping that in mind, it would make sense to downscale Kang the Conqueror and any versions of his variants, allowing the MCU can continue building tensions for a while longer. Otherwise, any follow-ups building to the end of the Multiverse Saga will likely feel inherently anticlimactic or way too over the top as a result (especially if Marvel Studios decides to keep the multiverse and its potential intact after the saga’s end).
Why The MCU Has Already Hinted Kang Won’t Be As Big A Villain As Thanos
Kang not being as powerful as expected in Avengers 5 may be what’s best for the Multiverse Saga, allowing the MCU to keep building toward someone or something bigger with Avengers: Secret Wars. The fact that The Kang Dynasty is coming first before Secret Wars is a strong indicator of this idea. After all, Kang has not yet been confirmed as the main villain of Secret Wars. In fact, it may be beneficial for the MCU if Kang doesn’t pull double duty as Thanos did in Infinity War and Endgame. Instead, Avengers: Secret Wars could deal with any potential multiverse fallout from Kang’s possible defeat in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.
