Avengers: The Kang Dynasty Already Suffers from an MCU Kang Trend
It would be simple for the MCU to feature Kang’s different versions as antagonists in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. Still, it could negatively impact Avengers: The Kang Dynasty if they don’t maintain a proper balance.
The MCU establishes a pattern by incorporating Kang the Conqueror and his different versions, which may affect Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. Although he had already been announced to play Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, his appearance in Loki was unexpected.
Subsequently, his death in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania held significant importance for various reasons. It was unexpected that he didn’t kill Ant-Man, but his demise also opened up the chance to introduce more versions of him, such as Victor Timely, Immortus, Rama-Tut, and Scarlet Centurion.
His different versions could become the main focus of upcoming projects leading to Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. How the MCU decides to utilize and feature them will have a long-lasting effect on the Multiverse Saga’s significance and prosperity.
In Avengers 5, Kang’s Repeated Failure Faces the Risk of Making Him Look Weak
Up to this point, the MCU has only presented two significant versions of Kang, and both have ultimately lost in their respective projects. However, the situations of He Who Remains in Loki and Kang in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is quite distinct.
He Who Remains has a captivating episode in which he efficiently explains the MCU’s understanding of the multiverse and demonstrates the capabilities of himself and his variations.
Although Sylvie’s revenge-driven killing of him was poignant, in the broader perspective of Kang the Conqueror’s character, He Who Remains’ death was somewhat unremarkable.
The defeat of Kang in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania may be deceiving. Although it appeared that Ant-Man was about to lose, Wasp intervened, and, working together, the heroes managed to force Kang back into his multiverse engine.
As the engine collapsed, it sucked Kang into oblivion, presumably killing him. However, given Marvel’s strategies and designs, this could have led to Kang evolving into something more dominant for Avengers: Secret Wars. While his defeat did involve a fight, it also had the potential to create a disturbing pattern for the MCU.
The Council of Kangs may serve as hidden antagonists in various projects in Phases 5 and 6, but portraying them in that manner could lead to more consistent defeats for Kang.
He and his variations are known for their immense power and intelligence and are considered a significant threat. However, if they continue to lose against individual heroes, it could diminish their perceived danger. This could ultimately result in a weakening of the stakes in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.
Kang’s death removes potential villains from the Kang Dynasty
The MCU has the option to use Kang’s variants as a way to connect different storylines by including brief appearances or cameos. Still, there’s also a real chance that some could be significant antagonists. One variant, Rama-Tut, has excellent potential for the latter role.
As Kang’s Egyptian Pharaoh variant, Rama-Tut could be instrumental in bringing together the MCU’s West Coast Avengers or play a crucial part in a different MCU project. While this has the potential to be an exciting development in setting up Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, Rama-Tut could be another example of the MCU’s struggle with creating compelling villains.
The MCU has a history of crafting intriguing and dynamic villains, only to dispose of them permanently, contrasting with the comics. Villains in the comics tend to recur and have a presence throughout the continuity; even death does not necessarily signify an end.
However, the MCU has followed a different approach with a few exceptions, such as Loki, Zemo, and Thanos. Therefore, villains like Hela, Killmonger, and Wenwu, portrayed effectively and had meaningful deaths, were ultimately limited to a single appearance.
Although their exits had significance, the MCU could have explored more possibilities if they had not been killed off.
The situation with Kang and his variants is distinct from other MCU villains. Although Kang was defeated in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, he is expected to return at some point since he is the main Kang the Conqueror.
However, this may differ for Rama-Tut, Scarlet Centurion, and other variants. They could be permanently eliminated if they are featured as significant adversaries in upcoming films or TV shows.
This could reduce the long-term stakes of the Multiverse Saga and limit the resources available to Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.
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Avengers 5 may feel less distinctive if Kang’s variations are overused
The potential for overusing Kang is a primary concern for the MCU, with the Council of Kangs now in play. Unlike Thanos, who was introduced gradually and used sparingly in the Infinity Saga, the mere possibility of Kang’s variants appearing in multiple projects could result in the overexposure of the character.
This is a significant risk for the MCU, which faces superhero movie fatigue due to the frequent Phase 4 releases. Adding character fatigue to the mix could adversely affect Kang’s reception, making it essential to use him carefully and deliberately.
The end-credit scene in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania presented an intriguing premise for Loki. While it is too early to speculate on the details, it opened up the possibility for Loki and Mobius to search for other Kang variants in season 2 and Victor Timely He Who Remains could also make a comeback.
However, if not executed with care and effectiveness, this could weaken Kang’s brand and undermine his potential impact on the MCU.
The main point is about how the portrayal and role of Kang’s variants are crucial in maintaining their distinctiveness and avoiding repetitiveness. Even the frequent use of these variants in minor appearances or post-credits scenes, aimed at teasing the future storyline leading to Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars, has drawbacks.
This approach may become monotonous and undermine the impact of Kang’s future appearances, leading to fatigue among viewers. Additionally, it could exacerbate the issue of the MCU, leaving viewers with unresolved big teases for extended periods.
How The MCU Can Improve Kang’s Performance
Finding the right balance is the key to effectively utilizing Kang in the MCU. The challenge is avoiding overusing and underusing him as they build up to Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and his potential return.
To strike this balance, they should mix the roles of Kang’s variants in their significance, narrative purpose, and interactions with other characters. This will showcase Kang’s broad potential in the MCU.
While it’s okay to use Rama-Tut or Scarlet Centurion as the primary villain, it’s all okay to diversify their involvement with more minor roles and cameos.
The MCU could add interest by allowing Kang to achieve a victory. This would increase the stakes, with the possibility of a tragic ending for one or more heroes, thus building Kang’s reputation as a formidable adversary.
Unlike Avengers: Infinity War, the heroes may not necessarily lose in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, or at least they may defeat the Council of Kangs. However, the multiverse must still be destroyed for Avengers: Secret Wars to occur.
Establishing a genuine triumph for Kang before Avengers: The Kang Dynasty would be an ideal way to elevate his overall MCU storyline.
To effectively incorporate Kang’s variants in future projects, including Loki season 2, it’s essential to balance highlighting their shared qualities and showcasing their uniqueness. Each variant should threaten the MCU heroes, but exploring how they’re utilized is essential to avoid another generic battle.
Using He Who Remains in Loki can serve as an excellent example of how to subvert expectations and enhance both the individual and overarching narratives. Including Kang’s ruthless nature doesn’t mean everything has to culminate in a CGI spectacle.
It’s unnecessary for the MCU always to use Kang as a villain; in the comics, he has also been portrayed as a hero. Portraying Kang as a hero in the MCU could add to the audience’s understanding of his character.
Even though Kang is not allied with his variants, he could return as a hero in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and assist the Avengers in defeating them, which would provide more depth to his character arc leading up to A; Engineers: Secret Wars.
By using Kang’s variants to distinguish them from each other, the MCU can ensure that Avengers: The Kang Dynasty is flourishing and helps advance the MCU’s overarching narrative.
