For this year’s Comic-Con, Disney’s Marvel definitely did not disappoint. The crowd went absolutely wild upon the reveal of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU) Phase 5 and Phase 6 slate of films and TV shows. It’s official folks, we are now living in the era of “The Multiverse Saga”. While we were pumped to get more info for upcoming films this year like “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” and teases into exciting future projects like “The Thunderbolts”, we couldn’t help but be drawn to the title of the next major MCU crossover. Move over “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and “Doctor Stranger in the Multiverse of Madness” because here comes “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty”!
We first learned of Kang, otherwise known as Nathaniel Richards, in the first season finale of “Loki” from a variant of the character, He Who Remains. We hear stories of how before the Time Variance Authority (T.V.A.) and the Sacred Timeline was formed, the multiverse was engulfed in chaos and war. Now that He Who Remains is no longer running the T.V.A., Kang, and possibly multiple Kangs, are now on the loose. So what terrible fate does Kang have in store for the MCU? Stick with us as we break down the plot, cast, characters and the possible Phase 5 film and TV show connections to “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty”.
From Comics Books to Cinema Screen
So we know Marvel Studios is fond of loosely adapting major crossover events in comics, as seen in the last three “Avengers” films adapting plot beats from “Age of Ultron” and “Infinity Gauntlet”. Therefore, it makes sense to deduce that most of the film’s plot will be based on the 2001 Avengers storyline entitled “Kang Dynasty”. It can get quite dense, so we’re boiling the arc down to its essentials.
Ready? Here we go.
At some point in time, Kang and his son Marcus, also known as the Scarlet Centurion, appears in the main Earth-616 universe, in front of the United Nations (UN). The Avengers arrive to battle him, only to be defeated. He then proceeds to inform the UN of the horrible alternate fates that await Earth before declaring himself its saviour and taking over the planet. He accomplishes this by offering a place in his new empire to those who pledge their loyalty to him and aid him in conquering the world. Long story short, the Avengers rally forces from all over Earth and outside of it to defeat Kang. Kang is defeated and the world is saved.
We know trying to faithfully adapt the entire 2001 event wouldn’t be feasible, so certain creative liberties would have to be taken to alter the plot. The very title of the film “The Kang Dynasty” would imply that the film would revolve around Kang trying to set up a long-reigning empire with multiple successors. After all, you can’t have a dynasty if you don’t have heirs. So it’s more than likely that we’ll see some version of Marcus or even a younger Variant of Kang accompany the time-travelling conqueror in his quest for power. Will Kang’s successor prove to be as deadly as the man himself? We’ll have to wait to find out.
Phase 5 Connections
Now, let’s take a look at how some of the different films and TV shows in Phase 5 could play a role in setting the stage for “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty”. While we never officially met Kang the Conqueror in the first season of “Loki”, He Who Remains, who is a Variant of Kang, alludes to his eventual coming if he should die. We can confirm that Kang in fact will be appearing in 2023’s “Ant-Man: Quantumania” as the film’s main villain.
The Quantum Realm, as seen in “Avengers: Endgame”, is a dimension where the laws of time and space are rather fluid. Through the use of a Quantum Tunnel, the Avengers were able utilise the Quantum Realm to successfully travel back in time. In the comics, Kang is infamous for his time-travelling escapades, using information from the past and future for his own gain. We predict that in “Quantumania”, Kang will battle Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne for the secrets of Quantum Realm. One that will make him a master of time and space.
The next Phase 5 property that Kang will definitely make an appearance in will be the second season of “Loki”. In the ending of the first season finale, we see Loki being transported back to the T.V.A. except this time, it’s been taken over by Kang. Judging by Loki’s meeting with one very confused Mobius, played by Owen Wilson. It seems Kang has replaced the previous Mobius we once knew with a new variant. Or possibly messed with the time stream to make it seem like he’s been running T.V.A. since forever. Yes, yes we hate time-travel as much as you do.
The first thing Loki will probably do in the second season of the show is look for his dear lover, Sylvie. From there, he’ll probably mount a resistance against Kang by exposing the secret history of the Multiversal War the various Variants of Kang waged, one that took place before He Who Remains stabilised the timeline. Something Loki had planned to do in the finale of the first season before the shocking revelation of Kang’s takeover of the T.V.A. was learned. Chances are that Kang will use the resources of the T.V.A. and the secrets he learned in “Quantumania” to possibly either rewrite the history of Earth-616 or outright conquer the planet.
Which brings us to “Captain America: New World Order”. As of now, there aren’t a lot of details concerning the plot of the film. That being said, due to its close proximity in terms of date to “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty” we can speculate that the film will play some major role in setting the stage for Kang’s arrival. Based on the “Kang Dynasty” comics, we know that Kang calls upon the forces of Earth to divide and conquer the world in his name. In the wake of a new Captain America and the uncertainty of humanity’s place in the universe, let alone the multiverse, after events like Thanos’ snap and multiple multiversal invasions, it would make sense that some organisations on Earth would side Kang. Especially if he promises them a new world order where they’re on top.
At the end of “Falcon and the Winter Soldier“, we see one very mysterious Valentina Allegra de Fontaine help rebrand the disgraced John Walker as U.S. Agent. We’ve also seen her pull strings in the background of the “Hawkeye” series. She could serve as the main antagonist of the film, further destabilising the United States and the world to prepare the way for Kang to make his grand entrance. We also suspect that the MCU is setting her up to be an evil version of Nick Fury. The one who gathers the various anti-heroes and villains of Earth to form her own Avengers-like team, the Thunderbolts. With the T.V.A. and the Thunderbolts by his side, Kang would be more than ready to set up his new empire!
Phase 6 Connections
Then there’s the final piece of the puzzle and the first film of Phase 6, “Fantastic Four”. For those not in the know, Reed Richards and the Fantastic Four have long battled against the nefarious Kang the Conqueror throughout Marvel comic history. One of the reasons is due to the fact that Kang, also known as Nathaniel Richards, is a distant descendant of the World’s Smartest Man! Will Kang be the main villain of the “Fantastic Four” film? Unlikely, that spot is reserved for none other than the legendary Doctor Doom.
Interestingly enough, Doctor Doom and Kang have recently teamed up in comics, namely in the sixth issue of Christopher Cantwell’s “Doctor Doom” solo series in 2020. We predict that in “The Kang Dynasty”, Doom along with Fontaine will side with Kang in his conquest of the planet Earth. Initially, Kang will have the upper hand as the Thunderbolts and Doom wage a devastating war against the combined forces of the Avengers and the Fantastic Four. Then just as things seem to be at their most dire, Doom will betray Kang and seize power for himself. How do we know this will happen? It’s Doctor Doom guys…need we say more?
With Kang’s defeat and `his dynasty ruined, it paves the way for the Latverian ruler to become God Emperor Doom which leads into “Avengers: Secret Wars”! That film deserves a whole other discussion in of itself. In any case, there you have it folks, our breakdown of the connections between Phase 5 and Phase 6’s films and TV shows to “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty”.
Cast and Characters
As for the cast of “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty”, there are a number of actors we can say with certainty will be appearing in the film. Jonathan Majors will be reprising his role as the titular Kang the Conqueror and will no doubt be joined by co-star Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson as Captain America and John Krasinski’s Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four. Characters who have a high chance of appearing in the film include past members of the Avengers. This includes Ant-Man played by Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly as the Wasp, Captain Marvel played by Brie Larson, Bruce Banner / Smart Hulk played by Mark Ruffalo, Thor Odinson played by Chris Hemsworth and Doctor Strange played by Benedict Cumberbatch.
We also don’t want to rule out the Guardians of the Galaxy joining the fun but perhaps with the inclusion of the Fantastic Four in “Kang Dynasty”, we might not see them featured in the film. Perhaps Will Poulter’s Adam Warlock will play a key factor in tilting the scales in favour of Earth’s heroes. Until then, we can’t know for certain. Solo heroes like Tatiana Maslany’s She-Hulk, Oscar Isaac’s Moon Knight, Mahershala Ali’s Blade, Iman Vellan’s Ms Marvel and Simu Li’s Shang Chi may make quick cameos in the film but we can’t know for certain. The film is set to be directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, who also made “Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”.
Well that’s all we know for now about “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty”! Be sure to stay tuned for future updates.
