Below are spoilers for the first season of Loki.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania star Jonathan Majors has teased that Kang’s “various iterations” will appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
In an interview with a Brazilian outlet Geek Somos (opens in a new tab) (skip to 3:00), Majors, who portrays Kang the Conqueror throughout the Marvel’s Multiverse saga, hinted that we might see other versions of the iconic supervillain in upcoming movies and TV shows.
This may not be a big spoiler. MCU fans who watched Loki season 1 on Disney Plus will know that Majors has already played one of Kang’s other MCU variants – He Who Remains, which appears to be based on Immortus, one of Kang’s comic variants.
In Loki Episode 6, He Who Remains also confirmed that Kang’s other variants will move on to the MCU if Loki and Sylvie kill him, as He Who Remains is the only one who managed to stop other universes (and Kangs) from invading the MCU so-called saint time line. Sylvie ended up murdering He Who Remains, thus helping to initiate the arrival of the multiverse.
What’s interesting about Majors’ comments, though, is that he (or rather Marvel) doesn’t use the word “variant” when discussing Kang’s multiple versions in the multiverse. Instead, a completely different description of the Marvel Phase 5 villain was used, which is sure to pique the interest of comic book fans.
“When they [Marvel] they said there would be different iterations – actually that’s the word they used, they didn’t say variants,” revealed Majors. “So when they said there were different iterations of the character, I was like, ‘Okay, cool, I’d like to take this and stab it.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will be the next Marvel movie to hit theaters. The superhero movie kicks off MCU Phase 5 and, after a somewhat mixed bag in MCU Phase 4, let’s hope Marvel’s cinematic juggernaut gets back on track.
Analysis: an important, multiversal distinction
Spoilers for Doctor Strange 3 and Spider-Man: No Way Home follow.
The distinction between Majors and Marvel’s “different iterations” is important to address. After all, the term “variant” – at least in the context of the MCU – has been used to describe and/or show different incarnations of popular Marvel characters.
Take Doctor Strange 2 for example. In this MCU movie, we saw Benedict Cumberbatch playing four versions of Master of the Mystic Arts. We can classify the other three as variants of the MCU’s Doctor Strange because, aside from the different choices they’ve made in their own universes, they seem to be the same character – someone with the same strengths, weaknesses, and personality – as the MCU version.
The word “iteration” means something completely different to Kang. His use suggests we’ll see other versions of Kang in Phase 5 and Phase 6, but they won’t be the same character we saw in Loki Season 1 or Ant-Man 3.
In his Somos Geeks chat, Majors revealed that each iteration of Kang comes from “a very specific world and has to serve that world… they are a by-product of those worlds.” They move and behave differently.” In our opinion, this quote, combined with Majors’ earlier answer, suggests that we will see some extremely significant versions of Kang brought to life in the MCU.
In the Marvel comics, Kang – the time-traveling genius – has many variants. These include the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Rama-Tut, a turn-of-the-century mayor named Victor Timely, the Doctor Doom-inspired Scarlet Centurion, CEO of Queng Enterprises Mr. Gryphon, and a young vigilante known as Iron Lad. These variants of Kang exist in the Marvel Comics Universe in various eras, are older or younger than Kang himself, and span the spectrum of good and evil.
And that’s what makes Majors and Marvel’s use of “different iterations” so significant. Not only can we see the same version of Kang – someone who is the same age and has the same personality/ambitions as the Ant-Man 3 version – appear in the MCU from now until Avengers: Secret Wars, which is set to hit theaters in 2026
Instead, we could see the Majors portray any or all of the above, which would have made for plenty of enjoyable moments on the big screen. We’ve already seen Marvel take a similar approach in Spider-Man: No Way Home, where Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Men, who are older and more seasoned than Tom Holland’s webslinger, team up with the MCU’s Dutch Spider-Man for a brilliant effect. Why shouldn’t Marvel do the same here and let the Majors play different versions of Kang at different stages in their lives and plans to conquer the multiverse? We’re keeping our fingers crossed (including all of our own multiverse variants) that we’re right with this theory.
For more Marvel-based content, read how to watch the Marvel movies in order. Alternatively, find out everything there is to know about Loki season 2, or see which MCU TV series made it onto our list of the best Disney Plus shows.