Ant-Man 3 Theory: Defeating Kang The Conqueror Will Prove The Avengers' Undoing
Contains spoilers for "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania."
Well, it looks like the events of "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" may have just doomed the Avengers, and the rest of the universe. The first film to kick off Marvel's Phase 5 sees Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and the rest of the Ant-Gang transported to the Quantum Realm, where they meet Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors). Marvel Studios is going all in on Kang, with the time-traveling menace set to be the franchise's next big bad, in the same vein as Thanos (Josh Brolin). Phase Six of the ever-expanding saga will feature two back-to-back "Avengers" films: "The Kang Dynasty" and "Secret Wars."
While the events of the insect-themed threequel see Kang the Conqueror defeated at the hands of the Ant-Fam, the film's mid and post-credits sequences confirm that there are more Kang variants out there. Scott, meanwhile, ends his third solo outing in doubt, debating if the Conqueror is really dead, questioning if his actions will have ripple effects. The possibilities are practically endless, and fans are running with that very hypothesis when it comes to theorizing the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Reddit user u/impossibilia says that "this [version] is trapped in that core with infinite probability versions of himself and is using that to becoming the ultimate Kang." Ouch. "Quantumania" ends with Kang transported inside the core, with no confirmation that he's dead. This prospect certainly doesn't bode well for Ant-Man and the rest of the Avengers. "That tracks with the ending where Scott is panicking that he may have caused something terrible," the Redditor continued, echoing sentiments presented by other theorizers.
Fans think Kang the Conqueror will return as the Beyonder
Most fans who saw "Ant-Man" threequel agree that Kang the Conqueror isn't dead. In fact, they're certain that he'll be the doom of the Avengers. User u/iAmTheHYPE suggests that Kang, now absorbed into the core, will be able to harness infinite "possibility" duplications of himself, coming back stronger than ever. Why is the idea of an infinite number of Kang the Conquerors more deadly than the Council of Kangs? u/Starrystars says that his variants are all unique in their own way and could disagree. "But the possibilities of himself are the same [Conqueror] and should have the same goal. Like with all the Scotts working together to build the ant bridge," the user continued.
With this ultimate power, as a result of being trapped inside the core, what could Kang do? Or rather, what could he become? "Calling it now, Kang getting kicked into the multiversal ships core will result in him gaining powers to then become the Beyonder," says user u/Alternative-Ad-2475. Fans of the comics will know that the omnipotent Beyonder is the one who orchestrates the Secret Wars. Which "Avengers" film is set to release a year after "The Kang Dynasty"? The adaptation of "Secret Wars."
"I'm 100% certain that 'Kang Dynasty' will involve the council taking over 616 then 'Secret Wars' is them fighting Conqueror/Beyinder and the Avengers getting swept up into the conflict on both sides," says user u/Vexingwings0052, providing possibly last piece to the puzzle that is this Kang theory.