Ant-Man 3 Director Peyton Reed Details How Kang's Unique Attributes Open The MCU Up To Wildly New Story Terrain - Exclusive
Marvel Studios has kicked off Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In the new release "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania," fans are introduced to Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors), a time-traveling, Multiverse tyrant with as many Variants as Hank Pym has ants. Here, he's exiled to the Quantum Realm and needs to convince Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and his family to help him repair his ship and escape his quantum prison.
Kang is one of The Avengers' most dangerous and complex foes, with a Multiverse full of formidable Variants, combat prowess, and futuristic technology, which is a big part of what makes the Marvel villain so terrifying. Marvel's comic book history is laden with multiple Kang Variants, from the heroic Iron Lad to the vibrant Scarlet Centurion, and different Kang Variants have often opposed each other. On some occasions, Variants have even partnered with The Avengers to thwart another Variant.
Because of this, the sky's the limit for future MCU drama. In an exclusive interview with Looper, "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" director Peyton Reed discussed the wide array of potential storylines that Kang makes possible and what makes him a novel villain.
Let every Kang be master of his time
"What makes him unique in the pantheon of Marvel villains, and certainly from Thanos, is that there are Kang Variants," Peyton Reed said. "He's at war with our heroes, but he's also at war with himself." Beyond He Who Remains from "Loki" and Kang the Conqueror from "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania," Reed noted there's a "Council of Kangs." This includes Rama-Tut, Immortus, the Scarlet Centurion, and various others. "It's an exciting thing that we haven't seen played out in the MCU," Reed said.
As a consequence of these complex dynamics, there is bound to be intrigue in-universe and amongst fans. This also means so much can be explored, like the power structure among Kangs, as Reed noted.
"You could be in for something that's almost like a mafia/godfather-style thing, where they each have their lanes that they're in," Reed said. "You stay in your lane, but if you go in this other lane, something bad might happen." Reed found these prospects worth exploring in future Marvel entries. "I love the idea that they could all have different ideas about what the Multiverse [is] or how it should be run, so I do think that there's a lot in store for Marvel fans [in terms of] what this could mean for the larger universe."
The MCU heroes, as Reed pointed out, are just starting to discover the Multiverse, as seen with Spider-Man and Doctor Strange. This raises the question whether or not Kang threatens this power structure. It also means there is room for even more drama to come in the MCU.
"Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" is now in theaters.