Several once-important characters might be forgotten in theMCUnow thatKang the Conquerorhas been replaced as the primary antagonist of the Multiverse Saga. In the wake of Thanos' defeat inAvengers: Endgameand the conclusion of the Infinity Saga, Marvel Studios introduced Jonathan Majors asKang the Conqueror and his villainous variantsto replace the Mad Titan. Now that Kang and his variants seem to have been removed from the MCU, some of his most exciting supporting characters might unfortunately also be quietly moved on from.
Jonathan Majors' arrest and conviction in 2023led to him being fired from Marvel Studios, which left Kang’s future as a Multiverse Saga threat uncertain. Robert Downey Jr. was revealed to be returning to the MCU during 2024’s San Diego Comic-Con, not as Tony Stark’s Iron Man, but asDoctor Doom, the iconic Marvel supervillainwho is certainly capable of replacing Kang.The Kang DynastybecameAvengers: Doomsday, and Kang has all but been forgotten, which leaves his fate and those of his supporting characters in jeopardy.
6Kang The Conqueror
Kang The Conqueror Debuted In 2023’s Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania
While Kang wasn’t the first version of Jonathan Majors' multiversal villain to be introduced to the MCU, he was billed as the primary antagonist of the Multiverse Saga, with even his other variants being afraid of him.Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumaniarevealed thatKang had been exiled to the Quantum Realm, where he met Janet Van Dyne, who helped him rebuild his multiversal chair-ship, allowing him to acquire some of his powers, but not enough to leave his prison. Instead,Kang made his empire in the Quantum Realm, and eventually came face-to-face with Ant-Man and his family.
10 Questions That The MCU Might Never Answer About Kang
With Jonathan Majors dropped from the franchise and the MCU reportedly moving away from his character, there are many unanswered questions about Kang.
Kang the Conqueror tried to manipulate Scott Lang into getting back his multiversal power core, which he did, butthe villain was then defeated by the combined might of Ant-Man, Hope van Dyne’s Wasp, Cassie Lang, Hank Pym’s ants and MODOK. Thrust into his own engine and seemingly killed, theories suggested Kang could have been on track to return as an even more powerful antagonist, but this seems very unlikely now. Instead, it seems as though Ant-Man and the Wasp might have actually killed Kang the Conqueror, establishing him as not much of a threat after all.
5Ravonna Renslayer
Ravonna Renslayer Debuted In 2021’s Loki Season 1
Gugu Mbatha-Raw’sLokicharacter was a very interesting addition to the MCU, as she was an adaptation of Kang’s long-running love-interest from Marvel Comics.Ravonna Renslayer was first depicted as a Judgein the Time Variance Authority, butshe went rogue after learning that the Time Keepers were fake, and soon learned that she had actually helped He Who Remains to win the Multiversal War and establish the TVA. This made her incredibly important to Kang’s development, and this may have continued in the MCU’s future, but it doesn’t seem like this will be the case now.
Lokiseason 2 ended with Ravonna Renslayer being pruned and ending up in the Void at the End of Time, where she came face-to-face with Alioth. This creature devours every organic thing in the Void, so, while we never actually saw Ravonna meet her demise, it seems likely that Alioth had its fill with her.Ravonna could have reappeared alongside Kang and any number of his variants, but it’s more likely that Marvel Studios will simply kill her off, leaving her history with He Who Remains and any possible future unexplored.
4He Who Remains
He Who Remains Debuted In 2021’s Loki Season 1
He Who Remains was the first version of Kang that Jonathan Majors played in the MCU, debuting as the mastermind behind the TVA and the guardian of theSacred Timeline inLokiseason 1’s finale.He Who Remains was introduced as an antihero, having won the Multiversal War and established the Sacred Timeline to ensure his more villainous variants didn’t get a chance to emerge. In doing so, however, he and the TVA pruned entire branching timelines, killing trillions by sending them to the Void where they can be devoured by Alioth.
Nathaniel Richards made his Marvel Comics debut in 1963’sFantastic Four #19, though made his first appearance as Kang in 1964’sThe Avengers #8.
This chain of events was eventually stopped by Sophia Di Martino’s Sylvie and Tom Hiddleston’s Loki in the latter’s eponymous series.Sylvie killed He Who Remains in season 1, and Loki refused to save him in season 2, instead letting him die and replacing him as the guardian of the newYggdrasil-shaped multiverse. This ended He Who Remains' storyline, and the removal of Jonathan Majors means a new He Who Remains won’t be winning any upcoming Multiversal War and taking his place in the Citadel at the End of Time.
3Council Of Kangs
The Council Of Kangs Debuted In 2023’s Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania
As well as appearing as Kang the Conqueror inAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Jonathan Majors also debuted as severalmembers of the Council of Kangs.The introduction of Immortus, the Centurion and the Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh, Rama-Tut, was an exciting development for the MCU, but this is now running the risk of going nowhere. It was perhaps a mistake for Marvel Studios to reveal that all the members of the Council of Kangs are played by Jonathan Majors, as not doing this would have created the opportunity for Kang to be recast following Majors' firing.
Since Majors did play every Council of Kangs member, however, including ones depicted as a lizard, lots of basic variants and one suspected to be Mister Gryphon, Marvel has missed this chance. The Council of Kangs promised to pose a threat to the entire multiverse and Earth’s heroes inAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which meansthe group of Kang variants has now become a major loose end. Marvel Studios can either find a way to subtly kill off the Council of Kangs, perhaps with Doctor Doom wiping them out, or save them for a later date.
2Miss Minutes
Miss Minutes Debuted In 2021’s Loki Season 1
Tara Strong voices the anthropomorphic clock mascot of the Time Variance Authority in the MCU, but her future as the animated Miss Minutes is unclear after Kang’s removal from the franchise.Miss Minutes was introduced as a virtual assistant to everyone in the TVA, and may have been rebuilt as such after the events ofLokiseason 2, but the fact that she was created by He Who Remains means she is intricately connected to the villain and his variants. This leaves her fate uncertain, especially after her omission from theTVA-set scenes in 2024’sDeadpool & Wolverine.
A revamped version of Miss Minutes could have easily appeared alongsideMatthew Macfadyen’s Mr. Paradox inDeadpool & Wolverine, but the fact that she was ignored in this new TVA suggests the entire MCU might simply move on from her. Her twisted storyline inLokiseason 2 means it would be easy for Marvel to just remove Miss Minutes along with Kang.This could be even more likely after recent controversial comments made by Tara Strong, which also led to her removal from the cast of the upcomingBoxtownseries.
1MODOK
Darren Cross Debuted In 2015’s Ant-Man
Eight years after Corey Stoll debuted as Darren Cross, Hank Pym’s protégé and the villainous Yellowjacket, in 2015’sAnt-Man, he returned to portray the character once again, though went through a significant transformation. After being deformed and sent to the Quantum Realm by Scott Lang at the end ofAnt-Man,Darren Cross was turned into a Mechanized Organism Designed Only for Killing by Kang the Conqueror. This allowed fan-favoriteMODOK to finally debut in the MCU, but tied him directly to Kang, meaning it’s unlikely he’ll ever return.
Marvel Totally Ruined The Original MCU Villain Plan 30 Years Later
The original plans for a 1990’s Iron Man movie featured an iconic Marvel villain who didn’t end up debuting in the MCU until 2023 as part of Phase 5.
MODOK sacrificed himself inAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumaniato destroy Kang’s force-field and allow Hank Pym’s ants to weaken the villain.This ultimately made him weak enough for Scott Lang and Hope van Dyne to defeat him, so MODOK’s final act was as a hero, or, in his mind, as an Avenger. MODOK’s death means he was perhaps unlikely to come back to the MCU anyway, but now thatKang the Conquerorhas been all but moved on from, Marvel Studios will surely write off the obscure villain completely.
