For all the flak that Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania may be getting, it’s worth mentioning the position that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is finding itself in, and how Marvel seems to be handling that.
This is to say that there’s probably a reason why Quantumania‘s script felt like it was kept from a cigarette break for an hour or two, and that reason may or may not have to do with the franchise’s obsession with continuity and “the next step,” as it were; an obsession that we can probably fault the fanbase for more than the creatives themselves, but that’s neither here nor there.
And we may just have to accept that, until Avengers: The Kang Dynasty lands in cinemas, this focus on continuity may just take precedent over the stories that are being told right now, and seeing as how such a possibility is entirely out of our hands and is thus useless to worry about, we think saving that energy for some fun-filled speculation is a much better use of it.
Indeed, with the likes of Tony, Steve, and Natasha all having bitten the dust and the Young Avengers still needing some time to blossom, Earth-199999 is going to rely on some of the MCU’s more seasoned veterans to stand up against Kang, meaning The Kang Dynasty will likely bear witness to a particularly gerrymandered Avengers team, and we’ve compiled a list of the most likely candidates for such a squad.
Brie Larson‘s Captain Marvel is bound to pack a punch
We doubt Carol Danvers will be meeting her fate during the events of The Marvels, due in theaters this November, and while we can’t say that quite as confidently regarding her possible appearance in The Kang Dynasty, she certainly wouldn’t go down without putting up one hell of a fight.
After the lightning-fast, explosive part she played in the fight against Thanos during Avengers: Endgame, The Kang Dynasty could see Captain Marvel take on a much more grounded, drawn-out role as Earth’s champions take on the threat of Kang. And with the first real case of Carol’s present-day character development coming up in The Marvels, we think it’s all gearing up for a payoff in The Kang Dynasty.
Paul Rudd‘s Ant-Man has a rematch with Kang in the pipeline
He came up with the Time Heist that ultimately led to the resurrection of half of all life in the universe, and Scott Lang — with his previous experience fighting against Kang coupled with his adjacent knowledge of the incoming threat — will almost certainly be taking on a leading role in the fight against his newest nemesis.
By the time The Kang Dynasty rolls around, we think it will become apparent to Scott that he got lucky last time, and he’ll need all the help he can get if the world is going to stand a chance against the MCU’s biggest threat yet (not counting Quantumania‘s critic scores, of course).
Mark Ruffalo‘s Hulk might find his anger again
With a young son in his life now, it looks like Bruce Banner will stick around for the time being. But — when duty calls — we’re sure he’ll dust off his Avenger mantle and spring back into the fight, and The Kang Dynasty will be a fight that no one but Kang would want him to miss.
Of course, if the events of The Kang Dynasty cause the multiverse to get markedly fractured (a theory that seems likely given that Avengers: Secret Wars will release just a year later), we wouldn’t be surprised if the World War Hulk storyline (which itself may get adapted soon) gets pulled into the crown jewels of the Multiverse Saga, wherein Bruce’s possible displacement could reawaken the more uncontrollable side of the Hulk – which itself would likely have devastating consequences for all parties involved.
Chris Hemsworth‘s Thor surely has his grand exit coming up
The clock seems to be ticking for Thor on all fronts; Thor: Love and Thunder proved that there’s not much story left to tell for the god of thunder, and the actor himself won’t always have the same availability he once did, given his very respectable choice to shift his priorities around after his rather disheartening diagnosis.
So, we can think of no better last hurrah for Thor than his involvement in The Kang Dynasty, where a blaze-of-glory death would mark an honorable end for one of the franchise’s oldest and most beloved heroes, to say nothing of the euphoria he would feel upon being reunited with so many of his loved ones in Valhalla.
Tom Hiddleston‘s Loki could be the most crucial piece of the puzzle
Scott Lang may have been Kang’s first real opponent, but no one is quite as plugged in to the threat posed by the conqueror as Loki is; after his harrowing experience with Sylvie, He Who Remains, and the Time Variance Authority, Loki looks to be prepping his bearings for the battleground that The Kang Dynasty will no doubt be.
A recent fan theory suggesting how Loki might be Kang’s ultimate threat blew up quite respectfully on Reddit not long ago, and it’s not a particularly difficult one to envision, either. Whatever ends up happening, we doubt Marvel would have first teased the essence of the Multiverse Saga’s big conflict in Loki if the eponymous god of mischief wasn’t going to show up for The Kang Dynasty.
Benedict Cumberbatch‘s Doctor Strange probably has time to spare
It’s just one thing after another for Doctor Strange; if he’s not rescuing multiverse-jumping teenagers from a homicidal witch, he’s getting dragged into the Dark Dimension by the one who’s probably going to be his next lover.
Suffice to say, unless he’s just that busy with anchoring the setup for a Midnight Suns project, we doubt that an OG MCU hero such as Doctor Strange would miss out on a fight as important as the one that will go down in The Kang Dynasty. The sorcerer would certainly be one of the team’s greatest assets, given his experience with the multiverse and a power level that just might keep expanding.
Tom Holland‘s Spider-Man is the obligatory dark horse pick
Following what was effectively a franchise reset for the webslinger – in which the aftermath of Spider-Man: No Way Home left him without family, friends, or much in the way of support at all, we wouldn’t be surprised if Spider-Man returns to his comic roots as a street-level hero after starting his career with some rather violent Avengers shenanigans.
Still, you can only have so much Marvel without Spider-Man, so it also wouldn’t be terribly out of place if the wall-crawler and all of his untamable gusto got wrapped up in the events of The Kang Dynasty. This is one we’ll hold our breath on, as this new life as a thug-buster seems to suit Peter Parker’s new arc for the time being, but we’ll never doubt the hero’s eagerness to do the right thing, no matter how cosmic things get.
And no, Elizabeth Olsen‘s Scarlet Witch isn’t dead yet
It’s hard to say just what role she’ll be playing come The Kang Dynasty, with Agatha: Coven of Chaos and who knows what else set to transpire before then, but the Scarlet Witch, as one of the most powerful characters in the entire MCU, will no doubt have quite the part to play in Marvel’s next big crossover event.
Whether it’s her unique power that lends itself to a multiversal fracturing a la Molecule Man’s role in the Secret Wars comic line, or her simply joining up with the rest of the Avengers during their next excursion, Marvel will certainly be plugging Wanda Maximoff into this conflict, and the power she’ll bring to the table won’t go unnoticed, either.