We’re years away from the culmination of whatever Marvel’s current plans are for the next Infinity Saga-esque story, but fans have already put their money down on who should be the one to land the killing blow on Kang.
Thanos was built up from 2012’s Avengers post-credit scene through Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Thor: Ragnarok, before he finally appeared as the big bad of Avengers: Infinity War. By the time of his demise in Endgame, audiences learned a lot about him, with Iron Man snapping him from existence to prove that being purple doesn’t end well.
Phase Four’s apparent A-grade antagonist is set to be Kang the Conqueror, who was first introduced as He Who Remains in Loki, and will make a cinematic debut in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Fans aren’t worried about the Ant-Man threequel, though, they’re looking ahead to see who takes him down in the eventual Avengers 5.
He’s appearing next in Ant-Man, so obviously it’s time to bring up the “Thanus” theory again. If Marvel shows Paul Rudd going inside someone’s ass, instant 10/10 film.
Narratively speaking, there’s a lot of expectation that a Loki variant or Doctor Strange should end the phase, considering their struggles and anxiety around past actions.
Or, the rat from Endgame that saved the day can make himself a hero yet again.
Or maybe they’ll go for a redemption arc from the conqueror himself? What would be more wholesome than seeing two blue-skinned green-suited guys bashing up to end a 50-strong film franchise?
It’ll be a long while before we see the end of Kang, with him only having made one appearance so far. Until we do, Marvel fans can be treated to a new movie or television series releasing on average every two months.
The next release in Thor: Love and Thunder, which is due out July 8.