Gamechanging Avengers 5 Theory Reveals Kang Returns As A Hero

Warning: This post contains spoilers for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania!Kang the Conqueror could return as a hero in Marvel Studios’ Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. The MCU’s Phase 5 kicked off with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, released on February 17, 2023, which introduced the world to Kang the Conqueror, a variant of Jonathan Majors’ previous role of He Who Remains in Loki season 1. Scott Lang and his size-changing team were pitted against the Multiverse Saga’s overarching villain, fighting to keep Kang from escaping his Quantum Realm prison, and eventually succeeding in apparently defeating their time-traveling foe, but Kang’s many variants will pose a huge threat in Phase 5 and beyond.

Both He Who Remains and Kang the Conqueror have warned the MCU’s heroes about the greater threat that their variants pose to the multiverse, suggesting that they both are the only ones who can stop the onslaught of the Council of Kangs. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’s post-credits scenes introduced the Council of Kangs to the MCU, including the likes of Rama-Tut, Immortus, a Skrull variant of Kang, and hundreds of other versions from various timelines. With Phase 5 set to build up the threat of the Kangs before the climactic Avengers: The Kang Dynasty in Phase 6, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes might already have their unexpected secret weapon.

Quantumania’s Kang Could Still Return – Despite His Death

The ending of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania saw Scott Lang take on Kang the Conqueror in a brutal hand-to-hand battle, ready to sacrifice himself to stop Kang from escaping the Quantum Realm and wreaking havoc across the multiverse. While Scott, with Hope Van Dyne’s help, manages to apparently kill Kang, pushing him into Kang’s exploding Multiverse Power Core, the MCU’s Ant-Man finds himself doubting whether this was actually the right move, particularly after Kang had warned of a greater threat in his many variants. A popular theory now suggests that Kang the Conqueror isn’t dead after Quantumania, creating the opportunity for his triumphant return.

It could be that Kang the Conqueror was in fact pulled into the Probability Storm that was seen at an earlier point during Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. He could stay there for potentially centuries, fighting with his own possible variants, while still surely making attempts to escape the Quantum Realm. The Council of Kangs did seem certain that Kang, a.k.a. the Exiled One, was dead by the end of Quantumania, expressing their anger at Scott Lang, and the Avengers by extension, for meddling in their affairs. However, there could be a more heroic future ahead for Kang the Conqueror as his MCU story continues.

The Council Of Kangs Is A Bigger Threat (& Kang Would Want To Fight Them)

Despite only appearing briefly in the mid-credits scene of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the Council of Kangs has already shown itself to be a formidable threat to the MCU and its heroes. The Council is made up of hundreds of variants of Kang, all of which have the ability to time-travel, access to advanced technologies, and the ability to affect the multiverse. Various variants of the Kang are set to make appearances in upcoming MCU projects ahead of Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, with the potential appearance of Kang’s Skrull variant in Secret Invasion, and Victor Timely confirmed for Loki season 2 on Disney+.

What makes the Council of Kangs so terrifying is that, together, they pack a punch that is strong enough to not only wipe out entire realities with ease, but also have the power to sabotage and exile one of their own, Kang the Conqueror, who is seen crashing into the Quantum Realm in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’s opening moments. If Kang the Conqueror returns in a future MCU project, it’s feasible that he could help the Avengers take on the Council of Kangs. After being exiled by his other variants, he surely has a vendetta against them, so he might be the Avengers’ secret weapon in the coming battle.

Ant-Man May Realize The Avengers Need To Work With Kang

During Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Kang the Conqueror explains to Scott Lang that his variants are the danger to the multiverse, suggesting that he is the only one who can stop them, and that his death would unleash them. This is a source of huge conflict for Scott, who is seen dealing with this information even after returning safely from the Quantum Realm, expressing doubts about killing Kang, and wondering if he has just doomed everyone because of it. This could be a key aspect of Kang the Conqueror’s future MCU story, as Scott Lang may change his mind, and realize that Kang is in fact their only hope.

Now that traveling in and out of the Quantum Realm appears to be easy, it’s possible that Scott Lang could retrieve Kang the Conqueror to aid in the battle against the Council of Kangs. Evidently Kang would be reluctant to help his enemies, but if it means saving the multiverse and taking out his sinister variants, it’s likely he’d be willing to help, though he would still pose a huge threat to Earth’s Mightiest Heroes himself. It’s known that some Kang variants can be good, such as the young Nathaniel Richards, a.k.a. Iron Lad, so the MCU’s Kang the Conqueror could have a change of heart.

Would Kang Be Enough For The Avengers To Defeat The Council Of Kangs?

Whether Kang the Conqueror ends up joining the Avengers in their battle against the Council of Kangs or not, the question still stands whether this will be enough. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania showed Kang to be a terrifying, merciless, and brutal enemy, wiping out innocent civilians without even breaking a sweat, but this might be a different story when he’s pitted against hundreds of versions of himself. The Council of Kangs’ ability to disrupt timelines and cause incursions sets up some massive, dramatic battles in upcoming MCU projects, Kang simply might not be strong enough to take them all on at once.

Even so, Kang the Conqueror would be much better as an ally to the MCU’s new Avengers team than an enemy, as he harbors unimaginable power that the MCU’s current roster of heroes could only dream of. Avengers: The Kang Dynasty could see a little repetition from Avengers: Endgame, as it was Scott Lang who realized the trick to saving the day in the Infinity Saga, and it could be him who saves the day in the Multiverse Saga too, if he does collect Kang from the Quantum Realm. Either way, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty is gearing up to be a history-making project in the MCU.