Paul Rudd & Johnathan Majors Have Tons Of Say Over Ant-Man & Kang

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania producer Stephen Broussard explains how MCU actors like Paul Rudd and Jonathan Majors are able to advocate for their characters across projects. Actors take on characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for years across multiple projects with a variety of directors. It makes sense that actors like Rudd, who has played Ant-Man since 2015, and Majors, who has already played two different Kang variants, would be the most consistent voices for their characters. Marvel Studios actively working with them to collaborate on these characters’ development makes the evolution feel more natural with a consistent character across stories.

In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant, Broussard discussed how much of a voice the actors have about their characters. He also explained how Majors works with directors to craft each different variant of Kang. Broussard specifically compared Major’s performance in Loki as He Who Remains versus Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania as Kang.

Screen Rant: With actors like Jonathan Majors and Paul Rudd playing these characters across many projects, how much say or advocacy do they have as the consistent voice for these characters?

Stephen Broussard: A ton. They bring these characters to life. Paul has talked about how he’s played this character for almost a decade, so we absolutely want to make them feel like we’re building these things together.

Particularly with Kang and how different they are, Jonathan talks about dialing in each character; about working with whichever filmmaker he’s paired with and cracking the code of that version. It’s so evident with Jonathan, just because of how different It is and how bespoke each one is. But that is Jonathan; that is him saying, “Alright, I think I’ve got a handle on this guy.” [He Who Remains] lived at the end of time for God knows how long; he’s probably gone and lost his marbles a little bit. That kind of comes out, and you see this more flamboyant, maybe not-all-there character, as opposed [to] the no-moves-wasted, cold-as-ice Kang of this film.

What Kind of Kang Might Jonathan Majors Bring To The Next Avengers Movie?

Kang is the next major threat for the heroes of the MCU, first appearing in Loki, now in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and down the line in Avengers: Kang Dynasty. Unlike Thanos, each Kang could be different, with multiple variants coming into play as the threat gets more dangerous. Interestingly, it seems each Kang variant that appears in the MCU will be tailored to the filmmaker and the specific project he appears in.

This is evident by the obvious differences between He Who Remains and Kang in the Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania trailers. This new Kang variant is unimpressed when Scott tells him he’s an Avenger and openly talks about killing other Avengers. By tailoring each Kang to the specific project he appears in, he becomes the perfect antagonist for each hero he faces.

Kang and Scott, while seemingly wildly different, actually have a common problem that can connect them: time. Kang doesn’t experience it the way anyone else does as a Nexus Being and time traveler, whereas Scott has lost years with his daughter, who has grown into a young woman without him. Kang could be Ant-Man’s perfect antagonist in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania because he could offer Scott the one thing he wants most: time. This could also apply to Avengers: Kang Dynasty, with a new team of Avengers likely facing off against a dynasty of Kang variants, with each one having to face an enemy who is tailor-made to defeat them.

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