Why Kang Needs to Win in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

comingsoon.net:

is not only about to kick off Marvel Studios’s Phase 5, but will also officially introduce the franchises next “big bad”, Kang the Conqueror, played by Jonathan Majors. While Kang’s inclusion may not be a huge draw for general audiences like the trailers are trying to make it into, what the film does with him will be crucial in making him one moving forward, as well as in helping Marvel fans see the direction in which the franchise is heading for the remainder of the Multiverse Saga.

Kang is supposed to be the MCU’s next Thanos, but while Thanos was hidden in the shadows, making only a few brief appearances leading up to, Marvel is putting Kang way out in the open well in advance of. The studio made a bold choice in introducing a Kang variant through Disney+ in the Season 1 finale, and now they’re making another bold one to make his big-screen debut in an movie of all projects.

The movies have never been heavy hitters for the MCU. Both and were released shortly after an movie and served as light, low-stakes palate cleansers for fans before the franchise kicked into high gear again soon after. Peyton Reed, who has directed all three films, has said he wanted to change that with, and the marketing definitely matches up with this. The third installment of the franchise looks much darker and more serious than the previous two, with more emphasis on the villain and high stakes than the comedy and powerset of the Ant-Man suit.

This means Marvel Studios is taking a bit of a risk with this movie. While the movies tend to fall on the lower end of the MCU’s box office returns (which, to be clear, would still be considered quite high for most films in general), they still have an established brand and people feel like they know