After a wide-ranging and diverse beginning to the Multiverse Saga in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, without a truly singular threat that could bring Earth's Mightiest Heroes together for a dramatic showdown, Phase 5 of the MCU is kicking off with the introduction of the new big bad for the Avengers to face. The introduction of Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is set to shape the MCU in a whole new direction, with a threat bigger than any that has been seen before, according to director Peyton Reed.
Kang, of course, was introduced to us via the Disney+ series, Loki, which introduced audiences to the concept of multiversal variants of characters, a theme which was then continued in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. In Loki, we meet Kang as 'He Who Remains', a man at the end of the time, the creator of the Time Variance Authority and the only individual capable of preventing a multiversal war that could bring calamity and armageddon through countless universes. Reed told audiences at Brazil's CCXP 2022:
"We're starting off Phase 5 in a big, big way. This is the biggest adventure that Ant-Man and Wasp have ever gone on. We're going to strange places and we're encountering an antagonist that's unlike anything they've ever experienced — and that includes Thanos. I think that He Who Remains in Loki is very different than Kang the Conqueror in our movie. They're Variants, but they're extremely different people. Kang is someone who has dominion over time, but he conserves his energy. He's a very, very scary character to deal with, as Ant-Man and Wasp will find out first hand."
Marvel Studios president and producer Kevin Feige added to the hype for the film by noting that "Ant-Man ended Phase 2. And now, [Ant-Man is] kicking off Phase 5 in such a huge way, much like Scott Lang himself going from this petty criminal to saving the world in Endgame. I love that the Ant-Man franchise is now at the peak of the MCU and kicking off Phase 5."
Given that Thanos singlehandedly took down the Avengers, and indeed, half the universe in Avengers: Infinity War - let's be honest, even though they undid the damage, Thanos won the battle and the war and died a hero in his own eyes having succeeded in fulfilling his master plan - for an antagonist to be more of a threat than the Mad TItan, it means he must mean serious business.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania opens in theaters on February 17, 2023. It stars Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer, Kathryn Newton, Bill Murray, and Jonathan Majors. You can check out the CCXP footage of the movie down below.