Movies

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


master mentalism tricks

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

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania 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 Avengers: Infinity War, Marvel is putting Kang way out in the open well in advance of Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. The studio made a bold choice in introducing a Kang variant through Disney+ in the Loki Season 1 finale, and now they’re making another bold one to make his big-screen debut in an Ant-Man movie of all projects.

The Ant-Man movies have never been heavy hitters for the MCU. Both Ant-Man and Ant-Man and the Wasp were released shortly after an Avengers 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 Ant-Man films, has said he wanted to change that with Quantumania, 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 Ant-Man 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 what to expect from them. For those who like the Ant-Man movies precisely because they’re low-stakes comedies, Quantumania might be a disappointment to them. That doesn’t mean the shift in tone isn’t worth doing, especially for other MCU fans who are craving a story dealing with the overarching plot of the current saga, but it does mean that in order to be satisfying on some level, the studio has to meet the expectations they’ve set people up to have.

It’s clear they want audiences to be invested in Kang well before the Avengers come together to fight him, and perhaps even want to garner sympathy for his plight and make people a little bit conflicted on whose side to take. This already happened with fans after Kang variant He Who Remains explained in Loki that his reasoning for eliminating branches from what he called “The Sacred Timeline” was to prevent variants of himself from emerging. Now that this has come to pass, perhaps some of the other Kang variants will have similar ends to justify their means. It is important to remember, though, that He Who Remains was presented as “the nice one”, which spells trouble for anyone who comes across one of the other Kangs.

Essentially, the Kang of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania needs to be threatening, and a lot more threatening than your average comic book movie bad guy. Those familiar with the comics or who watched Loki know that this character has a ton of variants and will continue to pop up — even if one iteration of him dies — but the general audience doesn’t. Even if Quantumania does explain this (and it probably will), the setting of the tone for Kang being the new overarching villain would be undercut if he were to die in the movie, and it’s not even just because this is his first theatrical outing.

Jonathan Majors Discusses Inspiration Behind Kang the Conqueror

Despite the character’s importance in the comics, as well as MCU projects like Avengers: Endgame, general audiences still see Ant-Man (and the rest of the “Ant Fam”) as being among the less capable Marvel superheroes. He’s not quite a joke, but people just won’t see Kang as a serious villain if he and his crew are able to defeat him with no help from the Avengers or other MCU heroes. The David vs. Goliath showdown between Ant-Man and Kang in Quantumania seems to be intentional — perhaps the filmmakers believe that the former defeating the latter will make those who see the movie realize Ant-Man is stronger than they thought.

But the general audience doesn’t know Kang; they have no previous appearance to compare his Quantumania showing to (even if they’ve seen Loki, the variant in that was He Who Remains, not Kang the Conqueror himself) and seeing him be defeated by Ant-Man in one movie would give them the impression of him not being anything special or particularly formidable against a team of Avengers.

Making Scott and company lose to Kang would be a clearer indicator of the latter’s threat level. If this were to happen in Quantumania, audiences might not see Kang as a Thanos-level monster quite yet, but would at least know he isn’t the kind of villain that can be taken down by just one or two “average” superheroes, which would be a step towards building him up as the huge presence he is going to be for the rest of the Multiverse Saga.

There’s a lot riding on Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Even if the film doesn’t dominate the box office for weeks to come like some other MCU movies, the word of mouth about Kang is going to be a big determining factor in the momentum of Phases 5 and 6. With some fans growing impatient about when the overarching story of the Multiverse Saga is going to ramp up, this movie needs to deliver on that front, and Kang defeating Ant-Man and friends would do quite a bit of that heavy lifting.

Read The Full Article Here


trick photography
Kayleigh McEnany Shares Video Of Protesters Blocking Mother From Work
Kayleigh McEnany Shares Video Of Protesters Blocking Mother From Work
James Franco Celebrates Dave Franco’s 40th Birthday in Public Appearance
James Franco Celebrates Dave Franco’s 40th Birthday in Public Appearance
Julia Stiles Shared What Julia Roberts Once Said To Her When She Was Struggling With Body Image, And It's Wisdom I Needed
Julia Stiles Shared What Julia Roberts Once Said To Her When She Was Struggling With Body Image, And It's Wisdom I Needed
Michael Shellenberger Exposes How Biden Administration Labeled Anti-Mandate Americans As Terrorists
Michael Shellenberger Exposes How Biden Administration Labeled Anti-Mandate Americans As Terrorists
‘Spaceballs 2’ Is Happening, With Mel Brooks as Yogurt
‘Spaceballs 2’ Is Happening, With Mel Brooks as Yogurt
Nine Perfect Strangers Season 2 Episode 3 Release Date, Time, Where to Watch
Nine Perfect Strangers Season 2 Episode 3 Release Date, Time, Where to Watch
Highest Grossing Movies Released Memorial Day Weekend
Highest Grossing Movies Released Memorial Day Weekend
Woman and Child – first-look review
Woman and Child – first-look review
Taylor Blackwell Guests On “If These Walls Could Talk” With Hosts Wendy Stuart and Tym Moss Wednesday, July 9th, 2025 
Taylor Blackwell Guests On “If These Walls Could Talk” With Hosts Wendy Stuart and Tym Moss Wednesday, July 9th, 2025 
Brett Goldstein ‘All of You’ Movie Cast, Release Date on Apple TV+
Brett Goldstein ‘All of You’ Movie Cast, Release Date on Apple TV+
What to Watch and Stream the Week of May 25, 2025
What to Watch and Stream the Week of May 25, 2025
Stars Tease Intense Mystery and New Department Dynamics (Exclusive)
Stars Tease Intense Mystery and New Department Dynamics (Exclusive)
Mechatok Announces Debut Album, Taps Ecco2k and Bladee for New Video: Watch
Mechatok Announces Debut Album, Taps Ecco2k and Bladee for New Video: Watch
Jody Blaine Watson’s “Living It Up Down in Mexico” Brings Country Vibes to the Coastline
Jody Blaine Watson’s “Living It Up Down in Mexico” Brings Country Vibes to the Coastline
Justin Bieber Makes Onstage Return With SZA In Los Angeles
Justin Bieber Makes Onstage Return With SZA In Los Angeles
8 Most Cringeworthy Rock + Metal Songs About Sports
8 Most Cringeworthy Rock + Metal Songs About Sports
“The Ghostwriter” Masterfully Blends Family Drama and Murder Mystery
“The Ghostwriter” Masterfully Blends Family Drama and Murder Mystery
Book Riot’s Deals of the Day for May 24, 2025
Book Riot’s Deals of the Day for May 24, 2025
Loved Netflix’s “Ransom Canyon”? Here’s 8 Western Novels to Keep You in the Saddle
Loved Netflix’s “Ransom Canyon”? Here’s 8 Western Novels to Keep You in the Saddle
The Buzziest Books of May | 2025
The Buzziest Books of May | 2025
How To Lay Your Edges, According To A Celeb Hair Stylist
How To Lay Your Edges, According To A Celeb Hair Stylist
What to Wear to Lady Gaga’s Mayhem Ball Tour
What to Wear to Lady Gaga’s Mayhem Ball Tour
Nikki Glaser Told Us 3 No-Fail Tricks for an Instant Glow-Up
Nikki Glaser Told Us 3 No-Fail Tricks for an Instant Glow-Up
21 Best Memorial Day Clothing Sales 2025
21 Best Memorial Day Clothing Sales 2025
THE LEGACY LIVES ON: ANDREW PIERSON CAST AS WILLIAM SPANNER IN WITCHCRAFT 17
THE LEGACY LIVES ON: ANDREW PIERSON CAST AS WILLIAM SPANNER IN WITCHCRAFT 17
Filming Begins for Dragon Studio’s Return of the Living Dead: Trash’s Revenge
Filming Begins for Dragon Studio’s Return of the Living Dead: Trash’s Revenge
UNTIL DAWN (2025) – Peliculas de Terror ⋆
UNTIL DAWN (2025) – Peliculas de Terror ⋆
FOUND TV Announces FOUND Original with Alternate Ending Only on DVD/Blu-ray
FOUND TV Announces FOUND Original with Alternate Ending Only on DVD/Blu-ray