Kang’s Quantumania appearance has a silly villain problem to avoid

Introducing Kang the Conqueror as the MCU’s next big threat in Ant-Man 3 must avoid the franchise’s tendency to downplay Scott Lang’s opponents.

The role of Kang the Conqueror as the central villain of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania promises to reinforce the character’s sinister presence in the MCU, but the film must avoid a goofy trope to ensure Kang’s legitimacy as a threat. Kang’s second appearance in the MCU comes after the time-travelling character, played by Jonathan Majors, made his debut in the Disney+ series Loki in 2021. The third of the MCU ant man In the film, its main characters Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) are drawn into the Quantum Realm, where Kang is waiting for him.

Kang’s rise as a malevolent force in the MCU is defined by his numerous variants and his ability to travel the multiverse through time. Interestingly, his first appearance as the central villain clashes with that ant man the comedic nature of movies that often makes villains look silly while battling the titular hero in his diminutive form. To build Kang as the next Thanos-level threat to the MCU, ant man 3 must take him seriously.

Related: MCU’s Kang The Conqueror Can Be Even Better With 1 Comic Book Change

Ant-Man’s MCU fight history doesn’t look promising for Kang

in earlier ones ant man In movies, Scott grows small and makes his normal-sized opponent look silly. The difference in size creates a situation in which the villain lashes out aimlessly in order to defeat Scott. On other occasions, both Scott and his opponent are tiny and fighting while everything around them looks huge, like in 2015 ant man during the fight between Scott and Darren Cross as Yellowjacket (Corey Stoll). In 2018 Ant Man and the WaspScott also transforms into a giant version of himself in the suit and confronts a full-size Sonny Burch (Walton Goggins), a concept that reappears in him Avengers: Endgame when Scott joined the fight against the army of Thanos.

In addition, the audience expects ant man Films to have a specific tone and texture. They are heavily humorous and largely devoid of memorable villains. Marvel’s decision to debut Kang cinematically ant man 3 is odd considering Kang’s importance in the future of the MCU and his role as the antagonist of Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. If director Peyton Reed isn’t careful, his film could drift too far into comedy, thereby turning Kang into a joke. Quiet, ant man 3 has a chance to redefine Marvel ant man trilogy and establish Kang as the menace he is meant to be in the multiverse saga.

Ant-Man could still be the perfect Kang setup

if ant man 3 it manages to dodge the trilogy’s goofy villain trope, it could make Kang even more menacing and build up his looming menace. ant man 3‘s Quantum Realm itself will contain an element of mystery and doom, so Kang’s foreboding presence there aligns well with that ant man 3‘s proposed battle dynamics between hero and his villain. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania‘s poster features a gigantic Kang with a tiny ant-man and a wasp on his fingertip. While the size difference still matters, depicting Kang as significantly taller than the heroes might add to Kang’s intimidation factor.

Next: Ant-Man 3’s biggest task isn’t to explain the Quantum Realm (or Kang).