There’s Still 1 Thing The MCU Needs To Know Before Leaving Kang The Conqueror Behind
Before Marvel Studios fully phases out Jonathan Majors' Kang the Conqueror after his death in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the MCU needs to introduce another variant of the villain. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Loki season 1, and Loki season 2 set up Kang the Conqueror to be the main antagonist of the entire Multiverse Saga, with Prime Kang and the Council of Kangs threatening to destroy the Sacred Timeline. However, after Kang's apparent death in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the MCU's upcoming projects are taking a new direction, as Jonathan Majors' conviction and Marvel exit required the franchise to move away from the character.
Now that Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom is set to be Avengers: Doomsday's main antagonist, Kang and the Council of Kangs' existence will probably be waved away quickly. Perhaps Doctor Strange and Clea stopped the Council of Kangs after Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' post-credits scene, or perhaps the TVA intervened before them. Captain Carter's use of Kang's Time Chair in What If...? season 3 also suggests that the MCU's Exiles took care of Kang and his variants off-screen. However the MCU justifies the villains' sudden disappearance, there's still one Kang-related story the MCU needs to acknowledge.
The MCU Has Yet To Introduce Iron Lad
Iron Lad Is The Heart Of The Young Avengers
Marvel Studios has been setting the stage for the MCU's Young Avengers for a while now. Characters like Kate Bishop, Cassie Lang, and Tommy and Billy Maximoff are ready to assemble a live-action version of their comic book team, and other young heroes like Ms. Marvel and Ironheart are also ready to join in the MCU. Only a few members of Marvel Comics' Young Avengers haven't been introduced: Teddy Altman a.k.a. Hulkling, Jonah a.k.a. Young Vision, and Nathaniel Richards a.k.a. Iron Lad.
In the comics, Nathaniel Richards comes from the future to the present day in search of the Avengers. Since the Avengers are disbanded at the time, Nathaniel borrows Iron Man technology from the Avengers' headquarters and reactivates Vision. Then, Nathaniel Richards claims the Iron Lad moniker and assembles a team of young heroes and prepares them for the arrival of his evil variant, Kang the Conqueror. While the MCU is moving away from Kang the Conqueror and the Council of Kangs, Iron Lad is too important to the Young Avengers to ignore.
Iron Lad’s Introduction Might Still Face A Big Problem
Iron Lad's Main Objective Is To Prevent Kang The Conqueror From Appearing
Marvel Studios can still introduce Iron Lad despite Kang's absence, either by establishing the young Nathaniel Richards as Kang's Earth-616 variant or by bringing him over from a different timeline. Still, Iron Lad's main goal has always been to keep Kang the Conqueror from messing with time, which also involves an effort to stop himself from becoming Kang. If Kang's defeat is definitive in the MCU, then there's no reason for Iron Lad to travel to the past, and his most interesting trait would be gone.
This time, Iron Lad could be a young and heroic version of Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom instead of Kang
If Marvel does introduce Iron Lad, the MCU could amend the issues derived from Kang the Conqueror's absence by keeping Nathaniel Richards' story intact — only this time, Iron Lad could be a young and heroic version of Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom instead of Kang. Incidentally, the "Iron Lad" name would fit this Young Avenger's story better than his comic book counterpart. But on the other hand, it could be difficult to differentiate Doctor Doom's young variant from an alternate version of Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark.
Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania
- Release Date
- February 17, 2023
- Runtime
- 125 minutes
- Director
- Peyton Reed
- Writers
- Jeff Loveness
- Producers
- Kevin De La Noy, Kevin Feige, Louis D'Esposito, Stephen Broussard
Cast
Scott Lang / Ant-Man
Evangeline LillyHope Van Dyne / The Wasp
- Franchise(s)
- Ant-Man, Marvel Cinematic Universe
- Budget
- 388 MILLION
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