Ant-Man 3: Has Kang the Conqueror already killed an Avenger?

❘ Updated: 2023-02-17T08:00:00

Marvel

Kang v Avengers in the comics.

Two lines of dialogue in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania suggest that Kang the Conqueror has had previous – or future – run-ins with The Avengers.

Kang first appeared onscreen as “He Who Remains” in Season 1 of Loki. While now he assumes the “Conqueror Kang” mantle in the new Ant-Man movie. But what else has the character been up to?

Time means nothing to Kang. He repeatedly states that time is not what people think, calling it a cage that does everything it can to break you. Kang also states: “I know how it ends. All of it. I don’t live in a straight line, and with time, it’s hard not to skip to the end.”

With the character therefore being able to traverse both space and time, it sounds like he’s found a gap in his bus schedule to visit Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.

Has Kang already met The Avengers?

Kang is a long-time nemesis of The Avengers in the comics, with the Kang iteration of the character first appearing in ‘Avengers #8’ in September 1964.

When he first meets Ant-Man in Quantumania, he alludes to their history – or could it be future – in dramatic fashion.

Scott tells Keng he’s an Avenger, pretends that he’s called the other Avengers, and claims they are on their way. To which Kang responds “Have I killed you before? They all blur together after a while. You’re not the one with the hammer?”

Even though several characters have wielded a hammer across the MCU movies, but he’s probably referring to Thor. So will Kang kill Thor at some point in Phase 5 or 6? The fact that he then says to Scott “Do I look like a liar to you?” in pretty believable fashion suggests that he very much might.

Has Kang already killed an Avenger?

Yes, Kang claims to have killed multiple Avengers. During Ant-Man 3, he states: “Do you know how many Avengers I’ve killed? I am Kang.” Which if he’s true to his word – as multiple statements suggest – means multiple Avengers are dead.

We could see this happen in Phase 5 of the MCU, which consists on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Marvels, Captain America: New World Order, Thunderbolts, and Blade.

But it’s more likely to happen during Phase 6, when we’ll see Fantastic Four, Avengers: Kang Dynasty, and Avengers: Secret Wars. As while those films will happen in our future, they might just as much be in Kang’s past.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is in cinemas now, and you can check out more of our coverage below…