Kang may be scrapped in MCU after Loki and Ant-Man 3

Comments on a recent podcast by an MCU: Reign of Marvel Studios author indicate that the upcoming Avengers sequel may finally be scrapping Kang The Conqueror. 

While many thought the time-traveling, universe-unraveling hijinks of the Loki finale would recast Kang the Conqueror, it wasn’t meant to be. The final episode brought back Jonathan Majors’ He Who Remains and cemented Victor Timely as a mainstay of the Time Variance Authority. 

Still, that doesn’t mean the actors’ return as Kang or one of his many variants is set in stone. In fact, many fans are of the belief that Kang will inevitably get written out in some capacity. 

Now, a follow-up on an earlier report of turmoil for MCU sequels supports the claim that Kang the Conqueror is all but gone from the MCU. 

Kang the Conqueror may be out of the MCU after Loki finale

On Ringer’s House of R podcast, MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios author Joanna Robinson discussed reports she heard that Ant-Man & The Wasp in Quanumania writer Jeff Loveness had exited the upcoming Avengers sequels. 

“I was asking about the screenwriter Jeff Loveness, who wrote Quantumania and was supposed to write Kang Dynasty. I had it confirmed to me he’s no longer working for Marvel. I asked the person why; they said he was all wrapped up in this Kang storyline, and they are likely going to be moving away from that.”

Joanna’s comments back up similar, unconfirmed reports over the summer indicating Loveness had exited Avengers: Kang Dynasty. Loveness, a longtime writer on Jimmy Kimmel Live who also worked on Miracle Workers and Rick & Morty, was criticized heavily for the quality of Quantumania’s script. 

It didn’t help Quantumania that its star attraction became a lightning rod for controversy. Majors’ continued portrayal of Kang has been up in the air following a 2023 arrest for allegedly harassing and assaulting a woman. Rumors of recasting or dropping the character altogether have persisted ever since, but Majors still made multiple appearances in Loki Season 2. 

While many fans have long speculated that other villains will fill the void left behind by Kang, Joanna stressed she was not told what was next. 

“No official announcement that Avengers: Kang Dynasty will now be called Doom’s Dystopia or whatever. We don’t know exactly what they’re going to do. But I think that this just gives them the perfect opportunity.”

Many fans have pointed to Doctor Doom as the obvious replacement. In addition to having ties to the upcoming Fantastic Four, Doom is integral in the 2015 storyline Secret Wars. There, Doom rebuilds the universe in his image following a multiversal incursion that destroys the Marvel and Ultimate universes. 

Loki’s finale sets the stage for a multiversal war, but the presence of Kang has been fairly understated, and that surprise ending to Loki could easily pave the way for a change in direction. 

Avengers: The Kang Dynasty is currently slated for a 2026 release date. The only MCU project for the next year, Deadpool 3, hits theaters on May 3, 2024.