Marvel Studios seems to be replacing Kang the Conqueror in the MCU, but this might have already happened back in Loki season 2. In the wake of Infinity Saga villain Thanos’ death in Avengers: Endgame, Marvel introduced Jonathan Majors to the MCU as Kang the Conqueror and his villainous variants, set to replace the Mad Titan in the Multiverse Saga. However, Kang’s brief time in the MCU has been wrought with controversy, poor box office performances and confusing storylines, which put his future in the franchise in jeopardy.

Kang and his variants made appearances in Loki seasons 1 and 2, and Peyton Reed’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Each variant of Kang was played by Jonathan Majors, so, after his 2023 arrest, conviction and firing from Marvel, the villain’s future in the MCU was left uncertain. During this year’s SDCC, Marvel Studios confirmed that Robert Downey Jr. has been cast as Doctor Doom, the Multiverse Saga’s new primary antagonist, suggesting that Kang will be moved on from. The perfect way for this to happen might have already been seen in the MCU.

Kang Variants
Debut Project
Status

He Who Remains
Loki Season 1 (2021)
Dead

Kang the Conqueror
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)
Dead

Immortus
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)
Alive

Rama-Tut
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)

Alive

Scarlet Centurion
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)
Alive

Council of Kangs
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)
Alive

Victor Timely
Loki Season 2 (2023)
Alive

The Loki Season 2 Ending Set Up The Perfect Way For Marvel To Move On From Kang

While it may seem outlandish for Marvel Studios to shift the focus of the entire Multiverse Saga when half of its projects have already been released, Loki season 2’s finale might have created the perfect opportunity for Kang’s story to be moved on from. Released in November 2023, Loki season 2, episode 6, “Glorious Purpose,” marked an emotional transition for Tom Hiddleston’s God of Mischief into a bona fide hero. However, the episode also saw the entire Time Variance Authority change their mission.

Initially, the TVA had captured rogue variants of any origin and pruned their timeline, ensuring the Sacred Timeline didn’t branch out into the multiverse. After Loki season 2 and the establishment of Loki’s new multiverse, however, the TVA now operates as a watchdog for Kang variants. This is in an attempt to prevent the prophesized Multiversal War that He Who Remains spoke of. This ending means the TVA could continue to deal with Kang variants off-screen, and the villain doesn’t ever need to be mentioned again on-screen.

Did Marvel Already Plan To Replace Kang Before Loki Season 2?

A February article from The Hollywood Reporter suggested that Marvel Studios has set plans to move on from Kang’s storyline into motion after Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania underperformed at the box office. This could mean that Loki season 2’s ending was deliberately designed to be an ending for Kang, allowing the TVA to handle his variants off-screen while a new villain, Doctor Doom, replaces him. However, Loki producer Kevin Wright revealed to Variety in October that the series had no reshoots, meaning the ending was always planned that way.

No. This is maybe — not maybe — this is the first Marvel series to never have any additional photography. The story that is on screen is the story we set out to make. We went out there with a very specific idea of what we wanted this to be, and we found a way to tell it in that production period. It’s very much what’s on screen on Disney+.

Since Wright’s comments seem to prove that Loki season 2 was always set to end in the way it did, it’s possible this ending may have originally been used as a springboard to introduce more Kang variants and expand the villain’s story. Filming for Loki season 2 took place between June and October 2022, four full months before Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania premiered. Now, Loki season 2’s finale seems the perfect way to end Kang’s story, though there are still several loose ends for the villain that could do with being wrapped up.

Are There Any Loose Ends About Kang The MCU Needs To Tie Up?

Of course, Marvel Studios could simply never mention Kang again, moving on from his story swiftly, and setting the stage for Robert Downey Jr.’s debut as Doctor Doom, instead. Every Kang variant that the MCU’s heroes have come in contact with has been killed off or had their stories resolved, so, from the heroes’ perspective, Kang’s story is already over. However, from an audience perspective, several elements of Kang’s MCU journey feel unfinished, which will only become more annoying as time goes on.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’s Council of Kangs teased a huge threat to the Avengers, Moon Knight hinted at a connection between Marc Spector and Rama-Tut, Ravonna Renslayer’s Loki season 2 ending was left open, and He Who Remains promised a destructive Multiversal War. None of these stories have been resolved, while there are also theories that Kang the Conqueror himself could return after his apparent death in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. These loose ends could be dealt with by the TVA off-screen, but it would be great to see them completed in the MCU itself.