Kang the Conqueror was the arch-villain of theMCU’s Multiverse Saga for more than three years before 2024’s San Diego Comic-Con upended the original plan forAvengers 5, switching Kang for Doctor Doom and renamingAvengers: The Kang DynastytoAvengers: Doomsday. While it isn’t unusual for Marvel to change direction afterannouncing upcoming MCU releases, the switch-up in the Multiverse Saga’s arch-villain was particularly significant, causing a ripple effect that impacted preceding and upcoming productions. Kang’s cinematic debut inAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, for instance, now feels insignificant, despite the post-credits scene teasing the Council of Kangs.
How Marvel Studios intends to deal with this loose end, if it does at all, remains to be seen. Absent any information concerning this narrative, the months followingMarvel’s stunning comic-con announcementhave at least unearthed several details concerning the original plan forAvengers 5and the roles of Kang and the titular team poised to face him. As theories and speculation continue to swirl around how Robert Downey Jr.’s Doom factors intothe overall Multiverse Saga narrativeand individuals like the now-deceased Iron Man, here’s what we know for certain about Marvel’s most significant pivot to date.
Kang Would’ve Been The Main Villain Of The MCU’s Multiverse Saga
Kang The Conqueror Was First Alluded To In Loki Season 1
Avengers: The Kang Dynastywas first announced at 2022’s San Diego Comic-Con, almost one year after the Kang variant, He Who Remains, debuted inLoki. The announcement followedtheLokiseason 1 finale revealing that He Who Remains' variants were primed to stage a multiversal war unless his Sacred Timeline was maintained. He Who Remains ostensibly died atthe end ofLokiseason 1, though his variants would begin to debut in 2023.
The first variant to call himselfKang debuted inAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, less than one year afterAvengers: The Kang Dynastywas announced. Despite being ostensibly killed off by Ant-Man and the Wasp (which proved to be a controversial decision),the post-credits scene then established the true threat to the Multiverse Saga and the presumed stars ofAvengers: The Kang Dynasty: the Council of Kangs. Unfortunately, Ant-Man’s threequel grossed just $460 million and remains one ofthe MCU’s worst-rated movies.
Kang wasn’t initially supposed to be the Multiverse Saga’s big bad until studio executives saw Jonathan Majors in action when working onLokiandAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, prompting them to write him into a starring.
Kang actorJonathan Majors was subsequently arrestedon assault charges in March 2023, casting significant shade over his MCU future. His future was thrown into further disarray whenVarietyreported in November 2023 thatMarvel Studios bosses began discussing a pivot from Kang entirely in September. The report was released at the height ofLokiseason 2, which culminated in Loki reviving the multiverse and threatening to unleash the multiversal war heralded by He Who Remains.
The writing was on the wall, however, whentheLokiseason 2 finaleshowed the TVA switching up its objectives and monitoring the activity of Kang variants across the newly nurtured multiverse. Kang’s fate was left up to debate, however, untilSan Diego Comic-Con 2024, where it was unambiguously confirmed that the Council of Kangs would no longer be the Avengers' main foil inAvengers 5. Whether Kang still has a role to play in upcoming MCU releases remains to be seen, but his ephemeral tenure as the MCU’s big bad is decidedly over.
Benedict Cumberbatch Revealed Avengers 5 Originally Involved Doctor Strange
He Revealed That He Was Written Out Of The Movie Following Jonathan Majors' Departure From The MCU
Kang being written out of the Multiverse Saga’s first Avengers movie seemingly caused some collateral damage. Despite playing a major role in the MCU and being one of the only characters to directly encounter the multiverse,Doctor Strange will not feature at all inAvengers: Doomsday. This was confirmed by Doctor Strange actor Benedict Cumberbatch, who recently opened up about Doctor Strange’s rolein the future of the MCUin an interview withVarietyand let slip that Doctor Strange would be absent fromAvengers: Doomsday,citing “The character not aligning with this part of the story.”
Doctor Strange’s Complete MCU Timeline Explained
Benedict Cumberbatch has portrayed Doctor Stephen Strange since his eponymous 2016 film, Doctor Strange, and has been on quite the journey in the MCU.
He clarifies that his removal fromAvengers 5followed Jonathan Majors being fired from the MCU, stating that his character does not align with the story being told with Doctor Doom at its center. There are a few repercussions to this development, not least of which being the suggestion that Doctor Strange, despite being a veteran of the franchise, is most likely not going to be an Avenger when they finally reform. It also suggests that Doctor Doom’s sorcery will remain unopposed by the typically more powerful magic-user. That is, at least, until Avengers: Secret Wars.
Shang-Chi Hasn’t Been Seen Since His Starring Debut In 2021
Shang-Chi debuted in 2021’sShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and like many newly introduced MCU heroes, has yet to receive a follow-up movie. This is in stark contrast to superheroes like Spider-Man being granted just a two-year gap between the installments of his first trilogy. At the time of writing,Shang-Chi 2does not appear on any official Marvel release slate, suggesting his next solo venture might not be for yet another few years, which could arguably risk the character falling out of the MCU zeitgeist.
It’s worth noting, however, that this does not likewise preclude Shang-Chi from playing a key role in Avengers: Doomsday.
This would have at least been averted if he maintained his starring role inAvengers: The Kang Dynasty, whichInversereported was initially supposed to have been as one of the leads. The gulf left by Tony Stark’s death has led many to theorize about which characters will replace him and Steve Rogers as the figureheads of the Avengers. It could have been Shang-Chi, therefore, who filled those shoes.
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A huge update about Spider-Man 4 has been provided, throwing into question the future of a sequel to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
It’s worth noting, however, that this does not likewise preclude Shang-Chi from playing a key role inAvengers: Doomsday. After all,the aforementioned gulf between his solo appearances necessitates a leading role in the next Avengers movie, much in the same way three Avengers enjoyed just one solo outing before appearing together in 2012’sThe Avengers. On the other hand, the same reasons for writing out Doctor Strange may affect Shang-Chi, particularly as Shang-Chi rarely encounters Doom in Marvel Comics.
Avengers 5 Story Setup That Now Leads Nowhere
Two Marvel Productions Are Significantly Affected
The biggest loose end left by the pivot from Kang to Doom is inAnt-Man and the Wasp Quantumania’s post-credits scene. While Marvel Studios could have more easily gotten away with cutting Kang loose after one variant’s defeat at the hands of Ant-Man and the Wasp,the looming threat of the Council of Kangs now remains one of the biggest cliffhangers for Marvel Studios to address. This could either be addressed inAvengers: Doomsday, or become the latest addition to the growing list ofMCU post-credits scenes that went nowhere.
Thankfully, it appears as though the MCU was able to quit before it was too late, as only a handful of movies in the Multiverse Saga have thus far addressed or dealt with the multiverse itself.
It also leaves He Who Remains' threat rather toothless in the end. WhileLokiremains one of the mosthighly regarded MCU shows,the previously nailbiting stakes it presented with He Who Remains' variants are now significantly diminishedby the fact that Kang’s most threatening assault since was confined to the Quantum Realm and summarily quashed by just two Avengers. At the same time,Lokihas seemingly provided the answer to Kang’s absence by having the reformed TVA seek out and suppress Kang variants before they can cause concern.
Thankfully, it appears as though the MCU was able to quit before it was too late, as only a handful of movies in the Multiverse Saga have thus far addressed or dealt with the multiverse itself.This has confined Kang to just two major MCU productions, and while their respective plots may have been negatively affected by his departure, it isn’t as if Kang had much time to become a mainstay villain. Still, despite Doom taking his place at the forefront of the Multiverse Saga, it’s still plausible forAvengers: Doomsdayto properly address Kang’s actions thus far.
Avengers: Doomsday
Cast
Avengers: Doomsday is the fifth Avengers film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and will bring together heroes, new and old, to face off against Victor von Doom - played by the returning Robert Downey Jr.. Avengers 5 will also mark the beginning of phase 6 of the MCU.
