Warning: This article contains spoilers for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and Phase 4 through Phase 5 Marvel Cinematic Universe projects.
Even with a rocky start, a great ending can turn a film around. Unfortunately, in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, it was the ending that disappointed the most. The film has been getting roasted by critics despite being mostly well-received among fans, which has become a defining characteristic of Marvel media since Avengers: Endgame. I enjoyed the film, but that’s almost entirely because of Jonathan Majors performance as Kang the Conqueror.
Quantumania was Kang’s first big screen appearance, but not quite his MCU debut. His introduction was in the Loki TV show as a variant called He Who Remains. Although Majors played the character well, He Who Remains was far too eccentric, quirky, and downright silly for my tastes. He exuded a Willy Wonka-like energy, rather than the terrifying villainy of Thanos and his savage Titan brutality. However, within the context of Loki, it’s easy to understand why Kang was so Zen. He Who Remains is meant to be an older more mature version of the character that’s already triumphed. He now lives concealed as a god-like figure devoted to multiverse stability by any means necessary. With that in mind, although I didn’t like the portrayal, I understood it. What I was eagerly anticipating, however, were future portrayals of Kang that would embody his title of the Conqueror with all the ominous grandeur it deserves.
Quantumania was the highly-anticipated film debut of Kang the Conqueror, and Jonathan Majors did not disappoint. His portrayal of Kang felt commanding, sufficiently haughty, and refreshingly regal, in a manner befitting his role as Marvel’s new Avengers-level threat. That is, up until the film’s final act, where all that momentum was deplorably derailed.
The Conqueror Conquered
I understand that Ant-Man and the Wasp had to emerge triumphant in a film bearing their names, but I wish it would’ve been accomplished without rendering Kang impotent. Through the first two-thirds of the film, Kang demonstrated a dominating array of powers. Janet van Dyne — in 30 years of trying to end Kang’s rule of the Quantum realm — declared the man virtually unstoppable, so long as his suit was intact. We’re even given a montage that shows Kang decimating civilizations, planets, and entire universes with powers rivaling, if not surpassing, the infinity stones. By the film’s final act, Kang has been effectively crowned the next “big bad” of the MCU. It’s abundantly clear he’s more than just an Ant-Man villain like Darren Cross or Ghost. His power and ambitions are Avengers assemble worthy, and as such, should’ve been well beyond the prowess of Scott Lang and his rag-tag crew. However, in service of a plot that stayed true to the Marvel formula, Quantumania ends with Kang’s defeat, and not just by some lucky technicality. Kang the Conqueror was straight-up overpowered.
The decision to conclude Kang’s film debut with defeat at the hands of a B-level Avenger, his sidekicks, and some ants is more than strange, it’s downright perplexing. This differs from the defeat of He Who Remains Kang in Loki because in Quantumania he was actively defending himself. In the show, Kang let Loki and Sylvie choose their destiny, and that of the multiverse at large, even if it meant his death and ensuing chaos. It was a very god-like Garden of Eden move that demonstrated just how above it all He Who Remains was. However, in Quantumania the opposite is true. Kang is anything but a benevolent overseer. He’s a man of prodigious will, nefarious and unfettered by moral restraint in pursuit of his aims. His true nature was laid bare when “I wish that mattered” was his response to being reminded of the staggering carnage his plans would bring. Kang the Conqueror is downright diabolical. We’re meant to fear him, and throughout most of the film, I did. That’s why his actions and strategy during the final battle were jarring, to say the least.
Kang’s lowlights during the film’s final battle include:
- Standing dormant for far too long as the heroes ravaged his troops.
- Failing to use his previously demonstrated telekinetic abilities.
- Failing to use his previously demonstrated battlefield-leveling “power blast”.
- Opting for what amounted to Dragon Ball Z finger beams in a 1 vs many fight that called for a spirit bomb.
- Being nearly bested in hand-to-hand combat by the affable Ant-Man.
- Getting overpowered by — admittedly technologically advanced — ants.
If Ant-Man and some friends gave Kang problems, can you imagine what the full Avengers roster would do? They’d have him looking like Mojo Jojo, getting packed up with all manner of immediate speed.
The Powerpuff Girls used to break into prison just to beat up Mojo Jojo. They didn’t even need a reason. Buttercup would get bored and think “where’s he at”, not to stop a crime, but to beat on him as a way to pass time. It got to the point where the audience started sympathizing with him, culminating in an episode where he’s defended from perceived animal abuse.
That aside, my point is Kang’s lucky he didn’t make it out of the Quantum realm. He talked tough about killing “so many” Avengers, but from what he showed in that final battle, Captain Marvel alone would’ve crushed him down to undiscoverable atoms. The way Quantumania built Kang up, only to have him fall so spectacularly, was a devastating blow to his reputation and fearsomeness going forward.
Aren’t You the Guy That Got Bodied by Ant-Man?
Yeah yeah I know, it was Ant-Man, the Wasp, Cassie Lang, Hank Pym, Janet van Dyne, a few heroic plebeians, and some ants. But still, it was hardly the kind of crew you’d expect to take down a villain of Kang the Conqueror’s power and magnitude.
Going forward, I’m going to remember Kang as the guy who couldn’t fight his way out of an Ant-Man movie. Marvel can produce as many variants of him as they like, it won’t matter. He can don a thousand new suits, it won’t matter. He can power up, as I’m sure he will for future Avengers films, and it won’t matter. He got bodied by Ant-Man and his motley crew of equal or lesser-powered heroes, plus some ants. For that, to me, he’ll always be…
Thanos would never! At least when we saw him take losses, it was in battles featuring heavy hitters like Scarlet Witch, Captain Marvel, and Thor, some of the strongest MCU heroes to date. I’m not alone in my disappointment over Kang’s demise in Quantumania, as there are plenty of articles online saying the same thing. There’s also social media where many fans have expressed mirroring sentiments. Here are a few highlights from Reddit.
For all the talk about the ‘Conqueror’ in the first half, they made him pretty underpowered in the finale. He should have decimated Ant-Man and cemented his place as the new big baddie after Thanos in the MCU. Like seriously, his beam made random people obliterate to dust but just throws back the main characters against the wall. Plot armour, I know but still it doesn’t make sense at all.
Remember how he telekinetically lifted them up in the cell? Just completely forgot that power during the 1v3 fight. Or how he casually swatted Scott/Hope? Nope lol. Marvel has a huge problem with power inconsistencies and people getting stronger or weaker when the plot needs it instead of good writing and a plot line for why the heroes win. Edit: oh and also, Kang goes “I’ve killed so many avengers” and then just loses. What a joke.
To be fair, this is the Kang that was weak enough to be exiled. This variant talked himself up like he wanted to be He Who Remains but couldn’t beat the council. But yeah, it does feel a bit off having the big bad of the saga lose his first outing. Thanos didn’t hit the battlefield until much later and when he did he felt unstoppable.
They made his suit broken in the end which is why he did hand to hand combat. But even then, he should have easily beaten ant man. In the trailer they really made it seem like he was going to absolute DESTROY antman.
Kang’s powerset was basically what the plot demanded him to have at the moment.
Kang lost count of how many times he killed that guy with a hammer. Kang gets his ass beaten by a tiny guy who controls ants.
This version of Kang being “killed” by Ant-Man of all people and then following it up with that (council of Kang’s post-credit) scene kinda of ruined the whole idea of him being the big new main villain for me, just embarrassing.
This dude is suppose to be the next big villain? He went in a fist fight with [f’ing] ant man and managed to lose. Allegedly, he also died in Loki. So he is just basically a guy who dies over and over (?) Even human villains seemed more threatening.
[Kang] seemed like he could easily kill anyone with his force powers at the beginning, but never uses them again after the interrogation scene.
So you’re telling me that Kang, who’s faced hundreds of rebellions, conquered a lot of worlds, killed a lot of Avengers, lost because of an invasion by ants????? Don’t know what u think, but it has to be lazy writing for me.
Kang failed so spectacularly, and couldn’t kill a single person … this is the Kang that the council was afraid of? … In comparison, first movie Thanos is actually properly introduced, he immediately kills Loki and kicks Hulk’s [butt] without an issue in a [f’ing] FIST FIGHT. That’s how you introduce an actual big bad, not whatever this was.
I can’t believe they “killed” Kang The Conqueror. The whole movie he looks so menacing, he speaks about crushing rebellions and killing avengers. And in the end, Ant-Man kicks his [butt]. Even if he didn’t die, how can we take him as an avengers-level threat now? Oh, and I can’t believe they changed the ending. “We both have to lose” that line loses all meaning and the way the portal appears right behind them clearly added in post made us all laugh at the cinema.
Fandom Undeterred
All in all, Jonathan Majors delivers a menacing performance as Kang the Conqueror, but Quantumania’s conclusion leaves him diminished, in both power and reputation, undermining his potential as the next major MCU villain. Kang’s certainly still redeemable, primarily because of Majors’ superb depiction of the character, but it’s going to take some creativity.
As a fan of the MCU, whether they redeem him or not, I’m going to keep watching. I’m not mad, upset, or saddened by anything I saw in the film. It is seriously not that serious. I wrote this article from a Barnes & Noble down the street from the theater while enjoying a magnificent salted caramel cookie. I was smiling like an idiot the whole time. This whole thing of comic book superheroes getting big-budget adaptions is a dream come true for me, even as just a spectator. I had fun seeing Quantumania in theaters, and I’ll have fun seeing whatever the MCU puts out next. Whatever the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe may be, I’m committed to enjoying the journey.
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