Marvel

Jonathan Majors Returns as Kang in New Ant-Man 3 Trailer

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If you think he’s evil, well, just wait till you meet his Variants. The first teaser trailer for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania has arrived, and coming with it is the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s next big bad. Jonathan Majors made his MCU debut in 2021’s Loki season finale, portraying a character enigmatically known as He Who Remains. This charismatic man behind the curtain is a Variant of Kang the Conqueror, a multiversal tyrant bent on growing his empire. Since that finale aired, Marvel Studios announced that the title of the next installment into Earth’s Mightiest franchise would be Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, making it abundantly clear that Majors’s antagonist is on his way to main event spotlight.

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This multi-project arc that began in Loki continues in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, as Majors is set to play the threequel’s primary villain. While fans are familiar with his face thanks to the god of mischief’s solo show, Ant-Man 3‘s trailer gave the first look at the latest Kang Variant.

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The footage showcased Kang in the Quantum Realm, complete with his comic accurate green and purple color scheme. Kang is also seemingly pulling the strings within the Quantum Realm’s city, which could end up being the MCU’s version of Chronopolis, a time-spanning city-state that Kang rules over in the comics. Before the title card hits, Kang poses a chilling question to Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang.

“I can get you home, and give you more time, if you help me. So, what’s it going to be, Ant-Man?” Kang asks.

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Kang the Conqueror finds himself in a similar position to past Avengers antagonists. Just as Loki stood opposite his brother in 2011’s Thor before leading the Chitauri army in 2012’s The Avengers, Kang will serve as the villain for a solo movie in Ant-Man 3 before elevating himself to face an ensemble in Avengers 5. There are also parallels to Thanos, as the Avengers: Infinity Warย big bad had multiple films of set up before making his presence felt, not unlike how Kang has waited in the multiversal shadows until now. Kang also is just the second villain to get his name in an Avengers title, as James Spader’s Ultron got the same treatment with 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron.

While there are endless Variants of Kang the Conqueror, the one that Scott Lang and company will deal with in Ant-Man 3 is described as a “warrior.”

“He is the warrior version of Kang, so there was a focus on what that warrior would look like who’s been around through the ages and has developed every type of combat skill,” Majors’ strength and conditioning coach Jamie Sawyer said. “It was about making him look like an imposing figure.”

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania arrives in theaters on February 17, 2023.