Kevin Feige Reveals Why Kang Is Perfect for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Few villains in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have gotten as much press as Jonathan Majors' Kang the Conqueror. That's for a good reason as Marvel Studios executives are setting the character up as one of the toughest antagonists the franchise has ever seen. While Thanos (Josh Brolin) wasn't properly introduced until the end of his arc, the story of Kang serves as its antithesis. The villain debuts in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and will serve as a lingering presence throughout the remainder of Marvel's Phase Five.

"For years, we've always had the inkling that Kang would be an amazing follow-up to Thanos," Marvel boss Kevin Feige said in a recent chat with EW. "He's got that equal stature in the comics, but he's a completely different villain. Mainly, that's because he's multiple villains. He's so unique from Thanos, which we really liked."

Furthermore, it was Majors who helped transform Kang into Marvel's next big thing. According to the producer, Majors has been the highest-testing villains amongst the studio's "friends and family test screenings."

"That's really saying something with a movie like this. Even early on without the effects, Jonathan is his own effect. He was working from the start. It's always one of the fun rolls of the dice that we do at Marvel, which is to say: 'Hey, we're going to make multiple movies around this character, and we're going to start before the audience has even had a chance to meet him,"'" Feige added. "We really go all in on these ideas and this casting. It was a big relief when the season ender of Loki season 1 happened. People really seem to be on board for Kang. People are chanting, 'Kang!' when Jonathan goes on talk shows, and they haven't even seen him in the movie yet!"

Here's the description for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which enters theaters February 17th.

"In the film, which officially kicks off phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Super-Hero partners Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) return to continue their adventures as Ant-Man and the Wasp. Together, with Hope's parents Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), the family finds themselves exploring the Quantum Realm, interacting with strange new creatures and embarking on an adventure that will push them beyond the limits of what they thought was possible. Jonathan Majors joins the adventure as Kang."

How much do you think Quantumania will make in its box office run? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section!