Kang the Conqueror was supposed to be the next great foe in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and, while there are many reasons his story did not work out as intended, there is one significant writing rule his character broke that might speak to his failure. While there remain many popular Kang recasting choices, it does not appear that the villain will have a major role in the upcoming franchise. The series has instead pivoted to Doctor Doom, who will next face Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in Avengers: Doomsday.

The best and strongest MCU villains have proven themselves in all kinds of ways. Thanos was immediately introduced as a major threat during his first significant appearance in Avengers: Infinity War, where he killed Loki, then handily fought and won against both Thor and Hulk. While Marvel villains tend to be terrifying from the outset, the stories do need to work hard in order to justify that threat. Unfortunately, a part of this seems to have been ignored with Kang, which may have led to his general ineffectiveness.

Kang’s MCU Debut Broke A Common Writing Rule

The MCU Told Audiences About Kang Being Terrifying Rather Than Showing

During the bulk of Kang’s appearances in the MCU, the important writing rule of “show, don’t tell” was ignored. Kang’s first appearance in Loki season 1 only had the antagonist talking, before being killed by Sylvie. This was a decent introduction, even if it didn’t show anything, but the villain’s next appearance didn’t do much more to further the seeds Loki planted. Kang the Conqueror next appeared in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, where he was beaten without great trouble by the heroes of the film.

Many criticize that film’s ending, and how much weaker it makes Kang seem by being beaten by Ant-Man. However, the problems with the MCU’s Thanos replacement were even worse than this. Throughout the film, both Janet and Kang himself speak at length about the terrors of Kang the Conqueror. Threatening allusions are made, including the excellent line, “You’re an Avenger, have I killed you before?”, but these lines only go so far towards establishing Kang as a threat. The words did not match his actions, making Kang seem weak and forgettable.

Kang’s MCU Debut May Have Been Initially Set Up To Show His True Power Later

Like Thanos, The Villain Did Not Necessarily Need Enormous Buildup

Some villains take time and, if Jonathan Majors hadn’t been fired from the MCU, it is possible that the series could still have redeemed the villain. The threat of Kang being implied was effective in how it promised terrifying things in the future during Loki, but the villain’s appearance in Quantumania seemed only to spin the character’s wheels rather than doing anything meaningful with him. Following this, the threat of Kang seemed to only be suggested, and never entirely addressed or shown.

It is likely that Avengers: The Kang Dynasty could have created a truly iconic villain out of Kang. Majors is an excellent performer and brought gravitas to all the material he had. Seeing Kang truly breakthrough in the Avengers films could have made all the wait and buildup feel more worth it. However, interest in the character seemed to have waned after his failures in Quantumania, and it is probably for the best that the MCU has decided to move on and introduce Doctor Doom as Jonathan Majors’ Kang replacement.

There may someday be a continuation of Kang’s story in the MCU, although it does not seem entirely necessary. The character was effectively written off in Loki season 2, and other threats to the multiverse appear to be greater. It is disappointing that Kang the Conqueror broke such an important writing rule in his few appearances in the MCU, but hopefully the franchise will be better for it. Audiences will know for sure once Avengers: Doomsday is released in 2026.

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