The Jonathan Majors-Kang era of the MCU is currently going through a lull phase ever since his proper introduction in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The audiences have begun to realize the lack of direction through its random projects being put out without any connective thread between them. Additionally, the individual projects themselves have lacked quality and compelling narratives which has frustrated audiences leading them to lose faith in the future of the franchise. It is particularly disappointing to see a drastic decline in the characters and even the overarching villain between Phases 3 and 4.
Thanos proved to be a compelling villain in The Infinity Saga, providing credibility and fear by making his presence felt majorly in the last two Avengers films. On the other hand, Kang The Conqueror, the new overarching villain of the new Multiverse Saga has not lived up to the audiences’ expectations. The underwhelming characterization as compared to the comics has disappointed audiences and there is significant doubt regarding the character’s potential in the MCU’s future. Majors is compelling in the role but there is a lot to be desired regarding how the character has been implemented in the MCU.
Kang The Conqueror’s Towering Reputation in the Comics is Terrifying
In the recent Venom comic issue called Venom #25 by Al Ewing, Sergio Dávila, Sean Parsons, Ken Lashley, Cafu, and Julius Ohta, the terrifying reputation of Kang the Conqueror is seen through the eyes of another iconic Marvel villain. Victor Von Doom/Doctor Doom is arguably the most powerful villain in the entire portfolio of Marvel villains. In this recent issue, the two characters come face to face and Kang seems to have an admirer in the all-powerful Doctor Doom.
As ScreenRant observed, the two characters seem to have mutual respect, with Von Doom proclaiming, “Though I consider Kang an enemy, he is at least a foe of substance – a self-made man, almost on my level.”. It is seen in one of the pages of Venom #25,
This is the level of terror and reputation that fans wanted to see in Jonathan Majors‘ version of Kang in the MCU. Even though his introduction turned out to be a tad underwhelming, the character has the potential to become the most terrifying and formidable villain the MCU has ever seen.
Kang the Conqueror’s Potential in the MCU
Jonathan Majors’ casting of Kang the Conqueror in the MCU is a big one as he is a very talented and versatile actor. But his promising introduction in the first season of Loki was quickly undermined by his lackluster characterization in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The pairing of such an iconic Marvel villain with a character like Ant-Man certainly did not help things and this led many people to be put off by this approach to the character’s proper entry into the MCU.
It remains to be seen how Kevin Feige and the MCU further use the character as the overarching villain of the Multiverse Saga. The character is set to appear in Loki season 2 and this could change things for the better as the hype and anticipation around the project is generally positive. The recently announced Avengers: The Kang Dynasty can also be a project where the character can really shine and live up to its legacy in the comics.
Source: ScreenRant
