The MCU decided to introduce Kang the Conqueror more thoroughly than it did Thanos, but it may have gone too far the opposite way.
Throughout the first few phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thanos largely remained a mystery to movie-going audiences. While fans who had read the comics likely had an idea of what Thanos’ motivation would be, the movies didn’t really dive into it until Avengers: Infinity War, nearly six years after the character was teased at the end of The Avengers. Marvel seems to be trying to correct this move with Kang the Conqueror by introducing him much earlier than Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. However, it seems to have overcorrected, giving Kang the opposite problem as Thanos.
Whereas Thanos was a mysterious figure lurking in the background of the MCU’s early phases, Kang is set to appear in several Marvel films and shows. While one or two small appearances would be a good way to establish him as a threat and what his motivation is, Kang has already gone far beyond making a few cameos. Worse still, he’s already been defeated a couple of times, making him far less intimidating than Thanos was when he showed up.
Kang the Conqueror’s Appearances Have Been a Little Repetitive
Kang, or at least a variant of him, first appeared in the Season 1 finale of Loki. In the episode, he explained why it was important for him to maintain the Sacred Timeline and warned that if he was killed, then a worse version of him would come and take over. Ignoring this warning, Sylvie killed this variant of Kang, called He Who Remains, unleashing many new timelines and, subsequently, many new Kangs. With fans already expecting Kang to return as He Who Remains warned, audiences would only really need a bit more information on his motivation to properly set him up for his appearance in The Kang Dynasty.
However, Marvel wasn’t satisfied with this single tease, so it also included Kang as the main antagonist in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Marvel fans assumed that Quantumania‘s Kang would be the same one that would eventually show up in the next Avengers movie, but that wasn’t the case. This variant of Kang was also defeated, this time by Ant-Man and the Wasp. Then the movie’s post-credits scene teased even more variants of Kang. The setup in Quantumania felt very similar to the setup in Loki, with Kang being defeated in both and then audiences being told to look out because a worse version is on the way.
Kang Is Being Defanged by Constant Defeat
Part of what made Thanos so intimidating is that he trounced every Avenger he came up against. He beat up the Hulk without even having a full Infinity Gauntlet, and he essentially won at the end of Infinity War. In contrast, Kang has already appeared in two MCU installments and has been defeated twice without needing a full roster of Avengers. This makes Kang feel far less intimidating than someone like Thanos, who made such an explosive entrance onto the scene when he finally appeared.
Kang is reported to show up in several upcoming MCU projects, including a significant role in Loki Season 2. If these projects continue the trend of Kang being defeated at the end by one or two heroes, then audiences really aren’t going to be worried about him when he shows up in The Kang Dynasty. Unlike Thanos, who surprised audiences by winning, if Kang does the same thing, it will also feel less earned since viewers have already seen how easily he can be taken out. Hopefully, Marvel can find a way to give Kang more of an intimidation factor ahead of The Kang Dynasty if it wants the villain to reach the same heights as Thanos.
source: cbr.com
