Major spoilers for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania follow
The previous two Ant-Man movies arrived( in 2015 and 2018 respectively) as digestifs to substantial MCU entries—the first film released after Age of Ultron and the sequel hit after Infinity War. That’s not the case with the new film, Quantumania, which officially kicks off Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and heralds the silver screen debut of Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors), who will serve as the Thanos-level villain for the multi-film and TV story arc unfolding over the next few years.
Ant-Man/Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and co. encounter Kang after getting stranded in the Quantum Realm, the subatomic universe that exists beneath ours. While there they realize the realm is ruled with an iron fist by Kang, who had been exiled there for years and lured Scott down to help him escape—which would be very bad for the universe, the multiverse, the sacred timeline etc. Needless to say, his plan is foiled and Kang is defeated. But, as Scott ruminates in the film’s ominous conclusion, it sounds like something dangerous is still on the horizon.
While many of the recent post-credits scenes in Marvel films have featured relatively lower-stakes moments, the final two scenes in Quantumania pack quite a bit of information for the future of this next arc, the Multiverse Saga. Let’s break them down.
Scene 1: Meet the Council
The first stinger opens in an undisclosed location as we see a gathered triumvirate of Kang variants discussing the fallout of Kang the Conqueror’s demise. It appears that the trio is now frightened about a potential new threat to their domination of the broken timelines throughout the multiverse. A threat to one Kang is a danger to all; therefore, everyone needs to help. We then cut to a stadium full of gathered Kangs for the MCU’s debut introduction of the Council of Kangs.
Introduced in Avengers #267, the Council of Kangs in the comics is exactly what we see in the film: a massive gathering of thousands of Kang variants (alternate versions of the character from different realities) from across the multiverse. In fact, the final image in the movie is a direct recreation of the famous comic panel—right down to the scary-looking version at the far right of the frame. In Quantumania, the Council of Kangs looks to be governed by three distinctive versions of Kang: Rama-Tut (the Egyptian Pharaoh), Immortus (the older, bearded version), and the Scarlet Centurion.
Let’s start with Rama-Tut. This version of Kang traveled back to 2960 BC, where he leveraged futuristic tech to take over Ancient Egypt, becoming a Pharaoh and building a solid base of power to rule long before heroes like the Avengers could stop him. This particular version of Kang is younger and, therefore, inexperienced. That also makes him dangerous, as he often makes brash decisions without worrying about their impact on the future.
Immortus is Kang perfected. The scholarly version of Kang has mastered time and therefore has halted aging. In the comics, Immortus is more like the “He Who Remains” version of Kang seen at the end of Loki’s first season—he works alongside the Time Variance Authority (TVA) to keep the time in order. Part of that involves creating the Council of Kangs to determine which variants of Kang were too dangerous to exist. The MCU’s version of Immortus looks to lead the Council of Kangs and is probably the one who banished Kang the Conqueror to the Quantum Realm.
While it is missing its scarlet hue, the armored version of Kang is most likely the Scarlet Centurion. In the comics, the Centurion begins his reign as Rama-Tut before a time-traveling Fantastic Four kicks him out of Egypt. From there, this Kang ends up meeting Doctor Doom (do remember: a Fantastic Four film is on the horizon, which Kevin Feige has called a “big pillar of the MCU”) and is inspired by him, adopting an armored appearance. The Centurion is also the master of far-future technologies and is more advanced than Kang the Conqueror.
The MCU is bound to tweak and streamline each of these Kang variants, but they’re worth highlighting as they’re some of the most well-known versions of the character. Considering Immortus’ pledge to hunt down those who defeated the Conqueror, it’s only a matter of time before the Avengers come into contact with them. But we’re not done meeting variants quite yet.
Scene 2: A Timely Introduction
In the final post-credit scene, we open on a stage that evokes an old-timey magic show. It’s the early 1900s, and inventor Victory Timely is hawking a new product for some local townsfolk. Amongst the gathered crowd are our favorite buddy cops from Loki, the man himself, Loki (Tom Hiddleston), and TVA Agent Mobius (Owen Wilson). Mobius doesn’t feel like this version of Kang is dangerous, but Loki’s concerned reaction suggests otherwise.
In disguise as Victor Timely, Kang paints himself as an industrialist on the scale of Henry Ford or Thomas Edison. He establishes the town of Timely, Wisconsin, and with it, all kinds of new inventions for its townspeople through his creation of Timely Industries. Everything is just a front, however, as Timely allows Kang to lay low and gather his power before finding the perfect moment to strike.
This is essentially a teaser for Loki’s upcoming sophomore season, serving as a reminder that the God of Mischief is one of the only people in the MCU, for now, to truly understand the lingering danger Kang represents. It’s an indication that Loki is traveling through timelines to find other Kang variants and either stop them or learn more about the threat they pose. Either way, Loki’s terror, combined with the danger we saw Kang the Conqueror pose, means trouble for the Avengers. And with so many versions of Kang, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes look outnumbered.