One thing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe: it is an interlink of stories and big arcs.
But more so, recent happenings have thrown a spanner into Marvel’s plans, shaking up its future in a big way. And now, with the news that Avengers: The Kang Dynasty has been scrapped in favor of a film called Avengers: Doomsday, which pits the team against the main antagonist Doctor Doom, a big question remains regarding what all this says about the grand narrative going on in the MCU. Let’s dive in and talk about how it will-or might-affect the MCU and what this says about Marvel’s direction.
Kang the Conqueror Falls Kang the Conqueror was supposed to be the next big bad in MCU, thanks to Jonathan Majors. Coming into Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantomania, it seemed that he was going to take over from Thanos as the universe’s Big Bad. Unfortunately, the movie received tepid reception and was notably the lowest-rated MCU movie to date. But despite Majors’ riveting performance, having Kang’s variant defeated by giant ants was really not the greatest decision in terms of narrative for setting up a fearsome villain.
Things took a turn for the worse when Majors was arrested and subsequently convicted of domestic violence. Disney predictably axed his contract in response to the charges. That created one heck of a headache for Marvel: how to handle Kang’s storyline when the actor playing him was no longer part of the MCU.
The Doctor Doom Transition
Marvel’s solution to the Kang problem? Of course, the Winds would then pivot to one of Marvel’s most iconic villains: Doctor Doom. The shift wasn’t completely unexpected, considering rumors that Doom has been a huge part of the MCU’s future, especially with Secret Wars on the horizon. Setting up Doom as the main antagonist in Avengers: Doomsday would be an interesting new direction for the MCU to go, and there are many questions that would be raised in doing so.
Doctor Doom, courtesy of none other than Robert Downey Jr., couldn’t be farther away from Kang. Downey Jr.-who was famously cloaked in the role of Tony Stark/Iron Man-is donning the shoes of one of Marvel’s most multi-dimensional villains. A switch so that brings eyebrows up in many ways: that of a hero vs. villain and the big fat paycheck that comes along with such a high-profile role.
Kang’s Legacy and Loki Connection
Kang being replaced, the obvious question then is: what about the entire Kang storyline Marvel’s been weaving since the end of Avengers: Endgame? The Loki Season 2 finale was interpreted by fans as a symbolic ending to the Kang story. In that season, Loki’s sacrifice to stabilize the universe as the God of Stories apparently shut the door on the story of Kang as we knew it.
Quantumania’s post-credits scene teased a ton of different variants of Kang, but it was later ceded in Loki the TVA were simply keeping tabs on them. That hand-waving left viewers wondering how these versions would fit into the larger MCU story given the apparent shift away from Kang.
Marvel Movies Coming Soon and What Happens to Kang
Looking ahead, Marvel’s upcoming roster of movies and shows raises even more questions about Kang’s involvement, or lack thereof. Films such as Deadpool and Wolverine and Captain America: Brave New World just don’t have a place that would greatly involve Kang’s storyline. Neither does his presence feel overtly apparent in The Thunderbolts or, later on, the Fantastic Four-most likely at best just as a tease in a post-credits scene.
It’s anyone’s guess whether Kang is being written out wholesale or if Marvel will find some creative way to fold him into future storylines, perhaps by tracking new narratives involving Doom or other cosmic threats such as Galactus. Variants of Kang defeated or otherwise handled remains a tantalizing concept, but for now, it’s anybodys’ guess how that will be done.
Mixed Reactions from Fans
The decision to bring Jonathan Majors back as Kang in Avengers: Doomsday really has stirred a pot of mixed reactions among fans. Some see continuity and are excited with Majors’ return, while others are far from comfortable with Marvel’s seeming move to sweep the controversies surrounding him under the rug. After all, celebrity and personal scandal can really get in the way of public perception. When pressed about this in an interview, he said, “I just wasn’t raised that way. I’d f— it up if I threw a press conference or made some statement. It’s not that deep. I was innocent, man. I could never hurt nobody. You gotta get out my face with that.”.
On the other hand, Robert Downey Jr.’s leap from Iron Man to Doctor Doom was also controversial. As talented as Downey Jr. is, his leap from being a likable hero to an abhorred villain unsettled a number of fans worldwide. The big paychecks and A-list emolument that come with such role add another layer of intrigue and skepticism in the mix.
The Future of MCU
Clearly, the MCU is going to shift with the arrival of Doctor Doom. Meanwhile, his presence as the central antagonist brings a whole different dynamic to Marvel’s universe for its upcoming phases. He’ll show up in Secret Wars, and with a promise of interactions with the Fantastic Four, his role should be vital.
Conclusion
The shift from Kang the Conqueror to Doctor Doom is a big narrative jump for the MCU. With the storyline of Kang, there could be some sidestepping, but with the introduction of Doctor Doom comes new dimensions into this ever-expanding universe of Marvel. Reactions to all this news are very mixed, as complex emotions-not just a little bit of excitement married to some degree of uncertainty about how Marvel would navigate changes-are expressed.
The fact that storylines and characters evolve with time at Marvel is, of course, the nature of the cinematic universe: it’s in constant flux.
