It is over a year since Jonathan Majors made his first MCU appearance as He Who Remains in Loki, a seemingly innocuous variant of Marvel villain Kang the Conqueror who was sitting at the end of time as some kind of guardian of the sacred timeline. However, while the slightly demented character was dispatched by Silvie in the season finale, it quickly became apparent that his demise was simply opening a gateway to a new world or worlds. From within those worlds, many other variants of Kang are waiting, and Majors will be returning as the first of those in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. However, it wasn’t until after playing the role of Loki that Majors decided he wanted to continue in the role.

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Jonathan Majors is not entering the MCU as a regular one-shot villain but is about to fill the boots of Josh Brolin’s Thanos as the overarching Big Bad of Marvel’s next phases, which will culminate in the cataclysmic end of the Multiverse Saga. When it comes to taking on the coveted role, though, Majors was not instantly sold on the part until he began to see potential in the character’s depth and dimensions. He told Men’s Heath:

When it comes to character building, Marvel has a history of creating villains that are not simply “bad guys” but are either also misunderstood or misguided in their actions. There is always a reasoning behind the likes of Thanos, which means audiences are never completely against the things they do, even when it is something like wiping away half of the universe. Playing several versions of Kang, Majors will have the ability to play numerous variants of the same character, and that will be interesting to see develop.

“It was the character and dimensions of Kang [that drew him to the role]. And the potential that it had. I thought, I’ll take a chance on that.”

Ant-Man 3’s Kang is A Warrior of The Ages

     Marvel Studios / Marvel Comics

The first footage of the next variant of Kang the Conqueror as he appears in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was revealed at San Diego ComicCon and again at Disney’s D23 Expo, however, regular fans are still waiting to see the trailer for the first movie in Marvels’ Phase Five, which is expected to arrive to coincide with the release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever this November. This version of Kang is much more powerful than He Who Remains, and that meant Majors had to layer on some muscle. The actor’s strength and conditioning coach Jamie Sawyer added:

There is certainly a lot of pain coming to the MCU thanks to the arrival of Kang, and that seems set to begin early next year in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. With a long journey to the culmination of the Multiverse Saga in Avengers: Secret Wars in May 2026, there will be plenty more to come from Jonathan Majors’ variants of Kang in the next three years.

“He is the warrior version of Kang, so there was a focus on what that warrior would look like who’s been around through the ages and has developed every type of combat skill. It was about making him look like an imposing figure.”