Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania has left us with even more questions about Kang and the Multiverse, and we know it can all be pretty confusing.
It doesn't even seem unfair to say that even the most die-hard comic book fans might be struggling to keep up with where the MCU is heading in this increasingly complex Multiverse Saga. The fact the threequel ends with four major character introductions might have left some of you stumped, but don't fret because we're now taking an in-depth look at each of them.
Turning to the source material, we dive into their respective histories, what the plan for them in this shared world is likely to be, and how we think the MCU is adapting the stories that put them on the map. He Who Remains really wasn't kidding in that Loki finale, was he?
Massive spoilers follow from this point on, so click the "Next" button below for our in-depth breakdown!
Rama-Tut
Nathaniel Richards was born in the 30th Century and quickly grew bored with the peaceful world he called home. Obsessed with the heroic age, and specifically the Fantastic Four, he built a time machine but found himself stranded in Ancient Egypt.
Far more advanced than those around him, he quickly established himself as a God and clashed with Khonshu and En Sabah Nur. As luck would have it, Marvel's First Family also used time travel to return to this period, specifically to find the herbs that the wounded Rama-Tut used to heal his blindness shortly after arriving there (to them, he was just a historical figure).
After enslaving the Fantastic Four, this Kang was inevitably defeated but eventually able to escape into the time-stream where he would next become Scarlet Centurion (we'll get to him later).
The MCU's Rama-Tut appears to be at the height of his power based on how he's dressed and is likely satisfied with having conquered that time period. For now, at least.
Immortus
Despite what may look like a silly costume and the oddly raspy voice, Immortus is a character who should definitely be feared.
The moniker a Kang who earned countless victories eventually took on, Immortus later crossed paths with the Time-Keepers and served them in a similar manner to He Who Remains in Loki. Inevitably, Immortus started toying with time for his own means, ensuring his past self would eventually become, well, him.
The villain's endgame was to ensure only Immortus would be left at the end of time and he's the Kang who could be the biggest threat of them all in the MCU. Remember, in the comics, He Who Remains wasn't a Kang and there's every chance Loki's take was an even older Immortus. It's all a little muddled right now.
One thing we can say for sure is that Immortus appears to be the one in charge here, and intends to take the fight to Earth's Mightiest Heroes now they're interfering with the divergent timelines he and his fellow Kangs have created as their dominance spreads throughout the Multiverse. We're sure his greatest concern is ensuring his own existence, though.
Scarlet Centurion
After becoming the Scarlet Centurion, Kang immediately took aim at The Avengers. It did not go well.
Beaten and humiliated, he returned to his Rama-Tut guise before eventually adopting the moniker of Kang the Conqueror. Years later, he would grant his son, Marcus Kang, the name. That's all very interesting, of course, but is this third Variant actually Scarlet Centurion? It seems likely, though the costume is very unique and he isn't wearing any scarlet!
Clearly technologically advanced, it's feasible he's an older Iron Lad. In the comics, the teenage Kang decided to become a hero and an Avenger, only to eventually be sent back to his rightful place in the timeline so he can live out his destiny as a villain.
We also can't discount the possibility Marvel Studios has created a new Kang Variant specifically for the MCU, but none of this trio seems remotely similar to the Conqueror or He Who Remains.
There's one more surprise, of course...
Victor Timely
At the end of Loki's first season, the God of Mischief found himself in a timeline where Kang openly rules over the TVA. We still don't know what that means, but the second post-credits scene makes it clear the reformed villain is absolutely terrified of Kang, even in this seemingly mild-mannered Victor Timely form.
On the page, after suffering yet another humiliating defeat at the hands of The Avengers, Kang established his Victor Timely identity in 1901.
Using his knowledge of the future to turn the city of Timely, Wisconsin (which he founded) into a technological wonder, Kang unknowingly shaped the Marvel Universe into the world it eventually becomes. Pretending to be his own ancestors, the villain spent decades in this guise and even spied on Earth's Mightiest Heroes from afar.
We can't ignore the fact Victor speaks in a similar manner to Kang the Conqueror, so perhaps this introduction will serve as that Variant's origin story.
Making Sense Of Kang's Variants
Initially, there was one Kang who comic book readers encountered at different stages of his life. For example, The Avengers could be fighting Kang the Conqueror in one story only to encounter Rama-Tut years later after Kang's earlier self also tried and failed to defeat them (explaining why he took another crack at it as the Conqueror).
As with anything time travel related, it's complicated, but this Prime Kang also had countless divergent "Variants" created by his many trips through time.
That led to the creation of the Council of Kangs, though some Variants are definitely more important than others. In the MCU, time travel seems to be taking a back seat to alternate realities, so instead of being one Kang at different points in time, we may just be looking at totally different Variants from across the Multiverse.
That goes some way in explaining why they're so unique, similar to how Loki is male in one timeline and female in the other. The Conqueror wanted to destroy the realities his doppelgangers call home to stop incursions and ensure he's the last Kang left standing, a goal we know He Who Remains actually achieved.