The Marvel Cinematic Universe panel at SDCC 2022 confirmed the upcoming Avengers 5 would feature Kang the Conqueror as a major villain. Played by Jonathan Majors, the story will seemingly take at least some inspiration from a major Kang storyline, given their shared title of "The Kang Dynasty."

But even if the story does serve as the primary inspiration for the MCU entry that shares its name, it's unlikely it'll include one of the original story's most ill-advised elements. Namely, how much the final assault against Kang came down to his son's romantic infatuation with Captain Marvel.

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"Kang Dynasty" ran from Avengers #41 to #55. Written by Kurt Busiek and illustrated by several artists, the story focused on the time-hopping villain Kang and his son Marcus (who'd taken up the identity of the Scarlet Centurion) coming to the then-present day and destroying the UN. Kang had spared the world-leaders present to prove a point about his power and control. At that point, Kang implored all of them to witness the dark potential futures of the Earth -- and announced that he would save the world, provided they submitted fully to his rule. Kang's assault on the Earth neared total victory, pushing the Avengers to their absolute limit. Hir forces wiped out entire cities like Washington D.C., and heroes turned to desperate (and sometimes lethal) measures to prevent Kang from achieving total control.

One of the most notable members of the Avengers in the conflict was Carol Danvers (who at the time had assumed the identity of Warbird). The former Ms. Marvel and future Captain Marvel found herself to be the object of affection for Marcus. Initially, Warbird was horrified -- convinced this was a returned version of Marcus, a manipulative villain who'd infamously mind-controlled and assaulted Carol in Avengers #200, as detailed by ScreenRant. Recalling the trauma she suffered at the hands of Marcus, Carol was incredibly put off when the Scarlet Centurion fell in love with her at first sight.

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Even after learning the reasoning for hearing concerns, the Scarlet Centurion repeatedly tried to convince Carol to become his ally while the hero remained understandably wary. Nonetheless, the pair briefly agreed to a truce while stranded away from the conflict. The story even portrayed Warbird as developing a conflicted appreciation for the man's bravery in combat. But when the time came for the Avengers to make their final assault on Kang, Marcus' feelings for Carol made him reluctant to fight with his full strength. Warbird used this opening to the core of Kang's Damocles Base, giving her the power necessary to destroy the massive space station and set up the collapse of Kang's plans. Ultimately, when Kang learned about this "betrayal" after being rescued by Scarlet Centurion, he matter-of-factly murdered Marcus for his unintended role in Kang's defeat and survival (just the latest self-inflicted tragedy in his history).

It's a disturbing aspect of this story and remains one of the strangest pieces of an otherwise epic storyline of massive stakes. While the comics' storyline may serve as a broad inspiration for the upcoming fifth Avengers film, the fact that it can't use the Scarlet Centurion-Warbird aspect of the arc is a definite positive.