One of the things fans are eager to see in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is exactly what ground Jonathan Majors' Kang will be covering. Marvel fans are accustomed to this villain as Kang the Conqueror (created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in the '60s), but the Marvel Cinematic Universe is fractured, which gives this Kang a potentially new role in the Multiverse. It's why he's seen offering Paul Rudd's Scott Lang a devil's deal in exchange for help, making the mission as mysterious and murky as possible.

That said, Kang is coming off quite distrustful, suggesting he'll be meddling with the time stream via his Time Chair. It teases game-changing consequences but while the status quo seems set to be shaken up, fans would do well to remember Kang's past. That's because it could open the door for the X-Men villain Apocalypse to enter the MCU.

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Kang's History Created Apocalypse

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Kang started off as Nathaniel Richards, a descendant of Reed Richards in the future. He time-traveled from the 31st century, eventually ending up as Pharaoh Rama-Tut in Ancient Egypt. The scholar knew En Sabah Nur, the first mutant, would become Apocalypse, so he set things in motion for the warrior to transition into his heir. Unfortunately, things backfired as his general, Ozymandias, attacked En Sabah Nur's people and culled the Aqaba clan.

To make it worse, apart from losing the Sandstormers and his father, Baal, in 1996's Rise of Apocalypse #2 (by Terry Kavanagh and Adam Pollina), En Sabah Nur was spurned by Ozymandias' sister, Nephri. This was due to his look, which causes his powers to manifest fully. He became the destructive Apocalypse and went on a rampage, slaughtering many and forcing Rama-Tut to go forward in time, with the Pharaoh becoming Kang. As we know, Apocalypse would then scour the Earth for his Four Horsemen to remake the planet in his image.

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The MCU Can Create an Apocalypse Hunt

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Now, the MCU is introducing mutants quite differently, differentiating itself from the Fox movies. Professor Xavier was seen in the Doctor Strange sequel in another reality, but on the main Earth-616, Namor and possibly Kamala Khan are the only mutants on record. However, seeing as Kang's past is hidden, it could be this variant either created an Apocalypse in an alternate reality, that might track him here in a high-stakes Ant-Man 3. After all, the ideas of variants open up limitless potential with many Kangs, per Loki, around. It could even be this Kang created Apocalypse, botched the mentorship job, and lost track of him on the 616. He may well have gained powers from the meteors that struck Wakanda and Atlantis, and remained hidden to avoid Kang.

He could then have sought mutants for an army, knowing threats like the Snap could dwindle their numbers. What's intriguing is this Kang hints at some greater danger to come, so the film could have him using Scott's help in the Microverse (Quantum Realm) to prevent Apocalypse from being born. In that sense, Kang could be trying to correct his old mistake, making himself a sympathetic villain, while gifting the MCU an omega-level tyrant on part with Thanos. Admittedly, more educated guesses will be made once Kang's truth and his overall mission are revealed. But if he has indeed tampered with the fabric of this or other Earths, the MCU has an easy in to usher in apprentice-turned-destroyer on the hunt for the person who wants to erase him.