When Marvel introduced Kang the Conqueror, little did we know that the sly, evasive, and dangerous variant of He Who Remains would return as the primary antagonist of the entire saga that follows. Seeming comparatively harmless in the face of what followed in the latter’s death, the master manipulator and puppeteer of all time was no small opponent for the likes of Sylvie Laufeydottir. But now that he is dead and his variant, Kang the Conqueror rules in his stead, the fate of the MCU is headed down a dark and bloody path indeed.
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What Motivates Kang the Conqueror in the MCU?
The first three Phases of Marvel were all building up to the grand showdown of Endgame. Thanos was a looming presence who made himself and his inevitable arrival known after Phase 1 of MCU was already over with. His inherent involvement was rarely discussed and that too, halfway into the 22-movie saga. The only ominous foreshadowing of what’s to come was hinted at through Tony Stark’s vision in Civil War and his “that’s the endgame” argument in Age of Ultron.
But Kang the Conqueror paraded his entry into the follow-up saga through the Phase 4 Disney+ series, Loki. His coming was narrated like a script and the power Kang holds was felt through Loki’s hopelessness, the same god who refused to bow down to a tyrant like Thanos. The series finale’s portrayal of the erasure of an entire organization’s history was the final nail in the coffin that ultimately announced that the next opponent is not one that can be beaten by battles and sacrifices. The war that is to come will require mastery over the control of supernatural elements that have already begun to be introduced to us in Phase 4.
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Kang the Conqueror Sets Out to Become the Big Bad
Of course, Kang the Conqueror is an entity that would want something even more ruthless than the extinction of half the universe. Having sought to conquer as many universes as possible during the Multiversal War, Kang ultimately seeks to hold complete authority over all time. And for a mission that ambitious, one needs weapons and not the earthly kind. Rumors suggest that Phase 4 has been subtly introducing us to the new and upgraded versions of Infinity Stones and their powers through Ms. Marvel and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
Also read: Shang-Chi: History Of The Ten Rings, Explained
We are already familiar with Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel’s Bangle which holds the power to manipulate matter and time. The Ten Rings of Shang-Chi too are powerful weapons that have demonstrated their ability to enhance strength, grant near-immortality, and hold a telepathic bond with the wielder. The occurrence of such powerful elements and their in-depth introduction in Phase 4 cannot be an accident and if history serves right, no colorful energy-emitting object of power serves only to be used by the superhero without evil ulterior forces at play. Perhaps, then, the Bangle and the Ten Rings are as inherently connected to the Multiversal Saga as the Infinity Stones were to the Infinity Saga.
Source: The Direct
