Iron Man’s Thanos nightmare is secretly happening again in Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 5, but this time, it involves Kang the Conqueror.
Warning: spoilers for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania are ahead!After the Infinity Saga, Marvel Studios is repeating Iron Man‘s Thanos nightmare, albeit secretly, in Phase 5. The Marvel Cinematic Universe now enters the second chapter of the burgeoning Multiverse Saga with Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania. The Peyton Reed-directed threequel officially debuts Kang the Conqueror, who will be the Avengers’ next big adversary. While he doesn’t have any ties to Thanos, Marvel Studios is subtly repeating a storytelling trick used to pave the way for the Titan’s introduction, only this time, they’re using it on Kang the Conqueror.
After being sucked into the mysterious Quantum Realm, Team Ant-Man faced their most dangerous adversary yet Kang the Conqueror. A variant of He Who Remains who appeared in the Loki finale, this version was exiled to the dimension as a way to contain him. In the end, Team Ant-Man was able to defeat the villain, but his death is only the beginning of the threat that the Council of Kangs brings, and Scott Lang knows that.
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Ant-Man’s Kang Fears Mirrors Iron Man’s Thanos Nightmare
Team Ant-Man wins at the end of Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania. Things appear to be back to normal as Scott settles back into his old routine. Despite this, however, his voiceover reveals the dark truth — he is haunted by Kang’s threats about knowing what lies ahead. Scott knows that they won, but there’s still a nagging feeling inside of him that tells him that the fight isn’t over. This mirrors exactly what Iron Man felt after his near-death experience in the Battle of New York in The Avengers. Tony Stark knew they won, but he had a gut feeling that there was a bigger threat coming their way.
What’s curious now is how Ant-Man is going to cope with this bubbling fear. Iron Man tried ignoring it until he finally become so paranoid that he maniacally started working in an effort to safeguard those he loved from the unknown threat he felt was coming. Even after he tried addressing it in Iron Man 3, it continued to haunt him, hence why he was motivated to create Ultron and support the Sokovia Accords just to keep the Avengers together. Scott’s best course of action is to reach out to his fellow heroes and share his experience in the Quantum Realm, that way, they can prepare for another possible attack.
Why Ant-Man’s Kang Fears Can Be Worse Than Iron Man’s
Given his recent experience in the MCU’s Quantum Realm, Ant-Man’s fear can actually be worse than Iron Man’s. Stark was afraid of an idea. Despite her near-death experience in Iron Man 3, Pepper Potts not only survived the ordeal against Aldrich Killian, but she was also spared in Thanos’ Decimation. In Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania, he clearly already has regrets about losing so much time with his daughter, Cassie Lang. Scott was also on the cusp of losing her as she was held hostage by Kang the Conqueror. He is now aware of the real dangers of dealing with the villain.
