Kevin Feige Explains How Jonathan Majors' Kang Is A 'Totally Different' Villain From Thanos
When Samuel L. Jackson first appeared at the very end of the first "Iron Man," Marvel began the biggest experiment in blockbuster filmmaking: having each movie build into the next one before having a huge crossover event just like in the comics. The first decade of the Marvel Cinematic Universe dealt with the Infinity Saga and Thanos as a main villain, an intimidating, wonderful piece of VFX artistry.
The problem is how do you follow that up? How do you follow a titan of a villain that can beat the Hulk in a fist fight and quite literally hurl a moon at a hero? Why, by exchanging brawn for brains and bringing in Kang the Conqueror, of course!
After being introduced as He Who Remains in the last episode of the first season of "Loki," Marvel Studios just announced at San Diego Comic-Con that the next big Avengers villain is none other than Jonathan Majors' Kang.
He Who Remains
In an interview with Comicbook.com, Marvel Studios' head honcho Kevin Feige explained why Kang is a different villain from Thanos — and it all starts with Jonathan Majors. "It's amazing, and I said to him there's nobody's shoulders I'd rather be putting the Multiverse Saga on than his," said Feige. "It's really impressive what Jonathan Majors is able to do and all the different incarnations, variants, if you will, of Kang that we will see him do. It's really pretty cool."
"What I love is that he's totally different from Thanos, that he is completely different" Feige added:
"That it's not just about how there's a bigger purple guy with a helmet. That's not what Kang is. Kang is a very different type of villain and the fact that he is many, many different characters is what's most exciting and most differentiates him."
This tracks with the comic book origin of Kang, who was first introduced as a criminal mastermind from the 25th century related to Doctor Doom and Reed Richards. As a time traveler, there have been several alternate versions of Kang in the comics, most villains, some heroes like Iron Lad and Rama-Tut.
With a bigger focus on tactics and futuristic technology, Kang promises to be a more calculated and multifaceted villain than Thanos. And who knows, maybe this is the first step towards finally having a good Doctor Doom portrayal.