Michael Waldron, known for creating the MCU series Loki and writing Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, has unveiled a captivating pitch. He, along with ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ writer Jeff Loveness, conceived a battle scene for the now-scrapped ‘Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.’
Originally, Marvel Studios envisioned ‘Avengers: The Kang Dynasty’ as a cornerstone of its overarching narrative. However, the film underwent significant changes and was eventually retitled following actor Jonathan Majors’ legal issues and subsequent departure from the role of Kang in 2023.
The initial grand vision, meticulously built through prior MCU films and shows like ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ and ‘Loki,’ positioned Kang as the formidable successor to Thanos. The saga was set to involve various superhero teams clashing with numerous Kang variants in an epic, multiversal conflict.
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Today, the landscape is dramatically different. Kang appears to be a forgotten threat, joining the ranks of other unresolved plot threads in the MCU. Instead, legendary Iron Man actor Robert Downey Jr. has been brought in to portray Doctor Doom in the upcoming ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ next year, and ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ in 2027.
Waldron, who was involved in the early writing stages of ‘Avengers: The Kang Dynasty’ before transitioning to ‘Doomsday,’ participated in a recent online Q&A. He was asked if any lessons from those early drafts influenced his work on the new ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ script.
In response, Waldron shared a delightful concept: a scenario where the Young Avengers triumph over a Kang variant, only to discover their victory was, shall we say, less impressive than it seemed.
“Jeff Loveness and I spent an afternoon pitching on the Young Avengers defeating a version of Kang and being so stoked about it… only to discover that that particular Kang carried a little card that said to Be Patient with him, it was his first day as a Kang,” Waldron revealed.
“And then they were so bummed. I think he was gonna be the Lizard Kang from the end of Kang Dynasty? I don’t know. Anyway we had fun.”
This candid peek into the writing process offers a tantalizing glimpse of what could have been for ‘Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.’ While there’s no certainty this particular battle would have made the final cut, the very idea of assembling the Young Avengers to face a fledgling Kang suggests a humorous and unexpected tone the film might have adopted.
Back in July, Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige shed light on the decision to replace Kang as the primary antagonist for ‘Avengers: Doomsday.’ He confirmed that discussions with MCU icon Robert Downey Jr. about playing Doctor Doom had already begun even before Jonathan Majors’ departure.
During a roundtable interview, Feige clarified that the pivot away from Kang wasn’t solely driven by the actor’s legal troubles. Instead, conversations about bringing in Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom were initiated before the release of ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,’ which, despite its Kang focus, was met with a disappointing reception.
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“We had started even before what had happened to the actor happened,” Feige stated. “We had started to realize that Kang wasn’t big enough, wasn’t Thanos, and that there was only one character that could be that, because he was that in the comics for decades and decades.
“Because of the Fox acquisition, we finally had it, and it was Dr. Doom. So we had started talking about Dr. Doom even before we officially pivoted from Kang,” Feige continued.
“And in fact, I had started talking with Robert [Downey Jr.] about this audacious idea before Ant-Man 3 even came out. It was a long plan that we had, to take one of our greatest characters and utilize one of our greatest actors.”
Marvel officially unveiled its new plans at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2024. ‘Kang Dynasty’ was officially retitled ‘Avengers: Doomsday,’ Robert Downey Jr. was announced as Doctor Doom, and the Russo brothers were confirmed to direct both ‘Doomsday’ and ‘Secret Wars.’
How the MCU will address Kang’s diminished role remains uncertain. His last appearance in the Disney+ series Loki provided some narrative closure for that specific incarnation, but the threat of countless other multiversal Kangs (as hinted in Quantumania) lingers as a loose thread. It is expected that Kang will simply never be mentioned again.
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Wesley is Director, News at IGN. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.