Loki Writer Reveals Pitch That Would Have Seen The Young Avengers Defeat an Inexperienced Kang Variant in Scrapped Avengers: The Kang Dynasty

Michael Waldron, creator of the MCU amusement Loki and writer of Doctor Strange successful the Multiverse of Madness, has revealed a transportation helium came up with alongside Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania writer Jeff Loveness for a conflict that would person taken spot successful the scrapped Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.

Marvel Studios’ plans for its overarching Avengers-based storyline included Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, but the movie was retooled and renamed amid Kang histrion Jonathan Majors' condemnation for assaulting his ex-girlfriend and consequent firing successful 2023.

But the archetypal thought — so the setup from erstwhile MCU movies and shows specified arsenic Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Loki — was that Kang would beryllium the adjacent large atrocious aft Thanos, and that superheroes would person to conflict variants of the quality arsenic portion of an all-encompassing war.

The program is precise antithetic now. Kang is seemingly forgotten, destined to spell down arsenic 1 of galore MCU escaped ends, with Iron Man histrion Robert Downey Jr., drafted successful to play Doctor Doom successful adjacent year’s Avengers: Doomsday and 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars.

Waldron was 1 of the writers connected Avengers: The Kang Dynasty earlier moving connected to enactment connected Doomsday, and successful a caller Reddit AMA, helium was asked if determination was thing helium learnt from those archetypal drafts of the publication that moved implicit to assistance him constitute for the caller version, Avengers: Doomsday.

In his response, Waldron revealed a transportation for the Young Avengers to decision a variant of Kang who would crook retired to be… little of a scalp than they’d hoped.

“Jeff Loveness and I spent an day pitching connected the Young Avengers defeating a mentation of Kang and being truthful stoked astir it… lone to observe that that peculiar Kang carried a small paper that said to Be Patient with him, it was his archetypal time arsenic a Kang,” helium said.

“And past they were truthful bummed. I deliberation helium was gonna beryllium the Lizard Kang from the extremity of Kang Dynasty? I don't know. Anyway we had fun.”

Kang was erstwhile meant to beryllium the MCU's adjacent large bad.

The revelation offers a tantalizing glimpse astatine what mightiness person been, had Avengers: The Kang Dynasty travel to fruition. Of course, there’s nary warrant that this combat would person really made it into the movie — it was a transportation aft each — and we don’t cognize if it was accepted. But the thought to signifier the Young Avengers and person them combat an inexperienced Kang shows the level of wit Avengers: The Kang Dynasty mightiness person brought to the table.

In July, Marvel Studios main Kevin Feige discussed Marvel's determination to regenerate Kang arsenic the main villain of Avengers: Doomsday, and said talks with MCU fable Robert Downey Jr. to play Doctor Doom had begun earlier the departure of Jonathan Majors.

Speaking during a roundtable interrogation attended by The Hollywood Reporter, Feige said Marvel's pivot distant from Kang had started earlier "what had happened to the histrion happened" — referencing Majors' ineligible troubles that yet saw him convicted of battle successful December 2023, and dropped by Marvel.

Without referencing Majors by name, Feige said that the actor’s departure had not been the sole catalyst for the series' originative changes. Instead, conversations to bring backmost Iron Man prima Robert Downey Jr. arsenic Doctor Doom had begun earlier the nationalist merchandise of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania — a disappointing introduction successful the franchise that was mostly Kang-focused.

"We had started adjacent earlier what had happened to the histrion happened," Feige said. "We had started to recognize that Kang wasn't large enough, wasn't Thanos, and that determination was lone 1 quality that could beryllium that, due to the fact that helium was that successful the comics for decades and decades.

"Because of the Fox acquisition, we yet had it, and it was Dr. Doom. So we had started talking astir Dr. Doom adjacent earlier we officially pivoted from Kang," Feige continued.

"And successful fact, I had started talking with Robert [Downey Jr.] astir this audacious thought earlier Ant-Man 3 adjacent came out. It was a agelong program that we had, to instrumentality 1 of our top characters and utilize 1 of our top actors."

It wasn't until July 2024, astatine San Diego Comic-Con, that Marvel publically announced its caller plans, with Kang Dynasty retitled Avengers: Doomsday, Downey Jr. revealed arsenic Doctor Doom, and the Russo brothers confirmed arsenic directing some Doomsday and Secret Wars.

It's inactive unclear however Kang's lack successful the MCU volition beryllium addressed going guardant — if astatine all. The quality was past seen successful the finale of Disney+ bid Loki, successful an quality that brought immoderate closure to 1 incarnation of the character, portion leaving the menace of galore different multiversal Kangs (as seen successful Quantumania) thing of a escaped thread. Kang volition simply ne'er beryllium mentioned again.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].