How Thanos and Kang are different? What it meant for MCU Future

With the LOKI series airing its finale episode, many fans have already come up with theories about the MCU’s future and the episode’s possible implications on it. The episode saw Loki and Sylvie finally come face to face with He Who Remains, the man responsible for the creation of the TVA. The man behind the TVA, He Who Remains said that the TVA was created to end the Multiversal War that broke out when variants of him from multiple universes declared war on each other. Now, to the comic book readers, it is clear who He Who Remains actually. One of the Marvel comics’ main villains, Kang the conqueror.

Judging from the LOKI season finale, it seems that Kang is now going to be the next big villain in the MCU after Thanos, the mad Titan. Kang, after all, has been one of The Avengers greatest enemies in the comics. Phase4 of the MCU is officially underway with the release and announcements of many new projects. If the fans remember correctly, the movies in both Phase 2 and 3 of the MCU were all leading up to an epic showdown against Thanos, whose main aim was to collect the six infinity stones. And now, Kang is set to take his place as Phase 4 ushered in the Multiverse, with its infinite possibilities. Here, we will be taking a look at the differences between Thanos and Kang, and what they mean for the future of the MCU.

• Difference in terms of Powers

Thanos is an Eternal, who are some of the strongest beings to ever exist. As a result he possesses a tremendous amount of raw power, making him one of the strongest characters in both the MCU and the comics. Not to mention he’s nearly unbeatable with the Infinity Stones. Kang, however, is only a human with no real powers of any kind. That being said, his physical limitations haven’t held him back from being a force to be reckoned with. but does have other useful tools at his disposal. On top of being able to travel wherever he wants to go in the timestream, the comic book version of Kang has an array of futuristic weapons, including high-powered energy guns strong enough to hurt Thor, devices that can manifest protective force fields, and much more.

• Difference in Personalities

Thanos is described as a “measured and principled” character with “monk-like evil aspirations,” whereas He Who Remains is what he called “a squirrelly, chaotic, narcissistic presence”. Kang, however, does not necessarily share the same qualities. Although he may not be carefree, he can still be very narcissistic and evil. His actions in the comics are guided primarily by two things: hatred and ambition. Thanos is very “principled” in his pursuit of this goal. Kang is not shown to have principles. He’s undisciplined, impulsive, and hateful. 

What does it impact on Future

As noted above, Kang uses hatred as a big motivator. In the comics, being stopped by the Avengers severely hurt Kang’s ego, enraging him to a point where getting his revenge became a life goal. Thanos, although sharing the same actions, had no real vendetta or animosity for them. Taking on the Avengers was simply a means to an end. He had to do it in order to achieve his plan of obtaining the infinity stones. Kang is not the same when it comes to this, and his involvement in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania might just have huge implications.