Despite rumours that Ant-Man 3 will feature M.O.D.O.K. as its lead villain, Deadline is reporting that Lovecraft Country star Jonathan Majors has joined the cast of the Marvel Studios movie as Kang the Conqueror. This is definitely unexpected, and debunks theories that the God of Mischief will transform Owen Wilson's TVA agent into Kang in the Loki series coming to Disney+.
Regardless, the trade's sources explain that, "like with so many new characters in the MCU, there could be a twist with how the character is featured in future films, but as of now he is likely to be one of the main villains in the next instalment in the franchise."
In the comic books, Kang is an Avengers-level threat, so him facing off with Ant-Man and The Wasp is a legit shocker, and it will be interesting seeing whether this sets the stage for a bigger story.
There have, of course, been rumblings that Ant-Man 3 will include the formation of the Young Avengers, and seeing as Kang was the first villain they faced (in the comic books, Iron Lad was actually a younger version of the villain looking to escape his future), the same could end up happening here.
Majors has put himself on the map in a big way lately, starring in Spike Lee's Da 5 Bloods and, as we mentioned, HBO's critically acclaimed new series Lovecraft Country.
Are you excited to see Kang enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe?