Iron Man Could Replace Kang As The MCU's Next Big Bad - Here's How
With the news that Jonathan Majors was dropped by Marvel Studios after being found guilty of assault, Marvel Cinematic Universe fans have begun to wonder what the future holds. The Multiverse Saga has been built around Majors' villain, Kang the Conqueror, with productions such as "Loki" and "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" featuring his variants prominently. The next installment in the "Avengers" series was even titled "Avengers: The Kang Dynasty." Thus, one has to ask, where does the MCU go from here? Though it may sound odd, Marvel Studios could remain on the Kang track and ultimately make Iron Man the Multiverse Saga's big bad.
In the pages of Marvel Comics, readers meet a younger version of Kang, real name Nathaniel Richards. His future self meets Nathaniel via time travel, hoping to inspire him to become a villain. Instead, he rejects his supposed destiny and tries to escape his evil future self. This leads him to adopt the moniker of Iron Lad, basing his appearance on the Armored Avenger, Iron Man. Perhaps in the MCU, this story could go a bit differently. Maybe this version of Richards accepts his fate as a time-traveling bad guy and threatens the entire MCU Multiverse. In the event a younger actor isn't chosen to take on the role, maybe Robert Downey Jr. could return to make Iron Lad a villainous take on Iron Man.
Assuming Iron Lad someday makes it into the MCU, it seems unlikely that he'll be anything like his comic counterpart.
Sadly for Iron Lad fans, Marvel Studios may be pivoting away from Kang altogether
In the wake of Jonathan Majors' firing, it seems that Marvel Studios is reassessing the relevance of Kang and his variants in the MCU's future. The most telling move the studio has made is the removal of the "Avengers: The Kang Dynasty" title from the next "Avengers" movie. At the time of this writing, it is being referred to simply as "Avengers 5," which indicates that Kang may not continue to be built up as the main threat of the Multiverse Saga. If this is the case, the odds of seeing a comic-accurate Iron Lad aren't too great.
Worsening the odds of seeing a print-accurate origin for Iron Lad is the Season 2 finale of "Loki." In the closing moments of the episode, titled "Glorious Purpose," Loki (Tom Hiddleston) ascends to become the God of Stories. In doing so, he becomes the guardian and overseer of the entire Multiverse, ensuring multiple timelines can coexist without leading to the collapse of all existence. It's implied that he outsmarts He Who Remains (Majors), preventing a Multiversal war between the Kangs and ensuring all timelines are free to branch. Kang variants may retaliate, but if not, this seems like a fine point to send all versions of the character off into the sunset.
For now, it's an uncertain time for Kang at the movies, so uncertain that Iron Lad — a character who could've easily received a comic-accurate origin not long ago — may be up for some major revisions. That is, if his ties to Kang don't prevent him from reaching MCU in the first place.