Warning: This post contains spoilers for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania!
One villain featured in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania creates the perfect opportunity for the MCU’s debut of Doctor Doom. Peyton Reed’s Quantumania introduced the full force of Kang the Conqueror, as Scott Lang, a.k.a. Ant-Man, found the supervillain to have created an empire after being exiled to the Quantum Realm. Jonathan Majors previously portrayed He Who Remains in Loki season 1 and debuted as many more variants of Kang the Conqueror during Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’s post-credits scenes, which introduced the likes of Rama-Tut, Immortus, and Victor Timely to the MCU.
As the first film in the MCU’s Phase 5, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania took huge steps in building up Kang the Conqueror’s character and backstory ahead of the climactic Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars at the end of the Multiverse Saga. Quantumania’s post-credits reveal of the Council of Kangs has brought hundreds of versions of Kang into the franchise and has teased their involvement in several upcoming projects. One member of the Council of Kangs, however, has remained a mystery, but director Peyton Reed has now explained which variants were included and has opened the door for one of Marvel’s highest-anticipated villains to appear.
The Scarlet Centurion Debuted In Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania
While variants such as Immortus, Rama-Tut, and Victor Timely were instantly recognizable for Marvel Comics fans, the identity of the third primary member of the Council of Kangs has been a source of debate. Speaking to IndieWire, Reed confirmed that the three main variants in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’s post-credits scene included “a version of Rama-Tut, a version of a Centurion, [and] a version of Immortus.” Reed’s confirmation that the mystery Kang variant is a version of Marvel Comics’ Scarlet Centurion puts discussions to bed but also teases some huge storylines for the MCU’s future.
In Marvel Comics, Nathaniel Richards became the Scarlet Centurion after his rule of Ancient Egypt, as the Pharaoh Rama-Tut, was disrupted by the Fantastic Four. As the Scarlet Centurion, Richards pitted the Avengers against an alternate reality’s version of the superhero team only to be thwarted by the main continuity’s Avengers and shunted back into the time stream. Richards eventually abandoned his Scarlet Centurion identity, but this was still a key period in Kang the Conqueror’s development. The Centurion’s debut in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania means that the door is open for one major Marvel villain to finally make an appearance.
Doctor Doom & The Scarlet Centurion Share A Connection In Marvel Comics
Doctor Doom is perhaps one of the most highly-anticipated additions to the MCU, with several hints pointing to the supervillain’s debut during the Multiverse Saga. In Moon Knight, Steven Grant finds himself in a village that looks strikingly like Doctor Doom’s Latveria, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness saw Reed Richards enter the Illuminati chamber using Doctor Doom’s Time Platform from the comics, so his MCU debut seems just around the corner. The introduction of the Scarlet Centurion in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania provides the next piece of the puzzle, as this character is inspired by Doctor Doom after failing to conquer Ancient Egypt as Rama-Tut.
For a time, Nathaniel Richards believed that Doctor Doom was his ancestor, so a chance encounter with the Fantastic Four villain after being ousted from Egypt by Marvel’s First Family became a pivotal moment for Richards. It was Doctor Doom who encouraged Richards to abandon his Rama-Tut identity and instead become the Scarlet Centurion, with Richards basing his own armor on that of Doom. Since a version of the Scarlet Centurion has now been introduced to the MCU, there’s no doubt that Doctor Doom isn’t too far behind, and the Kang variant’s armor could even provide a tease at what the MCU’s Doctor Doom will look like when he debuts.
When Kang And Doom Could Meet In The MCU
The appearance of the Scarlet Centurion in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania suggests that some versions of Kang and Doctor Doom have already made acquaintances, as the Centurion wouldn’t exist without Doom’s influence. While variants of Kang the Conqueror are set to pop up throughout the MCU’s Phase 5 (Victor Timely will appear in Loki season 2), it’s more likely that Kang and Doom will come face-to-face during Phase 6. Avengers: The Kang Dynasty is expected to make the Council of Kangs common knowledge for Earth’s heroes, and if Doctor Doom is already on Earth as is suspected, it would make sense for him to show his face to Kang.
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