"The Marvels" - Teaser

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I haven't seen Quantumania yet, and it might be because I grew up with a view of the Marvel Universe filtered via the Swedish publisher (who focused on X-Men, Spider-Man, the Hulk, and the Fantastic Four with occasional looks at the wider MU; and thus not seeing much of the Avengers and their shenanigans) but Kang never really seemed like an A-tier villain to me. He's definitely no Doom or villain-mode Magneto. It seems his main weapon is Convoluted Continuity.

I mean, yes, he has highly advanced technology, including power armor. But that just makes him an evil Iron Man.

The Kurt Busiek Avengers Forever maxi-series was the first time I really thought Kang was a compelling villain. Before that, yeah, he was kind of like the High Evolutionary, in that Marvel kept trying to make him happen, but never really getting fully over the hump with him.

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

I haven't seen Quantumania yet, and it might be because I grew up with a view of the Marvel Universe filtered via the Swedish publisher (who focused on X-Men, Spider-Man, the Hulk, and the Fantastic Four with occasional looks at the wider MU; and thus not seeing much of the Avengers and their shenanigans) but Kang never really seemed like an A-tier villain to me. He's definitely no Doom or villain-mode Magneto. It seems his main weapon is Convoluted Continuity.

I mean, yes, he has highly advanced technology, including power armor. But that just makes him an evil Iron Man.

When I watched Quantumania, one of the things that made Kang seem not particularly compelling is that technology is just technology. It's replicable. Why wouldn't someone from the 41st century or beyond be more formidable than Kang? (This is essentially the plot of Keith Laumer's Dinosaur Beach BTW.) Why wouldn't an organization of individuals from Kang's 31st century be a threat even if Kang were personally neutralized? Why is Kang himself a big deal here?

And of course it turned out that he wasn't, because the ants did exactly that and built an organization and technology that could match him.

I enjoyed Quantumania's first act because of the humor, but by the end it was wearisome and kind of stupid.

"An evil Iron Man," well said. And I didn't even find the first Iron Man to be particularly compelling.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

My girls and I finally got around to watching Quantumania on Disney+ over the long weekend. I enjoyed it as well. I didn't think it was anywhere near as bad as lots of people have been saying. I also agree that it is a movie based on poor communication.

That being said, I don't agree that Kang would have been able to win over Janet. She saw into his mind. His interest in ending the inter-Kang conflict was not altruistic. He wanted to be "He Who Remains" no matter the cost.

What I do want to say is: the further we delve into this MCU multiverse, the more I am left wondering what the point of Loki was. It made it seem like that was the starting point where the multiverse was freed ... yes, I get it that once the sacred timeline came unbound, it did so at all points in time and therefore the multiverse has always existed ... but the Ancient One sent Dr Strange on a quick tour through the multiverse before Sylvie killed He Who Remains.

Did Janet spend 30 years alone in the quantum realm up until the sacred timeline broke, changing her past so that she spent it with Kang, Bill Murray, etc? Or had she always spent it with them regardless of the current state of the timeline?

The events of season 1 of Loki either made a difference or they didn't, and right now I can't figure out which it is. Quantumania didn't really help on that front.


As an aside, it also felt like another torch-passing movie, especially with all the banter between Scott and his daughter about how he's been resting on his laurels and not wanting to be an active Avenger anymore while she is very much an activist, getting herself thrown in jail for helping people and so on.

Clint has passed the Hawkeye torch to Kate.
Natasha sort of passed the Black Widow torch to Yelena.
Steve passed the Captain America torch to Sam, who took a while to accept it.
Bruce has potentially passed the Hulk torch to both his cousin and his son.
Dr Strange is set to pass the torch to his new protégé, America.
Thor has literally passed Stormbreaker on to Love.
Some of the guardians have passed on their torches.
And so on ...

Damn I gotta catch up on the MCU.

Bruce has a son in the MCU!? Is his story at all similar to his son in the comics?

And who the farkle is Love!?

 

[Gradine]

Damn I gotta catch up on the MCU.

And who the farkle is Love!?

Gor the God-Butcher's Daughter. Currently being raised by Thor.

 

[billd91]

I haven't seen Quantumania yet, and it might be because I grew up with a view of the Marvel Universe filtered via the Swedish publisher (who focused on X-Men, Spider-Man, the Hulk, and the Fantastic Four with occasional looks at the wider MU; and thus not seeing much of the Avengers and their shenanigans) but Kang never really seemed like an A-tier villain to me. He's definitely no Doom or villain-mode Magneto. It seems his main weapon is Convoluted Continuity.

I've never been that fond of Kang as a villain in the Avengers comics either. But I'll admit, the MCU treatment of him is one of the better renditions of him I've seen. He certainly has potential (though in a very complicated way).

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Gor the God-Butcher's Daughter. Currently being raised by Thor.

Daaaaang!

 

[pukunui]

Damn I gotta catch up on the MCU.

Oops! Sorry for the spoilers!

Bruce has a son in the MCU!? Is his story at all similar to his son in the comics?

It's a minor plot point in She-Hulk.

And who the farkle is Love!?

Chris Hemsworth's daughter.

Gor the God-Butcher's Daughter. Currently being raised by Thor.

Well, maybe ... she certainly looks like Gor's daughter.

 

[Tonguez]

It seems his main weapon is Convoluted Continuity.

lol thats an excellent description of Kangs ‘power’

 

[pukunui]

I don't feel like Kang is any more or less interesting than Thanos was at this point in the Infinity Saga. If anything, Kang is a lot more present and visible. I mean, he's already turned up as the main antagonist of a movie, whereas Thanos continued to be teased in cameos and credits scenes right up until Infinity War / Endgame.

He's not a big hulking brute like Thanos was either. He's more intellectual / cerebral, which might be why he monologues more? I realize that doesn't lend itself to action movies as much as brute force does, but right now at least, I'm finding Kang more interesting than I ever found Thanos to be.

It also seems like Kang is far more inevitable than Thanos was too.

 

[trappedslider]

There was a short kang story in a villain's collection paper back from the 90s. Kang ended up nuking NYC to deal with all of the heroes based there, then the world gave up and he then made a collar for banner, ended up dealing with boron Mordo and dormammu/ along with Galaticus (i think) and decided he wasn't up for the challenge and went back in time to stop himself from nuking NYC.