Why ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ Star Jonathan Majors Doesn’t See Kang as a ‘Bad Guy’
Big things are ahead for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With the release of the all-new film Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, fans are diving headfirst into Phase Five. A lot of new, exciting characters have been rolled out, like Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror. First introduced to fans in the Disney+ series Loki, Kang has been a mainstay in the Marvel comics for years. And he promises to shake things up in a major way in Phase Five. In a recent interview, Majors dished on his role, revealing why he doesn’t see the character as a “bad guy” at all.
Jonathan Majors plays Kang the Conqueror, an exciting new Marvel villain
Kang the Conqueror had a small role in Loki, tempting Loki and Sylvie with a terrifying and unknown view of the future. But in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, he’s taking center stage, threatening Scott Lang and hinting at terrible things to come. Kang is adept at time travel, able to conquer different kingdoms across eras, and utilize armies and weaponry from various civilizations.
In 2020, Marvel confirmed that the character of Kang would be the “big bad” of Phase Five. With the release of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, fans get an exciting look at what lies ahead, both for Kang and the remaining Avengers.
What did Jonathan Majors say about how he doesn’t see Kang as a ‘bad guy’?
Majors is well aware that he’s playing Marvel’s newest villain. But he has a more complex view of Kang’s motivations and goals. In fact, he sees the character as much more than just a stereotype. In an interview with ExtraTV at the premiere of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Majors gave his own opinions about the character.
“I heard on a podcast a couple days ago, and I went, ‘Oh, that’s good,’ that our greatest instinct is sympathy as human beings,” Majors said, noting how he was asked what it was like playing a “bad guy.”
Majors continued, “And I think that’s true about the villain. I mean, the greatest villains have a great deal of sympathy. They don’t bend and break, they don’t become a good guy because of it, but they still feel it. So with Kang, no, I don’t see him as a bad guy. I see him as an antagonist, and he’s antagonizing everything, but we need the antagonizers. We need the deviance; that’s what shakes stuff up.”
What’s next for the character of Kang?
Kang is poised to be a primary character in the MCU for years to come. The character next appears the highly-anticipated upcoming film Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. According to The Wrap, “The Kang Dynasty” is also the name of a 16-part comic book storyline from the early 2000s. It’s unclear just how far writers and directors will take the character since the MCU operates individually from the comics. But it is safe to say that Kang will be around for some time to come.
For Majors, this longevity in the MCU should give him plenty of chances to highlight not only Kang’s humanity but his complexity as well — showing that the iconic villain is much more than just a “bad guy.” Fans him in can catch Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which is in theaters now.
