Marvel Likely Won’t Use The Ultimate Kang Variant Now After Loki

The end villain in Loki, He Who Remains, greatly decreases the chances that Immortus – the ultimate version of Kang in Marvel Comics – will ever receive a proper MCU debut. Immortus, Marvel’s third version of Kang in the comic books, has been a villain of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes since Avengers #10 in 1964. He’s arguably the most important Kang alternate in the comic books, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s guaranteed to be one of the variants teased by Loki’s ending.

The shocking events of the Loki season 1 finale kicked off the MCU’s Kang the Conqueror arc through a guest appearance from Marvel’s Kang actor, Jonathan Majors. However, the character he played wasn’t the Kang. Instead, he was revealed to be He Who Remains, a version of Kang who has been controlling the TVA in secret. He warned them that if he were to die, his death would cause millions of his variants to return and wreak havoc on the multiverse. So by killing the character, Sylvie (Sophie Di Martino) just set up not only Ant-Man 3’s Kang the Conqueror, but also dozens of other alternate Kangs. Some could be original characters played either by Majors or different actors, while others could be established versions of Kang from Avengers and Fantastic Four comics.

Thanks to Loki’s Kang the Conqueror teases, there’s no shortage of Kang variants that can emerge in the MCU now. The heroes could cross paths with Iron Lad, Scarlet Centurion, Rama-Tut, and more. But one Kang in particular, Immortus, feels like he may not be on the horizon, despite the notion that he represents Kang’s completed evolution as a villain. While that aspect of his character may make him feel necessary to Kang’s MCU story, it’s actually the very reason why he may not work. In a sense, it feels like Marvel has already used him via He Who Remains.

In the comic books, Immortus has a reputation as the Master of Time. He earned this title through his ability to manipulate the timestream from his base of operations, which is located in a pocket dimension that exists outside of time, known as Limbo. After years of thwarting Immortus’ schemes, the Avengers came to the stunning realization that Kang and Immortus are essentially the same person. Apparently, Immortus is an older Kang who has advanced much further down his path. The significantly younger Kang is an experienced time traveler in his own right, but he’s far from the Master of Time that Immortus is. He doesn’t have that level of control over the timestream, or at least not at this point in his timeline.

Looking at the person Immortus is in the comics, the parallels between him and He Who Remains aren’t hard to find. Majors’ Loki character may not call himself Immortus, but that’s the character he emulates. In controlling the TVA and ensuring that they police the Sacred Timeline the way he sees fit, He Who Remains basically is the MCU’s Master of Time, with the Void serving as the MCU’s answer to Limbo. And like Immortus, He Who Remains is what Kang has the potential to become in the future. Given that Marvel has already revealed what the ultimate Kang looks like, Immortus may not join the MCU anytime soon.

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