Loki and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania are more connected than you might think. When it comes to He Who Remains and Kang the Conqueror – besides both parts being played by Jonathan Majors – the two characters share an important link that could be crucial to the future of the MCU, specifically Loki season 2.
Yet, once the dust settled at the new TVA (now anchored around Loki's Yggdrasil-shaped multiverse), audiences learned that He Who Remains and Victor Timely had nothing to do with the variant of Kang who fought Ant-Man in the quantum realm.
In terms of events, Loki also references the post-credits scene of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania which introduced Kang variant Victor Timely. So, it's a fair assumption to make that the second season also follows on from these events too. That film is set in around 2025 in the MCU timeline.
It's the same character, just a different version. Although they may share some traits, you can expect some very different Kangs popping up in the MCU. Classic Loki is definitely the most powerful Loki in the MCU, “He Who Remains” is a Kang variant, but clearly not the conquering kind.
Loki season 1 introduced Kang as “He Who Remains,” the invisible hand guiding the Sacred Timeline — and the guy that Sylvie, the multiverse's most put-upon Loki variant, wanted to murder.
By far, Loki is now the strongest MCU character. It was shown in season 1 of Loki that Timelines=the universe. Loki held infinity of them with his strength.
Instead, the protagonists have mentioned and interacted with He Who Remains and Victor Timely, respectively, both of whom are Kang variants. While He Who Remains is the Kang variant that all the characters in Loki are directly concerned with, it seems odd that his true name has yet to emerge throughout the series.
"Quantumania" Kang is the one who started the Multiverse War. When Tom Hiddleston's God of Mischief meets He Who Remains in "Loki," the man behind the TVA explains the secret history of the multiverse, revealing that thousands of Kang variants all discovered the existence of alternate realities at the same time.
Summary. The Council of Kangs, introduced in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, is likely connected to Loki season 2 and will play a key role in upcoming crossover events. The death of He Who Remains in Loki season 1 triggered chaos in the multiverse, leading to the creation of the Council of Kangs.
Stepping into the Citadel at the End of Time, Loki and Sylvie meet He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors), a version of time-hopping comic villain Kang the Conqueror.
Do you need to watch Loki to understand Quantumania?
Because of that, it's fair to assume that Loki would be required viewing before Quantumania, especially when the Disney+ series promised to connect to the films. While the end credits tease Loki Season 2 and promise more Majors in the Disney+ series, Loki is not required viewing.
Do you need to watch Ant-Man: Quantumania to understand Loki season 2?
The Multiverse Saga, Superhero Fatigue, and Jonathan Majors
February's Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was meant to be a pivotal setup for the Multiverse Saga, including Loki's second season and the first leg of its culminating two-part big-screen event, 2026's Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.
In Endgame, the Avengers go from exploring the universe to exploring the Multiverse, accidentally sending another timeline's Loki on a different path. Kang Dynasty would start with that Loki having created his own "kingdom" to protect the Multiverse from annihilation and using the Avengers community to protect it.
Kang isn't physically stronger than Thanos, and if the two were to square up in a one-vs-one fight then the Titan would arguably win. However, Kang's knowledge of the multiverse means that would quite literally be several steps ahead of Thanos at all times. As a result, Kang wins this battle.
The Council of Kangs, having deemed Kang too dangerous, chose to banish him into the Quantum Realm in an attempt to prevent a new war, since Kang was still seeking to conquer the Multiverse.
The Time-Eater ranks atop the most powerful Kang variants thanks to his assuming Galactus' power. This variant killed Galactus and absorbed the Power Cosmic.
The latest of these was Loki season 2, with the ending of the show providing a clear path forward for the character of Kang the Conqueror. At the end of Loki season 2, the titular character became the God of Stories who now sits alone at the End of Time physically holding the multiverse together.
Jonathan Majors' Marvel Cinematic Universe debut as He Who Remains in Loki Season 1 is so good, that it actually works to the detriment of his second and more essential character, Kang the Conqueror.
As mr. moviemustknows says, the Infinity Stones were indeed reduced to atoms and have now apparently become sentient residents in the Quantum Realm. Whether they hold their cosmic powers is unclear, and the stones themselves seem chill.
Unbeknownst to him, the Scepter was also influencing him, fueling his hatred over his brother Thor and the inhabitants of Earth. With the help of the Chitauri, Loki opened a portal to Earth, and it led to a S.H.I.E.L.D.
Chronomonitor #616 is a variation of Kang the Conqueror who works for the Time Variance Authority (TVA), inducted into the organization on his first attempt to travel back in time.
Still licking his wounds, Loki next appeared in 2012's The Avengers. Using a scepter with mind control capabilities—a gift from Thanos (Josh Brolin)—Loki staged his takeover of Thor's favorite realm: Midgard. With the help of the Chitauri, Loki opened a portal to Earth and arrived at an underground S.H.I.E.L.D.
So, Loki is right to be afraid of him because this variant is clearly trying to hide in plain sight. Whatever the Council of Kangs is planning could be coming through him as he could be the new leader of the TVA. Following his trail, Loki must have reached the city of Timely, Wisconsin.
Thanos through the Infinity Stones and Kang with his advanced futuristic technology. Yet even before he had the Infinity Stones, Thanos was seen as the most powerful and feared being in the universe, while Kang is just a normal man. Thanos faced down the Hulk without needing to use an infinity stone.
Like others from his native era, Kang ages at a slightly slower rate than modern humanity and is more resistant to the effects of radiation; though, he can be harmed by concentrated doses. He is an expert in time travel and the manipulation of time, and has mastered his future's advanced technology.
