An explanation of the aftermath of the movie “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania”.

(Editor’s note: The following post contains spoilers for both “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and its post-credits scenes.)

Newly minted Marvel baddie Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) may rule Peyton Reed’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” but that’s just the beginning of what’s in store for the villain in the coming years of the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic. Universe.

Majors was cast in Quantumania in September 2020, and the entertainment giant eventually signed him to a deal that includes lead roles in Phase 6, Avengers: Age of Ultron (2025) and Avengers: Secret Wars. 2026). In 2021, he made his Marvel debut in an episode of “Loki”, appearing as one of Kang. many versions.

So while “Quantumania” may end with the classic villain defeated by Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man and Evangeline Lilly’s Wasp, it’s not really going anywhere (if there’s anyone who can emerge from being sucked into a time-traveling space engine in the tiny Quantum Realm, it’s Kang ). It’s only fitting that both of the film’s post-credits scenes follow Kang (well, sort of) and his growing influence. Ahead, director Peyton Reed helps us break them down, including what they mean for the MCU’s very Kang-centric future.

Connected

Connected

(Another warning: The following post contains spoilers for both “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and its post-credits scenes.)

1. Meet the Kangs

In the first post-credits scene, we’re treated to a trio of brand new Majors-as-Kang characters, various versions of Marvel’s big bad, including the seemingly older Immortus (blue-skinned), pharaoh Rama-Tut. , and a new spin on the Scarlet Centurion (he’s decidedly cyborg-like), discussing what happened to Kang, referred to as “the Exile.”

“He talks about his variants in the movie, and obviously he played He Who Remains in the first season of ‘Loki,’ so it’s already been talked about, and he’s like, ‘Well, actually when lecture some variations, and that Kang is a connecting being?’” Reed said in a recent interview with IndieWire. “And then it was like, ‘Well, how about we give them a little taste of a version of Rama-Tut, a version of a Centurion, a version of an Immortus?’ … In the movie, there’s a specific reason why he was banished and banished to the quantum realm, so it raised the question, “Well, WHO banished? I tried to set up some version of a godfather-like mob, like, “Oh, who’s triumphant?” Who’s talking about the guy who’s gone? And what does this mean for the larger body politic of the Kangs?

Jay Maidment

But while it’s Kang’s banishment that initially brings the trio together, there are bigger things on their minds about the other Kangas, and the scene cuts to a huge gathering (we’re talking thousands). “There are some very famous comic panels for this Council of Kangs, which is kind of a shot that we recreated for the very last shot of the label,” Reed said.

It gives a little taste of what we’re likely to see as the MCU moves through phases five and six, all culminating in the double whammy of ‘Avengers: The Kang Dynasty’ and ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’, which is expected to star many majors.

“For Jonathan, I think it was a taste of one of the things that he’s so excited about, which is the opportunity to play different versions of these versions,” Reed said, noting that “the version of Rama-Tut that we see in this weird bionic, futuristic Rama-Tut?

Still, Reed cautioned that just because we see these different Kangs in “Quantum Mania,” it doesn’t mean they’re the same versions we’ll see in future MCU movies. “Are these necessarily the ones we’ll see later?” Who knows? But they all have variations and we’re really into it,” he said.

2. What about Victor Timely?

But that’s hardly the last version of Kang we’ll see in the hinterlands of “Quantumania,” as the final post-credits tag ushers us into Majors as Victor Timely, a flamboyant 1920s figure presenting his own theories of time to the crowd. In the audience? Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and Mobius (Owen Wilson); and while Mobius doesn’t seem to be afraid of the guy, Loki promises that he really is.

“It’s a scene from season two of ‘Loki,’ and Victor Timely is another variant from the comics,” Reed said. “I love Jonathan’s look, period voice and Frederick Douglass hair. That scene, just a look, was kind of “Okay, there are these versions, and here it is maybe the next one you meet. We liked the idea.”

Jay Maidment

Victor Timely is the classic comics version of Kang: he’s actually the version of the guy who traveled back in time to 1901 to found Timely Industries (cute) in a small town in Wisconsin, which eventually produced some of the technology that made time travel possible. possible in the future (where it came from). Get it?

The next season of “Loki” is coming to Disney+ later this year, and while this kind of cross-pollination between movies and shows might seem like, well, a bit much, Reed reminded us that he’s no stranger to it.

“We did a similar thing in the first ‘Ant-Man,’ in the first tag scene, you showed Hope to look at the suit and then she’s going to put it on,” he said. Then there was a quick scene from “Captain America: Civil War,” which of course hinted that Ant-Man would be back. But it was fun because it kind of set the tone for the potentially crazy versions of Jonathan that you’ll meet along the way.”

And it’s no surprise that “Quantumania” ends with a standard MCU promise, and while it’s obvious, it’s also a bit of a foreboding: “Kang will return.”

Released by Walt Disney Pictures, “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” is now in theaters.

Register: Stay up to date with the latest movie and TV news! Subscribe to our email newsletter here.