Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania includes two end-credits scenes setting the stage for the MCU’s Phase 5. We break down what they mean.

Marvel Studios’ Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania has two end-credits scenes, both of which have major implications for Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’s mid-credits and post-credits scenes both deal with the new MCU villain, Kang The Conqueror, and the threat he poses to the MCU and the new iteration of the Avengers as a true multiversal threat.

As confirmed by studio head Kevin Feige, Phase 4, 5 and 6 of the MCU timeline are titled the Multiverse Saga, delving into the franchise’s multiverse potential. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania kicks off Phase 5 by diving deeper into the Quantum Realm and, more importantly, properly introducing Kang. Poised to be the next Thanos-level threat to the MCU, the conqueror isn’t the only version of Kang revealed in Quantumania.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’s Mid-Credits Scene: The Council Of Kangs

The Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania mid-credits scene opens on a circular arena, with indistinguishable people filling the stands and large statues decorating the outer rim. As the camera pans up, the statues are revealed to be different versions of Kang. The scene then cuts to a room inside the arena, where three Kang variants – Immortus Kang, Pharaoh Rama-Tut and Scarlet Centurion – are discussing the death of Kang in the Quantum Realm. Rama-Tut questions whether they can be sure the “exiled one” is dead, and Scarlet Centurion confirms it’s true.

They then discuss who killed Kang the Conquerer, though they don’t specifically name Ant-Man, and how those in the MCU’s main universe are “beginning to touch the multiverse.” Immortus warns the other two that if they allow it, “they will take everything,” indicating the Kangs are wary of Ant-Man and, presumably, his fellow Avengers attempting to free the multiverse from the control of the Kangs.

As the scene wraps up, Immortus leads his fellow Kangs out to the arena and Scarlet Centurion asks, “How many did you call?” To which Immortus responds, “All of us.” The camera then switches to the arena, where thousands of Kangs are portalling in using a similar device to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness‘ Reed Richards. None of the Kangs in the big arena scene appear to be from the comics, but they all have different styling, and some are even of a difference species. The scene ends on a lizard-like Kang cheering amidst all the others.

Who Are The 3 Kangs In Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’s Mid-Credits Scene

The Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania mid-credits scenes introduce three new key Kang variants, two of which can be easily identified by the similarities to their comics counterparts. There’s Immortus Kang, recognizable by his large, classic head piece, then Pharaoh Rama-Tut. The third, futuristic looking Kang doesn’t have an obvious match from the comics, but director Peyton Reed confirmed to IndieWire that this is a “version of a Centurion,” referring to Scarlet Centurion.

In terms of the Kang variants, Rama-Tut was the first introduced in the Marvel Comics in 1961 as an Egyptian Pharaoh and villain to the Fantastic Four. When Marvel’s First Family traveled back in time, they met – and defeated – the fellow time traveler who had used his futuristic technology to become a ruler of Egypt.

Immortus, unlike other Kang variants, is less prone to violence and more to manipulation. In the comics, Immortus works with the Time-Keepers against other versions of himself, though he’s still an antagonist to the Avengers and Fantastic Four. Aspects of Immortus were used by Loki season 1’s He Who Remains, but the show’s version of the character was not a direct adaptation.

In the comics, Scarlet Centurion is another name adopted by the Kang who had been Rama-Tut, taking on the moniker after he was defeated by the Fantastic Four. He was a villain of the Avengers, using his futuristic technology to manipulate the superheroes into attacking other super-powered individuals, then pitting them against a different version of the team from another universe. He was defeated by the Avengers and abandoned the title of Scarlet Centurion. Another character, a son of Kang’s main identity Nathaniel Richards, has more recently adopted the name in the comics.

What Is The Council Of Kangs From Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’s Mid-Credits Scene?

The Quantumania end-credits scene introducing Immortus, Rama-Tut and Scarlet Centurion also effectively reveals the Council of Kangs, though that name is never used. In the comics, the Council of Kangs is led by Prime Kang, who tricked Immortus into eliminating all other variants of Kang across the multiverse. The Loki season 1 finale ending essentially did an inverse of this storyline, with Loki and Sylvie killing the Kang that was keeping the timeline in check and setting his variants loose on the multiverse. This set the stage for all these new Kangs to be introduced.

As for the Council of Kangs, in the Quantumania end-credits scene, Immortus is positioned as the leader, which changes the group dynamic a bit. There’s no Prime Kang and Immortus isn’t working against his variants. As a result, this Council of Kangs will differ from the comics. In terms of their motivations, they seem to be focused on preserving their respective kingdoms across the multiverse. Since Ant-Man defeated Kang the Conqueror, though, they recognize him and the Avengers as a threat, which sets up the major conflict of Phase 5.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’s Mid-Credits Scene Sets Up Avengers 5: The Kang Dynasty (& Possibly Fantastic Four)

The Council of Kings most obviously sets up Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. Though the plot of the movie has not officially been revealed by Marvel Studios, the Quantumania end-credits scene sets up the Council of Kangs as the main antagonist of Avengers 5. Ant-Man was able to kill Kang the Conqueror with Wasp’s help, meaning individual MCU heroes could theoretically defeat a single Kang variant with some assistance, but all of Kang’s variants together are very powerful. Them uniting on the Council of Kangs positions the collective as a threat worthy of the Avengers assembling once again.

Though the Quantumania end-credits scene is clearly setup for Kang Dynasty, it may also have sneakily set up another MCU movie: Fantastic Four. It’s not clear yet who will be the villain of the MCU’s Fantastic Four.

Though past iterations have adapted Doctor Doom, Marvel Studios might look to go in a different direction. After all, two different Fantastic Four movies have already featured Doom. Instead, the villain of the MCU’s Fantastic Four could be a version of Kang – either Rama-Tut, who faced them in the comics, or another variant. Since Fantastic Four is the last MCU movie before The Kang Dynasty, it makes sense for it to properly set the stage for the Avengers team-up, and the most logical way to do that is to include Kang as the main villain.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’s Post-Credits Scene: Loki & Victor Timely

In Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’s post-credits scene, Majors’ voice is heard saying, “Time is everything,” as the curtains on a stage are pulled back. The camera focuses on a sign that reads: Victor Timely and His Astounding Temporal Marvel. When it cuts to the audience, those in attendance are wearing period dress, reflective of what appears to be the early 1900s. Victor Timely continues to talk about time and how it might be possible for humans to shape time. He’s revealed when the spotlight turns on, showing a bespectacled version of Majors’ Kang with a mustache and partially gray hair.

The scene then cuts to Loki sitting in the crowd, urgently whispering, “It’s him.” Mobius is skeptical, not understanding why Loki made him out to be such a terrifying person. Loki reaffirms his original stance on Kang while looking disturbed and a little frightened of Victor Timely, who continues his presentation on stage. The scene features one last look at Victor Timely, staring out at the crowd and looking formidable, then a final shot of Loki looking scared before cutting to black.

What Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’s Post-Credits Scene Revealed About Loki Season 2

The second Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania post-credits scene introduces a fourth Kang variant: Victor Timely. In the comics, Victor Timely is an inventor and industrialist who founds a town in Wisconsin and names it after himself. This variant of Kang becomes the town’s mayor, but uses his technological advancements, which he’s brought from the future, to lay the groundwork to help him conquer the universe later in the timeline. However, Victor Timely is also a disguise for Prime Kang.

Loki and Mobius’ conversation in the scene is a continuation from the Loki season 1 finale, when the God of Mischief went up against He Who Remains. In that episode, Sylvie killed He Who Remains, who’d been guiding the TVA and helping them trim branched timelines, thus spawning the multiverse. The Quantumania post-credits scene directly set up Loki season 2, which sees Victor Timely become a major character in the story that unfolds.

When Will Kang Return In The MCU After Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania?

At the very end of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, after the second credits scene, the movie features a text screen reading “Kang Will Return,” but doesn’t specify in which movie or show. This is reminiscent of the MCU Phase 1 movies, which featured similar text screens for the heroes before they united in The Avengers. Marvel has brought it back for the Multiverse Saga and included them on other films like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder. Peculiarly, Quantumania doesn’t tease Ant-Man’s return, but Kang’s.

How the franchise will approach Kang has been complicated by the MCU cutting ties with Jonathan Majors, but since Avengers 5 is still officially titled Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, it appears the villain will remain a key antagonist, likely set to be recast so the character can appear again going forward. It’s possible a version of Kang may also appear in or be the villain of the Fantastic Four movie, especially if this allows the MCU to introduce its new Kang actor without having to wait until the next Avengers movie to do so.

Beyond that, it’s unclear when exactly Kang will return in the MCU. But with Victor Timely having already been shown in the franchise, and a new Kang on the horizon, Marvel Studios is seemingly working hard to fulfill the promise that Kang will return following Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.