X-Men ’97’s fourth episode introduced a storyline that could solve the MCU’s current Kang problem and set up a new major villain in for Marvel movies.

Rumors have been swirling that Avengers: The Kang Dynasty may be getting a title change and a new villain, and X-Men ‘97 just showed a perfect solution to the MCU’s problem. At the very least, Marvel has to recast Kang the Conqueror following Jonathan Majors’ conviction. It has also been suggested that Marvel was already planning to move away from Kang before this, given the poor reception to Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. At this point, replacing Kang with another villain may be easier.

X-Men ‘97’s latest episode showed one potential villain that could be a good replacement for Kang. Even if Marvel doesn’t use this villain specifically, the show made it clear that Marvel still has a lot of options they can choose from. Marvel’s Kang problem might not be as bad as it seems, and there is still time to course-correct. Avengers: The Kang Dynasty hasn’t started filming, so Marvel could easily set up a new villain in time for the next crossover.

X-Men ’97’s Mojo Story Shows The MCU’s Limitless Multiverse Villain Potential

X-Men ‘97 Featured Mojo In Season 1, Episode 4, “Motendo; Lifedeath, Pt. 1”

X-Men ‘97’s latest episode featured the villain Mojo, an interdimensional being who often traps heroes and forces them to fight for his entertainment. The episode follows Jubilee and Roberto Da Costa as they are transported into a game of Mojo’s design and forced to fight to their deaths. The episode is a lot of fun and pays homage to the old X-Men arcade game, but it is also a great example of how the MCU can solve its Kang problem.

Marvel has no shortage of interesting multiversal villains like Mojo, who could easily be slotted into the MCU in place of Kang. A character like Mojo is arguably an even better fit for a multiverse saga, as his penchant for stealing heroes from different dimensions is the perfect setup for crossovers. Other villains like The Beyonders and Dormammu are also known to travel between dimensions and could also make decent Kang replacements. This recent appearance by Mojo is a good reminder of how deep Marvel’s roster goes when it comes to interesting villains.

Why The MCU Could Be Best Replacing Kang In Avengers 5

Kang Has Still Not Officially Been Replaced In Avengers 5

Marvel seems to be biding its time to announce its current plans for Kang. It may be waiting for a major event like San Diego Comic-Con or D23 to make the announcement. Marvel also probably wants to know what it’s doing to fix its Kang problem first. While recasting is an option, replacing Kang with a new character might be the better option.

Although Kang’s initial appearance in Loki generated excitement for the villain, things were a little downhill from there. Following He Who Remains being killed by Sylvie, the next Kang who showed up was also quickly defeated by Ant-Man and the Wasp. Compare this to Thanos’ first encounter with the Avengers where he quickly beat the Hulk, and it’s not hard to see why Kang was starting to feel like a lesser villain in comparison.

The recent MCU phases have, in general, felt a little unfocused. It might be best for the universe to simply regroup with a new major villain as the overarching threat instead of using a vague concept like the multiverse as the connecting thread between movies. Multiverse elements can still be involved in the stories, but Marvel should also have a strong and intimidating villain that poses a clear threat for the Avengers to face.

X-Men ’97 May Have Already Teased Mojo’s Marvel Future

Mojo Threatens A Possible Return That Could Have Big Implications

In X-Men ‘97 episode 4, after being defeated by Jubilee, Mojo threatens that he will come back for her by saying he’d get his revenge “in the reboot.” Now this could just be a reference to Mojo seeing the world like a TV show, but it may also be a meta-commentary on the next time Mojo will show up in a Marvel project. The MCU is headed for a reboot of the X-Men soon, so Mojo may be threatening to get his revenge there.

There has also been speculation that Avengers: Secret Wars could serve as a soft reboot for the MCU. If this is what Mojo is referring to, he may show up in Secret Wars, or even orchestrate it. Grabbing heroes from different universes to fight for high ratings is kind of Mojo’s thing, and this seems to be exactly what Marvel has planned for the sixth Avengers film. It may turn out that X-Men ‘97 isn’t the last audiences have seen of Mojo.