Ant-Man is the first Avenger to meet Kang, continuing Endgame's trend

Ant-Man was instrumental in the Avengers' battle against Thanos, and the MCU seems to continue that trend in Ant-Man 3 with Kang the Conqueror.

The trailer for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum Madness revealed that Scott Lang will be the first Avenger to meet Kang the Conqueror, an interaction that continues in Avengers: Endgame. start trend. The Ant-Man trilogy will officially begin Phase 5 of the MCU when it hits theaters in February 2023, and will introduce who will eventually become a saga-spanning villain. The details of Quantumania's plot are still shrouded in mystery, but it appears Scott, Hope, Cassie, and the rest of the Pym particle-powered crew will be embroiled in a conflict far beyond the scope of the first two Ant-Man adventures.

While they look similar, Loki's He Who Remains is not Kang, and Ant-Man will be the first to meet the villain who will eventually challenge the Avengers in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. Instead, He Who Remains founded TVA in an effort to prevent his own multiverse variant from successfully conquering a different reality. The man seen in Loki may have unconventional and controversial methods, but he also has a noble purpose, an unlikely trait of the more confrontational Kang in Quantumania.

Ant-Man Continues Encountering The MCU's Biggest Villains

Ant-Man will have a stage-defining encounter with a main villain through his Kang-centric story in Quantumania, continuing the Endgame trend. Despite generally being the smallest of the Avengers, Ant-Man had one of the biggest influences on Thanos' fight in Endgame. Although the disappearance of Hank Pym and Van Dyens caused Scott to be temporarily trapped in the Quantum Realm, it also inspired Ant-Man's plan to kill Thanos and undo the damage caused by the Infinity Stones.

Without Ant-Man's understanding of the Quantum Realm, Tony would never have perfected his time travel research, the Infinity Stones would never have been taken back, and those taken from the Soul Stone would never have been returned. This time around, though, Ant-Man's interaction with Kang (and the supposed battle) doesn't end at the end of the relevant saga, and instead sets the stage for what fans can expect from the Time Master. Kang is one of the most powerful villains in the Avengers, and his role in Quantum Madness will help give fans a sense of why he's so dangerous. Whatever Ant-Man knows about the villain could be the basis for the Avengers' eventual plan to execute.

Ant-Man 3's Kang Meeting Makes Scott Lang's Death More Likely

Since Kang didn't make an appropriate presence in MCU Phase 4, it's possible that Marvel Studios wanted to establish him as a threat through a meaningful display of power and violence. Unfortunately for Scott, this made him a potential casualty early in Stage 5. While Scott will likely survive the Quantum Realm's first encounter with Kang the Conqueror, the Quantum Fever trailer hints at Ant-Man's death. In a dauntingly calm monologue, Kang offers Scott "more time" in exchange for Ant-Man's help, implying that Scott is running out of time. Also, a quick shot shows Ant-Man running over versions of himself as they get ripped to shreds.

Other clips, such as the one seen in the MCU's "Legacy of Ant-Man" trailer, have additional foreshadowing lines added that may foreshadow Scott's death. Kang says he knows "how [Ant-Man's reality] ends" and that Scott is "out of his league". While the Avengers will no doubt find a way to thwart Kang the Conqueror and save reality, it's not certain who will fall in the process. Whether Ant-Man lives or dies, it's clear that Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum Fever is setting up an encounter between Scott and Kang that will influence several MCU phases to come.