The first trailer for Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, revealed at Disney's D23 Expo, might have alluded to Kang the Conqueror being the secondary villain of the movie with MODOK being the main big bad. As with most of what is shown at Disney's biennial fan event, the Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania trailer was exclusive content for D23 attendees and has not yet been released to the public. Reported descriptions of the footage are available, however, and they claim the trailer provides more background about the MCU's version of Kang the Conqueror and his motives.
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There has been plenty of hype surrounding Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania ever since the sequel was announced to be the official debut of the Kang variant. Audiences were surprised when Jonathan Majors showed up in Marvel's Loki series as "He Who Remains," the first variant of the MCU's next big villain. "He Who Remains" explained Kang's origins and gave an explanation of what was to come. Given Kang's history of traversing the multiverse, it makes sense that the Quantum Realm will be involved in his Phase 5 debut.
Marvel revealed at the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con that Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania would also feature the first live-actionppearance of MODOK, who will likely be the movie's main villain. The trailer at the D23 Expo showed Kang (Jonathan Majors) enlisting Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) to complete a heist for him. Kang is seemingly pulling the strings in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, setting him up as only the secondary villain of this movie. His needing Scott Lang could mean that he isn't a direct threat to the Avengers just yet, but he is preparing for what is to come. Details about MODOK's role are scarce, but the comics' version of the character is an organism bent on killing, proving he may be more of an immediate threat in the Ant-Man and the Wasp sequel.
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A recent Avengers: The Kang Dynasty update revealed its connection to the Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The latter's screenwriter, Jeff Loveness, will also handle script duties on Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. This proves the Ant-Man and the Wasp sequel will be an essential movie for setting the stage for the next MCU crossover. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania director Peyton Reed also hyped that the movie would change the MCU. The sequel will likely showcase what kind of threat Kang presents to the multiverse. Both Loki and Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness have shown the dangers of disrupting the multiverse through incursions and terrifying creatures, like Alioth, who can consume space and time. As of now, only Loki knows of Kang's threat level, and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will likely make other heroes aware of his presence.
His mastery of time may make Kang the Conqueror even more powerful than Thanos, and while he may not be the main villain of the sequel, his overreaching plans could bring some darker themes to the usually lighter, comedic Ant-Man movies. As a result, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will undoubtedly set the tone for MCU Phases 5 and 6, emphasizing the Quantum Realm's importance going forward.