Instead of completely ignoring Kang’s influence on theMCU, Marvel Studios has the perfect opportunity to recast the formidable supervillain in 2025’sThe Fantastic Four: First Steps. In the wake of Thanos' defeat inAvengers: Endgameand with the beginning of the Multiverse Saga, the MCU needed a significant new threat, and Kang the Conqueror was a fantastic candidate.Kang and his variants, including He Who Remains, Immortus and Victor Timely, have had key roles in the MCU’s recent projects, but the villains' futures in the franchise are less clear.
He Who Remains was the first Kang variant to appear in live-action, withJonathan Majors making his MCU debutin 2021’sLokiseason 1. Following Majors' role as the Conqueror and other variants in 2023’sAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumaniaand as Victor Timely inLokiseason 2,the actor was convicted on two misdemeanour counts of harassment and assault, leading to him being fired from Marvel Studios. There has been some dispute abouthow Marvel should handle Kang in the MCU now, and one highly-anticipated upcoming movie creates the perfect opportunity for him to be reinvented.
The Fantastic Four Battle Kang Variant Rama-Tut In Marvel Comics
Pharaoh Rama-Tut Is A Kang Variant From Ancient Egypt
It seems the best place for Marvel Studios to recast and reinvent Kang in the MCU is in2025’s upcomingThe Fantastic Four: First Stepsreboot.First Stepswill introduce a new version of Marvel’s First Family into live-action after several previous disappointing adaptations, and the Fantastic Four are expected to go up against Ralph Ineson’s Galactus and possibly a number of other villains in their MCU debut.One of these villains could even be a variant of Kang the Conqueror, as the Fantastic Four famously battled Egyptian Pharaoh Rama-Tut in Marvel Comics in 1963.
Who Is Rama-Tut? The MCU’s Egyptian Pharaoh Kang Variant Explained
Here’s everything you need to know about the Council of Kangs’ Rama-Tut, and where Kang the Conqueror’s Egyptian Pharaoh variant can appear next.
Rama-Tut was created when Nathaniel Richards acquired time travel in the far future and traveled back in time to rule over Ancient Egypt. There, he planned to claim En Sabah Nur, the mutant destined to become Apocalypse, as his powerful heir, butRama-Tut was defeated and his rule ended when the Fantastic Four arrived in the past and thrust him back into the time-stream. Kang is a descendant of Reed Richards' own time-traveling father, Nathaniel, so his connections to the Fantastic Four are undeniably strong and would be great to see in the MCU.
Rama-Tut Would Fit Perfectly Into The Alternate Universe Storyline Of The Fantastic Four: First Steps
First Steps' Alternate World Makes Rama-Tut A Very Possible Addition
Marvel Studios will be breaking new ground withThe Fantastic Four: First Steps, as the movie will be the first live-action project in the MCU to be set entirely in an alternate universe. This means Marvel can take many creative liberties withFirst Steps, redesigning the world and its inhabitants, possibly making them wildly different from those we know from Earth-616. WhileJonathan Majors has already appeared as Rama-Tut in the mid-credits scene ofAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Marvel could recast the Pharaoh for an appearance inThe Fantastic Four:First Steps’alternate world.
There has been some confusion about whether Marvel Studios would recast Kang and his variants or kill off the iconic supervillain following Jonathan Majors' departure.Robert Downey Jr. being cast as Doctor Doom and the reshaping ofThe Kang DynastyintoAvengers: Doomsdaysuggests Kang will just be moved on from, but a recast would make sense in the vast multiverse. Given their connection to Rama-Tut in Marvel Comics, it would be great to see the Fantastic Four open the door for Kang to be recast.
Why Rama-Tut Would Be A Great Kang Variant To Reintroduce To The MCU Before The Others
Rama-Tut Was The Earliest Kang Variant In Marvel Comics
Following Jonathan Majors' actions coming to light in 2023, Kang and his variants may seem tainted to many in the MCU, which makes it difficult for Marvel Studios to simply recast the villain and continue as the Multiverse Saga would have. This has thankfully brought Doctor Doom to the forefront, but Kang shouldn’t be forgotten completely. Instead,Marvel could start a gradual reintroduction of Kang to the MCU, perhaps a more comic-accurate iteration whose variants emerge because of time travel, rather than branching realities and alternate variants.
LokiSeason 1
2021
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
2023
LokiSeason 2
In Marvel Comics,Rama-Tut was the first variant of Nathaniel Richards that was created when the character found time travel technology in the future. He traveled back in time in a Sphinx-shaped ship and set himself up as the Pharaoh, marking his debut in Marvel Comics in 1963’sFantastic Four #19, long before he became Kang. The fact that Rama-Tut was the first version seen in Marvel Comics means it would be great for this to be the first iteration recreated in the live-action MCU, andThe Fantastic Four: First Stepswould be a brilliant place for this to happen.
We Hope Kang Is Still A Threat In The MCU’s Future
It Would Be A Mistake For Marvel To Completely Forget Kang & His Variants
Right now, it would be very easy for Marvel Studios to simply forget about Kang and his variants, and instead focus on Doctor Doom as the primary antagonist ofAvengers: DoomsdayandSecret Wars, with the latter possiblysoft-rebooting the MCUanyway. However, it would be a huge shame for Kang to just be removed from the MCU.He is one of the most significant and powerful supervillains in Marvel Comics, and one of the longest-running, so he should still have a role in the MCU’s future as a recurring antagonist.
Jonathan Majors has recently been voicing his interest in reprising the role of Kang and his variants in the MCU’s future, but this is very unlikely to happen after his conviction.
Marvel Studios will need to make some drastic changes to Kang in order for this transition to be successful, however, removing the character from Jonathan Majors' influence and allowing new actors to take over seamlessly. Reintroducing Rama-Tut with a new face in the alternate universe ofThe Fantastic Four: First Stepswould be an excellent way to begin this evolution for the villain. The tease of theCouncil of Kangshasn’t yet been paid off, and there are countless versions of the character we haven’t yet seen, so it would be a good choice for Marvel to keep him around.
