Why Loki’s He Who Remains Isn’t Called [SPOILER]
Who’s left after everything that’s ever happened? Easy – his name explicitly states the answer, He Who Remains. And who’s behind that creepy name? (Get ready for MASSIVE SPOILERS for what’s set to happen for basically all time, always, in the MCU!) Three words: Kang. The. Conqueror.
But why is the name “Kang” not even mentioned or spoken in this episode? While the fantastic actor Jonathan Majors is confirmed to be playing Kang in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, nobody says the infamous name even once in Loki‘s finale. Since this is true, some people may doubt that Majors’ character is really Kang the Conqueror himself, but here’s the answer: Kang has variants. This is the “nicest” Kang out of all of the other big bad ones (even though the one we saw in Loki is still pretty evil and villain-ish), so while this is Kang, it’s certainly not the only Kang out there.
So Kang – the huge bad guy we’ve been waiting for – isn’t even called by his most well-known name?! While Kang isn’t being called “Kang” just yet in the MCU, even being simply called “He Who Remains” in the list of Loki‘s cast and crew, the word “conqueror” was dropped while He Who Remains was talking to Sylvie and Loki at his office desk… the closest we can get to Kang the Conqueror’s famed moniker so far.
Another reason why Kang may be hiding his name is for secretive purposes, keeping in mind that he already created the Timekeepers in the past as a cover-up for his true identity and had the TVA’s AI (Artificial Intelligence) mascot Miss Minutes speaking the “truth” for him, still not willing to reveal who he is even to Loki and Sylvie after he’s met them in person.
He’s technically the one pulling all of the strings, creating the organization supposedly supervising all of time, and keeping a single timeline together dubbed the “Sacred Timeline”. And to keep this timeline clean and well-managed, as the one and only timeline remaining, Kang tells the TVA to prune branches he considers undesirable.
THEORY: The Real Kang Is in Quantumania
So, if this Kang doesn’t consider himself to be Kang but instead He Who Remains, who is Kang? Where is Kang? (Don’t say, “Why is Kang?”!) Here’s a theory: the real Kang is the one who will be appearing in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, causing madness not only in the multiverse but also in the Quantum Realms (hence the suffix -mania) since Jonathan Majors is credited as Kang the Conqueror in this movie. Who knows – Kang may turn out to be blue-skinned in this film as a variant of He Who Remains! Just a more dangerous one, though.
Luckily for you, Kang fans (dubbed the Kang Gang, love the name, guys), Quantumania is likely not the only upcoming Kang appearance! Now that his death is tied directly to the fate of the multiverse, he may also show up in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness – although a more multiversal threat like Chthon or even the Scarlet Witch would be a much better villain for the movie – or Spider-Man: No Way Home, preventing Peter Parker from returning to the reality he belongs in and instead winding up in an alternate timeline with other Spider-Men. And on top of all that, Kang may also decide to pop into What If..? to open parallel universes full of possibilities, which is why Peggy Carter takes the serum rather than Steve Rogers and the Ravagers adopted T’Challa instead of Peter Quill, alongside the mysterious Watcher – that just brings us to the big question, how much Kang will we be getting?!
Written by Michael Waldron and directed by Kate Herron, Loki stars Tom Hiddleston as Loki and President Loki, Sophia Di Martino as Sylvie, Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Judge Ravonna Renslayer, Jonathan Majors as He Who Remains/Kang the Conqueror, Owen Wilson as Agent Mobius M. Mobius, Wunmi Mosaku as Hunter B-15, Tara Strong as Miss Minutes, Richard E. Grant as Classic Loki, Jack Veal as Kid Loki, DeObia Oparei as Boastful Loki, and Sasha Lane as Hunter C-20. All 6 episodes are now streaming on Disney+!
