Ant-Man...Kang...Timeless or Tiresome?
Prologue:
As I sat in there in that AMC movie theater, with my popcorn and Minute Maid flavored seltzer water, I was thinking about how I lost my moment in the sun to watch Marvel’s Phase 4 ending chapter, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, on the big screen. Familial obligations took precedence, so the tradeoff was acceptable. However, missing out on the next volume of the marvel universe couldn’t happen, so with snacks in hand, I had to see for myself if, I too, was suffering and succumbing to this crippling Marvel Fatigue or if I still had it in me to continue to follow the journey that Marvel’s providing for its fans....
As of now, I still do and hopefully, Johnathan Majors aka Kang will be able to carry the MCU into the next generation, he has a heavy load to bear.
Joseph Watkins Da Watcha
In 2022, Fandom.com released an annual fan study stating that 30% of Marvel fans were suffering from a condition called “Marvel Fatigue”. Marvel Fatigue, as defined by Screenrant, is the exhaustion of a fanbase due to a franchise’s release of a large amount of media. In 2022, Marvel released 8 new shows, some of which were big screen releases, with others becoming “streamable” content. Called “Phase 4” by Marvel, fans were both elated and disappointed at the direction the franchise was pushing the storylines and as a result, Kevin F. and colleagues decided to slowdown and focus more on quality rather than the amount of content for Phase 5. As such, Marvel kicked off phase 5 with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (AMWQ). With Marvel fatigue settling in with some fans, will Ant-Man jumpstart the next phase of the MCU or is it time to move on from the franchise?
As the Marvel logo played with the franchise’s most iconic characters ingrained in the lettering, memories started to come back. The remembrance of my love for the movie theater, the magic that happens when Marvel puts on a showcase, the love of the familiar characters followed by the introduction of new ones; Spider-Man: No Way Home for example, was my last theatrical journey as I saw a familial cast in a COVID altered environment. 2021, that was the last time I’ve been to the movie theater.
With AMWQ, viewing this Marvel movie felt different. As soon as those memories came back, I realized, at that moment, that Marvel Fatigue was indeed real and I had caught it, yet I wasn’t tired of the new content, I was, in a way, losing interest in the series altogether. I’ve been here since Tobey Maguire-Spider-Man, circa 2002 and Iron-Man, 2008; two dates that proved Marvel and Sony had the capabilities to provide fans with the CGI and imaginative prowess necessary to create awesome hero movies. And now, here at 2023, still supporting the Magic of the Marvel Universe, I was hoping that AMWQ would still keep me going......it did.
With the introduction of Marvel’s newest mega-villain, I could say that one of the ways to get over Marvel Fatigue is by watching new villainous characters demonstrate their powers and conquest dreams, but that’s just my opinion. For Marvel’s Phase 5, with its introduction of their new star hitter, I was cured of my fatigue, and I would like to thank Kang the Conqueror for helping me overcome my condition.
AMWQ had the usual flair of comedic one-liners, familial love moments and of course, the growing and shrinking of both, Ant-Man and the Wasp, played by both Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lily respectively. Yet, hidden within the mini plots of the film are a newer set of superheroes by way of Cassandra Lang, played by Kathryn Newton, Janet Van Dyne, played by Michelle Pfeiffer, and the famous Dr. Hank Pym, played by Michael Douglass.
Following these heroes was the successful introduction to Marvel’s newest villain, Kang the Conqueror, showcased by Johnathan Majors (JM). While we did see him briefly in the Loki series as he played, He Who Remains, his newest variant, showcased an even darker tone to the character and is now the head honcho in charge of an ever-growing multi-Marvel-movie time plot.
I also need to give a shoutout to some of the other performers as well; the comedic-psychic Quaz, played by William Harper Jackson, and the leader of the Quantum Relm’s freedom fighters, Jentora, who was played by Katy O’Brian. Their actions drove the movie forward as their brief moments lead to understanding the Quantum realm’s inhabitants’ and cultural ways. Jentora’s outfit too, reminded me of Senua, from the Hellblade series. Just a random thought.
Kang’s presence in the Ant-Man franchise moved the series in a different direction holding a more serious tone at times, but that hold was limited as it reverted back to its comedic roots. With Kang, he informs us that time is “a cage and only when you break free from its prison, can you see how small it really is”. Those words right there informed me of two things, that my existence is limited, and that time has me shackled and slave to a certain set of rules as atonement for living on its borrowed currency. With Kang however, he has the key, unchained himself, and is doing all sorts of hellish things in the name of creating a single victorious multiverse for himself. With Ant-Man, his seriousness is only spurred by the almost life ending destruction of his daughter and family by the variant of He Who Remains....“A man that talks to ants!!?”, you’ll understand the reference as you watch the movie....
Johnathan Majors’ energy to this character is both infectious and jaw-dropping as he separates himself from the Thanos era. As Kang’s predecessor wanted to eliminate half of humanity for the universe in the name of saving resources, and his mini-boss cousins, Ultron, and Erik Kilmonger, wanted to “re-evolve” humans and arm the oppressed, Kang is just a megalomaniac who yearns for a multi-universal conquest with him as its figurehead. Lofty goals. Godlike even. His hunger for conquest has me eager to further understand where he fits in the multiverse as both a villain and a time traveler. His conquest and goals? Far reaching, yet I want to see how far he goes. Will he get a win? Even if for a minute, just like Thanos?
Here’s hoping.
While AMWQ is another comedic Marvel superhero movie, aside from Ant-Man’s familiar characters and comedy, JM’s Kang, hoisted the Ant-Man series to another level as his seriousness and villainous superiority made his first-time presence on the big screen both formidable and welcoming, making the movie at times, The Kang Show. As long as Marvel continues to focus on quality, Marvel fatigue could disappear as quickly as it appeared with Dr. Kang calling the shots in a familiar universe with familiar allies and newer dynasties.
Welcome Johnathan Majors aka Kang to the Marvel World Order and all I can say to you, the reader is, “Don’t leave the theater when the credits roll”.
Fin.
