6 MCU Theories On The Multiverse Saga"s Real Villain (That Aren"t Kang)

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Some Marvel Cinematic Universe theories make a case for another villain to be the Multiverse Saga's actual main threat, not Kang the Conqueror. Jonathan Majors debuted in the MCU as He Who Remains on Disney+'s Loki. The character was revealed to be a Kang variant, with the show teasing that a multiversal war was about to come to the MCU. Then came Phase 5's first project, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which introduced Majors' Kang the Conqueror and explained his backstory. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania's ending seemingly saw Kang's demise after the villain was sucked into a portal with no explanation as to what really happened to the character.
While it is possible that Kang is still alive, even if he is not, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania's first post-credits scene set up a wide array of Kang variants from the multiversal Council of Kangs to take on Earth's Mightiest Heroes in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. While Kang and his variants will clearly be a threat in the next Avengers movie, the villain of the announced Avengers: Secret Wars does not necessarily have to be Kang. A few MCU theories propose alternate choices for the Multiverse Saga's real main villain.
6 Doctor Strange

Doctor Strange is the Multiverse Saga's real villain in a theory that not only presents one of the MCU's biggest heroes as the possible main antagonist of the shared universe but also flips the script on who might be the MCU's savior. Doctor Strange is a character that has recently helped Marvel delve deeper into its Multiverse Saga, with Sam Raimi's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness sending Benedict Cumberbatch's character on a multiverse-wide quest to save America Chavez from the Scarlet Witch, who had spiraled into villainy in search of her sons. The Scarlet Witch's villain turn could have been an omen of Strange's future Multiverse Saga role.
The theory suggests that Kang is going to be the savior of the MCU, fighting Doctor Strange, who will be revealed as the Multiverse saga's real villain. In Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Kang claimed he wanted to save the multiverse. While it was assumed that he meant killing his variants, Kang could actually end up saving the MCU from Doctor Strange. Multiverse of Madness introduced a variant of the hero from Earth-838 who had lost his ways, with that universe's Reed Richards, played by John Krasinski, claiming Doctor Strange was the biggest threat to the multiverse.
Reed's words came from the fact that his Earth's Doctor Strange used the dark magic of the Darkhold, the same source that corrupted Wanda Maximoff, to search for ways to defeat Thanos in alternate realities. In the end, Earth-838's superhero team, known as the Illuminati, killed Strange for putting their world in danger, hoping to prevent the character from possibly dooming their reality in the future.
The grim tale of Earth-838's Doctor Strange could have come as preparation for Doctor Strange's villain role as the theory suggests the character might become a threat without ever wanting to do so, as the corruption of the Darkhold, which has manifested itself in Strange's third eye, takes the hero into a villain path similar to Scarlet Witch's in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
5 Doctor Doom

This theory hinges on the fact that Doctor Doom is a central character of both major Secret Wars events from Marvel Comics, with the most recent version of the story presenting the character as the multiversal event's greatest villain. Avengers: The Kang Dynasty could very well be the end of the Kang chapter of the Multiverse Saga. While Kang has been presented as the Multiverse Saga's main villain, the MCU's heroes could defeat the Council of Kangs in the next Avengers movie, only for Doctor Doom to swoop in and lead the MCU into Battleworld, becoming God Emperor Doom.
Doom could then be the main villain of the Multiverse Saga in Avengers: Secret Wars. The theory positions Doom as the real villain of the Multiverse Saga with the help of Marvel's Phase 6's current structure, which starts with Fantastic Four, per Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige. That Phase will contain both of the announced Avengers movies, with Avengers: Secret Wars closing it out. The fact that Phase 6 starts by introducing the Fantastic Four, and possibly Doctor Doom, only for it to end with a story that has the character at its forefront in the comics, makes Doom the perfect candidate to be the Multiverse Saga's true villain.
4 Loki

Another theory claims that Loki is Avengers: Secret Wars' villain and thus the real threat of the Multiverse Saga. The theory states that Loki could take on Doctor Doom's role from 2015's Secret Wars comic book event, as the Fantastic Four villain would have little time to be introduced and already become the main threat to the Multiverse Saga. With Marvel's Fantastic Four releasing on February 2025 and Avengers: Secret Wars closing out the MCU's Phase 6 on May 2026, the theory has a point. Doom's role as the main villain of the comics' Secret Wars made sense due to the villain's years of evil-doing in the Marvel universe.
While the current version of Loki is a reformed villain, the character has a long history of mischievous dealings in the MCU, with the original Loki being the main villain of Marvel's first Avengers movie and helping Thanos in his quest for the Infinity Stones. That past is still inside the current Loki, as the variant was taken from The Avengers. The theory would make sense with Loki becoming the Multiverse Saga's real villain without knowing, as the character is currently on a quest to stop Kang and save the multiverse, which could end with Loki creating Battleworld to stop the incursions from destroying everything.

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