Ant-Man and Wasp: Quantumania’s two post-credit scenes get multiversal

Ant-Man’s third outing is here to kick off Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with a microscopic bang. Quantumania: Ant-Man and The Wasp isn’t just the latest in the adventures of Scott Lang, it’s also the first film in the MCU with Kang as the main antagonist. And since he’s already set up to be the big bad of the next two Avengers movies, it’s clear that Quantumania he has great plans for Conqueror.

As with all MCU films, the most important reveals about the future are made from the past. Quantumania: Ant-Man and The Wasp’s two credits scenes. The first scene takes place in the middle of the credits, and for the last one, you’ll have to wait until the very end.

[Ed. note: This post contains spoilers for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.]

What happens in Quantumania’s mid-credits scene?

Quantumania’s mid-credits scene is the more important of the two, at least as far as the MCU’s future goes. Our camera cuts to an alternate universe that appears to be moving through space. Three versions of Kang — each styled radically differently, with different technology and costumes, though they’re all played by Jonathan Majors — discuss the fact that “the exiled one,” Kang the Conqueror, this movie’s antagonist, is dead. The Kangs then explain how our world is just starting to discover the multiverse, and so it’s time to discuss the matter with all Kangs everywhere. Imagine a huge arena where thousands more Kangs appear, each from their own timelines and realities.

It is possible that Marvel wants to create something similar to the Council of Kangs within the MCU. The three Kangs we see aren’t specifically identified during the short mid-credits scene, but they seem to be references to some of Kang’s most famous comic book incarnations.

Are there any versions of Kang left after Quantumania’s end?

All these characters in comics are one person. NotParallel versions of themselves. Thanks to Kang’s long life of time-travel shenanigans, many stages of his personal development have aided, bedeviled, or simply interacted with Marvel’s superheroes. The one with streaks of neon light down his skin is likely the MCU’s interpretation of Iron Lad, the superhero identity Kang took on when he was a teenager in the far future.

The Kang in Egyptian-type dress is a clear reference to Pharaoh Rama-Tut, the guise Kang went by when he was in his “I wanna go back in time and rule all of Egypt” phase. And the guy with the tall hat and the impressive beard is undoubtedly Immortus, Kang in his oldest phase of life, who’s been around so long he’s kind of over that conquering thing, and would rather repair timelines than mess around in them the way he did in his youth. The MCU’s version seems decidedly more malevolent, but it’s still not exactly clear what these Kangs actually want or are planning, only that it has something to do with “incursions,” an ominous multiversal natural disaster last seen in Doctor Strange, in the Multiverse of Madness.

What happens in Quantumania’s post-credits scene?

Quantumania’s post-credits scene is just as Kang-centric, though it also sets up a clearer vision for the immediate future of the franchise: It’s a very short teaser trailer for Loki Season 2. This clip features Loki (Tom Hiddleston), and Mobius, (Owen Wilson), watching as Victor Timely delivers a Victorian science presentation. (also played in the short clip by Jonathan Majors). Guess what? Victor Timely, Kang has yet another time travel identity.

In the scene, Victor is explaining how time shapes everyone’s lives, but it might be possible to shape it in return. From the audience, Loki — also costumed for the era — whispers to Mobius, “It’s him!” Mobius looks dubious: “You made him sound like this terrifying figure!” “He is,” Loki says ominously, before the cut to black. Loki, Sylvie and their alternate-timeline Sylvie were in a fight against Kang in season 1. Loki — this one called “He Who Remains,” a character who more or less explained how his death would set off a multiverse-wide explosion of Kangs — it’s no wonder Loki recognizes this new iteration, and the threat he poses. We’ll find out what part Victor has to play in the multiverse when season 2 of Loki This summer, drop your prices