Summary
- Marvel may recast Kang amid doubts about his viability as a villain, and Galactus would be a formidable alternative for MCU Phase 6.
- Galactus is a massive and well-known Marvel villain, with potential to be a recurring threat unlike Kang, ensuring a greater impact.
- Marvel could pivot to making Galactus the main multiverse villain, enhancing his cataclysmic threat levels for future MCU events.
With the departure of Jonathan Majors, Kang's MCU future is still up for question, but thankfully, Marvel just cast the best possible replacement for the villain. Theories and rumors have painted a dismal picture for Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and whether Marvel will move ahead with the project as first intended. Having the main star depart the project is one thing (there are plenty of Kang recasting possibilities that make the character even more appealing) but the lackluster reception of Kang in his cinematic debut, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania has cast some doubt on his viability as an arch-villain.
Should Marvel decide not to recast Kang and move on without him as the central villain, then The Fantastic Four may offer up a suitable alternative. The Fantastic Four is set to kick off MCU Phase 6 after MCU Phase 5 concludes with Thunderbolts*. Slated for release in July 2025, details about the movie are only just starting to take shape. Among these are the confirmed cast members, with the most recently announced being John Malkovich in an as-yet-undisclosed role and Ralph Ineson as the gargantuan celestial being, Galactus.
Every Upcoming Marvel Movie: Full MCU Phase 5 & 6 List (& Beyond)
Between Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures Entertainment, here is every upcoming Marvel movie release date and what we know about the projects so far.
Galactus Is A Massive Marvel Villain And More Well-Known Than Kang
Galactus is one of the most iconic Marvel villains whose cinematic career was marred by the ill-advised portrayal of the villain as a giant space cloud in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Anticipation for Marvel's no doubt more comic-accurate depiction is therefore at an all-time high; which is a level of enthusiasm that Kang does not seem to inspire. Now that the MCU is halfway through the Multiverse Saga, there has yet to be a Kang variant that hasn't been defeated, which diminishes his threat levels ahead of his starring role in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.
Loki Season 2 established the idea that the TVA is dealing with Kang variants on its own, allowing the MCU to pivot from the villain in that way.
The same cannot be said for Galactus, whose level of threat is practically self-evident. This is largely thanks to how well-known the villain is in comparison to Kang, with Galactus' size and power helping to make a greater impact than the comparatively diminutive Kang. With that in mind, the MCU should, at the very least, ensure that Galactus is not so easily defeated as Kang, and survives his debut appearance in The Fantastic Four.
Marvel Shouldn't Make Galactus A One-Movie Villain
The MCU is all too familiar with one-and-done villains. For the most part, this only diminishes characters who should be a lot more powerful and memorable than the MCU allowed them to be. Villains like Malekith and Ultron are notable examples - but the same fate cannot befall Galactus. Aside from being a near-omnipotent Goliath with a penchant for planets, Galactus is more of a force of nature than an out-and-out villain whose planet-eating MO is intended to maintain "balance" in the universe. In fact, The Fantastic Four has even intentionally kept him around in Marvel Comics.
While the same can be said for Ultron, Galactus is not the kind of villain that should be discarded after just one appearance. His significance to the Marvel Universe is at least equivalent to the likes of Thanos, who appeared in several movies in the Infinity Saga. Certainly, he is more significant than Kang who was - and may still be - prepped to appear in several Multiverse Saga movies. With so much controversy surrounding the character now, Marvel could benefit from instead making Galactus the recurring villain of the Multiverse Saga, presenting the Avengers with their biggest challenge yet.