Disney+ finally fixes the biggest fumble in MCU history

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is quickly approaching the release of Avengers: Doomsday, the first half of a two-part event that will bring the Multiverse Saga to a close. When the fifth Avengers installment was announced back in 2022, it was instead titled Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, and it would have revolved around the timeline-hopping Kang the Conqueror rather than Doctor Doom.

Disney shifted direction after Kang actor Jonathan Majors was convicted of misdemeanor third-degree assault and second-degree harassment in 2023, but even prior to that incident, Kang failed to resonate with viewers to the extent that Thanos had. Though the MCU's plans for Kang fell through, the animated series X-Men '97 has accomplished what the live-action films could not. The latest episode, "Rise of Apocalypse: Part II," showcased just how effective a villain Kang can be.

X-Men '97 Tied Kang Into an Iconic Supervillain's Origin

Season 2 of X-Men '97 began with the members of the X-Men stranded at different points in history. In an attempt to prevent Apocalypse's rise to power, a powerful mutant named Mother Askani sent Magneto, Rogue, Beast, Nightcrawler, and Professor X to the Delta Nile in the year 3000 B.C.

As the mutant heroes soon learned, they were not the only time travelers present in X-Men '97's version of Ancient Egypt. The land was ruled by Rama-Tut, a pharaoh with access to advanced technology like robots and holograms. In the comics, Rama-Tut was one of many identities assumed by Kang, and the most recent episode of X-Men '97 proved this to be true in the animated continuity as well.

During the pharaoh's telepathic conversation with Professor X, he said, "I have so many names. Nathaniel, Victor, Kang. Finding oneself can get addicting." Nathaniel Richards is Kang's real name in the comics, and Victor Timely was a 19th-century version of Kang introduced in the MCU, specifically the second season of Loki.

Apocalypse was the main antagonistic force of the episode, but it was Rama-Tut who set the plot into motion. He wanted to rewrite history by claiming the power of the Celestial temple that En Sabah Nur used to become Apocalypse.

Yet, in an ironic twist of fate, it was his cruel tyranny that spurred En Sabah Nur to seek out the temple. Though Rama-Tut's screen time was limited, he redeemed Marvel Studios' failure to properly utilize Kang in the MCU, and his effectiveness as a villain in X-Men '97 was a result of two main factors.

X-Men '97 Avoided the MCU's Kang Mistakes

First, X-Men '97 made the most of Kang's time-bending nature by placing him in Ancient Egypt. Kang's futuristic technology was far more interesting given the context of an era in which it seemed totally alien. His robots, armed with electrified whips, purposefully clashed with the traditional sandstone structures that surrounded them.

The MCU did not do this. When Kang first appeared as He Who Remains in the first season of Loki, he was in the Citadel at the End of Time, which existed outside the regular flow of time. Kang's next appearance was in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which took place in the present of the MCU. Victor was the only version of Kang who actually appeared in the past or future, and that was too little too late, because Disney fired Majors just one month after Loki's finale.

Second, X-Men '97 portrayed Kang as a genuine threat. Rama-Tut conquered Egypt with relative ease, killed all the Sandstormers save En Sabah Nur, and nearly did the same to the X-Men, who only survived because Magneto was able to create a shield of magnetic force around them. Later, when faced with the threat of Apocalypse, Rama-Tut wisely returned to his own time instead of fighting a losing battle.

The MCU's version of Kang did not live up to his fearsome reputation. In Loki Season 1, Sylvie Laufeysdottir fatally stabbed He Who Remains within mere minutes of his introduction. In Quantumania, Kang was overpowered by ants and then killed by Ant-Man, the latter of whom did not even use his size-changing powers to do so.

Finally, in Loki Season 2, Victor met a gruesome end multiple times while trying to repair the Temporal Loom, though each of his deaths was undone by Loki Laufeyson. These losses undermined Kang's credibility as an Avengers-level threat akin to Loki, Ultron, or Thanos. If these lone heroes could defeat Kang, there was no reason to believe he could contend with the full force of Earth's Mightiest Heroes.

Given X-Men '97's nod to Victor, who is not from the comics, plans to tie the series into the MCU's Multiverse Saga likely once existed. Though that is no longer the case, it was rewarding for fans to see Kang done justice in a different medium. Since Rama-Tut survived the events of "Rise of Apocalypse: Part II," he could potentially return in future episodes of X-Men '97, maybe even as the main villain of a season.

X-Men: The Animated Series, of which X-Men '97 is a continuation, included a villain named Immortus, who is also a version of Kang in the comics. That would provide a logical way for the writers to tie Kang's story into the history of the X-Men. But even if Kang never appears again in X-Men '97, "Rise of Apocalypse" has made up for the MCU's mishandling of the character.