Kang’s Origin is not only the character in the MCU differ from the comics

• The MCU has before changed a villain’s background for the big screen.
• In Age of Ultron, Ultron acts more like his “fathers,” much how Pym adopted Pym’s characteristics.
• Elements from the comic book are still present despite the modifications to Ultron’s history.

As Phase Five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and consequently the Multiverse Saga, begins with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the movie’s tiny heroes will face up against Kang the Conqueror, played by Jonathan Majors. Yet many comic book readers might be wondering, “Isn’t Kang more of an Avengers villain?” Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania actually succeeds in reworking the Conqueror’s origins to fall in accordance with the Quantum Realm, despite the time-traveling warlord’s relentless conquering ambitions. The MCU has before changed a villain’s background for the big screen. Avengers: Age of Ultron would receive the highest accolade, and oddly, the evil robot is connected to Ant-Man!

In Marvel Comics, Ant-Man Invented Ultron

Before making his first complete appearance in Avengers #55, Ultron previously appeared in The Avengers #54 as a shadowy presence tormenting the Avengers. He battled Earth’s Mightiest Heroes there as the leader of the Masters of Evil, and he later returned to torture them again and again, each time improving his mechanical form. Ultron’s hatred for humans, however, remained constant, and he still intends to exterminate every living creature on Earth.

Ultron’s creator, Henry Pym, was ultimately made public. Ultron, however, fooled his creator into forgetting about him after coming to life. The “Ultron Unlimited” plot took things a step further when it became clear that Pym had based Ultron’s brain patterns on his own. As Pym was battling with mental health concerns, he might as well have transferred them onto his “kid.” The Vision was one of Ultron’s previous attempts to destroy the Avengers, but this failed when he eventually defected and joined their ranks.

The Motivation Is the Same despite Ultron’s Makers Changing in “Age of Ultron”

Because the original Ant-Man wasn’t yet available, the MCU beginnings of Ultron in Avengers: Age of Ultron are drastically different (and because Michael Douglas was playing an older version of Pym). He is still an artificial intelligence, but this time, Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) and Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) are the brains behind the device. Stark creates Ultron as an attempt to “build a suit of armour around the Earth” while still reeling from his near-death experience in The Avengers. And despite Banner’s protests, he chooses to finish the procedure by using the sceptre that Loki (Tom Hiddleston) wielded.

Ultron becomes sentient thanks to the Mind Stone in that sceptre, but soon after learning about human history, he believes that the only way to defend humanity is to destroy it. In Age of Ultron, Ultron acts more like his “fathers,” much how Pym adopted Pym’s characteristics. Ultron, like Stark, frequently masks his emotions with snark and believes that his method is the best method. James Spader’s portrayal of him also helps, while Disney+’s What If…? Changed Ultron’s casting in a different way. Moreover, Ultron is enraged like Banner. The difference is that Ultron’s wrath pushes him to start an extinction-level event, whereas Banner works to keep his rage in check.

The more things alter, the more they remain unchanged.

Elements from the comic book are still present despite the modifications to Ultron’s history. Even though the Vision is intended to be a perfect body for him rather than a weapon to dismantle the Avengers, he nonetheless develops it. According per canon, the Vision joins the Avengers in order to overthrow his “father” after becoming merged with the Mind Stone and the essence of Stark’s robotic servant J.A.R.V.I.S. (Paul Bettany).

But the nation of Sokovia is where the biggest shift has occurred. Ultron invaded Slorenia and massacred its populace in the Kurt Busiek and George Perez narrative for “Ultron Unlimited,” which had a significant impact on the movie. Instead, writer/director Joss Whedon decided to shift the country to Sokovia and have Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and her twin brother Pietro be born there (Aaron Taylor-Johnson).

These kinds of adjustments show how the MCU has updated some of its characters while still maintaining a commitment to their comic book roots. The same strategy was used with Kang as well. He has been involved in a conflict with his other selves and is still able to travel through time, both of which will influence the upcoming Avengers film, The Kang Dynasty. And if the Quantumania post-credits sequence is any indicator, he might have a part to play in Avengers: Secret Wars.

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