Life comes at you fast, comic book movie fans! When Marvel Studios made its blockbuster announcements at Comic-Con, fans naturally expected Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame directors Anthony and Joe Russo to return for the fifth and sixth films in the franchise. Instead, The Hollywood Reporter is bringing word that the director of Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (the fifth movie) will be helmed by Destin Daniel Cretton.
If that name sounds familiar, it may be because Cretton has already directed Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings for Marvel. The studio was so impressed with Cretton’s work that it signed him to direct a Shang-Chi sequel, and he is also on board Marvel’s Wonder Man series for Disney+. Curiously, neither Shang-Chi 2 nor Wonder Man had a slot in Marvel’s Phase 5 and 6 announcements at Comic-Con. But that info may come during Disney’s D-23 Expo in September.
Cretton is stepping into some big shoes because, collectively, the four Avengers movies are among the biggest box office hits ever made. That’s a lot of trust for Marvel to place in Cretton. But for now, there’s no word on whether he will direct Avengers: Secret Wars as well, or if another director will step in for the sixth film in the franchise.
We don’t know a lot about The Kang Dynasty, but the title character has already appeared in the MCU. In the season finale of Loki, Lovecraft Country‘s Jonathan Majors guest starred as He Who Remains, the last living member of the TVA at the end of time. He Who Remains is a variant of Nathanial Richards, a man who is better known by his alter ego: Kang the Conqueror.
Nathanial is not directly related to Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four, but there is a familial connection through Reed’s father, who is also named Nathanial Richards. The other important thing to remember about Kang is that he hails from the far future of the Marvel Universe where he is the unquestioned ruler of an empire. And he often attempts to conquer the past for sport.
Majors will next appear as Kang in the upcoming sequel, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, on February 17, 2023. We would place good money on a bet that he will show up multiple times after that film before returning in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty on May 2, 2025.
