The Destruction Of The Council Of Kangs Introduces The MCU's Biggest New Threat In Fantastic Four Theory

The Council of Kangs returns to be destroyed in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, as a new Marvel Cinematic Universe theory explains how the Multiverse Saga could switch main villains. The MCU has done a lot of work to set up Kang the Conqueror and his variants across multiple multiverse-focused projects. However, Jonathan Majors' firing from the MCU has led to Kang the Conqueror's role shifting. The character will no longer be the main villain of the next two Avengers movies, with that role being surprisingly given to Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom, not Iron Man.

Doctor Doom's MCU debut led to the previously announced Avengers: The Kang Dynasty becoming 2026's Avengers: Doomsday, which will be directed by Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame directing duo the Russo brothers. While Majors is confirmed not to return to the franchise, no comments have been made about Kang the Conqueror's future, nor that of his variants in the Council of Kangs. According to a new MCU theory, The Fantastic Four: First Steps' story could use a major villain to end the Council of Kangs, with the movie setting up the Multiverse Saga's main villain change.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Villain Takes Out The Council Of Kangs In MCU Theory

The MCU Team Will Fight A Very Powerful Antagonist

Galactus is the main villain of The Fantastic Four: First Steps. According to an MCU theory from _mattforbes on Reddit, the Devourer of Worlds could be used to end the threat of the Council of Kangs.

The multiverse team first appeared in one of the post-credits scenes of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. What appeared to be thousands of Kang variants from the Council of Kangs got together at an undisclosed location. The Fantastic Four reboot theory suggests that Galactus could get to the planet the Council of Kangs meets on and devour it, killing all Kangs in the process.

The theory proposes that Galactus kills the Council of Kangs at the start of The Fantastic Four: First Steps. This would succeed in doing two things at the same time. The movie would give a definitive ending to the Kang storyline in the MCU, with Majors' Kang the Conqueror staying dead after Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania's ending teased the character's demise, and the Fantastic Four reboot establishing that Galactus is a formidable threat from the get-go. This way, when the Devourer of Worlds presumably arrives at the superhero team's Earth later, the audience would know what is at stake.

Marvel Studios’ Fantastic Four Reboot Could Show The Switch Between Multiverse Saga’s Main Villains

The Council Of Kangs Can Make Way For The MCU's New Main Villain

The MCU theory allows the Fantastic Four reboot movie to feature both versions of the franchise's prior main villain, as well as the debut of the Multiverse Saga's new major threat. While not yet officially confirmed by Marvel Studios or the actor, Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom will reportedly debut in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. According to the report from The InSneider, RDJ's Doctor Doom would not be part of the movie itself, but debut in The Fantastic Four: First Steps' mid/post-credits scene, setting up his bigger role in 2026's Avengers: Doomsday.

That would make a lot of sense for the MCU. So far, Doctor Doom has appeared in all of the live-action Fantastic Four movies. The character is the team's biggest villain in the comics, having appeared as a foe to the Fantastic Four and, more specifically, Reed Richards, several times since his debut. While Marvel can avoid repeating history and making Doctor Doom the main foe of yet another Fantastic Four movie by including the character in a credits' scene, the MCU continues a major superhero movie tradition and sets the stage for the next Avengers movie.

Why The Council Of Kangs Needs To Appear One More Time

Jonathan Majors Does Not Have To Return

While Majors will not be coming back to the MCU as Kang the Conqueror, it would be better for the franchise's overall story if the Council of Kangs at least appeared one more time. The multiverse could be used as a simple explanation for why Majors is out, recasting the Kang variants shown in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania with new actors as members of the Council of Kangs. The actor did play all Kang variants in the MCU so far, but that should not have much of an impact on a single sequence of Galactus killing the villains.

With RDJ being brought back to the MCU as Doctor Doom, it is quite clear that Marvel is choosing to leave Kang the Conqueror and his variants behind and move on to a new era. While that might be the ideal play, it would not be satisfying to simply ignore the villains' impact on the MCU thus far and pretend it never happened. That is why the MCU theory offers the best-case scenario for the Multiverse Saga's villain switch, with The Fantastic Four: First Steps ending the Council of Kangs and debuting Doctor Doom.

All Announced Upcoming MCU Movies