Editor’s Note: The following contains minor spoilers for Loki Season 2.
To say that the last few years have been difficult for fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe would be an understatement. Although the franchise seemed to peak with the success ofAvengers: Endgameand the conclusion of the “Infinity Saga” in 2019, the most recent phases of theMCU have suffered from a tremendous drop in quality. Much of this perceived quality dip was due to the lack of a compelling villain; the first three phases had all led up to the reveal ofJosh Brolin’s Thanos. Although recent events may have forced Marvel Studios to change their plans, the second season ofLokiseems to be operating under the assumption thatJonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror is the saga’s next “big bad.” Kang takes many forms and has many identities. These include the idiosyncratic inventor “Victor Timely,” who made his first appearancein the post-credit scene forAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Timely’s role inLokiisn’t clear quite yet, but it does seem like this specific iteration of Kang will be a major force for the “God of Mischief” to reckon with.
Victor Timely in Marvel Comics
First introduced in a 1992 issue ofThe Avengers Annual,Victor Timely was establishedas one of the many versions of the primary version of Kang the Conqueror. Kang and his primary identities, Immortus and Pharaoh Rama-Tut, create a series of different versions of themselves that are sent throughout the course of Marvel history to take over different timelines. This is what made Kang one of the most ruthless villains in the history of Marvel Comics. Rather than dominate just one timeline, Kang intends to hold a monopoly over every moment in history so that his rule truly becomes inescapable.
Victor Timely is the version of Kang that is sent to the timeline corresponding with the events ofAvengers Forever; this limited series ran from 1998 to 1999, and follows a disgraced Captain America as he wrangles together a new “Avengers” squad consisting of Captain Marvel, Giant Man, Hawkeye, Wasp, Giant-Man, and Songbird. After he is nearly defeated in Ancient Egypt, “Kang Prime” travels to the early 20th century, and sets himself up as an enigmatic inventor in a small community in Wisconsin. Due to the knowledge that Timely possesses about technology that he learned from the future, his technological skills make him appear to be a genius in the more primitive setting.
While the knowledge of the future certainly helped Timely create the impression that his skills were mystical, his intelligence is almost unparalleled within the Marvel universe. Timely’s intellect allowed him to essentially rewrite the history of the Industrial Revolution, and become a rival to leading innovators like Henry Ford and Thomas Edison. Timely’s charisma hid his darker attributes from the hapless public that fell under the spells of his illusions. He was able to deceive the citizens of the newly named town of “Timely, Wisconsin” to the darker plans he had for dominating the variant timeline.
Although Timely’s powers did not contain any supernatural abilities, hisintellect granted him the power to create synthetic, robotic versions of himselfthat could possess his knowledge and memories. This gave Timely the opportunity to mask his immortality by pretending to be his own sons. Timely sought to turn the town he’d named after himself into a crossroads in time that could serve as a base for the future operations of the Kangs, calling it “Chronopolis.” Timely was able to use his robotic identities to pose as himself when he attended to official duties in Chronopolis, which served as an “inflection point” between the past, present, and future.
Beyond rewriting American history with his influence on technological advancement, Timely also began to change the mythology of the Marvel universe from the past. His technology created the original version of the Human Torch in the 1930s, as well as many of the cybernetic parts utilized by various Marvel heroes. Timely Industries is credited for contributing to the creation of various infrastructures used by Marvel heroes, including the Baxter Building and Avengers Tower locations. This allowed Timely to have leverage over his opponents when he took control over the Sentinels during the “Kang Dynasty.”
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Victor Timely in ‘Loki’ Season 2
Timely isn’t the first iteration of Kang that Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and his TVA buddy Mobius M. Mobius (Owen Wilson) have run into; they first encountered the scientist Nathaniel Richards (also known as “He Who Remains”) at the end ofLoki’s first season. Although Sylvie Laufeydottir (Sophie Di Martino) slayed this version of Kang, Loki and Mobius recognize that Timely is another version of the villain that they thought they had defeated. The prime version of“Kang the Conqueror”had attempted to take over the Quantum Realm inAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, but it seems like this version of the all-seeing scientist is taking a different approach in his plan of evil domination.
The debut ofone version of Kang at the end ofLoki’s first seasonseemed to generate enthusiasm among Marvel fans, particularly those who felt that the universe had lost its way post-Endgame. Kang appeared to be the next main antagonist that the entire universe would be centered around, but those plans could be changed due to a multitude of factors.Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumaniawas a critical and financial disappointment thatfumbled the introduction of Kang the Conqueror; and significantly, the controversy surroundingMajors’ assault and harassment chargescould inspire the studio torecast the characterthat the next few phases appear to be centered upon.
Avengers: The Kang Dynastyis still set for a 2026 release, but this could very well be pushed back because of the delays in shooting and writing during the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes. It’s now unclear whether Kang is still being set up as the next Marvel “big bad” or merely serving as the villain ofLokiSeason 2. However, Timely does appear to be more than a match for Loki, and will certainly give him a lot to deal with as the series continues.
