Contrary to cementing Kang the Conqueror as the new Thanos, “Loki” Season 2 ends by backing away from him. In one scene, Mobius (Owen Wilson) and Hunter B-15 (Wunmi Mosaku) discuss reports on Kang variants, with Mobius noting that one caused some trouble in the “616-adjascent” universe, which likely refers to the Quantum Realm where Kang was defeated by Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) in “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.” The TVA’s new strategy seems to be making sure that no Kang variant ever becomes dangerous in the first place.
On the “House of R” podcast, author and MCU expert Joanna Robinson explained how that scene sets up an excuse for Marvel to backtrack the Kang storyline. Around the 2:49:50 mark, she explains, “It’s going to be [the TVA’s] job to not violently prune the variants, but to gently — sort of like training a vine in a certain way — gently … nudging the variants here and there and the other, so we don’t get these more world-conquering versions of Kang, He Who Remains, et cetera.” In other words, it’s possible Kang never pops up again in the MCU. Of course, if Majors ceases to be persona non grata, the “Loki” finale leaves the door open for the TVA to slip up, allowing him to return.
