Why Kang Doesn’t Just Use The Infinity Stones (Even Though He Could)

Kang the Conqueror's time travel abilities mean he could use the MCU's Infinity Stones, but there are clear reasons as to why he would avoid them.

Kang the Conqueror could use the MCU's Infinity Stones to complete his mission, but there are clear reasons why the multiversal villain would want to avoid them. Jonathan Majors' Kang the Conqueror has been set up as the Multiverse Saga's primary antagonist, and recent MCU projects have started to show off the extent of his powers. Before Kang, Thanos posed a massive threat to Earth's Mightiest Heroes with the combined might of the Infinity Stones in his arsenal, which poses the question as to why Kang the Conqueror would avoid using the Infinity Stones to complete his mission, especially when they would easily be at his disposal.

One of the most terrifying aspects of Kang's character is that an infinite number of his variants exist across various realities in the multiverse, created because of the original Kang's (then named Nathaniel Richards) time-traveling conquest. While the MCU's Infinity Stones were destroyed by Thanos during Avengers: Endgame, it can be assumed that there are still Infinity Stones in other realities, perhaps able to be used by Kang the Conqueror. Even so, Kang hasn't once mentioned the Infinity Stones in his recent MCU appearances, and there are a few reasons why that may be.

During the MCU's Infinity Saga, Marvel Studios established that the combined might of the Infinity Stones would make their user the most powerful being in the universe, a title that was bestowed upon Thanos during Avengers: Infinity War. This would surely make the Infinity Stones coveted objects in the world of the MCU and potentially in every other universe as well. However, the Infinity Stones only grant enough power to affect their universe, but Kang the Conqueror is on a conquest across the entire multiverse. This implies he has more innate power than the Infinity Stones, so collecting them for his mission wouldn't make sense.

The majority of Kang the Conqueror's abilities are granted to him through the use of his advanced suit of armor, and some of these powers were glimpsed during Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. His technology also enables him to travel throughout the multiverse, proving that he has more power and more scope than Thanos ever did. Kang's confidence and poise in completing his deadly mission make him even more terrifying than Thanos without having the power of the Infinity Stones, and only time will tell what other abilities Kang the Conqueror has in his arsenal.

Despite granting their wielder practically ultimate power in their home universe, using the Infinity Stones comes with major side effects that Kang the Conqueror would perhaps be better off avoiding. Most notably, this involves the physical damages that are shown to affect Thanos, Smart Hulk, and Tony Stark during Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Thanos, despite being almost unbeatable without the stones, was hobbled through his double use of the Infinity Stones, and Smart Hulk's arm was seriously damaged, essentially beyond repair. Not to mention that the power of the Infinity Stones killed Iron Man, a simple human with no special abilities.

Thanos perhaps knew that the Infinity Stones would have this effect on him and probably embraced it because he felt that his mission was sacred and that collecting the stones was an honor. However, Kang the Conqueror probably wouldn't be so grateful about being injured by the Infinity Stones, as he is not willing to sacrifice his own life to achieve his goals but wants to rule over all and survive. The dangerous side effects of using the Infinity Stones would simply be too risky for someone who cares about his own protection as much as Kang, though it's unclear whether his suit of armor would allow him some protection.

In the wake of Avengers: Endgame and the end of the MCU's Infinity Saga, Marvel Studios seemed to make the very conscious decision to quickly move away from the Infinity Stones, instead building up to new storylines. Loki season 1 featured the Infinity Stones as paperweights for staff at the Time Variance Authority, useless objects rather than some of the most powerful relics in the multiverse. Since a variant of Kang the Conqueror, He Who Remains, lauded over the TVA, he likely knew about the Infinity Stones and simply saw them as nothing more than pieces of junk - therefore, it wouldn't be worth his time to seek them.

Marvel Studios' What If...? also explored the Infinity Stones, as the series glimpsed alternate realities where Thanos hadn't destroyed them. Infinity Ultron rose to power by collecting the six Infinity Stones and wreaked havoc on the multiverse using them. On one hand, this proved how powerful the stones could be, but on the other, What If...? showed just how easily the Infinity Stones could be destroyed. Not only did Wanda Maximoff destroy the Mind Stone in Avengers: Infinity War, but What If...? Infinity Crusher had the power to destroy the stones. Kang the Conqueror would surely want a more foolproof plan when taking on heroes across a variety of realities.

The Infinity Stones were a huge part of the first three Phases of the MCU, with projects including Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor: The Dark World, and Doctor Strange building them up before Avengers: Infinity War brought them all together. Audiences had dedicated a huge amount of time to learning about the Infinity Stones along with the MCU's heroes, but Infinity War and Endgame brought a satisfying conclusion to the stones' story and even saw them destroyed in the main MCU continuity. This means that it perhaps would have been a mistake for Marvel Studios to simply reuse them, not least because it would have been rather dull.

The MCU's Multiverse Saga seems to be dealing with threats bigger than Thanos and the Infinity Stones, especially now that the Council of Kangs has been introduced in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania's mid-credits scene. Exploring the Infinity Stones further in What If...? season 2 would make more sense than finding a way to bring them into the live-action MCU timeline, allowing new storylines to develop and leaving old ones in the past. Many expect Kang the Conqueror to have bigger plans for different relics in the MCU, potentially involving Shang-Chi's Ten Rings and Kamala Khan's Bangle, so it seems the Infinity Stones are a thing of the past.