It looks like there might be a new big bad coming into the MCU, as Marvel Studios has fired actor Jonathan Majors after he received guilty verdicts today, December 18, 2023, for harrassment and assault.
The Details
Majors was playing the character of Kang, and all of his variants, appearing in both seasons of the “Loki” series on Disney+, as well as the movie “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.”
Plans were announced as far back as SDCC 2022, that Kang and his variants would be the main villain threading throughout the planned Phase 5 and Phase 6 films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
It would all lead up to the film “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty,” which would have been the first Avengers film since “Avengers: Endgame.”
Jonathan Majors was arrested in March 2023 for allegedly assaulting girlfriend Grace Jabbari, and Marvel’s plans with the actor were put on hold pending the outcome of the trial.
However, due to today’s legal decision against Majors, Marvel has made the decision to fire the actor. Soon after his March arrest, Majors was also fired by his manager 360 Entertainment and publicist The Lede Company, and let go from various other film projects.
Majors recently appeared in “Loki” season 2 as Kang variant Victor Timely, but those scenes were filmed prior to his arrest.
The actor also won rave reviews earlier this year for the film “Magazine Dreams,” in which he played a disturbed amateur bodybuilder. The movie was snapped up at Sundance by Searchlight Pictures, and scheduled for a December 8, 2023, theatrical release and awards season run. The film was pulled from the theatrical schedule by the Disney-owned company in October 2023, and its future is now in limbo.
What’s Next For Marvel?
There are two ways Marvel could handle the loss of Majors.
One, they could simply recast Kang. It wouldn’t be the first time Marvel has recast a key character. Don Cheadle replaced Terrence Howard as James “Rhodey” Rhodes / War Machine, and Mark Ruffalo replaced Edward Norton as Bruce Banner / The Hulk.
Or they could come up with a new big bad for our heroes to battle against. The Marvel comic universe has no shortage of villains to choose from.
If you’re a fan of the MCU, which would you rather they do? Recast Kang, or choose a new villain (and if so, who?)? Let us know in the comments.
We’ll bring you more information on this as we hear it.
