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Kang the Conqueror, portrayed by Jonathan Majors, was set to become the next major villain in the MCU, taking over from Thanos. Majors appeared as Kang (along with his variants) in two seasons of Loki and in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
However, following the release of the film, Majors faced legal issues. He was accused of assault and harassment by his former partner, Grace Jabbari. Additionally, insiders who previously worked with Majors have corroborated claims of troubling behavior on set.
As the legal drama unfolded, Majors was dropped by his talent agency and pulled from commercials and upcoming projects. However, Marvel Studios opted to wait for the legal verdict, likely aiming to avoid a repeat of the controversy surrounding Johnny Depp.
Nearly a year later, the verdict was announced: Majors was found guilty and sentenced to probation with community service. At that point, it became clear that he would not be returning to the role, although some fans still hoped Kang’s story would continue.
Fast forward to San Diego Comic-Con a few months ago, where Marvel Studios revealed that Avengers: Kang Dynasty would be rebranded as Avengers: Doomsday, featuring Robert Downey Jr.’s return to the MCU—this time as Doctor Doom.
This announcement sparked outrage among part of the fandom, with not everyone thrilled to see RDJ back, especially in the role of Doom. Many fans who had invested in Kang’s storyline were left wondering why the character wasn’t simply recast.
Ultimately, the appeal of Kang lies in his numerous variants across the Multiverse; there’s nothing to suggest these variants must be identical. In fact, recasting Kang would be one of the simplest solutions in the MCU.
However, as we’ve previously speculated, Majors’ legal troubles weren’t the sole reason for the studio’s decision to abandon the character. Public perception also played a significant role, as Kang was seen as an uninteresting and poorly executed villain.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania underperformed at the box office and received largely negative reviews. Many fans were disappointed that Kang was defeated solely by Ant-Man in the film.
Confidence in Kang’s ability to generate the same excitement as Thanos was virtually nonexistent. Even before Majors’ verdict, the studio was reportedly reconsidering the introduction of a different villain to take Kang’s place. This was recently confirmed by Daniel Richtman, a well-known industry insider.
Richtman’s comments are quite logical. Even before fans began to speculate about Downey’s portrayal of Doom, many referred to it as “gimmick” casting, fully aware that there are more talented actors available for the role.
Regardless of whether Majors was ultimately found innocent, there was still a strong likelihood that he would be replaced as the primary villain and relegated to being merely a villain in Loki and Ant-Man.
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