Avengers 5: In light of allegations, will Marvel recast Jonathan Majors’ Kang?

Before the release of Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars, will  Jonathan Majors be recast as Kang the Conqueror in the MCU?

After being detained for the strangulation, abuse, and harassment of his now ex-girlfriend who worked on Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, the Avengers 5 actor found himself in hot trouble. After the event in New York City, more claims that Majors had mistreated other women over the years surfaced.

The protracted controversy has harmed the MCU star’s burgeoning Hollywood career, even though Majors’ team continues to refute the accusations and has even revealed text exchanges to demonstrate his innocence.

The actor is about to have several of his planned films recast after already being dropped from a US Army advertising campaign.

Why It’s Hard to Lose Jonathan Majors

Marvel Studios had a much more difficult choice than other studios, who were quick to cut connections with Jonathan Majors. After all, the MCU has already committed to centering on Kang the Conqueror in the upcoming two Avengers films as well as the following three years’ worth of Multiverse Saga storytelling.

The decision to make Kang the “center of everything” was made only after watching Majors’ portrayal of Kang and the responses to him, claims Joanna Robinson, the author of the upcoming book MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios, who appeared on The Ringer’s The Big Picture:

“I was told by someone who works for Marvel, it was not the plan to make Kang the center of everything until they saw the dailies from ‘Quantumania’ and after his performance in ‘Loki,’ which was so strong they were like, ‘This is it. This is our way forward. We’ve lost our varsity hero team, but let’s set up around this guy Kang and this performer that so many people are reacting to.’”

Majors has also recently gained a lot of fame after playing villains in the films Creed 3 and Ant-Man 3. His performances in these films received great accolades for being ground-breaking. He even allegedly had an Oscar-worthy performance in the upcoming bodybuilder film Magazine Dreams, according to early screenings.

Finding a replacement actor to just step into that character is a difficult challenge because the decision to put Kang at the forefront of the MCU was only made possible because of Majors’ talent and what he brought to the role.

There are five ways Marvel could address the Jonathan Majors issue.

1.) An Uncomplicated Recast

If the worst happens and Jonathan Majors is forced to leave the Marvel Cinematic Universe, perhaps a straightforward recast is the most squeaky-clean solution.

In this case, Marvel Studios would simply choose another actor who can capture the appearance, personality attributes, and skills that Majors brought to the role rather than attempting to explain why Kang suddenly appears different.

There is precedent for this in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), when the roles of the Hulk, Rhodey, and Cassie Lang were all recast without any justification. The same is anticipated to occur when Harrison Ford steps in for the late Willaim Hurt as General Ross in Captain America 4 next year.

2.) Using further Kang variations

As an alternative, Marvel Studios might implement a strategy similar to the one in the previous sentence while additionally emphasizing that not all of Kang’s Variants are portrayed by the same actor – either through a more thorough justification or just a casual remark.

Spider-Man: No Way Home demonstrated Different actors can portray various iterations of the same character. However, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania seemed to throw a wrench in the plans by showcasing a large number of Kangs in the post-credits scene, all of whom were portrayed by Jonathan Majors.

Perhaps the MCU could revisit the Council of Kangs, but this time including a variety of Variants played by different actors. This would set a precedent for someone new to become the leading Kang actor in the MCU, shifting the focus off Majors.

3.) Guardians 3 Holds The Solution

Since the release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Chukwudi Iwuji‘s outstanding performance as the High Evolutionary in the MCU, many have speculated that he would be the ideal replacement for Jonathan Majors.

In terms of their shared scientific curiosity, need for power, and slightly insane personalities, Kang and the High Evolutionary do have certain characteristics in common. It wouldn’t be a huge stretch to retcon the Guardians villain into a Kang Variant as both are even purple-clad villains that are portrayed by Black actors.

There is no reason why the Earth-616 Kang being revealed to be the High Evolutionary should have any bearing on the Guardians’ narrative. If anything, it would assist make Vol. 3 of the Multiverse Saga a more significant installment.

4.) Discovering a Fresh Big Bad

As was previously mentioned, until Jonathan Majors came along, Kang is said to not have always been the intention for the current MCU story. Marvel Studios always makes long-term plans, so this would appear to indicate that they had a previous direction and possibly a villain in mind that they might return to.

Many people had already demanded that Doctor Doom serve as the main antagonist of Secret Wars, much as he does in the comic books. Perhaps the continuing Multiverse Saga could shift its attention to Victor von Doom sooner rather than later.

But when one considers how Avengers 5 has already been confirmed and has started writing as The Kang Dynasty, this idea becomes much less feasible. As a result, Marvel Studios is stuck with Kang but not necessarily Jonathan Majors unless they want to start over and reannounce the movie.

5.) Continue with calmness

Even if Jonathan Majors is found not guilty at his trial, Marvel Studios might decide to move forward with him. Given that the actor may spend up to a year in jail if proven guilty of the assault and abuse claims, his tenure in the MCU will surely come to an end.

Even if Majors is cleared in his case, some of the fan base will probably keep calling for his cancellation and dismissal. This is why if the actor receives a “not guilty” judgment, Marvel Studios may not necessarily decide to retain him as Kang, but they may also decide to ignore those requests.

How Will Marvel Handle the Situation With Jonathan Majors?

Although it appears no decision has yet been made regarding Majors’ future as Kang the Conqueror in the MCU, Marvel Studios has been “discussing options” with Majors’ team.

While some rumors said Marvel Studios would be considering a recast and perhaps even have a certain actor type in mind for Damson Idris, others claimed such a concept hasn’t yet been put up.

Disney’s Alan Horn, who was the one to fire James Gunn from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 after many contentious old tweets reappeared, allegedly “couldn’t sleep” over the choice. Therefore, the studio may take its time to observe how things turn out this time.

Jonathan Majors’ legal actions and any potential evidence from them will certainly play a significant role in how Marvel Studios responds to his accusations. The actor already participated in a hearing through Zoom, and his next court appearance is scheduled for June 13.

Marvel Studios’ choice to recast Kang should be influenced by the outcome of Majors’ case and the public’s reaction to it. The studio will probably continue to closely watch the situation in the interim, stay in touch with Majors’ team, and consider its options.

It’s difficult to envision a scenario in which Disney, Marvel, or any other major studio would look to deal with Majors anytime soon if he is proven guilty. This is particularly true in the case of a position like Kang, which would make Majors the protagonist of the MCU’s narrative for several years.

Will Jonathan Majors still play Kang in the MCU? The truthful response is that nobody knows right now and that it’s unlikely that any decision has even been taken.