Today, actor Jonathan Majors was found guilty of domestic abuse and harassment in a court of law against his previous girlfriend (via CNN). The actor was in court trying to prove his innocence for several weeks but was ultimately found guilty by a jury of his peers. He faces up to one year in prison and will be sentenced in February. Within the hour, Marvel Studios announced on The Hollywood Reporter they had fired Jonathan Majors from the ongoing Marvel Cinematic Universe as the villain Kang the Conqueror. Majors was cast as the character in Ant-Man: Quantainmania and Loki.
This phase of projects was expected to lead directly into Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars, and finally, to wrap up the Multiverse Saga. However, with the recent hiring of Michael Waldron to tackle both Avengers films, the studio may pivot away from Kang altogether. Some suggest simply recasting the character with another Oscar-level actor like Denzel Washington or John Boyega. Others suggest skipping the Kang Dynasty altogether and focusing more on Secret Wars. It’s unknown which path the studio will take moving forward, but regardless, it won’t be Majors as the multiversal villain.
UPDATE: The Hollywood Reporter has updated their article to suggest the studio will move towards another villain as Avengers: The Kang Dynasty has begun to be only called “Avengers 5” internally. The studio could pivot towards Doctor Doom as an overarching villain culminating in Secret Wars like his comic book counterpart. He is currently rumored to cameo in the Fantastic Four.
Avengers: The Kang Dynasty is still slated to hit theaters May 1st, 2026
