For the most part, actors in the Marvel Cinematic Univers have stayed the course. There have been a few times when a change was needed. Remember the first “Iron Man” movie? Terrance Howard played James Rhodes and by the 2nd film, Don Cheadle moved into the role. Here we are again, and this time it’s with Jonathan Majors.
Majors was set to take the MCU by storm with his portrayal as Kang the Conqueror who was first introduced to fans with his role in “Loki.” He would later go on to star as the villain in “Antman and the Wasp: Quantumania.” But that was just the start. From there, Marvel had a plan to introduce Kang as an even deadlier villain than Thanos. Majors was set to make an appearance in a slew of other MCU projects, including “Avengers: Kang Dynasty.”
However, after an alleged incident in New York City in March, it remains to be seen how Disney/Marvel will proceed with the actor. There are numerous reports and rumors beginning to circulate that the company may be looking for a replacement even if the issues are resolved. With Disney being more of a family-oriented company, they may be afraid of the backlash that comes with keeping Majors in the role.
Jeff Snider, a Marvel insider had this to say about the possible changing of actors on the “Hot Mic” podcast:
“Even though there hasn’t been any movement on the Jonathan Majors front, I’ve heard that’s the kind of actor, who, like, if Jonathan Majors got the boot as Kang, someone like Damson Idris is the type of the person that [Marvel] may look at to replace him if that, in fact, happens
If they decide to move on, the whisper is that Damon Idis of “Snowfall” would be the perfect actor to take the place of Majors as Kang. Idis has risen in the Hollywood ranks thanks to his role as Franklin Saint in the crime drama on FX. And truth be told, he could pull this off.
While fans have taken a liking to Majors in that role, Marvel is not that far into the Kang storyline that a change will damage the brand. It’s sad to see this go down with Jonathan Majors and hopefully, all the legal stuff gets worked out. But if not, Marvel has to start looking at what’s best for the brand.