Kang the Conquerer is probably about to get a fresh, new look, as entertainment websites are reporting that Jonathan Majors has been fired by Marvel Studios and Disney, with the 34-year-old actor having been found guilty of reckless assault and harassment in NYC by a six-person jury.
According to coverage from Deadline, a studio rep has confirmed that Disney and Marvel will “not move forward with Majors in the MCU,” and while it’s unclear whether his character is going to be re-casted or dropped entirely, the former seems likely, with Kang having been such a big focus of the current story:
Majors debuted as the character during Loki season one in 2021, then continued on in season 2 of this year, as well as the February movie Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which made over $476M.
He Who Remains was plotted to be a big baddie during the MCU’s Phase 5 and 6 with the character getting his own movie, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty scheduled for May 1, 2026. That movie recently saw its director, Shang Chi‘s Destin Daniel Cretton exit due to his busy dance card on other Marvel projects.
Deadline goes on to confirm that Disney and Marvel Studios haven’t decided on how they’re handling Kang yet, but history would suggest that re-casting is a definite possibility:
Very early on in the MCU, Terrence Howard was cast as Rhodey in Iron Man. Talks broke down for Howard on the sequel and Don Cheadle stepped in takeover the role in the MCU; the actor playing him Rhodey as recently as this year’s Disney+ series Secret Invasion.
“Mr. Majors is grateful to God, his family, his friends, and his fans for their love and support during these harrowing eight months,” said Priya Chaudhry, Majors’ lawyer. “Mr. Majors still has faith in the process and looks forward to fully clearing his name.”
“Glorious Purpose,” the final episode of Loki’s second season, marks what is presumably Majors’ final appearance in the MCU, playing Victor Timely/He Who Remains.
At the time of this writing, the Marvel Entertainment channel still has all of its features with Majors up, including one where he discusses starring as the MCU’s “new, biggest threat.”