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On Monday (Dec. 18), Jonathan Majors was found guilty of reckless assault and harassment of his ex-girlfriend, Grace Jabbari, and in turn, Marvel Studios wasted no time in parting ways with the actor.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Majors (who plays Kang The Conqueror in the Marvel Cinematic Universe) was informed that his services would no longer be required at Marvel as they want no parts of the backlash that would surely follow had they decided to keep him on board. Even though Majors’ Kang The Conqueror storyline was set to play out over the next few years and both upcoming Avengers films, rumors had begun to circulate that Marvel was prepared to move in a completely different direction regardless of what the verdict turned out to be in his court case.
The guilty verdict apparently made the decision that much easier for Marvel to make.
Per The Hollywood Reporter:
Marvel has two courses it could take now. It could recast the part, although it is not clear how many actors would be attracted to a role from which one actor was so publicly fired. The other course is to redevelop its plans and refocus on a brand new villain. While Marvel sources are mum, there is indication that the studio has already been doing just that. In November, Marvel hired Loki creator Michael Waldron to work on a new draft of what was once called Kang Dynasty, but is now being referred to as Avengers 5, according to sources.
The studio has had months to plan for such an eventuality, and it’s possible that Waldon was part of that course correction.
While Marvel could easily recast the role to another up and coming actor such as John Boyega or Damson Idris as many fans have been speculating, what comic book fans are really hoping for is that Marvel finally make way for the long-awaited arrival of Dr. Doom.
Rumors of Dr. Doom being introduced into the MCU picked up steam when talk of Marvel ditching the Kang storyline began earlier this year. Now that Jonathan Majors has been given the pink slip, that clears the way for Marvel to once again spark interest in the MCU and give the fans what they’ve been asking for ever since the Avengers defeated Thanos in Endgame.
Whether or not they actually go that route remains to be seen. But if the higher-ups at Marvel want to regain the same level of popularity they were experiencing just a few years ago, introducing Dr. Doom as the next big bad guy would go a long way. Just sayin.’
What do y’all think of Jonathan Majors being shown the door? Should Marvel recast his role or move on to another big name villain? Let us know in the comments section below. Check out the wide range of social media reactions to Majors taking an L in the gallery.
