A new report claims that Marvel Studios is ditching the character of Kang the Conqueror moving forward in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
(L-R): Jonathan Majors as Kang The Conqueror in Marvel Studios’ ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2022 MARVEL.
This new report comes from Borys Kit and Aaron Couch at The Hollywood Reporter.
The duo claim that following the firing of Jonathan Majors from the role of Kang the Conqueror, which he portrayed in not only Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, but in Loki Season 1 and Season 2 as well, Marvel Studios “will now either minimize the character or excise him entirely.
Not only are they moving on from the character, but the report also claims that the previously planned Avengers: Kang Dynasty film is getting a new title and likely a new plot and story.
Jonathan Majors as Kang The Conqueror in Marvel Studios’ ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA. Photo by Jay Maidment. © 2022 MARVEL.
The idea that Marvel Studios was ditching Kang the Conqueror, the villain they primed to be the next Thanos before Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania flopped at the box office go back to at least November 2023.
In November, Joanna Robinson, the author of MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios claimed on the House of R podcast, “We saw the Quantumania post-credits where Kang is everywhere. But I actually heard from someone recently. I was asking about– So the screenwriter Jeff Loveness, who wrote Quantumania, was supposed to write Kang Dynasty. And then it sort of came out that he was no longer [attached to the film]. Anyway, I had it confirmed to me he’s no longer working for Marvel.”
She added, “And that I asked the person why, and they said the reason why was that his stuff, he was all wrapped up in this Kang storyline and that they are likely going to be moving away from that.”
Robinson then hedged, “No official announcement that Avengers: Kang Dynasty will now officially be called Doom’s Dystopia or whatever. We don’t know exactly what they are going to do. But I think that this just gives them the perfect opportunity to be done if they want to be.”
Jonathan Majors as Kang The Conqueror in Marvel Studios’ ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2023 MARVEL.
Earlier in the month, Variety’s Tatiana Siegel also claimed that Marvel Studios had been working on creating a backup plan if their Kang the Conqueror ideas did not land.
She noted that executives held a meeting at Palm Springs to discuss backup plans and a pivot from Kang the Conqueror to Dr. Doom.
One of Siegel’s sources informed her, “Marvel is truly f***ed with the whole Kang angle. And they haven’t had an opportunity to rewrite until very recently [because of the WGA strike]. But I don’t see a path to how they move forward with him.”
Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror in Marvel Studios’ ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2022 MARVEL.
In December 2023, another rumor claimed that Kang’s fate at Marvel Studios would be to either recast the role or rework the storyline. This one came from Kit and Couch at The Hollywood Reporter and the two shared their belief that it was more than likely Marvel Studios would take the second option.
The two explained, “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 two added, “The studio has had months to plan for such an eventuality, and it’s possible that Waldon was part of that course correction.”
He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors) in Marvel Studios’ LOKI, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Chuck Zlotnick. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.
A separate rumor from Alex Perez at the Cosmic Circus claimed Marvel Studios would focus on individual story arcs and slowly build up to a new threat “beyond the Multiverse.”
He shared on X, “Their plan atm is to focus on individual story arcs like Devil Reign, the rise of the Midnight Suns, the coming of Mutants, while slowly building up to a threat ‘beyond the Multiverse’ that we will never see until 616 in absolute shambles.”
Alex Perez on X
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