Marvel Studios sacked Jonathan Majors from his role as Kang after he was found guilty of two misdemeanor counts of assault and harassment. The actor has been the subject of a string of accusations by women, including his former girlfriend.
Majors will no longer play Kang the Conqueror or any character variants in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the question remains regarding whether or not Kang will reappear in the franchise.
Having already established the character in 2023’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and the Disney+ series Loki, it would be cool to see another actor continue the role in the MCU – after all, they’ve done recasts many times before.
With so many different versions of the character in Marvel’s comic books, it would be a shame to miss out on some of his most iconic moments in live-action, including these five.
Enslaving The Fantastic Four
Having the Fantastic Four join the fight against Kang in any capacity in the MCU would be cool, but having them encounter his Rama-Tut variant in ancient Egypt would be particularly enjoyable. In 1963’s Fantastic Four #19, the eponymous team used Doctor Doom’s time machine to travel back to ancient Egypt to find a substance that supposedly restored the blindness of a pharaoh to help Alicia Masters.
There, they encountered Rama-Tut, who quickly overpowered and enslaved them. They ultimately defeated him, but it was an intriguing story in which Rama-Tut nearly made Sue Storm his bride. It could be a terrific way to introduce En Sabah Nur, AKA the world’s first mutant, Apocalypse, to the MCU, and would undoubtedly make for a fantastic period film.
A Contest Against The Grandmaster
The Grandmaster is already in the MCU, played by the fantastic Jeff Goldblum. In Marvel’s comic books, he’s a little more ruthless than his live-action counterpart and revels in using heroes and villains as pawns in his twisted games. In his first appearance, in 1969’s Avengers #69, he chose Kang the Conqueror as his opponent.
The rules were simple: they would each choose a team to represent themselves, and if Kang won, his lover would be resurrected, and if the Grandmaster won, Kang’s world would be destroyed. Kang chose the Avengers, and the Grandmaster chose the Squadron Sinister. Kang and the Avengers won. This battle of wits would be incredible in the live-action MCU, though the Grandmaster must show his more wicked side for it to happen.
Forming The Young Avengers
Among the many weird and wonderful versions of Kang in Marvel’s multiverse, one is sixteen-year-old Nathaniel “Nate” Richards. This one comes from the same Earth-6311 that the primary version of Kang comes from, but he took on a more heroic path. When he arrives on Earth-616, in his first appearance in 2005’s Young Avengers #1, he joins the Young Avengers as a founding member. When the team forms, each member emulates a core Avengers member, and this one chooses Iron Man and calls himself Iron Lad. With the Young Avengers on the verge of coming to the MCU – what with Kate Bishop, Cassie Lang, Kamala Khan, and company emerging in the franchise – it would be awesome to see a young Kang variant on the team.
Kang Vs Doctor Doom
There are so many similarities between Kang and Doctor Doom that their coming to blows, both physically and mentally, was always inevitable. It doesn’t matter which comic book a live-action battle between the pair took influence from because it would be incredible regardless. The pair are often considered to be related (over many generations, of course) and are intrinsically linked.
Getting Doctor Doom in the MCU is exciting enough, but having him compete with Kang would be the icing on the proverbial cake. Kang’s most recent comic book appearances have him appearing in the “Pottersville” arc of Doctor Doom’s 2020 solo series, where the duo are revealed to be tethered to each other in a quantum entanglement. Something like that in the MCU would be tremendous.
Battling Earth With His Son
With Avengers: Kang Dynasty among the upcoming (and still confirmed) MCU releases, an adaptation of the comic book of the same name would be superb to see. The story, which began in 2001’s Avengers #49, sees Kang demand the surrender of Earth. He succeeds, and the world’s leaders and most of its heroes submit to him until the Avengers intervene, and he’s forced to flee with the help of his son, Marcus Kang, the Scarlet Centurion.
Having Kang attempting (and briefly succeeding) to conquer Earth with his son by his side would be great to see in the MCU – and if some of the best scenes from the storyline are recreated, such as Kang completely obliterating Washington, D.C., it could make for genuinely spectacular viewing.
