Jonathan Majors’ Kang and his future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has become the biggest question on the minds of fans. With the actor’s departure from the franchise amidst his arrest on assault and harassment charges, there has been a lot of speculation and debate about what Marvel is going to do about its fourth and fifth Phase, as well as with the character of Kang, who was supposed to be the main antagonist for the foreseeable future. While many fans are hoping for a change in villain considering the underwhelming response surrounding the Conquror, many are expecting the character to get recast.
Recasting an important character is certainly nothing new for the MCU, considering how many times the franchise has done this in the past. Be it because of conflicts when it comes to contracts, untimely passing, and reasons that have not been revealed, the franchise is no stranger to having multiple faces playing the same character. On this note, here are five times Marvel replaced characters without any explanation in-universe.
Also Read: Marvel Has Reportedly Found Its New Villain For Avengers: Secret Wars After Jonathan Majors’ Firing
5. Cassie Lang Being Played By Kathryn Newton
Cassie Lang was an extremely memorable character in the Ant-Man film series, with her relationship with her father, Scott Lang, being a big part of his character. Being very young at the time, her character was played by Abby Ryder Fortson in Ant-Man, and Ant-Man and the Wasp. However, there was a significant time jump in Avengers: Endgame, and Scott comes back to find his daughter is all grown up, now being played by Emma Fuhrmann.
While it was expected that Fuhrmann would feature in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, being a prominent character in the film, she was replaced by Kathryn Newton. The reason was the director of the film followed the actress’s work and believed that she was better suited to work alongside Paul Rudd and his quick wit.
4. Harrison Ford As Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross
Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross is a very important character, both in the MCU and the comics. Having been played by William Hurt up until the majority of the franchise, it was extremely unfortunate that the actor passed away in March of 2022. Considering the fact that the character is going to play a much more important role in the future of the franchise, including forming the Thunderbolts, he was replaced with Harrison Ford, who will portray him in the upcoming, Captain America: Brave New World.
3. Howard Stark Being Played By John Slattery
Howard Stark is a very important part of the MCU, not only being Tony Stark’s father but also having a hand in Steve Rogers becoming Captain America. Three actors played the character throughout the franchise. In 2008, in Robert Downey Jr’s Iron Man, there is a picture that is seen for a brief second that shows Howard, who wore the face of Gerald Sanders. In Captain America: First Avenger, a younger version of the character is seen, being played by Dominic Cooper. Later on, in projects like Captain America: Civil War, Iron Man 2, Ant-Man, and Avengers: Endgame, he is played by John Slattery.
2. Don Cheadle As James Rhodes
One of the first characters to show up in the MCU, alongside Downey’s Iron Man, was his best friend, James Rhodes, also known as Rhodey or War Machine. In the 2008 film, he was played by Terrence Howard, who was supposed to play the role in Iron Man 2 as well. However, due to conflicts surrounding a significant decrease in pay, the actor walked away from the project. The role ended up going to Don Cheadle instead, who has gone to play the character for over a decade now.
1. Mark Ruffalo As Bruce Banner
The most famous change in actors for a character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has to be that of one of the core six Avengers. In the 2008 film, The Incredible Hulk, which set up the character of Bruce Banner, played by Edward Norton, much like Iron Man and Captain America: First Avenger. However, unlike Downey and Chris Evans, Norton did not make his way into The Avengers, having been replaced with Mark Ruffalo instead. While the exact reason for the change is still debated, it has been suggested that the actor’s departure from the MCU was because of creative differences.
