Jonathan Majors’ arrest and alleged assault case has created havoc in the Marvel Studios. Majors had a big role in expanding the Marvel Cinematic Universe after Thanos and his character Kang the Conqueror had already made their presence in the MCU’s Loki and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
As Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’s box office numbers failed to satisfy the producers, the Disney-owned superhero brand is concerned about the next steps. Reportedly, the top executives have been planning to replace Majors with another iconic MCU villain while Robert Downey Jr’s possible return is speculated to be back on the table.
Doctor Doom May Replace Jonathan Majors’ Kang
Jonathan Majors’ arrest was a huge blow to the Marvel Studios and the top executives including Kevin Feige were concerned about the future of the MCU stales. Majors’ Kang has already been established and was scheduled to play a bigger role in 2026’s Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.
Most recently, as Variety reported, Marvel Studios has already considered the backup plan. The plan includes the iconic MCU villain Doctor Doom’s entry into the MCU replacing Jonathan Majors’ Kang. Certainly, it would be a bold move and it would clearly have a ripple effect across the MCU storyline. “Marvel is truly f**ed with the whole Kang angle,” a source told Variety.
“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.”
The impact of Majors’ arrest on the MCU is crucial and it holds the power to alter the very timeline of the MCU. Although Doctor Doom was already considered for the MCU debut potentially in the Fantastic Four reboot, the concern surrounding Majors could bring the character sooner. The whole backstage drama, however, opened doors for several other characters, especially, Robert Downey Jr’s potential return.
Robert Downey Jr’s Potential MCU Return
Robert Downey Jr’s Iron Man had a good run at MCU. The demise of the character in Avengers: Endgame was upsetting for fans as it marked Tony Stark’s MCU retirement other than the apparent cameos. Downey Jr has lived the character and his franchise is partly responsible for MCU’s early success. Now, amidst the Marvel debacle, it makes sense for Iron Man’s return to the Universe.
Following the Multiverse Variant Theory, the iconic character has the door wide open for his MCU return. Obviously, Downey Jr is expensive but Marvel might bring a popular face to fight the onscreen battles while clearing MCU’s name offscreen.
Also, speculations are on the horizon with some sources claiming “RDJ already agreed to come back.” Marvel or Downey Jr are yet to comment on the speculation but if the speculation turns out to be true, the multiversal variant of the character may appear in Secret Wars.
