Jonathan Majors who was on trial on charges of assault and harassment has been found guilty. The actor, who played Kang and all its variants in the MCU has reportedly been fired from the role following his conviction. While the sentencing hearing is set to take place in February, Majors has already lost many of the roles he received.
The MCU was setting up Majors’ Kang the Conqueror as the main antagonist for the multiverse saga that would end with the cinematic event films Avengers: Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars. However, with Majors fired, the MCU has to pivot their storylines to a different antagonist which is likely to be Dr. Doom.
Jonathan Majors’ Short Tenure In The MCU
Actor Jonathan Majors had one of the quickest rise and fall in Hollywood. The actor gained recognition for his role in the A24 film The Last Black Man In San Francisco and went on to be cast in popular films and shows such as Lovecraft Country, which gave him an Emmy nomination, and Creed III.
In 2021, Majors was cast as Kang the Conqueror in the MCU, debuting in the Disney Plus series Loki. He was set up as the main antagonist of the multiverse saga, aiming to battle the entirety of the MCU in Avengers: Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars. He also made an appearance in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
In March of this year, Jonathan Majors was arrested on the counts of assault, strangulation, and harassment, being accused by his ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari. The actor await trial but his future in the MCU was put into question. The advertisements he filmed for the US Army were taken off air and he was dropped from his management and PR companies.
On December 18, Majors was convicted of third-degree reckless assault and harassment. He was also acquitted of another charge of assault and aggravated harassment. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Majors was fired by Marvel after the verdict. While the sentencing hearing is due in February, Jonathan Majors’ tenure in the MCU is over.
Also read: “He’s an OG”: The Only Original Avenger Jonathan Majors Wants Kang to Fight in Secret Wars
Does Marvel’s Changed Plan Include Cillian Murphy’s Dr. Doom?
With Jonathan Majors gone, Marvel is in crisis mode as they have to decide which direction to head towards with their climactic cinematic event. It was reported earlier this year that the Marvel team had gone for a creative retreat to plan for a failsafe plan in case Majors was found guilty and they had to head in a new direction. And that plan could include Dr. Doom.
Dr. Doom is one of the most formidable foes in the Marvel universe and is the primary antagonist of the Fantastic Four. The Marvel heroes are all set to make their MCU debut with the 2025 Matt Shakman-directed Fantastic Four film, which would be the only movie preceding Avengers: Kang Dynasty in Phase Six of the franchise.
Fans are speculating that Dr. Doom will be set up as the main antagonist for the rest of the multiverse saga and that he will be introduced properly in Fantastic Four. The fans are hoping for Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy to star as the Machiavellian villain in the MCU, a wish that Murphy himself is aware of.
So… pivot from Kang to Dr. Doom now?
— Michael Austin (@mikeswriting) December 18, 2023
I hope it’s Cillian Murphy as Dr. Doom
— DeldrisHill (@DeldrisHill) December 18, 2023
So, does that mean since he’s out, they’ll just cast a different Kang since we dealing w/ variants of MCU characters anyway? Or are they gonna rewrite everything over to make Dr. Doom the main villain in this Multiverse Sage?
— MJay (@JDMKang919) December 19, 2023
So now Dr. Doom is all set to enter MCU
— Uttkarsh Singh (@Uttupaaji) December 19, 2023
I think Doom was always endgame with the whole secret wars thing, they just gotta speed run it now
— Dany Rosas (@DannyRoses97) December 19, 2023
Marvel has not confirmed any of their plans yet and whether the fans get to see Cillian Murphy’s Dr. Doom or not, it is evident that Jonathan Majors has no part in it.
