Jonathan Majors Promises to Return as Kang and Replace Robert Downey Jr.

Jonathan Majors is speaking out for the first since being replaced as the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s biggest villain by its most prominent former hero, Robert Downey Jr. According to Majors, he is ready to return as Kang the Conqueror and has one thing to say: “hell yeah.”

Jonathan Majors made his MCU debut in Loki, the Tom Hiddleston-starring Disney+ series. In that series, he portrayed “He Who Remains,” a version of Kang the Conqueror who existed at the end of time and monitored the “Sacred Timeline,” i.e., the main continuity of the MCU. Since then, he has portrayed multiple versions of the character, including the aged Immortus, the 19th-century inventor Victor Timely, the adversarial Scarlet Centurion and Rama-Tut, and finally, Kang himself in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023).

Related: Marvel Fans Immediately Spoil Robert Downey Jr. In ‘Avengers: Doomsday’

Reportedly, Marvel Studios was not intending to hinge the ongoing Multiverse Saga around the dimension-hopping villain, but Jonathan Majors made such an impression in Loki that he was centered as the new Thanos-level threat. All of that came crashing down in 2023 when the actor was arrested in New York and later convicted for the assault and harassment of a former partner; although he did not serve jail time, he has been sentenced to a year-long domestic violence program.

The fallout in Jonathan Majors’ career has been severe, with the actor losing his professional representation and having completed projects shelved indefinitely. It also had a profound impact on Marvel Studios’ future plans, which had already titled the fifth Avengers movie The Kang Dynasty and promoted the character as a cosmic entity. For months, fans speculated as to whether Kang would be recast, but at San Diego Comic-Con, the studio went an entirely different direction.

Robert Downey Jr. was announced to star as Doctor Doom in the upcoming retitled Avengers: Doomsday, essentially replacing Majors as the central character of the ongoing Multiverse Saga. There has been an immediate backlash against Downey Jr.’s casting in a new MCU role after Iron Man, with fans decrying everything from the actor returning to the franchise to the whitewashing of a canonically Romani character to RDJ’s massive compensation package.

Jonathan Majors has now spoken out about being replaced by Downey Jr., telling TMZ that he was “Heartbroken. Of course. I love Kang. Doctor Doom is wicked, though.” When asked whether he would be open to returning as the character and reclaiming the central villain role in the franchise, he answered enthusiastically in the affirmative, “Hell yeah! Hell yeah! I love him. I love Kang. If that’s what the fans want, and that’s what Marvel wants, then let’s roll. Hell yeah.”

Related: “Doom Is No Man’s Second Choice”: Great Doctor Doom Stories the MCU Needs

The actor was also asked how he felt about Downey Jr. being recast in the MCU despite having been charged with crimes in the past. Majors said, “I think it’s fair that Mr. Downey is being and has been greeted with patience and curiosity and love … and [he’s] being allowed to work [his] art and be creative at that level. I didn’t really get that.”

Robert Downey Jr. was arrested in 1996 for possession of narcotics and an unloaded gun and given three years of probation. Unlike Majors, Downey Jr. also spent time behind bars, serving six months in a Los Angeles County jail for missing a drug test; the actor has also spoken about being unable to work in Hollywood for nearly a decade following his legal issues and was considered “un-insurable” prior to his comeback as Iron Man (2008). He received a full pardon in 2015 from the Governor of California at the time, Jerry Brown, a full seven years after returning to acting.

It is unknown whether Marvel Studios will address Kang’s fate in Doomsday or Secret Wars, but it sounds like Kevin Feige just has to call if they want Jonathan Majors.

Do you want Jonathan Majors to return as Kang?