New Information Comes To Light Regarding the Recasting of Kang in the MCU

With uncertainty swirling about Kang the Conqueror’s future, a new update has surfaced regarding the recasting of Marvel’s big villain.

It’s been over a year since the rising star Jonathan Majors was arrested on assault charges and six months since Marvel Studios officially parted ways with the actor. His guilty verdict may have seen him cast out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Kang the Conqueror (and his associated Variants), but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the character he originated is gone.

Majors was arrested in March 2023, not long after his starring turns in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) and Creed III (2023). Even with attorney support from Priya Chaudhry, Majors was found guilty of his crimes against former partner Grace Jabbari in December 2023 and was immediately removed from his role in the MCU.

The Kang actor was found guilty of one count of reckless assault in the 3rd degree and a charge of harassment as a violation, and in April 2024, was sentenced to a 52-week domestic violence prevention program.

Prior to the trial, Majors was dropped from his affiliations with the Texas Rangers and the United States Army. The Walt Disney Company also indefinitely removed Majors’ next movie, Magazine Dreams, from the release schedule.

Majors’ removal as Kang the Conqueror came amid a rocky period for Marvel Studios. Now firmly in Phase Five, fans are expecting some kind of redirect within the franchise. This will most likely come with the arrival of Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool in Shawn Levy’s Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) this July.

However, while many wondered if the removal of Jonathan Majors would make Marvel rewrite Phase Six (the fifth Avengers movie was called Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, after all), the studio had apparently been considering phasing Kang out as the next big bad following the commercial and critical failure of Peyton Reed’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

Related: Confirmed: Disney Officially Eradicates ‘Avengers: The Kang Dynasty’ from MCU

Avengers: The Kang Dynasty was also being internally referred to as simply Avengers 5. The Multiverse Saga climax movie, Avengers: Secret Wars (2027), retains its original name.

With Jonathan Majors out and the Council of Kangs appearing in the post-credits scene of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, there are still chances that Marvel will bring a new actor in to play Kang the Conqueror. After all, what is the Multiverse useful for? To bring in more Variants.

One Actor REJECTS Kang the Conqueror Casting

There have been many names thrown in the ring to play Kang the Conqueror moving forward. From Star Wars actor John Boyega to The Creator‘s (2023) John David Washington, Jamie Foxx to Denzel Washington, fans have theorized a host of people who may claim the role.

Other names include Chukwudi Iwuji, who made his MCU debut in James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) as the High Evolutionary, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, who starred in Michael Waldron’s Loki series as Ravonna Renslayer. But could Ravonna have been a Kang Variant all along?

One person who has spoken out about the potential casting is Luke James. James is known for his early R&B music career and, more recently, starred in Them: The Scare on Amazon Prime Video.

The singer and actor plays the villainous Edmund Gaines in the Amazon series, which has spawned ideas of his potential Kang casting. However, he recently spoke out about this idea.

“Marvel as a whole? Yes. Kang the Conqueror? No,” James told The Direct. “But I wouldn’t not not take the meeting. There are so many brilliant characters, because I mean, it’s so many characters. There are so many characters I would love a take at.”

James went on to tell the outlet that he’s always thought the Spider-Man franchise character Night Thrasher was “really cool.” He went on to add that he was intrigued by the upcoming Blade (2025) reboot and, despite not being able to unsee Wesley Snipes in the titular role, was looking forward to Masherala Ali’s portrayal of the vampire hunter.

Another name that has been floated as the potential new Kang is beloved actor Giancarlo Esposito. Esposito gained international recognition for his villainous role as Gus Fring in the AMC series Breaking Bad and would later go on to play the evil Moff Gideon in Disney’s Star Wars series, The Mandalorian.

Fans have recently cast Esposito in the role to dramatic effect. Of course, this is possible, as Esposito has just been added to the cast of Julius Onah’s Captain America: Brave New World (2025) in an undisclosed role.

The Emmy-nominated actor was added during the movie’s reshoot process and will appear alongside Anthony Mackie (Sam Wilson/Captain America) and Harrison Ford (President Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross).

Related: ‘Deadpool’ Rating Confirmed After Disney Censored Marvel Movie

With only Deadpool & Wolverine on the movie slate this year, there is a small chance fans may get a hint as to what is to come for the future of the MCU. The post-credits scene of Levy’s movie has been said to be “mind-blowing,” but that could mean many things.

Chances are the recast Kang the Conqueror may not come until 2025. He Who Remains; Kang; Victor Timely–who’s next?

Do you think Kang the Conqueror will be recast in the MCU? Let us know in the comments down below!

This post New Information Comes To Light Regarding the Recasting of Kang in the MCU appeared first on Inside the Magic.