As the Marvel Cinematic Universe prepares for its Phase Six launch—and the much-anticipated debut of the Fantastic Four—one major behind-the-scenes development has quietly been confirmed: Kang the Conqueror has been recast.
While headlines have focused on the return of Robert Downey Jr., who is set to portray Victor Von Doom in a bold new role, attention continues to swirl around the franchise’s previous villainous centerpiece: Jonathan Majors’ Kang. Though Marvel President Kevin Feige recently addressed the character’s place in the MCU’s trajectory, it turns out Kang had already been phased out behind closed doors.
Since the monumental conclusion of Avengers: Endgame in 2019, the MCU has experienced uneven momentum. While Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) delivered at the box office, other titles like 2025's Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts* have not reached Disney’s expected benchmarks.
The situation was further complicated when Jonathan Majors, who had been positioned as the Multiverse Saga’s major threat, became embroiled in a legal battle with ex-partner Grace Jabbari. Majors was later removed from the MCU after being sued for battery, assault, malicious prosecution, and defamation (via The Hollywood Reporter).
Marvel opted not to issue a formal explanation but began reconfiguring its direction in real time. At San Diego Comic-Con 2024, Feige confirmed that Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars would be directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, signaling a departure from the earlier Kang Dynasty narrative. Both films are due out in December 2026 and 2027.
The pivot wasn’t just creative—it was symbolic.
Robert Downey Jr., fresh off his Academy Award for Oppenheimer (2023), shocked audiences when he appeared live on stage, unveiled as none other than the MCU’s new Doctor Doom. The move represents a seismic change for the franchise, as Downey—long associated with Iron Man—transitions into portraying a completely new and menacing figure.
Details remain scarce on when Doom will officially enter the MCU timeline. Fan speculation points to a post-credits reveal in The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025). But with Kang seemingly retired, questions remain: is a new actor taking over? Will the character return in a meaningful way?
According to Kevin Feige, Kang’s removal from the larger MCU tapestry wasn’t solely due to legal concerns.
“We had started even before what had happened to the actor happened, we had started to realize that Kang wasn’t big enough, wasn’t Thanos, and that there was only one character that could be that, because he was that in the comics for decades and decades,” Feige said, per The Hollywood Reporter.
“Because of the Fox acquisition, we finally had it, and it was Dr. Doom. So we had started talking about Dr. Doom even before we officially pivoted from Kang,” the President confirmed. “And in fact, I had started talking with Robert [Downey Jr.] about this audacious idea before Ant-Man 3 even came out. It was a long plan that we had, to take one of our greatest characters and utilize one of our greatest actors.”
Still, not everyone at Marvel agrees with the version of events Feige shared.
Beau DeMayo, who served as showrunner for X-Men '97 before his departure, claimed the studio was fully committed to Majors’ Kang at one point. On X, he posted:
“In 2023, I was working on Season 2 of #xmen97 who has Kang in it. Majors was definitely who would’ve voiced the character.
I remember seeing John Wick 4 in March 2023 with a top exec at Marvel at the Americana movie theater in Glendale the weekend the news broke about Majors legal trouble, discussing how Kang was def the gameplan and the studio was afraid.
He is straight up lying.
@Variety need to do journalism and stop being a contracted PR firm for @MarvelStudios pathetic attempts at damage control.”
In a follow-up post, DeMayo also disclosed who stepped in to replace Majors in X-Men '97:
“After the Majors news broke, @MarvelStudios told me Majors would likely be off the table for my plans with Kang in #XMen97 S2 as they awaited the verdict which would determine if he’d be recast in the MCU. I then [cast] John de Lancie as #Kang as I felt Q would be a great template for him in animated form.
Also, and this should be obvious, Kang has massive connections to the #FantasticFour
It actually makes far more sense both logically and emotionally for KANG to come back to kidnap Franklin Richard’s (his ancestor) than it does Doom.
He was absolutely the endgame.”
As X-Men '97 continues to operate outside the MCU’s main continuity, there’s still a question mark over whether this animated Kang will migrate into live-action, though Marvel's shift toward Doom suggests otherwise.
Amid the speculation, actor Colman Domingo’s name became frequently linked to the Kang role. The Rustin (2023) star acknowledged those rumors in February:
“You know, listen. My team has had conversations with Marvel about some aspect of the MCU for years. Do I know this to be true or not? I actually don’t know,” Domingo told Vanity Fair. “I feel like my team doesn’t bring me something unless it’s real. So I don’t know. I could be in conversation, but I’m not sure. I would welcome a conversation around it.”
A few months later, he offered a more definitive update to Screen Geek.
“I have had a meeting with Marvel, yes. But it wasn’t specifically about anything. They literally sat down and said, ‘What do you want to do?' And I said, ‘I don’t know. What do you got for me?' So we’re having engagement, of course,” the actor said.
“Who would not want to be a part of the MCU? I just wouldn’t want it to be right. And something that is created for me and something where I feel like I can give something of myself to,” he added. “So we’ll find out what that is. I don’t know what it is yet, but I’m patient.”
Domingo has already dipped his toe into the Marvel universe, having voiced Norman Osborn in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, which premiered in January 2025.
Where Marvel goes from here is anyone’s guess—but for now, the Kang era appears to be firmly in the rearview.
