Report: How Marvel Studios Plans to Phase Out Kang from the MCU

A new report shares how Marvel Studios will eradicate Kang from the MCU following unprecedented occurrences.

Last weekend, Marvel Studios Kevin Feige confirmed, during the company’s return to Hall H, that Anthony Russo and brother Joe Russo, AKA the Russo Brothers, would return to the billion-dollar franchise to direct the Phase Six Avengers movies–Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027)

The former is the reworked fifth Avengers movie, formerly titled Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and later internally known as Avengers 5. With Doomsday as its subtitle, it quickly became clear that Doctor Doom, the classic villain from Marvel Comics, would replace Kang.

Of course, with such a well-known and beloved villain like Doctor Doom, Marvel Studios would need a big name to bring the character to the screen. Robert Downey Jr., the same man who launched the MCU in 2008 as Tony Stark/Iron Man, would return to play Doom in the MCU.

But where does that leave Kang the Conqueror?

Kang the Conqueror has become a pivotal villain in the MCU, significantly impacting the overarching narrative. His introduction as He Who Remains in the season finale of Michael Waldron’s Loki reveals him as the mastermind behind the Time Variance Authority (TVA) and the protector of the Sacred Timeline, aimed at averting a catastrophic Multiversal war among his variants.

Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino), a variant of Loki, kills He Who Remains, thereby unleashing the Multiverse and setting the stage for the emergence of the more menacing Kang the Conqueror. This storyline, of course, ended with Tom Hiddleston’s God of Mischief becoming the new guardian of the timelines.

In Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania (2023), Kang the Conqueror surfaces as the primary antagonist. This version of Kang, trapped in the Quantum Realm and linked to Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), aspires to break free and dominate the Multiverse.

He clashes with Scott Lang (Ant-Man), Hope Van Dyne (The Wasp), and their allies, who manage to thwart his ambitions. Despite their success, this encounter firmly establishes Kang as a formidable threat, cementing his crucial role in the MCU’s future.

The poor performance of the movie, however, led Marvel to reconsider Kang’s place in the overarching narrative, supposedly before Majors was convicted of domestic abuse.

Jonathan Majors, who portrayed Kang the Conqueror in the MCU, was found guilty of assault, resulting in a year-long sentence and leading to his departure from the role. This legal issue, which involved former partner Grace Jabbari, has forced Marvel to reconsider its plans for the character, impacting the broader storyline that had been developing around Kang.

In light of this, Marvel Studios is seemingly exploring different options, including recasting Kang or possibly shifting focus to another villain entirely. It will be interesting to see how Marvel tackles the transition from Kang to Doom, considering the mid-credits scene of Peyton Reed’s movie previewed the immense Council of Kangs.

New reports reveal how Marvel Studios will remove Kang from the franchise and begin the Doom era. Alex Perez from The Cosmic Circus recently rounded up the news from Marvel’s Hall H presentation at San Diego Comic-Con 2024.

“It seems we’re meant to assume the TVA dealt with his Variants before they could start a war, leaving the Ant-Man threequel’s post-credits scene and the villain’s story unresolved,” writes Comic Book Movie on Perez’s comments. “Seeing as Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars are still being written, this could change, but Kang clearly won’t factor into those in any meaningful way.”

The outlet also claims that “early plans called for Earth-616’s Avengers to travel through the Multiverse, eventually arriving on Earth-100005 because that’s where Monica Rambeau is supposed to be.” Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) came face to face with Binary (Lashana Lynch) and Beast (Kelsey Grammer) in the mid-credits scene of Nia DaCosta’s The Marvels (2023).

The report concludes, “Her presence there was meant to create an Incursion pitting the Avengers and X-Men against each other; whether that’s still the plan remains unclear.”

It is heavily rumored that the next chapter of the MCU will focus on the arrival of the X-Men and is likely to be aptly titled The Mutant Saga. This would follow The Infinity Saga and the current Multiverse Saga. Now that The Walt Disney Company owns 20th Century Studios, the X-Men catalog of characters can transition into the House of Mouse’s major franchise.

Even with this news, there is still a chance that Kang will appear in some capacity to close out whatever storyline needs wrapping up. And if it won’t be Jonathan Majors, who could step into the Multiversal villain’s shoes?

A controversial and widely debunked press release claimed that actor Keenan Clarke would replace Majors as Kang. This report was dismissed due to the lack of credibility and Clarke’s relative obscurity in the acting world.

Related: Marvel Boss Kevin Feige Officially Weighs in on Restarting New ‘WandaVision’ Series

The uncertainty surrounding these reports has left fans and industry insiders speculating about the character’s future. Amidst these changes, various actors have been rumored as potential replacements for Kang, with Academy Award nominee Colman Domingo (Rustin) being a notable candidate.

Either way, whether a new actor is taking on Kang or not, the path is now clear for Downey Jr to arrive as Doctor Doom. Upon learning of the takeover, Jonathan Majors said he was “heartbroken” over the decision.

Many view Downey Jr. as a cornerstone of the franchise. He kickstarted the MCU 16 years ago with his role in Jon Favreau’s Iron Man and became the first member of Nick Fury’s (Samuel L. Jackson) Avengers.

His casting as the MCU’s new primary antagonist follows rumors about his potential return, with the actor himself expressing interest in reprising his role as Tony Stark in the future–although Tom Cruise is still heavily rumored to be appearing as a new Iron Man Variant.

There is speculation that the MCU’s portrayal of Doctor Doom could draw from the Superior Iron Man or Infamous Iron Man storylines. However, some fans have raised concerns about Downey Jr.’s casting due to Doctor Doom’s Romani heritage.

Related: Marvel Cuts MCU’s ‘Captain America 4,’ Reveals Instant Replacement

Only time will tell how the Russos plan to debut Doom. The siblings have helmed four of the biggest MCU movies to date: 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier ($714.4 million), 2016’s Captain America: Civil War ($1.153 billion), 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War ($2.052 billion), and 2019’s Avengers: Endgame ($2.799 billion).

Would you be happy with this plan to just forget Kang in the MCU? Let us know in the comments down below!