Actor Jonathan Majors was fired from his role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe on Monday after he was found guilty of reckless assault and harassment that same morning. A jury found Majors guilty of attacking his then-girlfriend, Grace Jabbari, back in March, though the jury also acquitted him of an additional charge of aggravated harassment. Hours later, a spokesperson for Disney and Marvel Studios told reporters from The Associated Press that Majors would no longer be a part of the MCU.
Majors has maintained his innocence since his arrest back in March, and continued to do so on Monday. This case got complicated when Majors’ lawyer, Priya Chaudhry, published text messages between the two in the spring, but in court, Jabbari testified against Majors. Majors is due in court for sentencing on Feb. 6, 2024. In the meantime, many fans are preoccupied with what this means for the future of the MCU.
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Majors has been playing Kang the Conqueror in MCU productions since the summer of 2021 when he made his debut in Loki Season 1. Kang is portrayed as a revolutionary scientific genius who used his technology and his cunning to amass power not just in one universe, but in multiple realities. Another “variant” of Kang appeared in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania earlier this year, which then gave fans a glimpse of the “Council of Kangs” conspiring to gain power throughout the multiverse.
It seems clear that Kang was meant to be the main antagonist of this arc of the MCU, growing in significance much like Thanos (Josh Brolin) did during the first 22 movies in the franchise. Back in 2022, Marvel Studios even announced an upcoming movie called Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, which was slated for release in 2026. However, when Majors was fired on Monday, Marvel reportedly dropped that title. It is now being referred to as Avengers 5.
That could mean that Marvel will be forced to pivot – a considerable task for a franchise that spreads this wide. The arc could get a new antagonist to take Kang’s place, although many fans on social media have suggested that Kang should be recast. Considering that Kang is a series of variants, not a singular character, fans say they see no reason why he can’t just look different in future installments.
Whatever the end result, it’s clear that Marvel will be changing its plans on the fly in the months to come. The MCU’s next movie will be Deadpool 3 premiering in July, while the next streaming release will be What If…? Season 2, premiering on Friday on Disney+.
