How will Marvel handle Jonathan Major’s future in the MCU?
While there are no new updates on the legal fallout from Jonathan Majors' arrest last month, the actor is already facing professional repercussions. Following accusations of domestic violence, he's been dropped from two planned films and a pair of branding deals with Valentino and the Texas Rangers, along with—most damningly—losing his management team and PR representatives.
Marvel, however, still hasn't reacted publicly to the scandal.
Majors is set to play a key role in the current phase of the MCU, starring as Kang in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (2025) after appearing in Loki and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. There's widespread speculation about the possibility of Marvel recasting the role, although according to Deadline, there have been "zero conversations in the Marvel camp" about dropping Majors from the MCU.
Marvel's silence suggests a "wait and see" attitude to Majors' legal troubles—and to other possible abuse allegations waiting in the wings. But when Majors was dropped by his PR agency and management team this week, a lot of Marvel fans interpreted this as a death knell for his career, signaling that he will surely be fired from the MCU as well.
In the words of one viral TikTok, "You think they give up that A-lister bag, that Marvel bag, that Disney bag, without the situation being entirely hopeless?"
@daijah_bluu #JonathanMajors #greenscreen ♬ original sound - daijah_bluu
@zerowontmiss The MCU is in Shambles 😭 #Marvel #MCU #MarvelTok #MarvelStudios #ZeroWontMiss ♬ I Can Do Anything / Finale - Christopher Lennertz
While a lot of people are already assuming (or demanding) that Majors will be replaced as Kang, removing him from the MCU could prove complicated. The kind of complicated that led Warner Bros. to continue promoting The Flash despite Ezra Miller's numerous arrests, personal scandals, and reports of erratic behavior.
At present, Majors has already filmed a supporting role for Loki season 2, which is expected to premiere this summer. However, there's still the possibility of reshooting or altering his scenes in the show. Meanwhile Avengers: The Kang Dynasty is up in the air. Unlike with The Flash—where the movie was mostly completed before Ezra Miller's most scandalous behavior came to light—Marvel still has time to replace Majors with a different actor.
Kang's nature as a character from multiple alternate universes creates some wiggle-room for recasting. But, either way, the MCU has done this before with no need for an onscreen explanation—most famously by replacing Terrence Howard with Don Cheadle in the Iron Man franchise.
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