Where does Marvel go from here? No easy fixes after Jonathan Majors found guilty

Jonathan Majors is out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe after he was found guilty of reckless assault in the third degree and guilty of harassment on Monday. The entertainment giant made its decision within 90 minutes of the Creed III actor’s conviction. 

Majors, who starred as prominent Marvel villain Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and both seasons of Disney+'s Loki, was poised to lead the Marvel Cinematic Universe through its next few years, culminating in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, set for release in 2026.

In the wake of Majors’ conviction, Kang Dynasty is now being referred to as “Avengers 5,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. Marvel, as well as parent company Disney, has not publicly commented on Majors since he was arrested in March over an alleged domestic dispute with his then-girlfriend. 

Marvel has been mulling its Majors dilemma over the past few months, according to Variety. The Devotion actor was noticeably absent from some of the marketing for the digital release of Quantamania this year. 

Now that Majors is officially gone, where does that leave Marvel?

Variety reported in November that the studio was considering switching to a new Big Bad, like Dr. Doom. But making such a move wouldn’t be so cut and dry, given Kang’s major presence in the MCU. The studio also hasn’t had a chance to rewrite until recently because of the Writers’ Guild of America strike.

“Marvel is truly fucked with the whole Kang angle…I don’t see a path to how they move forward with him,” one top dealmaker told Variety after seeing the Loki season two finale.

Recasting is an option, too, which Marvel has done before. Don Cheadle stepped in as character James Rhodes after Terrence Howard declined to return for the Iron Man sequel, citing pay reasons, according to THR.

Majors’ firing comes amid a tough stretch for the once-invincible Marvel. Audiences’ trust has waned in the studio in recent years, and its latest film, The Marvels, had the worst box-office debut for any MCU movie.

Disney CEO Bob Iger has addressed the criticism. He said, by increasing its output to feed Disney+, Disney has “diluted” its quality, particularly when it comes to MCU features. Iger also cited pandemic-related restrictions as an issue.

Shortly after his arrest, Majors was dropped by his manager Entertainment 360 and his PR firm The Lede Company. He continues to be represented by talent agency WME, according to multiple Hollywood trade publications.