Marvel reportedly had an actor on standby for Kang before Jonathan Majors verdict

According to reports, Disney and Marvel Studios dismissed Jonathan Majors, and the actor will no longer play Kang the Conqueror in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Based on the official reveal, Majors' stint in the MCU came to an end after a New York jury found him guilty of reckless assault in the third degree and harassment on December 18, 2023.

Now, according to YouTuber ComicBookCast2, a recent unsubstantiated rumor implies that the studio had a backup plan in place for Kang the Conqueror even before this court ruling was reached.

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Jonathan Majors was replaced even before his verdict, claims report

ComicBookCast2 on YouTube reported on these unconfirmed allegations floating online. According to the YouTuber, Marvel Studios was allegedly forward-thinking when it came to hiring a new Kang the Conqueror.

As Jonathan Majors' legal dispute progressed, Marvel was supposedly exploring alternate actors who had previously auditioned for the part of Kang. This implies that the studio was actually anticipating the worst decision possible for Majors and wanted to be proactive in ensuring the smooth execution of their preparations for the upcoming MCU phase.

Fans first encountered Kang as the variant "He Who Remains" in Loki season 1 before they saw Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. In the post-credits of the same film, the actor portrayed Immortus, Rama-Tut, and Scarlet Centurion, among hundreds of other Kangs.

Filming for Marvel's new film, The Kang Dynasty, which stars the beloved character, is scheduled to begin in 2024. It is unknown, though, how Kang will be recast and portrayed in this movie. Marvel hired Loki creator Michael Waldron in November to work on what was supposed to be the Kang movie.

Jonathan Majors is now out of the picture, but as discussed earlier, the speculative reports suggest that Marvel has been looking at possibilities, including contacting actors who had previously tried out for the part. However, there is no concrete proof to back up these rumors.

It is also intriguing to note that replacing Jonathan Majors’ Kang wouldn't be very challenging for Marvel to do; in the past, significant characters have been switched around, with Don Cheadle taking over from Terrence Howard as War Machine and Mark Ruffalo replacing Edward Norton as The Hulk.

On the other hand, according to recent rumors, Doctor Doom is still a strong contender to replace Kang as the big bad for the next phase of Marvel movies. We may not know if Marvel has its new Kang yet until official declarations or supporting documentation surface.