Marvel Studios has lost Kang the Conqueror as the studio fires Emmy-nominated actor Jonathan Majors in the wake of a guilty verdict.
Jonathan Majors is out as Kang, with Marvel Studios choosing to let the actor go after his guilty verdict in court earlier today. The actor was found guilty of reckless assault and harassment by a six-person NYC jury in his domestic violence trial. A rep from Marvel has confirmed the news and their decision to part ways with the actor moving forward.
Majors had played his character "Kang" within the MCU over multiple projects and was slated to be a big villain in Phases 4 and 5. His character debuted in season one of the popular series "Loki" and appeared in the series' second season earlier this year. The actor also starred alongside Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly in Marvel's Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania, which made more than 476M worldwide. Major's character was set to be the MCU's new big bad, with his journey coming to a head in the previously titled Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, now titled Avengers 5, until a new title is given to the sequel.
It is currently unknown if Marvel will move forward while recasting the part of Kang to another actor or scrap plans for the character entirely. It would not be the first time Marvel has replaced an actor, with the most noticeable swap out coming very early within the MCU when an agreement couldn't be made for Terrence Howard's return in Iron Man 2 in 2010, which resulted in Don Cheadle ultimately stepping in to take over the role.