Years After Controversial Firing, Kang Actor Jonathan Majors Makes Film Return
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is stepping into Phase Six with a recalibrated strategy and a very different villain at the center of it all.
After the arrival of Marvel’s First Family last summer, the franchise’s long-gestating Multiverse Saga has shifted course in a way few fans anticipated. The most headline-worthy development came at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, where it was revealed that Robert Downey Jr. would return to the MCU–not as Tony Stark, but as Victor Von Doom. The casting immediately reframed the saga’s trajectory and reopened questions about the fate of Kang the Conqueror, once positioned as the era’s defining antagonist.
In the years following Avengers: Endgame (2019), Marvel’s box office dominance has shown signs of strain. While Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) delivered strong commercial results, other installments have struggled to replicate the franchise’s former consistency. Captain America: Brave New World (2025) and Thunderbolts* (2025) fell short of expectations, fueling industry chatter about superhero fatigue and shifting audience appetites.
Behind the scenes, the studio faced an even greater complication. Jonathan Majors, who portrayed Kang across multiple projects, exited the franchise after being charged by his ex-partner, Grace Jabbari, who accused him of battery, assault, malicious prosecution, and defamation. The controversy forced Marvel Studios to reassess its long-term storytelling plans at a pivotal moment.
At Comic-Con, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige confirmed that Anthony and Joe Russo would return to direct Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027). Just as significantly, the once-announced Kang Dynasty storyline was abandoned. In its place: Doctor Doom as the Multiverse Saga’s central threat.
Downey’s reintroduction marked one of the most surprising creative pivots in the studio’s history. Fresh off his Oscar win for Oppenheimer (2023), the actor stepped onto the Comic-Con stage to unveil his transformation into Victor Von Doom–a stark departure from the hero who anchored the Infinity Saga.
Marvel has kept specifics tightly guarded, but Doom made a brief appearance in the post-credits scene of The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025), signaling that his larger role is imminent. Still, Kang’s narrative thread remains technically unresolved.
Audiences last encountered a Variant of Kang, Victor Timely, in Loki Season 2. Before that, the character squared off against Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023). His ultimate fate was left open-ended, a creative choice that now reads as both convenient and curious.
Speaking to the press, Feige pushed back on the idea that Marvel’s pivot was solely driven by off-screen events. He indicated that the shift toward Doom had already been under consideration.
“We had started even before what had happened to the actor happened, we had started to realize that Kang wasn’t big enough, wasn’t Thanos, and that there was only one character that could be that, because he was that in the comics for decades and decades,” Feige said, per The Hollywood Reporter.
“Because of the Fox acquisition, we finally had it, and it was Dr. Doom. So we had started talking about Dr. Doom even before we officially pivoted from Kang,” he continued. “And in fact, I had started talking with Robert [Downey Jr.] about this audacious idea before Ant-Man 3 even came out. It was a long plan that we had, to take one of our greatest characters and utilize one of our greatest actors.”
Months after his departure, Majors addressed speculation about a potential return. In September 2025, he told The Sun U.S., “I cannot say anything about that. Well, it’s a Multiverse, so there’s always that. Always a lot of opportunity for that.” He added that he was “very glad” some fans would welcome him back. Earlier in April 2025, he said, “Yeah, of course I say yes. Disney, Marvel Studios, I love them. Tom Hiddleston; loved working with that guy. Loved working with Paul Rudd. Loved working with Gugu Mbatha-Raw.”
Majors has now begun production on his first film since his 2023 conviction, signaling a professional comeback. According to Deadline, the Creed III (2023) and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania actor is shooting an untitled action feature in South Carolina this week. The project is produced by The Daily Wire and Bonfire Legend, with Run Hide Fight (2020) filmmaker Kyle Rankin directing.
The Daily Wire, co-founded by Ben Shapiro and Jeremy Boreing, is collaborating with producer Dallas Sonnier’s Bonfire Legend on the film. The company previously backed projects featuring actors like Gina Carano, who headlined 2022’s Terror on the Prairie after her departure from The Mandalorian.
Details about the Rankin-directed action film remain under wraps, though it has been described as channeling the spirit of 1980s and 1990s action cinema.
Whether Marvel Studios will ever revisit Kang remains uncertain. For now, the studio’s attention is firmly on Doctor Doom and the Fantastic Four. Still, in a franchise built on branching timelines and alternate realities, the possibility of resurrection–narrative or otherwise–can never be entirely dismissed.
As Phase Six unfolds, Marvel appears committed to its new direction. But in a universe defined by Variants and fractured timelines, even the most decisive pivots can leave room for return.
Do you think Jonathan Majors will return to the MCU in the future? Let us know in the comments down below!
