Many fans have been wondering how Marvel would handle the whole Jonathan Majors situation given that the actor has now been dropped from the MCU. There has been an air of uncertainty regarding the future of the franchise in the last year – not just on the actor front, mind – culminating with Majors’ firing.
Marvel has two options: recast the character, which is shockingly easy with the whole ‘variants’ thing going on, or find another villain to take Kang’s place. The studio may have already made a choice and a recent rumor suggests that Marvel has already picked its next big bad.
Well-known insider Daniel Richtman shared that Marvel is eyeing Coleman Domingo to replace Majors for the role of Kang the Conqueror. Domingo is best known for his role as Victor Strand in the recently concluded Fear the Walking Dead. The actor also starred in Euphoria, winning an Emmy for his performance in the TV show.
KANG Newshttps://t.co/JJbehomRln
— Daniel Richtman (@DanielRPK) January 1, 2024
Last year has been a very good year for Domingo with two of his movie roles being considered for Academy Award nominations. His performance as Bayard Rustin in the biographical drama Rustin may land him a Best Actor nomination. Domingo’s role as Albert Johnson in The Color Purple also has the potential to be nominated for Best Supporting Actor.
The recasting of Kang the Conqueror should be one of the easiest things to do in the MCU with the current Multiverse Saga in place. Marvel has established a storyline where variants of the same character exist within the multiverse and each one may look different or have a different origin story.
A good example would be the ending of The Marvels where Monica Rambeau wakes up in a different universe and is greeted by an alternate version of her mother – but there are dozens of others in recent movies and shows too.
Marvel has also recast several characters in its history with the likes of Don Cheadle taking on the role of James Rhodes aka War Machine from Terrence Howard (we’d find it hilarious if Howard would return as Kang, but alas). The character of Bruce Banner aka Incredible Hulk was originally played by Edward Norton before being replaced by Mark Ruffalo.
One main issue with Domingo’s casting is his age. The actor is now 54, two full decades older than Jonathan Majors who is just 34. Given recent rumors of Avengers 5 being delayed out of 2026, Domingo may be closer to 60 when the Multiverse Saga concludes. This would potentially limit his time in the MCU to the current overarching storyline.
Setting aside the issue of age, Domingo will be a great pick for the role of Kang in the MCU. The actor has a track record of excellent performances and is at a stage in his career where he can pretty much do everything. It will be interesting to see him as a ruthless variant of Kang the Conqueror.
Marvel has not officially announced that it will be recasting the character or what it plans to do with future projects involving Majors. So, it will be wise to take the rumors with a pinch of salt.
