Jonathan Majors is out as the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s menacing multiverse villain Kang the Conqueror following the conclusion of his two-week assault trial, which stemmed from a March 25 arrest.
On Dec. 18, a Manhattan jury found the once-rising star guilty of misdemeanor third-degree assault and second-degree harassment of his ex-girlfriend, Grace Jabbari. He was acquitted of two additional counts of assault and harassment. He faces up to a year in prison and will be sentenced on Feb. 6.
Jabbari alleged that the actor caused an injury to a finger and struck her during a heated confrontation while in a taxi. The incident was precipitated after she discovered another woman sent him a flirtatious text.
Variety was the first to confirm that the MCU, a company owned by Disney, parted ways with its star antagonist. Months prior, reports suggested that studio executives were awaiting the outcome of the highly publicized case before a final decision regarding the 34-year-old’s future was announced.
Majors portrayed the supervillain in the television series “Loki” and in last summer’s action hero blockbuster “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.” He was expected to star in “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty,” which was slated for a May 2026 release. Now it seems that MCU fans are doing the work of finding his replacement.
“John Boyega should play Kang!”
— Anastasia 🎄 ast*rion’s lawyer (@Platinumllamas) December 18, 2023
The John Boyega in question: pic.twitter.com/NEJRgvxPOE
Some of Hollywood’s Black leads who have been nominated to take on the role include Donald Glover, who already has ties to rival DC Comics, John David Washington, Aldis Hodge, Yahya Abdul-Mateen, Trevante Rhodes, Damson Idris, as well as John Boyega and Terrence Howard.
The latter two actors have both worked with Disney. Boyega starred as Finn in the “Star Wars” sequel trilogy but was openly critical of his character being falsely marketed as an integral part of the galactic universe. He would later express displeasure with the company’s failure to address racist taunts he received from some of the franchise’s fan base.
He has already shot down any hopes of there being interest in him portraying Kang. Most recently, he responded to a fan suggesting he have Captain America actor Anthony Mackie put in a good word for him at Marvel with a gif of Shrek’s sidekick Donkey shaking his head in disagreement with the idea.
Howard helped launch “Iron Man” in 2008 as Colonel James Rhodes with what he says was a three-film deal. However, his stint in the MCU was short-lived after he claimed Robert Downey Jr. failed to go to bat for him in Howard’s negotiations for the second film. Celebrated actor Don Cheadle replaced the “Empire” lead and has made eight appearances in MCU projects.
