Tara Strong has portrayed too many iconic characters to mention across her illustrious career as a voice actress, which began at the age of 13 when she landed the part of Hello Kitty, but the 50-year-old added yet another to her toolbox by joining the MCU in Loki. Strong played the chipper, Texan cartoon timepiece in the hit Marvel Studios series’ first season, and is due to reprise her role in season 2, currently airing on Disney Plus.
Unfortunately, what should’ve been her triumphant return to the Marvel universe has been overshadowed by a vocal backlash against the actress on social media, following Strong’s outspoken pro-Israel views following the Hamas attack. In the wake of the controversy, Strong has already been removed from one upcoming project, so we’re left to wonder if her time as Miss Minutes in the MCU could potentially be drawing to a close as well.
Tara Strong has been recast in Boxtown, but will Marvel Studios follow suit?
It’s been reported that Tara Strong has been removed from upcoming noir-themed adult animation Boxtown. Although she was due to play the leading role of Bill the Orphan in the series, opposite Gravity Falls creator and voice actor Alex Hirsch, Strong has now been let go from the show and will be replaced. No reason has been given as yet for the move, but the timing certainly suggests it’s in response to the current controversy.
Strong is an incredibly prolific performer, with numerous projects on the way, including reprising Harley Quinn in the Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League video game. Losing Boxtown is hardly a major blow to her career, then, but it could become a problem if this proves to be not an outlier but the first of a series of recasts and lost jobs. Perhaps whatever Marvel decides to do with Strong as Miss Minutes will set a precedent for how things develop.
As it happens, we can perhaps confidently state that Marvel is unlikely to terminate its relationship with Strong over this situation. After all, Loki season 2 is also home to Jonathan Majors, whose ongoing domestic violence trial has naturally caused considerable hassle for the studio on social media and yet Majors remains aboard as Kang the Conqueror, the overarching villain of the entire Multiverse Saga.
With Majors’ own controversy much more publicized and discussed than Strong’s, we can make an educated guess that she will not be replaced as Miss Minutes for Loki season 3 (which we’re confident is coming). Especially as Strong only strengthened her partnership with Marvel by replacing Miley Cyrus as Mainframe in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. So, it remains up to other creators and studios whether they wish to follow Boxtown or Marvel’s example.