Jonathan Majors is out as Kang the Conqueror, but has his replacement in the role already been found? Well, no, but the latest rumors on the MCU’s next big bad may give us an idea how Marvel can pull off its most audacious recast yet.
Shortly before 2023 ended, Marvel Studios finally revealed its solution to the conundrum that had been hanging over the MCU practically the entire year. When Jonathan Majors’s domestic violence trial went against him, the actor was dropped from the franchise with immediate effect, leaving the future of Kang and the entire Multiverse Saga in doubt. Sure, another actor could be found to replace him but this would cause a canon headache given we know all Kang variants across creation look like Majors.
However, if this new rumored casting intel is at all accurate, Marvel has potentially stumbled upon the one way to fix all its problems.
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Jonathan Majors’ possible replacement is 20 years his senior
According to insider Daniel Richtman, Colman Domingo is “one option” Marvel is considering to take over as Kang following Majors’ firing. The notion is immediately drawing immense support online, as the Emmy and Tony Award-winning star is widely agreed to have the acting chops to offer a superb portrayal of the Conqueror. And yet Domingo’s casting would also be perfect in a whole other way that most are overlooking.
Domingo is currently 54 years old, which makes him a full two decades older than the 34-year-old Majors. It’s too early to say how much stock we can place in this chatter, but if for the sake of argument we buy into the claim that Marvel is thinking of Domingo for Kang 2.0, then this may indicate the studio is opting for an older Kang next time around, which would neatly allow the MCU to side-step the big problem with recasting the character.
The thing is that, yes, all Kang variants look like Majors… but all the Kang variants we’ve met so far appear to be younger men in their 20s and 30s. Therefore Domingo could theoretically come aboard as a more mature Kang, who’s older, wiser, and even more dangerous than the Majors’ incarnations the heroes of the MCU have already encountered. The stakes have been raised, a new Kang has been found, and the canon remains in tact. What more could you ask for?
Interestingly, Colman Domingo is already entering the comic book sphere thanks to taking on the iconic role of Batman in Spotify’s upcoming The Riddler: Secrets in the Dark podcast. So he’s primed to step into the MCU too, if that really is something Marvel is looking to make happen. And, if it isn’t, maybe it should be.