Disney and Marvel Studios have fired Jonathan Majors from his role as Kang the Conqueror in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The news, which comes from Deadline, just after the actor was found guilty of reckless assault in the third degree and harassment by a jury in New York following an altercation with his ex-partner, Grace Jabbari. Deadline had the news confirmed for them by a representative for the studio. It is not clear at the time whether or not Marvel intends to recast the role.
Majors was arrested earlier this year and charged with assault and harassment. Although Majors and his representatives have denied the accusations against him, the actor was dropped by his talent manager soon after his arrest.
Prior to the MCU, Majors was known for his roles in such projects as The Last Black Man in San Francisco and Lovecraft Country. He debuted as a variant of Kang called He Who Remains in 2021’s Loki Season 1. The actor reprised his role for 2023’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Loki Season 2. He was expected to play a major role in the next phase of the MCU, dubbed the “Multiverse Saga.”
Earlier this year, reports claimed that Marvel Studios had been looking into replacing both Majors and Kang. According to reporting at the time, Marvel’s creatives thought about potentially bringing in Doctor Doom to replace Kang as the next big villain, or simply recasting the part altogether. That’s happened on several occasions already, with Don Cheadle replacing Terrence Howard as James Rhodes, AKA War Machine, and Mark Ruffalo taking over for Edward Norton as Bruce Banner, AKA the Hulk. However, Marvel Studios has generally shied away from such replacements in recent years.
Sentencing for Majors is expected to take place on Feb. 6, 2024, with the actor potentially spending up to a year in prison.
