Just one day after being found guilty of assaulting and harassing his ex girlfriend Grace Jabbari, there is more fallout from Jonathan Majors’ Marvel exit.
The superhero studio had previously named their film Avengers: The Kang Dynasty to showcase Jonathan Majors’ villainous Kang.
Shortly after Majors, 34, was found guilty, Marvel dropped the actor from their upcoming projects, including The Kang Dynasty.
The studio also confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that the project is now being referred to simply as Avengers 5.
Majors’ Kang made his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in the 2021 Disney Plus TV series Loki and was set up as the MCU’s next major villain in this year’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantummania.
Just one day after being found guilty of assaulting and harassing his ex girlfriend Grace Jabbari, there is more fallout from Jonathan Majors ‘ Marvel exit
The superhero studio had previously named their film Avengers: The Kang Dynasty to showcase Jonathan Majors’ villainous Kang
The studio also confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that the project previously known as Avengers: The Kang Dynasty is now being referred to simply as Avengers 5
However, this news seems to indicate that Marvel is scrapping this character entirely, likely therefore shifting the entire course of their Phase 5 and Phase 6.
With the removal of the Kang Dynasty title, it appears to confirm that Marvel is not considering simply re-casting the role, which the studio has done before.
Two main characters from the earliest days of the MCU – James Rhodes a.k.a. War Machine and Bruce Banner a.k.a. The Hulk – were recast in Phase One.
Terrence Howard played Rhodey in the first MCU movie – 2008’s Iron Man – but he declined to return for 2010’s Iron Man 2 due to a pay dispute, leading to Don Cheadle stepping in.
Edward Norton starred as Banner in the second MCU movie – 2008’s The Incrdible Hulk – though after constantly clashing with Marvel the studio decided to re-cast the role, with Mark Ruffalo stepping in as Banner/Hulk in 2012’s The Avengers and beyond.
The studio has also re-cast William Hurt’s character Thunderbolt Ross after he passed away in March 2022, with Harrison Ford playing him in Captain America: Brave New World, in theaters February 14, 2025.
Still, it seems Marvel is scrapping the character in its entirety, with the studio bringing in Loki creator Michael Waldron was brought on to rewrite the script.
The project was first announced at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2022, with Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings director Destin Daniel Cretton originally attached to direct.
However, this news seems to indicate that Marvel is scrapping this character entirely, likely therefore shifting the entire course of their Phase 5 and Phase 6
Recast: With the removal of the Kang Dynasty title, it appears to confirm that Marvel is not considering simply re-casting the role, which the studio has done before
Still, it seems Marvel is scrapping the character in its entirety, with the studio bringing in Loki creator Michael Waldron was brought on to rewrite the script
Jeff Loveness (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantummania) was attached to write the script in September 2022, six months before Majors’ arrest in March 2023
Jeff Loveness (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantummania) was attached to write the script in September 2022, six months before Majors’ arrest in March 2023.
While many fans called for Majors’ removal after the arrest, the studio stayed mum for months before dropping him after the guilty verdict was announced.
Given how inter-connected the MCU films are, this move could end up affecting other films far before Avengers 5 is set to hit theaters on May 1, 2026.
The studio still has two more films left in Phase 5 – Deadpool 3 (July 26, 2024) and Captain America: Brave New World (February 14, 2025).
Those will lead directly into Phase 6 with Fantastic Four (May 2, 2025), Thunderbolts (July 25, 2025), Blade (November 7, 2025), Avengers 5 and Avengers: Secret Wars (May 1, 2027).
Filming on Avengers 5 was initially slated to begin in early 2025, though that likely won’t happen now, which will likely affect the release date down the road.
