Jonathan Majors Responds To Doctor Doom Replacing Kang - But Not How You Think

Former Marvel star and once-expected franchise big bad Jonathan Majors gave his reaction to the property moving on without him following the announcement of Robert Downey Jr. returning to the fold, only this time as Doctor Doom. The actor — who had played He Who Remains and Victor Timely on "Loki" and Kang in "Ant-Man: Quantumania" — was dropped from Marvel Studios in December 2023 after being found guilty of reckless assault in the third degree and harassment. Other studios also cut ties with Majors, even leaving completed projects to be sold and shelved.

TMZ spoke to Majors, who addressed the news of his character seemingly being replaced by Victor von Doom. "Yeah, heartbroken. Of course, I love him. I love Kang. Doctor Doom is wicked though." The actor was then asked about his thoughts on Downey's criminal history, as well as Ezra Miller, star of "The Flash," who has been arrested and faced criminal charges for disorderly conduct, harassment, and felony burglary. "I think it's fair that Mr. Downey is being and has been greeted with patience and curiosity and love, and that Mr. Miller has gotten the same treatment, and that they're being allowed to work their art and be creative at that level. I didn't really get that."

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.

While there's yet to be any creative patchwork applied in writing Kang out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Jonathan Majors was asked if he'd ever consider reprising the role in the future. "Kang? Hell yeah, hell yeah, hell yeah. I love him. That's what I said, I love him. I love Kang, I love [Victor] Timely, I love He Who Remains. Love him," he explained. "If that's what the fans want. If that's what Marvel wants, let's roll." Ironically, for a character that is scattered across time in a variety of forms, the chances of any of them returning are unlikely. Instead, Marvel is clearly developing a brand new slate in an effort to recover from what has been the franchise's murkiest period.

The Majors scandal is just one of many issues the studio has endured after "Avengers: Endgame." While the Kang-shaped fire was trying to be extinguished, 2023 saw Marvel face their first box office bomb with "The Marvels," which grossed just $206.1 million worldwide. Additionally, there were lengthy reshoots for "Captain America: New World Order," all while fans are still wondering how much longer it'll take to get "Blade" right. Now, with the dust seemingly settled, just what is Kevin Feige's perspective on the past, present, and future of the Marvel universe, now it's lost the villain it was building around?

Marvel might be celebrating the mammoth success of "Deadpool & Wolverine," but all eyes were on what the future slate of the MCU was going to look like following its understandably panic-stricken restructuring at this year's San Diego Comic-Con. Throughout the studio's presentation, Jonathan Majors or Kang were never mentioned, and Feige has kept it that way even in interviews.

Addressing the elephant in the Sacred Timeline while not calling it out, Feige was asked by Screen Rant if Victor Timely or any other Kang variant would be mentioned in Marvel movies going forward. On whether Kang was still a villain in the MCU following the "Avengers 5" name change, he said, "I've done a number of interviews in the last couple of days, and you're the first person to ... I give you credit for just outright asking the question and I'll give myself credit for trying to invade it and avoid it entirely." It's a game plan that Marvel looks to be sticking for the foreseeable future, particularly now that they have the franchise's poster boy back in the mix.

How they'll integrate or ease Doctor Doom into things is unknown when you compare it to how Thanos was teased and how Kang was on the cusp of getting the same treatment. All we can expect for now is that Robert Downey Jr. is set to put a new suit of armor around the world –- whether they like it or not.