Marvel Studios kicked off Phase 5 of their ambitious 6-phase MCU saga with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The movie did not fare as expected with mediocre responses pouring in from fans and critics. Despite its poor showing, the film introduced the world to a chilling Marvel villain Kang the Conqueror played by Jonathan Majors. The character who first appeared briefly in Phase 4 in the finale of Loki Season 1, is touted to be a more powerful antagonist than Thanos and is reported to feature prominently in the next few films of the Multiverse Saga. While the groundwork has been sufficiently laid for Kang to unleash his fury, Marvel Studios is still keeping his involvement in the franchise close to its chest. Many of these decisions may also be affected by the recent developments of Majors’ arrest over the weekend.
How Will Marvel Studios Use Kang in Phase 5?
In early March, before the news of Jonathan Majors’ arrest, Marvel Studios’ VP of Production & Development Stephen Broussard discussed the various possibilities of Kang the Conqueror’s role in the Multiverse Saga. Addressing rumors about the supervillain’s presence and the need to balance his character, Broussard said,
Now, when Kevin announced ‘Kang Dynasty,’ it feels like you gotta have Kang in everything. So obviously, he probably won’t be, but how do you balance setting up a Kang finale of sorts and not have him in every single project leading into it?”
Broussard also spoke about the ability of Kang to interact with different variants of himself and expressed his excitement on witnessing Jonathan Majors playing each of these variants in innovative ways. With a sneak peek of multiple Kangs already having impressed the audience in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, it will be interesting to see how Jonathan Majors will play the variants in the next phase of the MCU.
Jonathan Majors’ Arrest May Pose a Problem for the MCU
Marvel’s carefully laid plans for Kang the Conqueror may have hit a roadblock with news of Jonathan Majors’ arrest. The Creed 3 star was taken into custody over the weekend on charges of assault and strangulation after a complaint registered by his alleged girlfriend. The woman reported that Majors turned violent in the car as the couple was returning from a bar in New York City. The Marvel star was later released and a statement was made by his representative team which read,
“He has done nothing wrong. We look forward to clearing his name and clearing this up.”
This allegation has now thrown a spanner into the works for Marvel Studios. With Phase 5 of the MCU already in motion and Kang’s role being sketched out carefully, it remains to be seen if Jonathan Majors’ arrest record will be detrimental to the star’s involvement in the MCU.
Source: The Direct
