Marvel Has 5 MCU Movies To Fix Its Kang Replacement Problem

Marvel Studios only has five announced MCU projects left to release before Avengers: The Kang Dynasty hits theaters in May 2026, posing a major problem for Kang the Conqueror’s future in the Multiverse Saga. Following the Mad Titan Thanos’ defeat in Avengers: Endgame, Marvel Studios introduced Jonathan Majors to the MCU as Kang the Conqueror, the new primary antagonist of the MCU’s Multiverse Saga. Majors appeared as three main variants of Kang the Conqueror: He Who Remains in Loki seasons 1 and 2, Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Victor Timely in Loki season 2, but recent controversies have left Kang the Conqueror’s MCU future uncertain.

Jonathan Majors was arrested on allegations of assault in March 2023, shortly after the release of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and after a lengthy investigation, Majors was convicted of harassment and reckless assault in December 2023. Marvel Studios swiftly fired Majors from future appearances in the MCU as Kang the Conqueror and his variants, leading to speculation that Kang may be recast or replaced by a new Marvel villain altogether. Marvel Studios has some major problems to solve with the remainder of Kang’s MCU storyline, particularly since development on Avengers: The Kang Dynasty is still underway, though the project is now reportedly being referred to simply as Avengers 5​​​​​​​.

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There Are 5 MCU Movies Until Avengers 5

Prior to 2026’s Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, Marvel Studios is only set to release five feature films. These include July 2024’s Deadpool 3, February 2025’s Captain America: Brave New World, May 2025’s Fantastic Four, July 2025’s Thunderbolts and November 2025’s Blade. Whatever Marvel Studios now decides to do about Kang the Conqueror, these five big-ticket projects now need to do the heavy lifting to explain any changes. Initially, these projects were expected to tease more Kang action ahead of the epic battle of Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, but with the focus of the Multiverse Saga potentially changing, these five projects will now need to provide in-universe explanations for Kang’s absence.

Marvel Studios has used Loki on Disney+ and 2023’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania to set up Kang the Conqueror and the Council of Kangs as major multiversal threats. These projects were teasing Avengers: The Kang Dynasty to feature a battle even greater than that between Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and the Mad Titan Thanos in Infinity War and Endgame, but it seems this now won’t come to pass. Of course, Marvel Studios could choose to simply recast Kang the Conqueror, allowing his story to continue in the Multiverse Saga, which would allow setup in Loki and Quantumania to be paid off effectively, and not just be pushed aside.

The 5 MCU Movies Before Avengers 5 Create A Complicated Kang Problem

Since there is speculation that Marvel Studios will be replacing Kang the Conqueror ahead of the release of Avengers 5, the MCU’s next five projects must work to explain any changes. However, this creates an even bigger problem, as none of the upcoming five projects seem to be focused on Kang the Conqueror, and it’s unclear how he would be involved in their storylines. This complicates how Marvel Studios can address the franchise’s new changes. 2024’s Deadpool 3’s multiversal storyline could include Kang, but it’s difficult to imagine Kang’s entire Multiverse Saga storyline being rewritten in only one project before Avengers: The Kang Dynasty​​​​​​​.