Updated Disney Release Slate Hints At Marvel’s Plans For Kang After Dropping Jonathan Majors

A Disney release slate has revealed a key bit of information regarding the future of Kang and Avengers: The Kang Dynasty in the MCU following the departure of Jonathan Majors. Majors was recently dropped by Marvel after being convicted of assault, placing the future of the MCU arch-villain that he portrayed, Kang, into jeopardy. At the time of his conviction, Majors had appeared as Kang the Conqueror and Kang variants in two seasons of Loki and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The post-credits scene of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantummania even depicted countless Kang variants all played by Majors.

Preceding the conviction came reports that Disney was eyeing the possibility of dropping Kang in favor of a new big bad regardless, following the subpar performance of Ant-Man and the Wasp:Quantumania. Combined, these circumstances led to rumors that Disney was going to follow through and drop Kang entirely, despite setting him up as the Multiverse Saga’s arch-villain. This would have been messy but achievable, given the position Kang was most recently left in meant that the TVA could arguably keep on top of his errant variants. Despite this, it seems Disney is sticking with Kang after all.

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Disney Is Still Referring To Avengers 5 As The Kang Dynasty

According to an official release schedule disseminated by Disney, the studio is still referring to Avengers: The Kang Dynasty by the same name. This is despite reports that Disney had started to internally refer to the movie simply as Avengers 5, according to The Hollywood Reporter. If this was the case, there would have been no reason for Disney not to label the movie Avengers 5 on the official release schedule.

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This is supported by the fact that other franchises, like Avatar, which has employed a subtitle for its most recent sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, have instead labeled upcoming sequels “Avatar 3-5.” Disney actively opting not to veer away from “The Kang Dynasty” as a subtitle for this release schedule indicates that the studio is sticking to the original plan. Suffice it to say, this is good news for Kang fans as it would appear the villain is sticking around.

Marvel Sticking With Avengers: The Kang Dynasty Supports The Villain Will Be Recast Instead Of Replaced

Another solution for Marvel’s Kang problem is to recast the character. This makes sense in the context of the Multiverse with the established rules on variants and works particularly well, given the fact that every prominent Kang variant that has popped up so far has been taken out of the picture already. The potential recast has inspired plenty of fan casts, like Denzel Washington, John Boyega, or Colman Domingo, who could put their own unique spin on the role. Thankfully, the refusal to pivot from the title seems to suggest that this is the route that Marvel is taking.

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This will also benefit Marvel when it comes to forging ahead with planned storylines that presumably had Kang baked in. Regardless, Marvel is no stranger to recasting roles part-way through a saga (such as Bruce Banner, Red Skull, and Cassie Lang, to name a few), so recasting a big bad in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty won’t feel so jarring. While Majors was a great fit for the role, there is plenty of talent that could do Kang justice and be just as memorable.