Marvel Shifts Focus to Another Villain as Studio Tries to Fix Its Kang Problem

Amid the ongoing assault charges against Kang the Conqueror actor Jonathan Majors, it seems like Marvel is eyeing a different, potentially villainous character to take center stage in the MCU’s Phase Five and Phase Six.

The Multiverse Saga is officially underway, and with it, a new wave of uncertainty surrounding the MCU’s future. As fans well know by now, Majors, who made his franchise debut as the time-traveling, dimension-bending supervillain Kang in Disney+’s Loki series, was arrested for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend in late March.

It’s common knowledge that Kang was intended to be the primary antagonist of the Multiverse Saga, with his extended role in the MCU being teased in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023). The Saga is set to end with a two-part crossover event, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (2025) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2026).

There’s been plenty of discussion about who could replace Majors as Kang in the MCU, though many of these recasting rumors have yet to gain any real traction. The superhero studio has been radio silent regarding the allegations against Majors, and fans are still very much in the dark about whether or not they can expect to see his iteration of Kang in future MCU projects.

However, it’s likely that instead of recasting the role, Marvel could go in a different direction instead, focusing on a new villain entirely. And based on recent remarks from comedy legend and franchise newcomer Julia Louis-Dreyfus, it might be the mysterious Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.

Speaking with Rolling Stone, Louis-Dreyfus was asked about her Marvel Studios contract and how long she plans to play CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine in the MCU.

Louis-Dreyfus first appeared as Valentina in the Disney+ miniseries The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. After he lost the mantle of Captain America, she recruited John Walker (Wyatt Russell) and Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) as part of her efforts to build a mysterious team, which will inevitably culminate in the 2024 crossover event, Thunderbolts.

Famously, the studio has held actors to multi-movie contracts, and it seems like Louis-Dreyfus is no exception. After being questioned on whether she is “signed to a 20-picture deal,” Louis-Drefus teased, “For a while, it seems!”

Although a 20-picture deal might be a bit of a stretch, it looks like Marvel has some serious long-term plans for Valentina. Because of this, she might be an easy replacement for Kang as the Multiverse Saga’s big bad.

So far, it seems like Valentina falls into “morally gray” territory rather than dimension-shattering supervillain territory, as she doesn’t have any superpowers of her own. Still, she could cause some severe harm to the Avengers and other multiversal threats thanks to her connections to the seedy criminal underground.

Being an important figure in the US government, Valentina currently holds a key position in the MCU, which affords her a level of power and access to resources that other heroes don’t possess. And with a team of superpowered warriors by her side, Valentina could prove unstoppable—either as a good guy or a bad guy.

However, getting rid of Kang in the MCU would leave a gaping hole that Valentina could not fix, being that she seems to be spearheading the side of the MCU that focuses more on crime and political drama, as seen in projects like The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Hawkeye, and Black Widow (2021).

It seems like the multiversal shenanigans are being reserved for characters like Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) in future projects—ones that Valentine might not have much of anything to do with. But anything is possible in the MCU, and writers might be able to squeeze her into some unexpected plotlines regarding the Multiverse.

Valentina certainly seems to have a master plan in mind, with her assembling the Thunderbolts and even pushing the US toward a direct conflict with Wakanda. It’ll be interesting to see whether she falls into the heroic or villainous categories—something that will almost certainly be addressed in Thunderbolts. 

For now, we’re just glad that Louis-Dreyfus’ Valentina will continue to play a significant part in the Multiverse Saga and likely beyond, setting her up for an exciting role in the future of the MCU.

Are you excited that Julia Louis-Dreyfus will be sticking around for many more MCU projects? Let us know in the comments below.