Credit: Edited by Inside the MagicThe recent news about Jonathan Majors has had Marvel Studios and fans alike in a mild panic as to the future of the franchise. But while some might immediately get a cast list of potential actors to recast the shamed star, it might be better to continue without the conquerer.
Marvel actor Jonathan Majors was found guilty of reckless assault in the third degree and guilty of harassment this week after being charged earlier this year. A statement from The Hollywood Reporter said,
“In total, Majors faced four charges of assault, aggravated harassment and harassment after he called 911 on March 25, when he said he found his ex-partner, Grace Jabbari, unconscious in their apartment. Police arrested Majors after finding apparent injuries on Jabbari, including a laceration behind her ear and a bruised and fractured finger. Majors pleaded not guilty to all charges.”
The report also revealed that Disney and Marvel had “dropped” majors as Kang the Conquerer from any of the upcoming films, tearing a hole in the Marvel Multiverse in the process. Before the execs start scrambling to find his replacement, they might want to consider revisiting some of their established characters in the mean time.
Marvel Studios Has Its Next Villain… Somewhere
A lot has been said this year about superhero fatigue. Even former Marvel darling James Gunn said he was tired of CGI muscle heads smashing each other to pieces, so it might be in the studio’s best interest to take a breather and scale back some of its next projects.
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IGN goes into great detail on the situation, but also states “Marvel Needs to cut Kang the Conquerer entirely.”
“The character of Kang as a tentpole Marvel villain just hasn’t been working as a driver to action, and has over all been a weak presence that has ultimately contributed to the poor reception of Marvel Phase 5 overall… This is a lore thing, not a Majors thing.”
There’s a lot to unpack about why Kang should or shouldn’t be cut, but it’s not as if Marvel will truly die without him. In fact, the franchise has several earthbound villains that still have as much narrative weight as any cosmic conquerer, if not more.
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Although these massive Avengers-level threats are what summer blockbusters are made for, the Marvel Cinematic Universe doesn’t need them to tell a good story. There are plenty of supervillains, with and without powers, that could wreck a hero’s day without the fate of the universe, multiverse, or sacred timeline at stake.
Let’s not forget that characters like the Vulture, Kingpin, the Scorpion, are all still waiting for their chance to cause havoc on a smaller scale. If Marvel truly does need an intergalactic entity to fight, there’s always the Collector and his brother the Grand Master to keep things interesting. Ultron is technically still alive in some form if the Avengers truly need to reassemble.
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The fact of the matter is that while it might be time to throw up the white flag on the Kang Dynasty, it’s not too late for Marvel to find its next big bad. Good storytelling will always take prevalence over any form of world-ending threats we’ve seen time and time again.
What Marvel villain would you like to see on the big screen? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!