Jonathan Majors has finally shared his thoughts on his character, Kang the Conqueror, being replaced by Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom in the MCU. Marvel Studios planned for Majors’ Kang to be the new big bad in their Multiverse Saga, having introduced him in Loki and featured him as the main villain in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania before having him lead Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. When Majors was found guilty of two misdemeanor counts of domestic assault, Marvel dropped the actor and decided to move in a new direction. At San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel revealed that Robert Downey Jr. is rejoining the MCU as Doctor Doom, who will be the primary villain in the next two Avengers movies, with The Kang Dynasty now retitled Avengers: Doomsday.

Majors has finally reacted to the news of Kang being replaced by Doctor Doom, and more specifically, Robert Downey Jr. being cast in the lead role. While speaking with TMZ, Majors said he is “Heartbroken. Of course,” adding, “I love Kang. Doctor Doom is wicked, though.”

TMZ brought up the fact that Downey Jr. wasalso an actor with a troubled past before landing the role of Iron Man, to which Majors responded, “I think it’s fair that Mr. Downey is being and has been greeted with patience and curiosity and love…and allowed to work his art and be creative at that level.” Finally, when asked if he would want to return as Kang in the MCU sometime in the future, Majors did not hesitate. He said:

“Hell yeah! Hell yeah! I love him. I love Kang. If that’s what the fans want, and that’s what Marvel wants, then let’s roll. Hell yeah.”

Marvel Studios Kang to Doom Gamble

Majors was first revealed as MCU’s Kang the Conqueror back in September 2020, when he was cast in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Fans were then surprised when he showed up in Loki’s season one finale as a variant of Kang, He Who Remains, in July 2021. It was clear Marvel had big plans for the character, which were confirmed in July 2022 when they announced that the next two Avengers films would be focused on Kang and be titled Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars. While the Infinity Saga saw Marvel invest heavily in the six core Avengers as the anchors, their plan for the Multiverse Saga was for Major’s villainous Kang to be their big lynchpin.

The wheels came off in 2023 as Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quauntamania was seen as a box office disappointment, and many viewers questioned how Kang could be seen as an Avengers-level threat if he could be defeated by a “B-Team” character like Ant-Man. Despite that film teasing the Council of Kang’s, essentially hundreds of variants of Kang all played by Majors, everything became very uncertain when Majors was arrested after assaulting his girlfriend. The question of what would happen to Kang hung over the MCU throughout 2023, particularly with Major’s playing a Kang variant named Victor Timely in Loki Season 2. Majors was officially found guilty on December 18, 2023. Marvel Studios immediately fired the actor and dropped the Kang Dynasty title from Avengers 5.

Related Robert Downey Jr.’s MCU Doom Casting Slammed by Cheated Kang Fans Many Marvel fans have been left angered and confused over the return of Robert Downey Jr. and the erasure of Kang the Conqueror.

While Marvel had a lot invested in Major’s Kang, they have now pivoted unexpectedly to Doctor Doom, a change that could end up working out for the best. Doctor Doom is one of the most famous Marvel villains of all time, and can be seen as more than a match for any Avengers team. Doom is also a key character in both comic book versions of Secret Wars, the basis for the sixth Avengers film. Fans had already speculated that Doom would need to be included in the Multiverse Saga for the story to work, and now Marvel Studios has just bumped up his role with a fan-favorite actor returning to the MCU in a very different role. While the initial reaction to Downey Jr.’s return has not been completely positive, Marvel Studios has a couple of years to get everyone as invested in the franchise again as they did by the time Avengers: Infinity Wars hit cinemas.

Avengers: Doomsday
opens in theaters on May 1, 2026.