In light of the announcements at SDCC 2024, fans have wondered whether Avengers: The Kang Dynasty was canceled or if it’ll appear in Phase Seven or beyond. After Jonathon Majors, who played Kang in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Loki, was convicted of assault in December 2023, there’s been plenty of speculation about the character’s future in the MCU. Most figured he’d just be recast. However, it seems like Marvel has decided to take things in a different direction.
Below, we’ll discuss if Avengers: The Kang Dynasty got canceled or replaced by Marvel.
Did Marvel Cancel Avengers: The Kang Dynasty?
Avengers 5, previously titled Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, has been rebranded to Avengers: Doomsday.
At SDCC 2024, Marvel Studios revealed the new title for the movie. Though Kang may not have been completely eliminated from the script, his place as the MCU’s next big bad has been most likely usurped. Doomsday will feature Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom, and the new title makes the plot’s focus pretty clear.
In a way, you could say that The Kang Dynasty was canceled since the original script has almost certainly been thrown out. However, Disney and Marvel aren’t framing it that way.
Why Marvel Changed Avengers: The Kang Dynasty to Doomsday
A big part of why Marvel changed Avengers: The Kang Dynasty to Doomsday is likely due to Jonathan Majors’ assault conviction. Unfortunately, since Major’s played Kang, the character will inevitably be associated with domestic violence in audience’s minds, even if recast. Marvel is probably content to put Kang on the bench until the incident fades from public memory a bit.
Doctor Doom is also a more recognizable villain, which might help bring back MCU fans who have fallen off the wagon. Some of the franchise’s recent films, like Eternals and The Marvels, haven’t landed well, and Disney likely wants to generate some much-needed hype around Phase Six of the MCU.