Disney and Marvel Studios have parted ways with Jonathan Majors, as the former Kang the Conqueror actor will no longer be reprising his role after being found guilty of assault and harassment. The actor’s ousting from the franchise leaves the future of the MCU in question, with many wondering if Kang will be recast or if a new villain will be introduced. This has caused many actors’ names to be thrown into the conversation, as fans speculate if the likes of John Boyega, Damson Idris, or another actor will now join the MCU in Majors’ wake.
Actors who could replace Jonathan Majors as Kang
Fans have discussed the following actors as potential replacements for Jonathan Majors’ Kang.
John Boyega
A highly popular choice among fans to play Kang in the MCU is Star Wars actor John Boyega. However, back in November before the conclusion of Majors’ trial, the actor posted a GIF in reply to a fan suggesting that he would be good for the role that implied he wasn’t interested. While a GIF isn’t exactly concrete confirmation of anything, it does seem like Boyega isn’t in the running if Kang is eventually recast.
Damson Idris
Damson Idris’ name began trending as part of the Kang recast rumors, as the 32-year-old Snowfall actor is a popular choice among fans to join the MCU. He already has experience with sci-fi action movies after appearing in Netflix’s Outside the Wire, but he hasn’t commented on the rumors at the time of this writing.
Chukwudi Iwuji
Back when Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 hit theaters, many fans were impressed with Chukwudi Iwuji ’s performance as the High Evolutionary. Iwuji is already part of the MCU, so him being cast as Kang could get confusing. However, it could be reasoned within the narrative that the High Evolutionary was a Kang variant from Earth-616.
John David Washington
John David Washington could prove to be another strong contender for Kang. He has experience leading several high-concept sci-fi action movies, assuming the leading role in Christopher Nolan’s Tenet and Gareth Edwards’s The Creator. He has previously expressed an interest in joining the MCU, telling Nerd Reactor that he’d accept an offer to join the Fantastic Four cast as Reed Richards.
Will Smith
This one’s out of left field, but Will Smith’s name has been bandied about for the MCU for years now. Back in 2021, Giant Freakin’ Robot reported that Smith was in talks with Disney and Marvel, and that he wanted to be a major player in the Marvel Cinematic Universe moving forward. Since then there has been no word on Smith joining the MCU, and the actor’s controversial actions at the 94th Academy Awards may have harmed his bargaining power with Marvel and Feige. However, assuming the role of the MCU’s key villain would make him a major part of the franchise, even if he’s more well-known for playing heroic characters. We’ll file this one under “very unlikely to happen,” but surely we’ll see Smith joining the MCU at some point in the future.
For more entertainment updates, check out whether Marvel is replacing Kang with Doctor Doom. Also, learn if Cillian Murphy could play the character.
