After recent speculation, fans want to know if Keenan Clarke is replacing Jonathan Majors‘ Kang. Last year, Marvel Studios dropped Majors from the upcoming MCU projects after he was convicted of domestic violence. Since then, fans have been curious whether the studios will recast the character or replace the character with a different antagonist entirely. At present, multiple reports suggest Clarke will be the MCU’s Kang replacement and will be teased in Deadpool & Wolverine.
Here are the details on how much truth these rumors hold.
Is Keenan Clarke’s Kang casting for Deadpool & Wolverine real or fake?
The rumors are fake as no official reports confirm that Clarke is the next Kang the Conqueror in the MCU.
Clarke is a high-school student, who pursued English & Creative Writing at Birmingham University, per Backstage. His casting rumors ignited after Market Insider reported in a now-deleted article that Clarke will make an MCU debut in the upcoming Deadpool movie. This report stemmed from the press release of a PR agency called Z News Service, Dexterto reported.
Marvel Studios is always careful when it comes to revealing major casting details and cameos. Amid recent controversies around the recasting of Jonathan Majors’ Kang, it is expected that they would use an authoritative source to inform it. According to Dexerto, the fake press release seems to be a guerilla marketing stunt. It is often used to boost a new entrant or an unknown person’s visibility among the audience. Nonetheless, Marvel Studios hasn’t confirmed any such casting, thus, the rumors are fake.
Will Marvel replace Kang with another villain in Avengers 5?
At the time of writing, Marvel Studios hasn’t confirmed the official villain of Avengers 5.
However, the title Avengers: The Kang Dynasty was renamed to Avengers 5, following Majors’ exit from the MCU. This indicates that MCU’s Kang is either likely removed entirely or will be recast, having reduced presence in the upcoming projects.
According to Screen Rant, the popular choices of Kang’s replacement as a villain include Doctor Doom, Galactus, Annihilus, Mephisto, and others. An announcement related to the MCU’s next big bad can be expected from Marvel at the San Diego Comic-Con 2024.