Jonathan Majors, one of the major new stars to emerge in the last few years is fully ready to wow the world with his turn as Kang the Conqueror in the upcoming ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA & AVENGERS: THE KANG DYNASTY following his acclaimed debut in the Season 1 of LOKI. And he is not taking chances - Men's Health says Majors has easily gotten more jacked than any supervillain in the franchise's history - topping even Michael B. Jordan's already amazing physique as Killmonger in BLACK PANTHER.
Majors put on 10 pounds of lean muscle for his role as Kang with the help of strength-and-conditioning coach Jamie Sawyer. Sawyer noted, "He is the warrior version of Kang, so there was a focus on what that warrior would look like who’s been around through the ages and has developed every type of combat skill. It was about making him look like an imposing figure." Majors stated that a great physique is almost a non-notiable component when playing a superhero - "I look at Kang and I go, Okay, cool. It’s a certain IP where people expect this at a bare minimum. No one should put themselves or their families in a place where they’re hurting, but your own discomfort is not necessarily a bad thing. That’s growth. It’s not comfortable, but you’re here to save the world, aren’t you? Or take over the world.”
Stephen Broussard & Kevin Fiege, producers on ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA, noted that Majors came to set every day with “an insane work ethic.” Broussard noted that Majors would show up early every day on set with his Kang outfit already on and then jog around with a portable speaker. Fiege said, "Jonathan is an incredibly compelling actor who puts in the work yet makes it look effortless, and he’s also just cool–everyone pays attention when he steps into the room."
Alongside side his Marvel role, Majors has also been training to play a boxer in CREED III and a bodybuilder in MAGAZINE DREAMS. He has worked out extra hard because, "these are body roles—where the body is part of the given circumstances” and noted that his physique is a result of hard work because his low-single-digit body fat and muscle striations “cannot be bought."
Majors says he can deliver what fans expect and is not afraid. He said, "I know I can do it, and it’s something or somebody else sneaking in and saying, ‘Be careful.’ Which is like the person telling me you’re on the B team. Telling me you’re not smart enough or you’re not handsome enough or you’re not talented enough. And I go, Oh, but I know I am. And not because my ego tells me I am but because I’m ready. I haven’t had a carb in two and a half months. I know I can take my shirt off. I’ve been running miles. And because I’ve failed. I’ve already had another grown man pull the weight off my chest because everything has died. I’ve already tried to jump on the horse and broke my heel. This is not going to be worse.”
Peyton Reed is back behind the camera for ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA, Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Hope van Dyne's (Evangeline Lilly) next adventure, which along with Majors will feature the return of Kathryn Newton as Cassie Lang.
Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer are set to return as Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne. "Wombats" Luis (Michael Peña) and Kurt (David Dastmalchian) will also be back as Scott Lang's (Paul Rudd) sidekicks, but T.I. (Dave) is believed to have been dropped from the movie amid multiple allegations of sexual assault against him and his wife.
Check out images from his photoshoot below as well more from his interview at the Men's Health website. Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania is set to hit theaters on February 17, 2023.