The Marvel Cinematic Universe experienced a big shift in 2023. After the Infinity Saga came to a close with Thanos' defeat in Avengers: Endgame, the franchise began setting up a new big bad: Kang the Conqueror, played by Jonathan Majors. The House of Ideas worked a lot to establish the time-traveling tyrant, introducing him in the first season of Loki, before he moved on to become the main antagonist in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Unlike what happened with Thanos, however, the lead-up to Kang did not receive wide excitement. Then, after a much-publicized legal battle, Jonathan Majors was found guilty of reckless assault and harassment. Immediately after the verdict, Marvel Studios fired the actor. A few months after that, in July 2024, the House of Ideas announced Robert Downey Jr's return to the MCU, this time as Doctor Doom—the new big bad of the franchise.
Since those two events, Kang has taken a backseat in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Now, a new rumor suggests the villain will not be seen in the franchise for a long time. In response to a person who wondered about Kang's MCU fate on X (formerly Twitter), The Cosmic Circus' Alex Perez revealed: "Kang is being shelved until further notice":
If accurate, the information makes sense considering the situation surrounding Kang and his former actor. As mentioned, Jonathan Majors' legal battle was widely publicized, to the point where it could be argued the character of Kang himself became heavily attached to the Magazine Dreams actor. Given that, it would be understandable for Marvel Studios to decide to leave the villain behind for an extended period of time.
Having said that, there was more to Kang's replacement as the MCU's next overarching villain than that. In July 2025, Kevin Feige sat down for an in-depth interview with a group of journalists (via The Hollywood Reporter). There, the producer stated that the switch from one villain to another was actually in the works before Majors' controversy. According to the producer, the change came about after Marvel realized Kang wasn't "big enough":
"We had started even before what had happened to the actor happened, we had started to realize that Kang wasn't big enough, wasn't Thanos, and that there was only one character that could be that, because he was that in the comics for decades and decades. Because of the Fox acquisition, we finally had it, and it was Dr. Doom. So we had started talking about Dr. Doom even before we officially pivoted from Kang. And in fact, I had started talking with Robert [Downey Jr.] about this audacious idea before Ant-Man 3 even came out. It was a long plan that we had, to take one of our greatest characters and utilize one of our greatest actors."
As for Majors, he has been very clear about his desire to return to the role in the future. For example, in March 2025, during an appearance on The Breakfast Club podcast, the actor stated: "Here's the thing about Marvel: You don't know until you know. I will say this, though: Of all the characters I've played, Kang carries a certain novelty, and a certain challenge for an actor that I would love to play it again. And so, when I hear people talk about it, as long as the streets are talking, as long as the fans are talking, there's hope."
Doctor Doom will be seen in action for the first time in Avengers: Doomsday, hitting theaters on December 18, 2026.
Would you like to see Kang in the MCU again played by another actor? Are you happy with Doctor Doom as the MCU's new big bad? Drop your thoughts in the comments!