Since the release of Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home in 2019, Marvel Studios has struggled to recapture the magic Infinity Saga's magic.
There have been lots of very well-received projects - Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Loki, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, for example - and some which have disappointed fans (look no further than Secret Invasion and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania for proof of that).
The pandemic didn't help matters and neither did pressure from Disney to bolster their theatrical and streaming offerings amid significant financial losses. We've already seen Marvel Studios make moves to get back to where they need to be, including going back to the drawing board with Daredevil: Born Again. However, Variety reports that more sweeping changes may be coming to the Multiverse Saga.
According to the trade's sources, there "have been talks" about bringing back the original six Avengers for a new Avengers movie. That would include Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man and Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow.
The studio "hasn't yet committed to the idea" and money could be an issue given how expensive some of those actors - mostly Downey - are likely to be.
When it comes to Jonathan Majors' ongoing legal issues and what that means for Kang the Conqueror as the Multiverse Saga's big bad, it seems Marvel Studios has been considering moving away from the character regardless of any courtroom drama.
"It gave people pause given that 'Quantumania' didn’t exactly land," an unnamed source reveals. Recasting is a possibility but at a recent gathering in Palm Springs, "executives discussed backup plans, including pivoting to another comic book adversary, like Dr. Doom."
For now, though, it appears the spotlight will have to remain on Kang. One insider who has seen the Loki finale tells the trade, "Marvel is truly f*cked with the whole Kang angle. And they haven’t had an opportunity to rewrite until very recently [because of the WGA strike]. But I don’t see a path to how they move forward with him."
In other words, don't expect that episode to introduce a new big bad or take Kang off the table.
Also troubling on the Majors front is the fact he started developing a bad reputation even before his arrest for alleged domestic violence. This report notes that his former agency, CAA, is said to have dropped him for his "brutal conduct" toward staff.
Marvel Studios can bounce back from this, but doing so may lead to sweeping changes to the Multiverse Saga which completely change the current state. We've heard there are already discussions about ditching "The Kang Dynasty" as the title of the next Avengers movie, though any official announcements could be a while off yet.
Stay tuned for updates.