It’s reported that Marvel bosses have discussed shifting the focus away from the next lead antagonist, Kang the Conquerer, amid the ongoing accusations of domestic abuse against Jonathan Majors… accusations the actor has vehemently denied.
I guess it’s true what they say: you can have too much of a good thing. And in the case of Marvel and its unrelenting Cinematic Universe, the idea of pushing either a blockbuster film in the cinema or a big-budget television series streaming on Disney+, at any given time, isn’t the best way to cater to the millions of superhero fans around the world.
Marvel introduced new and exciting characters and heroes for fans to idolise following the dramatic conclusion of The Avengers in Phase 4, with Shang-Chi, Ms. Marvel and She-Hulk hitting our screens simultaneously, to mixed reviews.
The plan was to set up a new villain arc story; one centred around the MCU’s most powerful character, Kang the Conquerer, who inhabits multiple timelines causing immense destruction wherever he goes.
However, in the midst of an ongoing domestic abuse case involving their lead actor, Jonathan Majors, Variety has disclosed that Marvel executives are currently considering the possibility of recasting the role for the upcoming series of MCU movies.
Alternatively, they are also exploring the idea of introducing a completely new antagonist, with Dr. Doom, the longtime archenemy of Reed Richards and the Fantastic Four, being considered a viable option.
It’s a quantum leap away from the proposed events of the next highly-anticipated phase released by Marvel, whose movies, which generated almost $30 billion USD in revenue since its inception, standing at an atypical crossroads.
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For a company that’s become the benchmark for high-octave action movies; experts in storytelling; and architects of world-building, it’s uncommon to see them moving forward without a destination in sight.
It was suggested that Marvel bosses were confident they could weather the storm throughout Majors’ ongoing disputes but with the WGA strikes that threatened to derail the entire industry, the studio was simply unable to rewrite the next generation of movies without Jonathan Majors in the lead role.
Now, as the strikes have reached an amicable end, Marvel could simply rewrite the universe without him.