Jonathan Majors got candid about being recast in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
TMZ stopped the actor on the street and asked him what his thoughts were about the news that Robert Downey Jr. would be returning to the MCU as notorious villain Doctor Doom, instead of Majors’ Kang serving as the big bad for the next two phases. The actor was dropped by Marvel after his conviction for reckless assault in the third degree and harassment late last year.
Majors admitted he was “heartbroken” over the news, “of course,” he said. “I love him. I love Kang. Dr. Doom is wicked, though.” When asked if he felt his treatment was fair compared to fellow Marvel stars like Downey and The Flash star Ezra Miller, who have faced their own legal issues, Majors said, “I think it’s fair that Mr. Downey is being and has been greeted with patience and curiosity and love, and that Mr. Miller has gotten the same treatment and that they are being allowed to work their art and be creative at that level.”
At San Diego Comic-Con over the weekend, Marvel took the stage Saturday night for its famous Hall-H session. During the panel, in addition to Downey’s reintroduction to the MCU, Kevin Feige and co. also revealed the reworked Avengers films, the name of the upcoming Fantastic Four project, and teased Thunderbolts and Captain America: Brave New World.
However, Downey’s new role in the universe following his Oscar win for Oppenheimer was hands-down the biggest news of the evening. Doctor Doom is a classic Fantastic Four villain, who will now lead the newly titled Avengers: Doomsday (previously Avengers: Kang Dynasty), due out in May 2026, and Avengers: Secret Wars, set to hit theaters in May 2027. The Russo brothers will also return to the MCU to direct both of those Avengers films after helming Infinity War and Endgame.
When asked by TMZ if he would return to Kang if Marvel wanted him to, Majors admitted he definitely would. “Of course. I love him. I love Kang,” he said. “Hell yeah [I’d come back], if that’s what the fans want, if that’s what Marvel wants, let’s roll.”
Majors’ comments come after Marvel cut ties with him following a jury finding him guilty of reckless assault in the third degree and of harassment after a two-week trial for a March 2023 incident between the actor and his ex, Grace Jabbari. Following the highly publicized case, he was sentenced to a 52-week, in-person domestic violence intervention program.