When Marvel Studios signed on Jonathan Majors to play Kang the Conqueror, they must have thought they had struck gold and would be able to keep their run of amazing villain-led stories at the box office going for another ten years. Instead, they’ve been doing damage controls since just about the first day. Now Variety magazine has run a major feature story on the troubles at Marvel and the vast majority of them are because of Majors. Let’s note what Variety had to say about the entire story and then I’ll comment on this.
Will that solve Marvel’s Majors problem? When the “Quantumania” actor was arrested in March, Disney executives insisted that they could afford to play a wait-and-see game, given that “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty” wasn’t expected to begin shooting until early 2024. But then Majors was dropped in quick succession by his publicists and managers. (He remains a client at WME — the agency where he landed after CAA parted ways with him, pre-arrest, for his “brutal conduct” toward staff, says one source. CAA declined to comment.) In April, other alleged domestic violence victims of Majors began cooperating with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. Then, ahead of a key hearing in October, media outlets including Variety obtained a court filing that referenced a police incident in London involving Majors that led his ex-girlfriend to seek medical attention. Making matters even stickier, the ex-girlfriend also worked on “Quantumania” as a movement coach, and the London incident took place while Majors was shooting Season 2 of “Loki.” On Oct. 25, a New York judge denied Majors’ motion to dismiss the case, which ensures that the actor will stand trial in late November. His legal team is attempting to keep some material in the case sealed.
A studio source notes that regardless of the actor’s legal issues, Marvel already had considered moving away from a Majors-led phase because of the box office performance of “Quantumania,” which will struggle to make a profit. “It gave people pause given that ‘Quantumania’ didn’t exactly land,” the source says. (On Oct. 27, Disney removed another Majors film, Searchlight’s “Magazine Dreams,” from the release calendar.)
At the gathering in Palm Springs, executives discussed backup plans, including pivoting to another comic book adversary, like Dr. Doom. But making any shift would carry its own headaches: Majors was already a big presence in the MCU, including as the scene-stealing antagonist in February’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.” And he has been positioned as the franchise’s next big thing in this season of “Loki” — particularly in the finale, which airs on Nov. 9 and sets up Kang as the titular star of a fifth “Avengers” film in 2026.
The issue with the Majors case is that it is not only being fought in the courtrooms, but also in the press. This makes it difficult to distinguish the truth from the noise. It is unclear who the victim is, and in many instances, both parties are at fault. There are individuals on both sides with their own agendas. It is apparent that Majors’ legal team wants to portray him as an innocent victim who has been mistreated and is experiencing racial discrimination. However, there may be people from Majors’ past who hold legitimate and illegitimate grudges against him. In the end, the outcome of his court case will likely determine his future.
The Marvels is set to release on November 10th and I’m the only person I know going to see the film. Even my Marvel-loving friends have decided to take a break for a minute. They say that could change at a moment’s notice, but for now, they need a break. Honestly, I understand.