Jonathan Majors had a bumpy road as the actor who played MCU’s big bad of Multiverse Saga, Kang the Conqueror, was fired from the studio following his sentence. The actor was found guilty of assaulting his ex-girlfriend, British choreographer Grace Jabbari. Majors was also dropped from several major projects as the court found him guilty. Now, he’s back.
Jonathan Majors Is Back
Jonathan Majors is now making a comeback as per a report by Deadline. The actor is set to appear in Martin Villeneuve’s revenge thriller Merciless. Denis Villeneuve’s younger brother, Martin Villeneuve previously directed the 2014 family comedy, Imelda, the French sci-fi fantasy pic Mars and Avril, and the 2022 comedy-drama The 12 Tasks of Imelda.
The movie is written by Frank Hannah which will follow “a top CIA interrogator who, after the woman he loves is overtaken by a malevolent force, is forced to go even darker to defeat it,” per Deadline. Merciless will mark his return to cinema following his third-degree assault and harassment conviction. “Merciless intertwines themes of possession, revenge and personal justice within a haunting narrative,” Villeneuve said of the movie. “It explores the psychological descent of John, played by Majors, and the supernatural forces challenging his sanity,” he added revealing Majors’ character in the upcoming thriller.
Merciless will be filmed in Saskatchewan in late fall. Producer Christopher Tuffin has developed the project. The producer is set to give Majors a second chance. “In graduate school, I had the good fortune to study screenwriting under Blacklist scribe Millard Lampell and learned from him the dangers of letting politics undermine due process and deprive artists of their careers,” Tuffin said. “I consider it an honor and a privilege to be working with Jonathan who is such a great talent now that this matter has been adjudicated,” he added commenting on working with Majors.
Will Marvel Studios Rehire Jonathan Majors?
Marvel Studios awaited the final verdict of the court before making a hasty decision to fire Majors immediately after the allegations from Grace Jabbari came to light. However, the studio wasted no time after the actor was found guilty. Before his dismissal from the Superhero brand, the actor played Kang in Loki and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Certainly, Kang has been one of the most important characters in the MCU’s multiverse saga and Marvel Studios has established the character with the projects furnishing him up for Avengers 5 which was previously named as Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.
Marvel Studios has reportedly changed the name of the project keeping Kang out of the title’s spotlight but interestingly, the fifth installment of the franchise with an ensemble cast will reportedly feature over 60 characters. But will Majors’ Kang be in the mix?
There were also reports that the Superhero brand is looking for actors to recast the character. Colman Domingo who has Rustin, Fear the Walking Dead, and several other credits to his name was reportedly in the mix to play Kang following Majors’ departure.
Now, as Majors is making a comeback, will Marvel Studios rehire him for the role? It is unlikely and fans have a mixed reaction to Majors’ comeback. While some argue that he deserves a second chance as Robert Downey Jr. had when he made his MCU debut with Iron Man changing the fate of the brand, many disagree and, in fact shocked by his return.
But in this scenario, it is very unlikely that the actor will be wearing the skin of the MCU villain again as Marvel Studios is likely to tread carefully as cancel culture may disrupt the ambition of the project. It was particularly evident in DC’s The Flash solo movie starring Ezra Miller as the studio ignored fans’ perception of the actor after his multiple arrests and charges. The ambitious multiversal Andrés Muschietti movie was a disaster at the box office. Marvel Studios may carefully avoid that. So, it is fair to assume that fans will not see Majors playing Kang again.
