Trigger Warning: This article contains mention of domestic abuse, harassment, and assault.
Spoiler Warning: This article contains some spoilers for Loki Seasons 1 and 2.
Like many other Marvel fans, on Oct. 5, I sat down, logged into Disney+, and turned on the second season of Loki. It was a moment I’d been waiting for for quite some time — two years, to be exact — and I was especially excited after the universe-altering Season 1 finale. So, I pressed play, watched as the classic Marvel intro rolled out, and then — wait. Isn’t that the guy currently on trial for aggravated harassment?
In March 2023, actor Jonathan Majors was arrested on charges of misdemeanor assault, aggravated harassment, attempted assault, harassment, and strangulation. The strangulation charge was dropped, and Majors plead not guilty to the other four remaining charges. According to TIME, in a statement from April 2023, Majors’ attorney said, “Jonathan Majors is innocent and has not abused anyone. We have provided irrefutable evidence to the District Attorney that the charges are false. We are confident that he will be fully exonerated.”
In Loki, Majors plays He Who Remains, whom avid watchers of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) have come to know as Kang the Conqueror following his role in Ant-Man: Quantumania. Given Majors’ charges, I assumed that Marvel would make at least some effort to disguise the fact that Majors was a part of the show, as I’ve seen other TV shows and movies do in similar situations. I also thought that Marvel wouldn’t have to do anything at all, given that Season 1 ended with Kang essentially dying (at least for now). While Majors isn’t physically present in the first two episodes of Loki Season 2, it’s no secret that Kang, and therefore Majors, is very much a part of the series. In fact, the very first shot of the show is a close shot of a statue of Kang.
The entire mess that Majors’ alleged actions created for the MCU made me think back to other TV shows and movies that have run into similar issues. The first that comes to mind is the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard trial in 2022, in which Depp accused Heard of defamation (Heard also filed a countersuit against Depp for defamation as well). The verdict of the trial — Heard was found guilty of defamation against Depp — and the intense backlash that Heard received resulted in her upcoming star role as Mera in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom becoming significantly reduced. Another example DC Comic fans may be familiar with is the firing of Hartley Sawyer on CW’s The Flash. Sawyer played Ralph Dibny and was arguably central to the show for a while, but was fired after the resurfacing of past offensive tweets.
A common denominator in both these instances is how the studios responsible for working with these actors seemed to denounce the actors’ actions by taking all measures possible to separate themselves from such controversial people. The difference with the MCU? Majors’ character is a big deal, arguably playing way more of a key role than Mera and Ralph Dibny in their respective franchises. When I say big deal, I’m referring to the notion that Kang will become “an Avengers-level threat far greater than Thanos,” which is supported by reports of Kang getting his own eponymous film, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. It is clear that his character is essential to the later phases and plots of the MCU; he isn’t just some character that can be written off or have a minimized role. He is the future of the MCU.
As you might be thinking, this whole situation raises one big question: Will Majors be recast? The answer to that is no… for now. It’s tricky when it comes to such a big-name series such as the MCU. Besides the recasting of Bruce Banner from Edward Thorton in the 2008 film The Incredible Hulk to Mark Ruffalo for the rest of the Hulk’s appearances in the MCU, I don’t believe there was ever a truly major recast in the history of the movie series up to this point. What’s more, the switch from Thorton to Ruffalo had nothing to do with the controversial actions of the preceding actor. However, according to executive producer Kevin Wright, the decision to hold off on a recast of Majors was because “it felt hasty to do anything without knowing how all of this plays out.”
As I await more episodes of Loki’s new season, as well as even more Marvel projects beyond, I will remain curious about the status of Kang the Conqueror’s portrayal. Although a lot rides on Jonathan Majors’ court date on Oct. 25, it’s hard not to consider the possibility that just having the trial could damage Majors’ image completely. It calls into question whether he will ever act again. The first episode of Loki’s new season attained 10.9 million global views within its first three days, so it’s no secret the show has been widely successful, making the status of Majors all the more a topic of debate.
I truly do hope Marvel chooses to simply recast despite it being new territory for them. I look forward to the next four episodes of Loki Season 2, not only to see what will happen to the God of Mischief but what it will mean for Kang, Majors, the MCU, and beyond.
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