Kang Actor Jonathan Majors Responds To Being MCU Multiverse Saga Villain
Jonathan Majors has been cast as the next villain in the Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania; the actor shares his thoughts on the new role as he received praises from his co-star, director, and the President of Marvel studios as well
There comes a time in an actor’s life when a golden opportunity comes calling, and that’s what has happened with American actor Jonathan Majors.
Jonathan has been in and about the acting since 2017 when he made his debut in the American Western film, Hostile starring Christian Bale. His climb up the Hollywood ladder continued to receive praises for his performances in Last Black man in Francisco, the harder they fall, and the Netflix s’ war drama, Da 5 Bloods.
Along with the movies, Majors has also done roles in TV shows like Lovecraft County, when we rise, and Loki, where he guest starred as He who remains.
Following the end of the infinity saga and Thanos s’ death, there was a void to fill as the next central supervillain of MCU.
After numerous speculations and fan theories, Jonathan Majors was confirmed at the San Diego Comic-Con, to take over from Thanos as the next baddie of the MCU.He is set to be cast as Kang the Conqueror in the upcoming Phase 5 MCU movie Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Majors became the first choice for the role of Kang the Conqueror in 2020 during the early development of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
He finally made his MCU debut in the 2021 Disney+ show Loki, who performed a variation of Kang the Conqueror known as He Who Remains.
Keep reading to find out the actor s’ response to getting such a significant role and also know what the Marvel President had to say about Majors as Kang the Conqueror next MCU villain.
JONATHAN MAJORS IS “HUMBLED” BY THE OPPORTUNITY
In an interview with ET, the actor spoke about the role and how grateful he is for the opportunity:
It feels cool. You know, the whole thing is of cultural significance. And so, to be of titular significance, whatever that means, it’s humbling actually. You know, you just want to get to work, you just want to see the script and start, you know? Start and fail and mess up and you know, memorize the lines and do all the stuff I wanted to do since I was a little boy in Texas.
ET
This was the first time the actor spoke about his role after being cast as the next MCU adversary. He is delighted by the prospect and displays shades of little-boy- whose-dream-come-true vibes.
Majors uses a step-by-step process that goes beyond memorizing the line as part of the preparation for his role. He spoke to Indiewire about how he manages scripts:
There’s script’s everywhere here. I can show you, man,” he said, chatting over Zoom from his trailer on “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” before thinking better of flashing a Marvel script on camera. “[The notes] may look like a football play sometimes, but it’s like the astrology of the spirits in the space. Everybody works in relation to someone else, always.
Indiewire
The attention to detail and awareness of the surroundings help Majors track emotional beats and visual cues to enhance his performance. There isn’t any doubt in our minds that he will also be utilizing the same method in the Marvel movies.
While an actor doesn’t need to be a fan of the franchise they are cast in, it does make it easy for the performer to grasp the role quickly. Majors fall in this category as the actor, in an interview with Variety, said how he never missed a Marvel movie despite not being a big Ant-Man fan:
I have never been an “Ant-Man” fan. But don’t take that the wrong way. I have seen all the films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. One of my fondest memories is a “daddy Sunday” with my birth father going to see Infinity War.
Variety
It’s amusing and, at the same time, ironic that Kang the Conqueror in the upcoming Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania would also not like Scott Lang, just like the actor playing the villain.
PAUL RUDD LAUDS MAJORS AS A GREAT ACTOR
Speaking of Scott Lang, aka the Ant-Man played by the brilliant Paul Rudd, the actor had nothing but admiration for his co-star and new villain:
Jonathan’s a great actor. And what he brings to this role, there are a lot of people who know about Kang that have read the comics, and they know what an intimidating and impressive dude that guy is, so Jonathan kind of really embodies that. He brings a whole new dimension to all of this, and it was fun working with him, and this feels big.
ET
The actor was cut off by director Peyton Reed with a “Stop it, stop it, that’s it” in an amusing attempt to stop the actor from giving away Majors s’ role.
This isn’t the first time Majors has received acclamation from his fellow staff. Loki director Kate Herron spoke to Hollywood Reporter on casting majors as a variant of He who remains:
Jonathan Majors is an actor that we were all just blown away by; I think everyone who knows his work is blown away by him. He’s an amazing actor, and the thing that I love about him is that he’s this chameleon. He’s so different in everything he does, and that’s exciting, obviously, when you’re asking an actor to play a character who’s going to have a lot of different versions of himself. So for us, that was a thrill.
Hollywood Reporter
The director also noted how majors and herself would have sit-downs to understand his character’s psyche. Kate mentions how fun digging into the role and finding out what goes into making that personality.
KEVIN FEIGE COMMENDS JONATHAN MAJORS’ KANG FOR SHOULDERING THE MULTIVERSE SAGA
We have heard co-stars and directors heap praise for Majors, but the President of Marvel Studios, Kevin Feige, wasn’t going to be left far behind. Kevin complimented Majors and revealed that Kang the Conqueror actor is well suited for his role:
It comes down to the cast and with Jonathan Majors, who I think took over the Hall H stage, you know, in the three minutes he was up there. It’s amazing, and I said to him there’s nobody’s shoulders I’d rather be putting the multiverse saga on than his. It’s really impressive what Jonathan Majors is able to do and all the different incarnations, variants, if you will, of Kang that we will see him do. It’s really pretty cool.
ComicBook.com
Those are some big words by Feige, and it looks like MCU has got the right guy to play Kang the Conqueror, who also spoke about the difference Kang will have as compared to Thanos:
What I love is that he’s totally different from Thanos. That he is completely different. That it’s not just how about there’s a bigger purple guy with a helmet? That’s not what Kang is. Kang is a very different type of villain and the fact that he is many, many different characters is what’s most exciting and most differentiates him.
ComicBook.com
Looking at the personality of Kang, which includes traits like Smartest guy in the room, Egotistical, Vain, Warrior Code, Calculating, and Cold, Majors casting could be a stroke genius after all.
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CONCLUSION
Jonathan Majors, aka Kang the Conqueror, the next MCU villain, has a nice ring to it; we wish him well.
