Marvel Studios' most recent Disney+ series was the animated What If...?, a story made up of alternate timelines where events went slightly differently than what fans know and love. All of these storytelling possibilities were only possible thanks to the game-changing events of Loki's season finale.
In the final hour of Tom Hiddleston's solo series, a massive Marvel character is introduced into the MCU: Johnathan Majors' Kang the Conqueror––well, to be technical, fans got to meet He Who Remains; a variant of the time-traveling tyrant.
Majors had been confirmed to be taking over the role late last year, but only for the upcoming Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. His inclusion in Loki was a surprise to fans across the world, even with all the speculation running rampant at the time.
What was it like for the actor to keep such big secrets from the wider world?
The Annunciation of... Jonathan Majors?
During a discussion with Variety, Loki and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania actor Jonathan Majors discussed his arrival into the MCU.
The actor revealed that from the time he got his "invitation to the MCU, to the premiere of episode 6," he had been holding on to his secret casting for about 7 months.
So how did he manage to keep his lips sealed for so long? Majors joked that "[he] doesn't really talk to people much," and that he "[felt] like Mary [Magdalene]" in reference to the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary:
"I don't really talk to people much [laughs]. I just keep my head down. You kinda feel like... this is odd to say, but it's kinda biblical. You know, you feel like you got this little secret. You feel like Mary; you got this little gift, you know."
The actor then went on to say how much of the pop culture "conversation was 'is Kang going to show up in Loki?'", but what they didn't expect to see was He Who Remains instead:
Well, the interesting part about... Loki... is that it's all the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I think the big conversation was 'is Kang going to show up in Loki?'... there's a couple entities, there's Kang, and then there's the actor that plays Kang and how they work that, because that's just the nature of this world now. So they didn't expect He Who Remains. I didn't expect He Who Remains, but I'm very glad we met, and I'm glad he got to be introduced to everybody else."
Jonathan Majors and his Secrets
Majors is probably very happy to be able to talk freely about taking on the role of Kang the Conqueror––one can only assume how annoying it could be having to dodge so many questions about rumored parts in these MCU films; just ask Andrew Garfield.
Fans will see the actor embody the true version of Kang in the upcoming film Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. This time around, the world will become properly acquainted with the villain that will basically become the next Thanos for the MCU. Based on stories from Peyton Reed's set, Majors is having a blast taking on the role, and that's never a bad sign.
Sadly, the wait until his next appearance was pushed even further away due to the recent MCU delays. The Ant-Man threequel is now set to hit theaters on July 28, 2023, instead of its original February release date. The character is also likely to make an appearance in Loki's second season, but that project doesn't even have an estimated release window yet.
