One of the top contenders to take over for Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror just turned down the possibility.
While Majors’ has made several major appearances as Kang in the MCU, such as in Loki and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the actor was fired by Marvel Studios in late 2023.
The seismic shift occurred as Majors was found guilty by a New York City jury of reckless assault and harassment on December 18, 2023.
Despite his departure, reports indicate that Marvel Studios plans to eventually replace the actor instead of rewriting the character out of the MCU.
[ Loki Season 3 Could Solve Marvel Studios' Kang Problem Perfectly ]
Will Luke James Play Kang the Conqueror?
Talking exclusively with The Direct’s Russ Milheim, Them: The Scare star Luke James took himself out of the running for the recast of Marvel Studios’ villainous Kang the Conqueror, a role previously held by Jonathan Majors.
The actor's acclaimed role playing a nefarious character in Them: The Scare has spurred campaigns from some Marvel fans for James to play Kang.
While the actor said that "no," he wouldn’t want to take on the Kang mantle, he absolutely would be interested in another role with Marvel:
"Marvel as a whole? Yes. Kang the Conqueror? No. But I wouldn't not not take the meeting. There are so many brilliant characters, because I mean, it's so many characters. There are so many characters I would love a take at."
As for who he would specifically want to play, the superhero Thrasher seems to be at the top of the list, a character introduced to him via Spider-Man:
"I know it's going to throw people: Thrasher. As a kid, I loved Thrasher, especially when I was introduced to him via Spider-Man. I just thought that was really cool. I skateboard. I thought it was really sick. They're working on ‘Blade,' Blade is awesome. But I can't unsee Wesley [Snipes], but I also love Mahershala Ali, so I just know that's just going to be a brilliant take on that."
On the DCU side of things, James singled out Captain Atom as a character who he’d want to bring to life one day:
"[Captain] Adam would be really cool in the DCU. I think Adam is such a unique character. They always kind of hint to him, show him in the cartoons and animation versions of all the movies that they've come up with DCU. But Adam is really powerful. I think that would be really [cool]... Right now, I see him hooked up to this reactor... They're draining him; they're using his power to create these radioactive beings that they're using. I forget what animation that was..."
The entire conversation with Luke James can be viewed below:
[ Will Marvel Recast Kang? John Boyega And Damson Idris Casting Speculation Trends Online ]
What Does the Future of Kang in the MCU Look Like?
While Luke James’ talent won’t be a part of the MCU yet, it's good to see him being honest about his lack of desire to take over the role of Kang. Hopefully, something else will come up for him sooner rather than later.
Another popular option for the part is Colman Domingo, an actor known for his roles in both Fear the Walking Dead and Rustin. While Domingo confirmed any talks happening or an outright desire to do the part, some MCU stars are already voicing support about how great it would be to see—such as Ginger Gonzaga from She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
Whatever the future may be for Kang the Conqueror in the MCU, Marvel Studios isn't in a rush to fill that void.
It looks like Avengers 5 might not focus much on Kang anymore as recent signs indicate it’ll no longer be called The Kang Dynasty.
Hopefully, whoever is next given a chance at the villain will do it justice. With all the Multiverse Saga buildup for the villain, it would be a massive letdown not to see his story continue to play out.
Luke James can currently be seen in Amazon Studios' Them: The Scare on Prime Video and in The Chi on Showtime and Paramount+.
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