Jonathan Majors opens up about Marvel’s decision to welcome Robert Downey Jr. back to the MCU as Victor Von Doom.
Jonathan Majors, who at one time was selected to play Kang, the central villain of the Marvel Cinematic Universe after Thanos, is opening up about Marvel’s recent reveal that Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the MCU to play Dr. Victor Von Doom. Doom essentially replaces Kang as the MCU’s Big Bad for the next several years after the studio pivoted away from Majors following the actor’s two misdemeanor counts of harassment and assault.
Speaking with TMZ, Majors said he’s “heartbroken” by the outcome, though he continues to admire RDJ’s incredible talent and creativity. “Yeah, heartbroken. Of course,” Majors commented when TMZ asked if he was upset by Marvel’s decision to retire Kang’s ambitious road map. “I love Kang. Doctor Doom is wicked, though.”
TMZ quickly points out RDJ’s checkered past compared to Majors’s recent circumstances. Downey was arrested in 1996 for possession of heroin, cocaine, and an unloaded gun and given three years of probation. RDJ’s legal troubles extend beyond the offense mentioned above, though, as we all know, Marvel made its peace with hiring Downey when they cast him as Tony Stark in 2008’s Iron Man.
“I think it’s fair that Mr. Downey is being and has been greeted with patience and curiosity and love … and [he’s] being allowed to work [his] art and be creative at that level,” Majors said about Downey rising like a mighty phoenix despite his legal record. “I didn’t really get that.”
While Majors is understandably upset by the halt to his Marvel tenure, Hollywood certainly has its share of redemption stories. Majors’s guilty verdict is still fresh in the eyes of the public. It’s possible he could mount a comeback as time ticks.
When asked if he’d still want to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Kang, Majors said, “Hell yeah! Hell yeah! I love him. I love Kang. If that’s what the fans want, and that’s what Marvel wants, then let’s roll. Hell yeah.”
Are you upset about Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom replacing Jonathan Majors’s Kang as Marvel’s Big Bad? Could Majors ever return to the MCU in some capacity? Let us know in the comments below.