Marvel has found its new Kang The Conqueror; recast "confirmed", reports say

Marvel Studios has been hard at work in a bid to reshape the Marvel Cinematic Universe after a number of ups and downs over the past year. The Multiverse Saga had raised some eyebrows right from the very beginning of its launch due to how many titles it featured (a result of the debut of the MCU Disney Plus shows) but it's only within the last year that the cracks have started to show, as three 2023 titles were either poorly received or box office bombs.

The first of those, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, introduced the franchise's new villain Kang the Conqueror, with Jonathan Majors in the role. Marvel has since parted ways with Majors, which has raised questions about the character's future in the MCU. Would the franchise be moving away from Kang entirely or recasting? It sounds like the answer lies somewhere in between, or at least that's what the multitude of rumors have suggested over the past year.

Now, it sounds like we have a clearer picture.

Marvel has reportedly found its new Kang the Conqueror

According to veteran Marvel insider Daniel Richtman, Marvel Studios has officially found its replacement for Kang the Conqueror. The insider adds that he doesn't know who the studio has picked yet, but he is one of the most reliable scoopers within the industry, so it's highly likely that this is indeed the case.

It's possible that Kevin Feige will announce the recasting at San Diego Comic-Con, as Marvel Studios' Hall H panel this year is expected to shed some light on the uncertain future of the Multiverse Saga, revealing when long-rumored titles are coming out and giving us a clearer picture of the timeline after Phase Five. And given that one of the biggest reasons why things aren't particularly clear for the MCU right now is the uncertainty of Kang's involvement going forward, it might be a good idea to get that out in the open.

Over the past year, there have been various rumors about who could replace Kang, with one of the most prominent being Fear The Walking Dead star Colman Domingo. The actor addressed those rumors in an interview with Vanity Fair, revealing that his team have been having discussions with Marvel for years about some aspect of the MCU, but that he didn't know if this particular rumor was true or not, adding: "I could be in conversation, but I’m not sure. I would welcome a conversation around it."

That was before fans could even be sure that Kang was being recast. There were rumors that the studio was just going to move on from the villain. Yes, there were variants out there, but the version of him that appeared in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was defeated, and the version that appeared in Loki was killed; so, theoretically, the franchise could have just introduced another, bigger, evil and been done with it. But this new recasting report suggests that he will have a role going forward.

What's even more interesting, however, is that it also seems there are some truths to the rumors on the other side of the coin as well. The fifth Avengers movie was originally titled Avengers: The Kang Dynasty but it has since been temporarily changed to Avengers 5. The Hollywood Reporter now states that the film is expected to get a new name and focus going forward, suggesting that Kang won't be its primary villain after all.

The sixth Avengers movie is still indeed set to be Avengers: Secret Wars and it will be the Multiverse Saga's Endgame, but by the time that movie arrives, will Kang the Conqueror have been dropped in favor of a new big bad? Even if that's the case, it still sounds like Marvel plans on reintroducing the character in a transitional way at least instead of dropping him altogether. That's probably a good thing for continuity purposes, but it does raise some questions about how big a role this rumored new Kang actor will play if the character is no longer the Big Bad going forward.

After all these rumors suggesting a recast was inevitable and the contrasting rumors suggesting Marvel would movie on, it sounds like the studio has opted for a bit of both. And it's going to be very interesting to see what direction the MCU goes in, and who this rumored new Kang replacement could be.