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Kang will likely be written off as the major villain in the MCU with the latest news about the removal of Jeff Loveness as the writer in future Marvel projects. Loveness, commissioned with the scripting of Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, is moving away from any involvement with MCU Phase 5 and 6 projects.
Reportedly, the changes happened recently, since Jeff had claimed in April to be working on the challenging project of creating a movie worth being a follow-up to Avengers: Infinity Wars and Avengers: Endgame. Jeff, who scripted Rick and Morty, was excited by the genre change, often posting views and jokes on his social media pages.
According to Variety, Marvel had Dr Doom as one of the backup plans, as considered by Kevin Feige and his creative team. With things going difficult with the time-variant villain and its actor, Jonathan Majors, Doctor Doom seems to be the best alternative to replace a villain of the stature of Thanos.
Is Doctor Doom taking over the role of mega villain from Kang?
Going by the current scenario, Doctor Doom looks set to be the next major villain in the MCU after Thanos. The stories from Marvel Comics have the Doctor connect many parallel storylines, such as the Fantastic Four and the 2015 Secret Wars. That makes him an obvious choice.
Variety reported that during the company’s annual retreat in September, the Feige team put some thought into Doctor Doom. The plot of the upcoming projects and the positioning of the characters have been changed accordingly.
Previously, Kang was made to tread through various projects that connected the three Ant-Man movies and two Loki series in Disney+. He was also positioned for Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars. Quantumania had introduced Kang the Conqueror, portrayed by Jonathan Majors, as a supervillain set to rule the timelines of the multiverse.
The twist in the tale presented in Loki season 2 had Loki replacing He Who Remains at the End of Time, weaving and holding the branches of the timeline together, making him more powerful than the time-variant villain. However, Victor Timely, one of the variants, remained a TVA agent. These changes reduced Marvel’s dependence on Kang to portray the biggest adversary in Phase 6.
While the time-traveling variant failed to impress fans as a supervillain, and his character fell flat due to variants like Victor Timely and He Who Remains, Doctor Doom, who is the greatest chess player, has the personality to be the Machiavellian bad guy needed in Phase 6 of MCU.
Why is writer Jeff Loveness being withdrawn from future Marvel projects?
Joanna Robinson, reporter for Vanity Fair, reported on her podcast, The Reign of Marvel Studios, that Jeff was no longer a part of the future Avengers’ projects. According to Robinson, Marvel is moving away from its plans to project the time-traveler as the next mega villain after the fall of Thanos.
According to the podcast, Loveness had to exit Marvel Studios due to his attachment to the Kang storyline. Going by the recent changes in the positioning of characters in the MCU, Marvel seems to be veering away from the projected villain. At such a time, the writer's exit points to a change in the storyline from the Jeff Loveness Kang Dynasty plot.
Is Jonathan Majors controversy why Kang was written off?
Unfortunately, the villain did not cut it as great to beat Thanos as a menacing villain needed in the sixth phase. His one major role as the antagonist was in Quatumania, while two of his variants, He Who Remains and Victor Timely, performed side roles in the two seasons of Loki. With this, the image fails to shoulder the huge responsibility of being an intimidating villain like Thanos.
Possibly, Marvel is feeling similar concerns. Besides, actor Jonathan Majors stands embroiled in legal issues. Charged with serious offenses of assault and misconduct against women, the actor was last seen in Loki season 2 since it was filmed before his arrest.
He is set to appear in court for his case in November 2023. His verdict may affect his future in the MCU. However, despite the verdict, the studio may not want to work with the actor in the future due to so much attention grabbed by the assault controversy.
Is Avengers: The Kang Dynasty canceled?
After Marvel Studios came under the Disney banner, there has been a reshuffle in the studio’s plans. Based on that, The Kang Dynasty is scheduled to drop on May 1, 2026. As of now, there is no news of a cancellation. However, with Jeff gone from the project and no news of any other writer to replace him, fans have to wait for more information.
Speculations are rife on who will be the right person to replace Jeff on the project. While some fans believe Loki season 2 writer Eric Martin may helm the script, others feel the project should pull in Infinity Wars and Endgame writers Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus.
Previously, Shang-Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton was announced as part of the production team for The Kang Dynasty. If Marvel plans to keep its distance from the time-traveling variant’s story, it is unclear whether the project may happen soon.
