'Marvel Is Truly F***d' After Loki Says One Executive - Here's Why
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has had a rough few years, and things aren't getting any better any time soon. A new report from Variety details the chaos within Marvel Studios, much of which involves the handling of Jonathan Majors' Kang the Conqueror.
It's no secret that the MCU has lost some traction at the box office since Phase 3 ended back in 2019. But middling performances are the least of the studio's problems right now. Kang was meant to be the new Thanos — a bad guy powerful and compelling enough to carry the next several years of "Avengers" movies. But after a series of domestic violence allegations landed Majors on track for trial at the end of November, that whole plan has been thrown into question.
Per Variety, Kevin Feige and other executives spent much of their September retreat in Palm Springs trying to sort out the mess. Various backup plans were tossed around to diminish Kang's importance, but the end of "Loki" Season 2 may make that difficult. According to the report, the show's Season 2 finale reasserts Kang as the main focus going forward. "Marvel is truly f***d with the whole Kang angle," one source told Variety after seeing the finale. "And they haven't had an opportunity to rewrite until very recently [because of the WGA strike]. But I don't see a path to how they move forward with him."
Marvel is stuck in a corner with Kang
According to the Variety report, the end of "Loki" Season 2 doubles down on Kang, setting him up as a true terror for the next "Avengers" movie and supporting stories. That move was already well underway after "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania," and "Loki" Season 2 wrapped production prior to the allegation against Jonathan Majors coming out. But with the case against Majors now going to trial and Marvel in no less of a content conundrum, committing again to this particular direction certainly seems like a dicey choice.
Of course, there are options. Variety reported that the Marvel execs discussed various potential solutions in September, including recasting Majors or rewriting the story to center around a new lead villain like Dr. Doom. Recasting might be the simplest move, but according to the report, the studio was already wary of Kang when "Quantumania" failed to produce at the box office. Variety also cited reports that Marvel could try to bring back original MCU stars like Robert Downey Jr. Such a drastic move could be both expensive and lucrative, but with interest in the franchise fading fast, it might be too little, too late.
Regardless of the fix, the problem is the same — yet another narrative reroute that keeps fans on the perimeter instead of building something new. It's already been almost five years since "Avengers: Endgame" came out, and now it looks like Marvel could be going back to square one yet again.