How Jonathan Majors Got The Role Of Kang The Conqueror
Well Marvel fans, another show has ended, and what a fantastic show it was. Following in the footsteps of WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki was full of twists and turns, and further sets up Marvel's Phase 4 by covering more elements of the Multiverse and introducing many big players.
The finale saw the introduction of the new big bad in the Muliverse, but the story of how that came to be is actually quite interesting, and today we are going to look at how it came about. Before we do, though, SPOLIER WARNING is now in effect for those who haven't watched the show or the finale. So if you haven't seen it, do not keep reading. For those who have, let's get stuck in.
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During the finale, we met a character referred to as "He Who Remains," a being who exists beyond time itself and watches over the "Sacred Timeline." However, it turned out that this was actually a variant of Marvel villain Kang the Conqueror. This was not actually meant to be the case, though. In the comics, He Who Remains is a completely separate character from Kang. The decision to make the connection between the two came from just how much Jonathan Majors impressed Marvel execs.
It was announced, last December, that Majors was cast as Kang. But before this, he was cast as He Who Remains in Loki, and we just didn't know about it. Apparently, at the time of his Loki casting, he was also immediately offered the role of Kang. This information comes from Loki director Kate Herron herself. During a conversation with The Wrap, she is quoted as saying:
"It was such a crazy situation. I was in a casting conversation with Kevin Feige, the studio, and Peyton [Reed], and I was like how am I at this table? I think Jonathan was just an actor that we all loved. And really, to be honest, it was just a case of seeing if he was interested, which he was and then just trying to make it work with his schedule, because he's a very busy man."
She also went on to say, about him playing both characters:
"He's a unique character, there's a character called He Who Remains in the comics, but our version of that is completely different. He's a variant of that character [Kang]."
This confirms that He Who Remains is indeed a variant of Kang, also known as Nathanial Richards in the comics.
It seems like Majors did make a lasting impression on everyone, resulting in him nabbing the place of the next character to wreak havoc across the MCU, and they've done it in such a smart way. The inclusion of variants will now allow the MCU to explore a vast array of different avenues. It also allows them to seamlessly replace actors for existing characters no longer part of the MCU, such as Captain America or Iron Man. They wouldn't be replacing the actors in the conventional sense, but rather have someone different play an alternate version. This is a much more clever way to do it than just straight up recasting the part as it forms part of the story ad more fans will likely get behind it.
Majors absolutely chews up the screen during his appearance in Loki, and fans now cannot wait to see how his story will continue in the upcoming Ant-Man and the Wasp sequel. With Sylvie (female Loki) ignoring his warnings of an impending multiversal war should he no longer be there to protect the timeline and killing this version, the next phase of the MCU is gearing up to be quite the thrill ride. With the teaser at the end of Loki's finale confirming he will return for a second season, it seems we are not yet done with this particular part of the story either. Thanos was bad, but the idea of going up against multiple variations of Kang just seems absolutely terrifying.
Until next time!
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